Suppressor cleaning & Useful Life

[old leghumper]

50% hydrogen peroxide 50% vinegar is used for cleaning compensators.
Soak for two hours or until the solution turns green and mix a fresh batch and soak again.
This solution I have used, and it did not cause oxidation in a carbon steel comp.
Rinse with warm water and oil completely when done.

That is the solvent solution I use appears to work well. Only caveat is do NOT use in an ultrasonic cleaner - you may lose the finish on the tube. Ask how I know.

 

[Knotwild]

You'll really like the Oculus. I have a passel of rimfire cans and have taken nearly everything on the market apart and shot most and I like the Oculus more than the rest. It really doesn't have any weak points. I guess the only thing I would say is that maybe they could make one cheaper that doesn't convert into a K can size. That would be interesting to me personally because I don't really shorten my cans very often.

You are right. I do like the Oculus - a lot. I don't really care about using the shorter version either. I had a Silencerco Switchback ordered, but it stayed on back order. Not wild about Silencerco anyway. So I went to my dealer to switch the order to the Oculus because it was in stock, he pulled out a an Oculus someone ordered and never completed the deal.

As a side note, I often use it on a KelTec P17 that I outfitted with a Sig Romeo red dot. I can't put it down once I get rolling.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I don't clean mine as its so easy to replace them over here but the guys that do either drop them in sonic cleaner if they can take them apart and if they are steel just plug them and fill up with drain cleaner for an hour or so, I have seen a guy clean his with Monster energy drinks and you wont believe how clean they come out. Afterwards blow with compressed air and give a spray or 2 of oil, Im sure CLR will also do a great job in cleaning them

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Have a 1984 AWC Ultra built on a Rem 541S (they said they'd never make another). Likely has 20,000+ CCI Mini-Mags through it. It is a sealed, integral unit. Still as quiet on an open range as anything I have ever encountered. Though it has a small screw on the bottom, under the forearm, cleaning may be an issue w/o a sonic cleaning tank.

 

[ACard]

I have more than a dozen cans...I have been shooting suppressed and other nfa goodies for decades. I have never cleaned a non-takedown centerfire suppressor and some of mine have lots of thousands of rounds through them. My go to cans are TBAC and I have an ultra 9 in 6.5 thats had over 7k rounds through it in the last 18 mos and no, it has never been cleaned. I will add it is also very quiet... YMMV

 

[drop_point]

I think it's interesting that people that say that centerfire cans don't need cleaning. Which I guess, if you're a low round count guy, could be true. The idea that the gas from the rifle will clean it out has been shown to be problematic as well.

There is a pic running around of a TB Ultra 7 that had about 10k rounds through it. It was literally a solid tube of carbon, surrounded by titanium with a .300" hole down the middle. I doubt that it got that way in the last 1k rounds if you understand what I'm saying. Almost all of those rounds were Hornady factory 6.5 CM ammo. It took months of soaking and spraying before that can got back to anywhere near it's starting weight. There are numerous other examples of cans totally full of carbon. It doesn't help attenuate sound when it's that thick either!

So the reality is that it's all about your round count. If you don't shoot much, you could go to your grave having never cleaned your centerfire can and it will be just fine. If you go through a couple of barrels a season, you better do it at least once a year or you're going to have a difficult problem to solve. Pistol and slow burning powder could make the issue more of a problem too. I'm thinking 300BO powders and similar.

I would and do weigh any new silencer so that you know what it weighed when new and clean. Then periodically put it on the same scale and see how much weight it's gained. When it's ready for a diet, throw it in an ultra sonic or even a mason jar with something similar to Boretechs C4 or their new stuff specifically for cans. I still have a lot of C4, so I will be staying with that for a while. After soaking for a day or so, I run very hot water through it and shake it and chunks of carbon come out with it. I would think that some of the other carbon cleaners would work about as well. I like the Piston Clean idea from above and might try that in the future.

