Choosing a moderator is the most difficult....

[KevinWood44]

decision I have had to make regarding any upgrade thus far. 

Unless you've owned multiple moderators or you've personally heard lots of different moderators it is really hard to make a decision. Other parts you choose by looks, functionality, or need. But a moderator you need to consider so many factors (looks, size, weight, sound) and it is still a bit of a guessing game.

If I was making the decision solely based on looks alone, I'd personally go with the Ronin is #1. 0dB, Huggett, Trident and STO Falx all look good as well, but I love the size of the Ronin.

STO did an amazing in-depth analysis of a bunch of moderators, but I would've loved to have heard them side-by-side all as well.



Did you guys have a hard time finding the right moderator for you gun? Did most of you guys buy one without hearing it first?

 

[theLBC]

ditto. i got a huma mod40, mostly because there was a kit for my rifle, and luckily it is pretty effective.

 

[biohazardman]

Yes, I had a hard time also. Looked around for ages before I settled on the STO Gladius for my .25 700mm Impact running at 74fpe. Settled on it mostly because of this info. 

https://www.silentthunderordnance.com/blog/2019/3/1/airgun-moderator-design-performance-and-development-the-big-test-part-5

The Gladius does a good job at quieting things down a bit more than the stock FX moderator, which actually did a pretty good job at lower fpe, that I was shooting at at the time. It changed the initial sharp pulse, of the stock FX unit at 74fpe, to a much lower frequency so it also sounds much quieter than it really is.

I have a couple of thousand rounds through it now and it is holding up fine for a lightweight carbon fiber unit running in this power level. I know a couple of others that the same unit failed on them for some reason. Still others with the unit like me report no problems. I also have a Pilum for my SK 19 and it does about the same thing to that gun in the .22 flavor shooting at 40-50fpe

I was concerned at first with not being able to tear these apart to clean them but that turned in to a non problem as they are still werqing fine with thousands of rounds through them.

Some of his newer moderators are aluminum and come apart for cleaning.

 

[Florida_Man]

I only heard things on youtube, which really doesn't get you far.

My first was a 3D printed job, that actually did a great job on a 2250 and a 22 Flashpup. I sold it with the flashpup and regret it.

After that I went with user opinion and bought two DonnyFL's from here in my home state.

Sumo and Tanto work fantastic on my PP700. I think the Sumo will do well on the Kalibrgun 25 cal I have on order.

 

[indubitably]

IT is pretty easy when you compare size (length and diameter). The harmonics are more about frequency due to velocity. So as you vary the fps of the projectile you may notice one as more effective than another. Other wise the bigger the more silent to a point. Quality is always important. So see how much room you have in your gun bag, or be ready to remove it if the length of the gun becomes too long for its home

I have two that are just to bulky and large to use or leave on the gun. But nice to have for backyard plinking

 

[KevinWood44]

Yes, I had a hard time also. Looked around for ages before I settled on the STO Gladius for my .25 700mm Impact running at 74fpe. Settled on it mostly because of this info. 

https://www.silentthunderordnance.com/blog/2019/3/1/airgun-moderator-design-performance-and-development-the-big-test-part-5

The Gladius does a good job at quieting things down a bit more than the stock FX moderator, which actually did a pretty good job at lower fpe, that I was shooting at at the time. It changed the initial sharp pulse, of the stock FX unit at 74fpe, to a much lower frequency so it also sounds much quieter than it really is.

I have a couple of thousand rounds through it now and it is holding up fine for a lightweight carbon fiber unit running in this power level. I know a couple of others that the same unit failed on them for some reason. Still others with the unit like me report no problems. I also have a Pilum for my SK 19 and it does about the same thing to that gun in the .22 flavor shooting at 40-50fpe

I was concerned at first with not being able to tear these apart to clean them but that turned in to a non problem as they are still werqing fine with thousands of rounds through them.

Some of his newer moderators are aluminum and come apart for cleaning.

I went on STO and only saw the Falx, the Sarissa and the Accipiter....does he not make the Gladius anymore? 

 

[Colorado_CJ]

Went with the STO Falx myself. 

Liked the thought put into the noise suppression with actual baffles compared to just felt and washers. I also liked that I can buy separate baffle stacks when improvements are made.

Sound suppression is very good at 30 fpe that I am shooting right now out of an FX Impact M3 Compact .22. Once I tune up the power for slugs, I'm sure it will still be very quiet.

 

[Bobbybeef]

I have a Sumo wouldnt trade it for the world 

 

[john8]

I prefer the STO Falix. I've 3 of them. I also have a Huma MD40 and a Q-Shot. I use them across the power spectrum from 400fps-1075fps. I'm thinking about STO Accipiter, like to try one out. I read and researched. GTA has a comprehensive list, size, cost and effectiveness that provided a good starting point.

 

[KevinWood44]

Went with the STO Falx myself. 

