Braxton Taylor
For a long time, suppressors were associated more with elite soldiers and movie assassins than everyday American hunters. In the last few decades, however, thanks to some legal and regulatory changes, suppressors are more common and easier to get than ever before. Clever engineering, advanced alloys, and 3D printing also make them lighter, more durable, and more effective.
There’s never been a better time to get into the suppressor game, which is why we’re so stoked to announce the “MeatEater” suppressor by Banish. The MeatEater is tailor-made for hunters, and thanks to the collaboration between Silencer Central engineers and our crew, offers unique features you won’t find anywhere else.
MeatEater x Silencer Central Suppressor Backstory
From our first meeting with our friends over at Silencer Central, it was clear that they mean business when it comes to suppressors. Even in those initial stages, we all agreed the suppressor needed to be something different, something unique. We didn’t want to slap a logo on a product that is already being made. So, a few folks from the MeatEater team went to Silencer Central’s HQ and, after a tour of their facility, started to put pen to paper and line out what we wanted to create.
Sound
The first requirement was that it had to be quiet, obviously. It didn’t have to silence the shot report completely (no suppressor can do that), but it had to suppress a shot sufficiently that a hunter could shoot one or two shots from most calibers without hearing protection. Since many of us are avid western big game hunters, the suppressor needed to perform well with the popular .300 Win. Mag. and other magnums.
Recoil
Along with suppressing sound, we wanted the suppressor to maximize recoil reduction. That’s no easy feat. Muzzle brakes reduce recoil, but they usually make gunshots louder. We also wanted the muzzle brake to be timeable. This means the ports on the end could be oriented upwards so the gas from the cartridge doesn’t kick up dust. We also wanted to be able to turn off the muzzle brake for maximum sound suppression when needed.
Silencer Central’s solution was a muzzle brake system you won’t find anywhere else: the adjustable anchor brake. With small ports around the perimeter as opposed to large baffles as on a standard muzzle brake, the shot is quieter when the hot gasses are coming out of each hole. The brake is also easily removable with an internal collar. With it flipped in one direction, the ports are open, and you can time them so that the gasses escape out the side and upwards only. If you take the collar out and flip it, the brake turns off completely for maximum sound suppression.
Size
Since many modern rifles have 22- to 26-inch barrels and non-folding stocks, we wanted to keep the suppressor as compact as possible. A suppressed rifle is always longer, and they have a tendency to get caught on just about anything. This makes for more noise and harder hikes.
At the same time, however, a shorter suppressor decreases internal volume, and all things being equal, larger suppressors are typically quieter than shorter ones. So, the best way to shorten a suppressor without losing sound suppression capability is by increasing the diameter, which is what we did.
Drawing upon the knowledge and experience of Silencer Central’s engineers, we settled on an overall length of 5.85 inches and increased the diameter to 1.73 inches. We found this to be the Goldilocks zone for sufficient suppression in a compact package. When mounted on a rifle, it’s short enough to stay out of the way and is hardly noticeable when your rifle is mounted to a pack or worn on a sling.
Weight
The weight of the finished product was also a high priority. As backcountry hunters, we strive to shave weight where possible without giving up on durability.
That’s why we settled on a full titanium construction. This kept things light and durable. Titanium suppressors usually aren’t rated for high rates of fire, but as hunters, we weren’t concerned about doing mag dumps with our AR’s or rapidly shooting an entire box of magnum ammo. This suppressor will hold up just fine under anything short of automatic fire.
Modularity and Serviceability
Lastly, and arguably just as important as anything else, we wanted the suppressor to be easily serviced by the end user. This is accomplished by removing the anchor brake and taking the baffles out. From there, you can easily clean each baffle and the inside of the suppressor.
We also wanted it to be able to take advantage of the various mounts, adaptors and accessories from third party companies. That’s why the back is threaded in the HUB mount, which is an industry standard 1.375×24 thread pitch. This means that you can easily adapt the suppressor to use the majority of QD mounts or back caps on the market.
The Finished Product
The end result is the MeatEater by Banish, a lightweight, compact, rugged and unique suppressor that checks every box on a hunter’s list. It’s rated all the way up to .300RUM, reduces felt recoil by up to 40%, and cuts sound levels by 32dB. We think the team over at Silencer Central knocked it out of the park with this one and look forward to running ours this hunting season.
For more information, head over to Silencer Central.
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