Last week, I got a few hours at the 10th Annual USASOC Sniper Competition At Fort Bragg’s famous Range 37. One of the companies I spoke with was CMC Triggers who showed me their new Suppressed Optimized Bolt Carrier Group – Enhanced 223/556 AR15. It is a new version of their Enhanced Bolt Carrier Group but intended for use with suppressed rifles. Some suppressor optimized BCGs are so tuned, they only run when a suppressor is presemt. This one eas designed to still work, even when the suppressor is removed.
The flared rear of the enhanced bolt carrier is designed to reduce carrier tilt/cant during recoil and increasing reliability by strategically relocating key bearing surfaces.
The Bolt is “true” Mil Spec dimension and external surfaces are CNC ground after heat treat for a precision fit. These bolts are held to the highest possible tolerance possible. The “trumpet” area behind the gas rings, where carbon normally collects, is precision CNC Ground after heat treatment, to ensure as smooth of an area as possible, easing clean up, and longevity.
• 9310 Case Hardened Steel
• All Bolt components Shot Peened & Black Nitride coated
• 4340 Steel, Manganese Phosphate coated
• Magnetic Particle Inspected (MPI) and High Pressure Tested (HPT)
• Black Nitride low friction coating
• Mil Spec Extractor Spring & O-Ring
• 556 223 and 300 Blackout Compatible
It features a Black Nitride Plus finish which you mave have also heard referred to as SBN (Salt bath nitride) and sometimes QPQ (quench polish quench). All of these are a form of nitrocarburizing which is a chemical hardening of steel.
Unknown to many, Griffin Armament was a technology innovator in tubeless silencer design, developing the first commercially available tubeless suppressors in 2010, The Recce Series (gen 1). Tubeless designs although relatively featureless compared to user serviceable or modular suppressors do have a unique advantage in that they can be made very lightweight and durable. Deleting the outer tube helps reduce weight of the system but also imposes other engineering hurdles that have to be overcome. Griffin, having a solid R&D background in tubeless suppressors, sought to push the limits of what was capable by creating the EXPLORR™ series. The goal was to create dedicated rifle suppressors as light as possible, including the mounting system, that nearly matched the lightweight specifications common to full titanium suppressors. Once the program was completed, the consumer could have the lightest weight products available with better than currently available material durability in the existing class. By accomplishing this product goal, a new class of suppressors was created. Truly Lightweight and durable rifle suppressors.
Austin, Primary Owner and lead design engineer at Griffin Armament stated,
“Dedicated suppressors still have a place in the market despite so much popularity surrounding modular cans. Modular cans are neat, but they are typically a jack of all trades stand in solution for consumers venturing into silencer ownership for the first time. Once that user realizes the benefits of shooting a suppressor on a variety of their firearms, they usually look for more dedicated product options to fit certain interests in their shooting hobby. This is the point where the consumer becomes very critical of performance, features, function, and price. We aim to offer a suppressor product for every consumer regardless of our own personal interests. Many people are satisfied with a modular or universal type suppressor, but most find themselves wanting to expand their collection once they get their first experience with suppressors. The EXPLORR™ series was designed to provide users with the lightest, most accurate, and durable suppressors on the market, hands down. You’ll find a host of special features on some of our cans, but the EXPLORR™ is a bit stripped down in terms of features but is packed in terms of weight specs and performance. This can family is designed for guys who love shooting rifles with cans. We’re excited to launch the EXPLORR™ and believe it will help keep Griffin at the forefront of suppressor offerings. As always, I’d like to say thank you to all our great customers, without them we wouldn’t be able to have careers that we love. So thank you.”
EXPLORR™ Features
• Full 17-4 stainless steel billet construction
• Flawless wire EDM cut bores true to the mounting interface
• Fully H900 heat treated for increased service life
• Full TIG circumferentially welded
• Patented and Tuned HEDP™ (High efficiency dual purpose) baffles
• Accommodates the entire Taper Mount line of muzzle devices
• Rear mount body is the serialized component
• Front three-quarter inch Hex Cap, and rear wrench flats
• Front cap features cone flash hider
Millcreek, UT – OSS Suppressors LLC is proud to announce that IWI, the international firearm manufacturer of the innovative and legendary TAVOR®, X95® and GALIL® rifles has officially endorsed OSS and will carry our line of Helix products as one of their official suppressors.
