6.5 Archives

Introduction to suppressors

One of the biggest questions when buying a suppressor, is selecting one out of the hundreds of options. I’ve been through a bunch at this point in my life, so let me shed some light on the subject for you. What caliber? what configuration? And so many other questions you’ll be asking yourself. With so many options how can you pick one that is best for your purposes? The right answer is that there are always too many good choices to pick only one, but today we are going to look at the subject as a first time suppressor buyer, and a suppressor that might just cover all your bases.

The YHM R9 mounted direct on a **Browning X-bolt** 6 Creedmoor

Why the YHM R9?

What makes the YHM R9 a perfect can for an NFA Greenhorn? I’ll get right into it. Todays gun owners come from every walk of life, our modern world has given them overwhelming opportunities for firearms and accessories. That said, there’s a good chance that most firearm enthusiasts looking into a suppressor probably have an Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) of one kind or another. That rifle is probably chambered in the extremely popular 5.56, or one of the other calibers that are growing in popularity like 300blk, 6.5G, 6 ARC, etc.
The R9 from YHM is ideal for using with any of these calibers, it can suppress large frame cartridges too, like the 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester. It is rated to suppress pretty much anything under 308 Winchester really, even with limited amounts of full auto. But Wait! There’s more! The R9 is also a perfect fit for a 9mm pistol or carbine, it’s stainless construction is more than enough to retain pressures generated by the cartridge, and other 9mm rifle cartridges like the 350 Legend.

The way I see it, it is pretty damn likely that your apprentice level prospective suppressor purchaser would benefit greatly with an R9. One could swap it back and forth from various rifles, and install a booster and run it on their Glock as well.

The R9 is ideal for the **Desert Tech MDRX** and its assorted calibers

Adaptation

YHM is one of many manufacturers that has embraced the uniformity of threads. The threaded rear end of the R9 can be fitted with a direct thread cap (1/2-28 or 5/8-24), or it can fit a Nielsen booster assembly and run with one of various piston manufacturers. It doesn’t end there, it can also use YHM’s Phantom QD system, which allows rapid swapping of the suppressor from various YHM muzzle devices. Further still, the can uses the same threads as other major manufacturers like Dead Air and SilencerCo, so you could also install those devices. I have all three options for my R9, I have both thread caps that I use when shooting the R9 on my precision guns, and I also have the QD mount so I can swap it back and forth on my carbines as well. I run a Rugged suppressors piston inside my Nielson Booster assembly, which makes my Canik TP9 quiet and smooth as ever I could ask.
The R9 is only threaded on the breach end, the rest of it’s construction is solid baffles welded together making it simple and no non-sense. The provided tools allow the user to tighten down the various assorted mounting options, and perhaps more importantly disassemble them after being used.

Shooting with the YHM R9

The very first shots I fired through the R9 were with my pistol. It was the first mounting adaptor in my possession so I went straight to the range to try it out.
The R9 tamed all the sounds produced by my pistol, adding of course its due weight and a bit of added backpressure. But the heavier muzzle sure made the pistol smooth and even more controllable. Shooting the pistol in closed quarters was very tolerable, the sound reduction was everything I’d hoped for, and the function was flawless.

The R9 seen mounted direct on my SRS M2 6mm GT

Shortly thereafter I received the 5/8-24 direct thread adaptor, and the R9 went straight to my Desert Tech SRS M2 chambered in 6mm GT. It stayed there for quite some time, hundreds of rounds sent through the R9 from fifty to seventeen-hundred yards. The accuracy of the rifle was if anything enhanced by the presence of the R9, this is typical in my experience. Cartridges like the 6mm GT were easily suppressed by the R9, making precision even more pleasant.

The QD mount for the R9 is perfect for running the suppressor back and forth between rifles. I ran the Phantom flash hider on my 308 carbine threaded 5/8-24. and on my 5.56 chambered carbine I use the Phantom Turbo 556 muzzle brake. This made it easy to swap the R9 back and forth between the two rifles, both of which sounded great when suppressed with the R9. With the gas turned down a notch on both rifles, they functioned perfectly without gassing me out at the breach.

Carbines like this 350 Legend are a perfect host

First or Fifth suppressor?

Ya, I said first or fifth. The reason I put it that way is because even though I have a dozen or so cans at any given time, the R9 is still an excellent addition to my collection. It is very useful on better than half of my gun collection, and with an MSRP of only $494.00 it is pretty economical compared to many other cans.
I’m at a point in life where I seldom go places without a rifle, and much of the time I have two or three rifles. Having an additional suppressor that will fit most of my rifles makes it an easy choice for me.

