I was lucky enough to get a Silencer Co Scythe approved in three months (no, I'm not dating an ATF agent). Two guys ordered cans at the same shop as me and one is 7 months still waiting, the other is 9 months still waiting for approval. Several people locally and on forums have asked how it compares to a Thunderbeast Ultra; I happen to have one of those, so I thought I'd share some thoughts and throw in the Griffin GP7 as well.
Background:
I just retired after 21 years in LE. I've been a firearms and active shooter instructor for the majority of that time. I also was the rangemaster for two different agencies and maintained all of our shotguns, AR's, pistols, suppressors and misc. other firearms. My hearing is all but gone, so my observations here are not scientific. I've had the Ultra 9 (gen 1) for a few years, the GP7 for a year and the Scythe for a couple of weeks.
General:
The Ultra 9 measures 9", the GP7 is 7 1/4" and the Scythe is 6 1/4". The Scythe has a "muzzle break" on the front (pros and cons discussed later). The Scythe is a ton lighter than the GP7 and lighter than the Ultra 9. It doesn't unbalance any of my firearms and wins for both short length and weight. The GP7 makes any of my lighter firearms feel front heavy. The Ultra 9 is so long I'd rarely attach it to a firearm while hiking. The GP7 is heavy enough I'd also leave it in the pack until arriving at my spot. The Scythe I could hike with.
All three cans reduce recoil quite a bit and make the recoil impulse more of a push than a sharp hit. The Scythe reduces the most recoil, likely due to the brake on the front. The brake also throws stuff in your face a bit. The Scythe has a take down tool and you can remove the baffles for cleaning.
Test rifles:
I shot the Scythe and GP7 on a 16" mid length AR-15 with bulk 55 gr FMJ, traveling around 3050 fps, 16" POF P308 (piston driven) with bulk 150 gr FMJ unknown on speed, Ruger American 16" in 300 blackout with hand loaded 208 BTHP Hornady, traveling around 1000 fps and a Christen Ridgeline in 300wm 26" in an XLR chassis with Hornady 225 Eldm traveling around 2800 fps. Due to my Ultra 9 being set up for TBAC brakes, I shot it on a Seekins Havak in 300 PRC, 26" with 208 Eldm hand loads traveling around 3000 fps, an AR-15, 20" rifle length with hand loaded 55gr sp, traveling around 2950 fps, a Remington 700 long range 26" in 300 RUM, with 225 Eldm traveling around 2970 fps. Today was 29 degrees and no blowing snow.
Ultra 9:
If I'm a fan boy, it would be for Thunderbeast cans; I only have one because after ordering my first I couldn't get another due to TBAC filling a large military contract. The Ultra 9 has no (as in Zero) point of impact shift on any of my three rifles. I have also occasionally taught for a local company that utilizes several Ultra 9 and Ultra 7 cans for large groups of people that want a fun shooting experience. They don't take care of their cans and they get used on multiple firearms; .223, .308. and 6.5 Creedmoor. They all seem to have no POI shift out to 600 yards. I have shot with the suppressor on, then off, then back on and still got sub 1/2" groups at 100 yards and sub moa groups at 600 yards. It's almost like a card trick at a party. I have no regrets or complaints about it. I think the Ultra 9 reduced sound better on the 300 prc than the Scythe did on the 300wm but they are both pretty good.
TBAC has good CS. I called before ordering a suppressor from them and the guy who answered shoots long range competition; he took the time to answer all of my questions. He told me if you are a long range shooter you want to go with the TB brakes instead of a direct thread so you will have a more consistent POA/POI set up. They will also clean your suppressor once per year if you pay to have it shipped to them.
GP7:
The GP7 surprised me, especially for its price. Although it is heavy and not quite as quiet at the Ultra 9, it is a nice can I can use on multiple rifles. It has found a home on my Ridgeline in 300wm. The weight is my only complaint and that is seems to come lose when I shoot five or more rounds. I find myself making sure it is still tight because I don't want to shoot my can. The GP7 makes everything feel a little front heavy. It seems to have a small POI shift on most, but not all, of my rifles (about 1 moa on the 300wm, nothing on the AR-15).
When I received the GP7 there was a piece of metal sticking up in the middle of the suppressor about 1/3 of the way into the baffles. I contacted Griffin and they said it was a tooling mark. They stepped me through how to pull the metal out but would have gladly had me send it back. Theirs CS was good, but I was a little disappointed to receive the suppressor with the metal clearly in "disaster" position. For the price, it's a dang nice can.
Scythe:
This things looks great, is short and doesn't mess with the balance of any of my guns. I like it a lot. It seemed to suppress sound very well; better than the Griffin but probably almost equal to the Ultra 9 (look up manufacturer specs as my ears are not good and I didn't use a DB meter). The Griffin seemed to reduce sound better on the AR-15 but the Scythe clearly ruled the AR-10. In fact, the AR-10 seemed really close to hearing safe (although I'm sure it isn't). The Scythe didn't lock back the bolt on the last round in the AR-10 but the Griffin did; no other issues.