Extensive testing with the OSS products – including sound levels, flash suppression, and durability – preceded IWI’s decision. A critical influence on their decision was how the OSS product did not affect the performance of IWI’s weapon systems. For example, when tested with OSS suppressors, the TAVOR and X95 rifles produced some of the quietest decibel levels at the shooters ear IWI had seen. They truly felt the difference.
OSS 5.56 and 7.62 IWI suppressors can now be purchased direct from IWI. They come coated with custom dark grey, high-temperature C-Series Cerakote® and the IWI logo engraved on the can.
You can enter to win an IWI X95 and OSS suppressor as well as other gear by visiting IWI X95 Giveaway:
German manufacturer Heckler & Koch displayed the SFP9 OR SD at Enforce Tac. It is a striker fired 9mm pistol. Most of you are probably comfortable with the SD designation indicating suppressed, but you may not be familiar with the OR suffix which stands for Optics Ready.
As promised last week, here are the datasheets and pictures for the new suppressor models which will be displayed at Enforce Tac and IWA.
You could say they feature a flow through design and they are the result of a long product development project and are the best models we have ever developed for assault rifles.
The DUAL556-BL model features minimal ( less than 10% ) addition in bolt carrier speed across different 5.56 weapon types and barrel lengths. The higher end of 20% is only see with extremely short barreled weapons such as the HK G36C with less than 9″ barrel. On this weapon the more traditional suppressor types have 40-50% increase. Data sheet is available at Ase Utra DUAL 556-BL suppressor.
The DUAL762-BL model features c. 5-20% increase across different barrel lenths and weapon types. Data sheet is available at Ase Utra DUAL762-BL suppressor.
Why do they not feature 0% addition on all weapons and barrel lengths? This would greatly compromise not only the sound suppression but also flash suppression on these compact suppressor models.
Due to the design they also feature reduced first round flash and virtual elimination of the muzzle flash on the following rounds.
They are manufactured from 300 series stainless steel and feature a very robust construction.
The DUAL556-BL can pass the U.S. SOCOM Suppressed Upper Receiver Group (SURG) tender stress test requirement with an eight 30 round magazine cycle with a specific rate of fire.
The suppressors feature our proven BoreLock mounting system, a simple but very secure mounting system that also allows easy suppressor removal after extended firing. The mounting system does not allow the fouling to enter beyond the tapered alignment surface.
The M231 Firing Port Weapon is a rather obscure footnote in US Small Arms history. Thanks to Marty Bordson, owner of Badger Ordnance, I recently got the chance to fire one.
Designed to be shot from the firing ports of the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (the M2 was the Infantry variant), the M231 was based on the M16A1. As you can see, it featured a short, threaded handguard which was screwed into place in the firing port. Initially, the M231 featured a wire stock, reminiscent of the M3 “Grease Gun” but it was later removed as it was prone to rattle off and become a nuisance in the vehicle. Although, the real reason was probably to dissuade the rifle’s use in place of the standard M16 by dismounted Infantry.
Below, you can see the modified selector lever, peculiar to the M231. It is either SAFE or AUTO and the SOP was to fire Tracer ammo, aimed through a vision block. The M231 was meant to deal with enemy dismounts who might try to engage from the sides and rear of the Bradley.
Marty made a couple of mods to the rifle in order to use it while hunting hogs. He changed out the flash hider so it would accept a Mack Brothers suppressor and fitted a mount and PEQ-15 to the carrying handle. Obviously, that didn’t do me any good during the day. I sighted over the top of the receiver and aimed at the berm.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the M231 is that it fires from the open bolt to help keep it cool. With a cyclic rate of around 1200 rpm, the added suppressor just sped it up, and also exacerbated the gas issues. I also had access to a Magpul D60 PMAG, while those using the M231 in its heyday would have only had USGI 30 rd magazines. My firing hand was covered in carbon when the magazine was finished and I had to stop halfway through, due to the back gas. The video below shows me firing the second half of the magazine. I can only imagine what it was like in the vehicle when there were six firing at once. For a period, there was supposed to be a vent hose for the gas, but the few accounts I’ve heard of these actually being fired from within the vehicle, it didn’t work.
Eventually, the M2 Bradley was upgraded with slab sides designed to accept reactive armor panels which eliminated the side firing ports. However, the M231 is said to soldier on, at least in arms rooms, as the M2 has retained the two firing ports on the rear hatch. As late as the invasion of Iraq, armored troops were spotted using the M231.