Rimfire cans obviously need cleaning more frequently, but they tend to be designed to allow for that. I don't use the DIP, and have had great luck with Purple and Simple Green with hot water in an ultra sonic. I also use orange wood sticks, like they use for doing nails, to scrape the little bit that's left after soaking and running the ultra sonic. The wood works well but doesn't scratch up the baffles like a metal pick or similar.

At least 30,000 rounds through one, and three or four precision rifle barrels worn out on the other, I wouldn't consider my use "low round count" per se. What do you consider "low round count"? Many, many manufacturers recommend NOT cleaning the suppressor except the threads/quick mount. Surefire recommends only a brush through the baffles to ensure carbon doesn't align with the bore:


From Surefire:

"SOCOM FAST-ATTACH SUPPRESSOR CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Since SureFire SOCOM suppressors are designed to excel in the most brutal combat conditions, they can take a tremendous amount of abuse with minimal attention. However, the majority of SOCOM SureFire suppressor cleaning and maintenance has little to do with the suppressor itself, but rather ensuring a clean bearing surface on the adapter so that the suppressor is able to be attached/detached quickly. Excessive carbon buildup can foul this service and may result in a suppressor that becomes stuck to the adapter. Preventive maintenance is the best practice. Every SOCOM suppressor comes with a cleaning brush that can be used to loosen carbon deposits.

Mounting and dismounting the suppressor from the weapon several times will help to dislodge carbon and metal-fouling buildup. SureFire also sells the accessory SF-ACST Adapter Carbon-Scraping Tool that easily removes carbon fouling from SureFire suppressor adapters. You can also use the brush remove carbon and copper residue from the suppressor mounting surfaces and adapter. It is important to take care to orient the parts so that loosed carbon does not fall into the weapon bore or into the suppressor body. Most common gun cleaners may be used to remove carbon/copper fouling from both the adapter and the corresponding internal mounting surfaces of the suppressor as well."

Blanket statements are not a good thing.

 

[NWnewguy]

And how much more does your 30k round count can weigh than it did on the day you picked it up?

I'm not sure what manufacturers recommend not cleaning cans today. Maybe there's some out there, but if they are recommending that, they have probably done the math on what the average shooter that buys their product will put through the can in the products life and decided that it will be rare for most to ever fill the can with enough carbon to matter. Thunder Beast, one of the most loved brands here, allow for you to send your can to them once a year for a cleaning.

The same carbon that carbon locks cans to brakes, also fills up baffle voids. The same carbon that they are selling a tool to scrape off, is decreasing internal volume slowly with each round fired. If you've ever worked in a range where they do rentals, and inspected the rental cans, you'd know that they fill up over time. I have a couple of centerfire cans that come apart for cleaning. After putting a couple of hundred rounds through the first with a 223, shooting fairly stout loads of 8208, I was surprised how much carbon was already on the baffles. Now clearly that would have needed to have been repeated a lot before it ever would be an issue. Maybe it's like what has happened with bore scopes and inspecting barrels. You just don't know what's in the can if you can't take it apart or have a way to inspect internally.

I do agree that a can will sound quieter after it's had some carbon build up. Seems to make them less resonant. Probably a similar principle as why a 17-4 can sounds quieter to the ear than a titanium or aluminum can.

Obviously powder selection and a host of other factors can effect the rate at which it happens. The internet is not short on pics of peoples blast chambers full of carbon. Would be tough to explain the physics where the blast chamber fills up but the remaining baffles stay carbon free.

But do whatever you're comfortable with. It matters not to me. When my cans get roughly an ounce heavier than new, I will soak them and pour out all of the stuff that looks a lot like carbon and then go back to shooting them.

 

[drop_point]

I don't disagree that cans get heavier---mine, the SF, maybe 3 oz. I haven't experienced cans getting much louder but that is a subjective. The notion cans need cleaning unless you're "low round count" is simply not true because a little weight and a change in tone doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. You're right, cans do seem to get slightly quieter after a few hundred rounds. Surefire, that I posted above, is the most tested suppressor on the planet so when Surefire says maintenance is a simple brush through the bore and ensuring the mounting surfaces are carbon-free, I trust them and thus far, it has proven true in my experience.