The Scythe is set up for direct thread, although you can buy muzzled devices for it. When I took it off my 300 blackout, the muzzle device came out of the can and stayed on the rifle. I could not remove it by and and had to use the supplied suppressor wrench. I thought maybe I forgot to tighten it into the suppressor but was pretty sure I did. No matter, I called upon my inner gorilla and really cranked it down.
The Scythe muzzle device stayed on the AR-15 (then I really tightened it) and then on the AR-10. Each time I had to use the suppressor wrench as I could not remove it by hand. I'm not sure what was going on here. I shot the 300wm last and the muzzle device stayed in the suppressor this time. The threads were clean each time...not sure what to think but I shouldn't leave home without the wrench.
The Scythe had a small (around 1 moa) POI shift on my 300wm. My groups with the AR-15 were larger than with the GP7 but sometimes bulk ammo isn't consistent. I couldn't measure POI difference on my 308 as I had a red dot on it so I could use it on our Bear Team (search and rescue and deputies trained to respond for SAR calls/bear attacks in the back country).
The Scythe seemed to tame recoil the best. It also threw snow in my face with the 300wm. I hate muzzle brakes for that reason and shot my 300rum for a year with no break before I got my Ultra 9 approved. I would rather take the hit than get dirt in my face. The Scythe seemed to throw less gunk in my eye when shooting the AR's than the Griffin or Ultra 9 but maybe I was just imagining it.
When I was still working, my agency had a problem with 30 suppressor we purchased; they were built by SilencerCo but didn't have their name on it as it was contracted by a third party. It was taking forever to get them fixed. I found myself at an active shooter instructor school in Salt Lake; we got out early one day so we could return and do night time training. I went to West Valley and signed into the digital desk at SilencerCo. Within five minutes I had the production manager, his boss and the CEO with me in the lobby. I had to sign a NDA but the CEO explained the problem to me (not any fault of SilencrCo). The manager said the only way to speed up the fix was to smash the baffles out; the CEO said "go and do it." He told me to give him 30 days; within 25 days I had a box of suppressors on my desk. I don't think customer service gets much better than that.
All things considered, I like my Thunderbeast over everything I own or have shot, largely due to no POI change. I'm glad I have the Griffin and I really really like the Scythe for its weight and length. I am very happy with the Scythe and I'm glad I got it. I'll likely leave it on my P308 and invest in a thermal for some coyote hunting.
Background:
I just retired after 21 years in LE. I've been a firearms and active shooter instructor for the majority of that time. I also was the rangemaster for two different agencies and maintained all of our shotguns, AR's, pistols, suppressors and misc. other firearms. My hearing is all but gone, so my observations here are not scientific. I've had the Ultra 9 (gen 1) for a few years, the GP7 for a year and the Scythe for a couple of weeks.
General:
The Ultra 9 measures 9", the GP7 is 7 1/4" and the Scythe is 6 1/4". The Scythe has a "muzzle break" on the front (pros and cons discussed later). The Scythe is a ton lighter than the GP7 and lighter than the Ultra 9. It doesn't unbalance any of my firearms and wins for both short length and weight. The GP7 makes any of my lighter firearms feel front heavy. The Ultra 9 is so long I'd rarely attach it to a firearm while hiking. The GP7 is heavy enough I'd also leave it in the pack until arriving at my spot. The Scythe I could hike with.
All three cans reduce recoil quite a bit and make the recoil impulse more of a push than a sharp hit. The Scythe reduces the most recoil, likely due to the brake on the front. The brake also throws stuff in your face a bit. The Scythe has a take down tool and you can remove the baffles for cleaning.
Test rifles:
I shot the Scythe and GP7 on a 16" mid length AR-15 with bulk 55 gr FMJ, traveling around 3050 fps, 16" POF P308 (piston driven) with bulk 150 gr FMJ unknown on speed, Ruger American 16" in 300 blackout with hand loaded 208 BTHP Hornady, traveling around 1000 fps and a Christen Ridgeline in 300wm 26" in an XLR chassis with Hornady 225 Eldm traveling around 2800 fps. Due to my Ultra 9 being set up for TBAC brakes, I shot it on a Seekins Havak in 300 PRC, 26" with 208 Eldm hand loads traveling around 3000 fps, an AR-15, 20" rifle length with hand loaded 55gr sp, traveling around 2950 fps, a Remington 700 long range 26" in 300 RUM, with 225 Eldm traveling around 2970 fps. Today was 29 degrees and no blowing snow.
