Silencer Innovation: Sig SRD Series

Every year at SHOT, we get to see all the cool new suppressors that are coming down the pipe; but, it typically takes 6-8 months before we can really see what works and what doesn't. Over the next couple of weeks, we're running a series of 'Silencer Innovation' articles to highlight some of the most interesting designs that are currently changing the industry - and we're starting out with the new Sig Silencer SRD series. The team at Sig Sauer Silencers, led by Kevin Brittingham (who also founded AAC), re-entered the market this year with a bang. While Sig's previous silencer products weren't taken very seriously, the new SRD suppressors are based on some very interesting design innovations:

Mounting System

  One of the toughest things about building a locking quick-attach silencer, is the mount itself. Over the last few years, we've seen mounting systems improve dramatically.  Unfortunately, as many existing silencer owners can attest, the newer mounts are becoming ever more complicated and prone to issues, like: loss of accuracy, seizing up inside the suppressor, or even breaking. On top of that, muzzle brakes can be a pain to time (i.e. line up the ports) correctly on the barrel. In typical 'Kevin' fashion, Sig has solved all of these issues with a brilliant new mounting system on the SRD-series suppressors. Here are some advantages of this new mount:

-------------------------------------------------- 1. The new Sig mount is based on a taper-mount system (similar to Thunder Beast's Compact Brake).  That makes it excellent for accuracy since a taper mount is ideal for consistent Point-Of-Impact shift & accuracy.  A taper mount also has a large surface contact area, which makes a locking system redundant for most low-to-medium volume shooting. -------------------------------------------------- 2. Although the locking system will be redundant for most shooters, the Sig mount does include one.  The great thing is that it's dead simple, which reduces any chance that the lock itself could end up causing issues. -------------------------------------------------- 3. Since the base of the mount is separate from the functional module (like the flash hider, muzzle brake, etc...), timing becomes extremely simple.  In fact, unlike any other suppressor out there, you can use a crush washer to time the muzzle brake portion!  (I know we're loving the system here - and I think tinkerers are going to absolutely love this system.) --------------------------------------------------

After spending a couple of months with this mount, I have to say it's probably one of the simplest, and best all-around mounting systems currently on the market.

Sound Reduction

It's obvious that Sig put a lot of thought into making the SRD suppressors quiet, and that's even apparent in their non-conventional external look. Volume & baffle design are both critical parts of what makes a suppressor quiet.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words; and, in this case, I think that's definitely true.  Take a look at the internal design of the SRD 7.62 Titanium suppressor cutout beside some of the current top suppressor designs on the market:   It's obvious, when looking at this picture, why the Sig suppressor sounds so good.  By using a single-tube design, they've both increased the number of baffles & increased the internal volume at the same time.  The porting allows the suppressor to take full advantage of this additional space - and the results are impressive!

Accuracy

Thanks to a combination of tight tolerances & an excellent mounting system, the Sig Silencer SRD suppressors are some of the most accurate on the market. We've been spending a lot of time at the range, and will be posting more accuracy results on many of our suppressors over the coming weeks.

Conclusion

Once again, it's obvious that a lot of thought went into designing this suppressor. Keep in mind that we've currently only been testing with the Titanium version; but, the Stainless/Inconel version is coming soon as well.  If you're planning on mounting this to a full-auto or short barrel weapon, then the Stainless/Inconel version is definitely the one you want. For everybody else, the titanium version is light weight, durable - and the price is almost unbelievable (especially coming from Sig:)).