 

[HandgunHTR]

I'm not sure what manufacturers recommend not cleaning cans today.

Well, there is Dead Air, SilencerCo, Griffin, Surefire, Rugged, Q, and YHM. Those are just the ones I know of.
Oh, and Silencer Shop also says the same. This is directly from their website:

"As a general rule, higher caliber silencers don’t need to be cleaned/maintained. Considering most are sealed units, the ability to break them down and service this category simply doesn’t exist.

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Most notably, the Griffin Optimus and Alpha suppressors.

To that point, because the high velocity ammo used blows most buildup away, rifle cans basically clean themselves. It’s a phenomenon known as “carbon in, carbon out.” A typical centerfire rifle cartridge has enough pressure moving behind the projectile that the silencer will create carbon buildup, but it’ll also have enough “oomph” to push the old carbon out. (In other words, science.)

This leads us to our final point: Carbon buildup in a suppressor might actually make it quieter… Stay with us here.

A very light layer of carbon coating the internal baffles of a silencer is a good thing. This carbon can help dissipate the heat (not to get all “sciency,” but it has to do with the characteristics of carbon, as well as an increase to the internal surface area of the interior).

Don’t confuse this with a heavy carbon accumulation that becomes so built up that it begins to negate the benefit by decreasing the interior volume of the silencer.

Rifle silencers seem to strike the perfect balance of carbon buildup all on their own. This convenience brings more value and practicality to 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and large bore category cans."

 

[eric32]

You need to clean a can. The carbon build up just doesn't go away.

 

[Knotwild]

Suppressor cleaning is probably not black and white. There could be many factors like how many rounds you shoot through it, is the powder used clean or dirty, how badly the bullet used copper fouls. I know some are made to disassemble, but the vast majority of center fire cans just weren't designed with cleaning in mind - which is fine for the average shooter.

My first can was a Silencerco Hybrid 46 purchased because it can be fitted with a piston and used on a pistol. But when I remembered how dirty my .45 acp can be with Unique and cast bullets, I quickly decided not to use that option. And with after thought I think it is a bad option.

 

[rogina]

You need to clean a can. The carbon build up just doesn't go away.

I have a Lane can that built up 5 oz of carbon in 1000 rounds using a warm load of H322 in a 223rem. I switched to H4198 and after 1000 rounds I have zero carbon. I have a good postal scale and weighed everything.

 

[NWnewguy]

You need to clean a can. The carbon build up just doesn't go away.

Doesn't appear it's worth our time to point out the basic physics on this. Probably not many high use people that really have a problem with the concept.

I looked at most of the manufacturers listed above that supposedly recommended not cleaning their cans and the best I could find was where they said that cleaning the interior wasn't needed. Definitely different from saying not to do it. Several of them offered a paid service where you could send it back to them for cleaning and service. Seems like they have to be cleaning something. Additionally most manufacturers are primarily concerned with the safety of their products users and their liability. I will say that I've never seen one that didn't have a carbon free cylinder down the center that continued to allow a projectile to move down it trouble free; even if the baffles were completely full of carbon.

Ten years ago the theory was that centerfire cans didn't need cleaning, ever. People that rented cans already knew that wasn't exactly correct. Now it's a known fact that they build up carbon over time and will eventually cause a problem if they're used enough. Most probably won't get to that point (which I acknowledged). If you shoot a 1k rounds a year, it will take a long time for you to ever notice and if you're sharing those rounds over several cans. you will more than likely never have an issue over the course of your life.

Not sure why so much resistance to something that really isn't contentious in most heavy use suppressor circles. But I'm a huge believer in doing whatever you want with your own stuff, so do what you think is best.

 

[NWnewguy]

I have a Lane can that built up 5 oz of carbon in 1000 rounds using a warm load of H322 in a 223rem. I switched to H4198 and after 1000 rounds I have zero carbon. I have a good postal scale and weighed everything.

That's interesting that the 4198 cleaned up the carbon and fouling from the 322. I think that's a smart way to go about deciding if/when you need to clean and what I was advocating for. Weigh the can and see if it's getting heavier.