Ultra 9:
If I'm a fan boy, it would be for Thunderbeast cans; I only have one because after ordering my first I couldn't get another due to TBAC filling a large military contract. The Ultra 9 has no (as in Zero) point of impact shift on any of my three rifles. I have also occasionally taught for a local company that utilizes several Ultra 9 and Ultra 7 cans for large groups of people that want a fun shooting experience. They don't take care of their cans and they get used on multiple firearms; .223, .308. and 6.5 Creedmoor. They all seem to have no POI shift out to 600 yards. I have shot with the suppressor on, then off, then back on and still got sub 1/2" groups at 100 yards and sub moa groups at 600 yards. It's almost like a card trick at a party. I have no regrets or complaints about it. I think the Ultra 9 reduced sound better on the 300 prc than the Scythe did on the 300wm but they are both pretty good.
TBAC has good CS. I called before ordering a suppressor from them and the guy who answered shoots long range competition; he took the time to answer all of my questions. He told me if you are a long range shooter you want to go with the TB brakes instead of a direct thread so you will have a more consistent POA/POI set up. They will also clean your suppressor once per year if you pay to have it shipped to them.
GP7:
The GP7 surprised me, especially for its price. Although it is heavy and not quite as quiet at the Ultra 9, it is a nice can I can use on multiple rifles. It has found a home on my Ridgeline in 300wm. The weight is my only complaint and that is seems to come lose when I shoot five or more rounds. I find myself making sure it is still tight because I don't want to shoot my can. The GP7 makes everything feel a little front heavy. It seems to have a small POI shift on most, but not all, of my rifles (about 1 moa on the 300wm, nothing on the AR-15).
When I received the GP7 there was a piece of metal sticking up in the middle of the suppressor about 1/3 of the way into the baffles. I contacted Griffin and they said it was a tooling mark. They stepped me through how to pull the metal out but would have gladly had me send it back. Theirs CS was good, but I was a little disappointed to receive the suppressor with the metal clearly in "disaster" position. For the price, it's a dang nice can.
Scythe:
This things looks great, is short and doesn't mess with the balance of any of my guns. I like it a lot. It seemed to suppress sound very well; better than the Griffin but probably almost equal to the Ultra 9 (look up manufacturer specs as my ears are not good and I didn't use a DB meter). The Griffin seemed to reduce sound better on the AR-15 but the Scythe clearly ruled the AR-10. In fact, the AR-10 seemed really close to hearing safe (although I'm sure it isn't). The Scythe didn't lock back the bolt on the last round in the AR-10 but the Griffin did; no other issues.
The Scythe is set up for direct thread, although you can buy muzzled devices for it. When I took it off my 300 blackout, the muzzle device came out of the can and stayed on the rifle. I could not remove it by and and had to use the supplied suppressor wrench. I thought maybe I forgot to tighten it into the suppressor but was pretty sure I did. No matter, I called upon my inner gorilla and really cranked it down.
The Scythe muzzle device stayed on the AR-15 (then I really tightened it) and then on the AR-10. Each time I had to use the suppressor wrench as I could not remove it by hand. I'm not sure what was going on here. I shot the 300wm last and the muzzle device stayed in the suppressor this time. The threads were clean each time...not sure what to think but I shouldn't leave home without the wrench.
The Scythe had a small (around 1 moa) POI shift on my 300wm. My groups with the AR-15 were larger than with the GP7 but sometimes bulk ammo isn't consistent. I couldn't measure POI difference on my 308 as I had a red dot on it so I could use it on our Bear Team (search and rescue and deputies trained to respond for SAR calls/bear attacks in the back country).
The Scythe seemed to tame recoil the best. It also threw snow in my face with the 300wm. I hate muzzle brakes for that reason and shot my 300rum for a year with no break before I got my Ultra 9 approved. I would rather take the hit than get dirt in my face. The Scythe seemed to throw less gunk in my eye when shooting the AR's than the Griffin or Ultra 9 but maybe I was just imagining it.
When I was still working, my agency had a problem with 30 suppressor we purchased; they were built by SilencerCo but didn't have their name on it as it was contracted by a third party. It was taking forever to get them fixed. I found myself at an active shooter instructor school in Salt Lake; we got out early one day so we could return and do night time training. I went to West Valley and signed into the digital desk at SilencerCo. Within five minutes I had the production manager, his boss and the CEO with me in the lobby. I had to sign a NDA but the CEO explained the problem to me (not any fault of SilencrCo). The manager said the only way to speed up the fix was to smash the baffles out; the CEO said "go and do it." He told me to give him 30 days; within 25 days I had a box of suppressors on my desk. I don't think customer service gets much better than that.
All things considered, I like my Thunderbeast over everything I own or have shot, largely due to no POI change. I'm glad I have the Griffin and I really really like the Scythe for its weight and length. I am very happy with the Scythe and I'm glad I got it. I'll likely leave it on my P308 and invest in a thermal for some coyote hunting.