Conclusion

If my positivity is hasn’t been obvious enough about my feelings about this little suppressor, let me make it clear; I think this is the perfect suppressor for a first time NFA victim. It has everything most people need, multi-caliber, adaptable, tough as nails, and all at a very reasonable price. If I had to say something about the R9 that I dislike, you’d really have to force it out of me. The only issue I’ve ever had was keeping the thread caps tight, this was almost certainly due to me not tightening them on using the supplied tools as I’m a lazy ass. But I wouldn’t put that at the feet of the boys over at YHM.

So there you have it, the R9 is nearly a flawless purchase in my opinion. Short from needing magnum capabilities or a bunch of machine guns you need to suppress, this is an excellent suppressor for your typical firearms consumer. Best get yourself one.

-CBM

It’s no secret that I am a fan boy for the Desert Tech Stealth Recon Scout, I have spent the last few years getting intimately familiar with its virtues. I have had the chance to use the SRS in many different applications, including hunts of all kinds, as well as competitive, and long range shooting. Today I am writing about one of the many reasons why the SRS system, with its seemingly unlimited options has replaced every other rifle in my safe.

I jumped onto the 6.5/.264 bandwagon a couple years ago, it was a 26” 260 Remington that sealed my opinion of the .264 bore. That original barrel has around 3000 rounds on it, and the bullets it has fired have crossed untold miles of cold mountain canyons, and hot desert plains.
The 6.5 lineup has grown over the years, too many to mention here, but the bulk of the work is done by the 260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 6.5X47 Lapua. We could debate for days (and we often do) about which one of the three is best, and why. But today, I have chosen to focus on the 6.5 Creedmoor.

I appreciate the aesthetics of properly manufactured ammunition, and the Creedmoor loaded by Desert Tech Munitionsis a perfect example. Clean and smooth edges, the discoloration of annealed brass, and a uniform presentation that gives a consumer confidence. Looks certainly are not everything when it comes to ammo, so I wasted no time getting to my shooting position.

It was a cool and breezy evening, a snow storm was inbound, threatening to soak my target, my SRS, and of course me. None the less I hiked with purpose to the spot I go to when time is short.
A quick shot of the rangefinder confirmed my one hundred yards to the target, I found a comfortable position with a good solid rest.
The barrel I was using to test this ammunition was virgin, I had only finished its assembly an hour or so before I left work. So a zero had to be achieved before any accuracy testing could be done.
I opened the first box, and loaded ten rounds.

My first shot landed about 1.5 inches low, I measured with my reticle, and made a corrective adjustment. The next 8-9 shots went into one ragged hole, and but for one shot that I knew was bad when it broke, it was as good as anything I’d ever shot previously. That is of course not saying much, as I’m terrible at shooting groups. But even for me, it seemed quite easy to stack shots on top of each other. I continued to shoot five shot groups one after another, I was more than happy with the patterns that this ammo made, through this brand new barrel. I’m very interested to see how it does after its broken in.

After shooting a few boxes of ammo at 100yds, I called it a day. The snowy weather was making it hard to see anything, and the wind was starting to get worse. So I retreated back down the mountain trail, suspending my testing temporarily for a better day.

As soon as permissible, I made my way back up into the mountains. A few days had passed, and the blue sky stretched as far as I could see across the valley. I made my way up the winding mountain road, my ATV laden with a days’ worth of gear, snacks, and snow. As I climbed higher and higher, the snow got deeper. But silence and solitude was the reward. When I finally found the spot I wanted to shoot from, I had gained nearly 3,000 feet more than my first outing with the Creedmoor. Nothing but a light breeze and sunshine at that altitude.

Again I setup my target at 100 yards, and did a quick zero test. I was pleased to see that my cold bore shot was exactly on my point of aim, and the several shots that followed were right on top of it. Happy that nothing had changed since my last outing, I decided to push the Creedmoor out a bit further. I started at 642 yards, I wasn’t about to walk that far in the deep snow. Instead, I found a small cube shaped rock on a small exposed piece of dirt across a long draw. I estimated the rock to be two or three inches in width, a reasonable sized target for that range. So I set to getting the wind and elevation for the shot. I wanted to see how close the come ups listed on the box were to actual , so I made an estimation from the data printed there, and made a wind call. I loaded the magazine as I went over everything in my head, then settled in behind the rifle. I focused on my trigger pull, and broke the shot, the impact was right at the base of the small stone. I made a small correction hold, and sent three more shots at the rock. All of them found their mark, smashing the rock, and sending its pieces rolling into the snow below.
I repeated the process at 860 yards, and again at 970. I was very impressed with the accuracy, shot after shot was right where I had aimed. And when it wasn’t, I knew it before the rifle had finished recoiling.

Obviously, I am a bit biased in most of my opinions here. But I can certainly say without any bias, this is the most accurate factory ammunition I have ever shot. Consistency is king in this game, and I cant wait to keep stacking shots in the black with this Creedmoor.
-CBM