Liked the thought put into the noise suppression with actual baffles compared to just felt and washers. I also liked that I can buy separate baffle stacks when improvements are made.

Sound suppression is very good at 30 fpe that I am shooting right now out of an FX Impact M3 Compact .22. Once I tune up the power for slugs, I'm sure it will still be very quiet.

Looks great on that set up

 

[Gerry52]

I'm a Donny FL guy all the way. Not only did his Ronin really quiet the bark on guns it's been used it ADDED TO THE ACCURACY! His customer service is the BEST!

 

[JungleShooter]

Kevin,

the silencer choices are vast — thankfully!



If your gun is high powered then the silencer decision might be a bit difficult — because with high power there are notable differences between the performance of different silencers.

However, if your gun has a typical muzzle energy in a typical caliber (.177, .22, maybe .25) most silencers will do a pretty good job, especially if you already have a shroud (and don't require absolute silence so you can dispatch a critter in the dead of night...). 



I'll attach a Silencer Specs Table with –

• 56 Silencers – from 14 manufacturers

• 13 Silencer Loudness Comparison Tests

• From 0.88" (2.2cm) thin – to 2.0" (5.1cm) thick

• From 2.9" (7.4cm) short – to 10.50" (26.7cm) long

• From $26 to $270

• In 6 calibers. From .177 to .50 (4.5mm to 12.7mm)





Happy silencer shopping,

Matthias



Attachment: Silencer Specs Table

View attachment SILENCER Specs Table.1629790859.pdf

 

[KevinWood44]

Kevin,

the silencer choices are vast — thankfully!

If your gun is high powered then the silencer decision might be a bit difficult — because with high power there are notable differences between the performance of different silencers.

However, if your gun has a typical muzzle energy in a typical caliber (.177, .22, maybe .25) most silencers will do a pretty good job, especially if you already have a shroud (and don't require absolute silence so you can dispatch a critter in the dead of night...). 

I'll attach a Silencer Specs Table with –

• 56 Silencers – from 14 manufacturers

• 13 Silencer Loudness Comparison Tests

• From 0.88" (2.2cm) thin – to 2.0" (5.1cm) thick

• From 2.9" (7.4cm) short – to 10.50" (26.7cm) long

• From $26 to $270

• In 6 calibers. From .177 to .50 (4.5mm to 12.7mm)





Happy silencer shopping,

Matthias

Attachment: Silencer Specs Table

View attachment SILENCER Specs Table.1629790859.pdf

Wow, that info is awesome. Thanks for that!! 

 

[KevinWood44]

I'm a Donny FL guy all the way. Not only did his Ronin really quiet the bark on guns it's been used it ADDED TO THE ACCURACY! His customer service is the BEST!

Oh, Donny's customer service is without a doubt next level. So many companies who have literally 75% of the marketplace would probably not answer emails and go out of their way to help customers the way he does. I need to get a Ronin one way or another, it just looks too cool to not get it lol but I'm still curious to hear how it compares to the 0dB, A&M, and STO. I know my dumbass will enentually cave and get them all. Can't wait to see the look on my gfs face when she says "You want a 'silencer' for Christmas?" 

 

[qball]

Moderators decisions are indeed very difficult main due to the fact different design works differently at different tunes so there is no one moderator works better than the other. I have about 20 moderators from different brands and sizes, I swap through almost all of them after I find a tune to see what works and observation is interesting. STO moderators do need sufficient airflow before they start to work, at low power my cheap little plastic moderator and hugget balista perform as as well as the big sarissa or emperor with larger bore size so size isn’t everything…..at least that’s what I keep on telling myself.


At high power with efficient tune DonnyFL and STO both do a great job with STO maybe a bit better with bare barrel or no shroud, with shroud DonnyFL FX, koi and sumo all do a great job. STO’s design redirect air to counter act air so if you don’t have enough air/power then they don’t seem to work.



In summary there is no one moderator to rule them all! Your tune makes the biggest difference when it comes to moderator performance.

- For lower power or around 12 FPE the Hugget lines seem to do very well, they are made for sub 12 market anyways

- DonnyFL gives you most sizes and flexibility to find the moderator that works well in most situations. They work very well with shroud and lower the tone of the muzzle blast. Need size for bare barrel/no shroud.

- STO seems to work well in high power applications especially with bare barrel or no shroud

 

[KevinWood44]

Wow that actually clears a lot up for me. I didn't realize how much the power and tune played into it. I read STO's findings and he basically said the same, in fact you have to choose the power level when you buying a mod from them.

I also didn't realize until doing a lot of research that the "noise dampening materials" play a very small role in the silencing, it is more so the amount of space in the moderator. I also failed Physics so..... 

I also read the length of the barrel has a lot to do with it bc shorter barrels get roughly the same amount of air pushed thru them but obviously that air exits the barrel faster and harder.

These are things newbies don't realize lol 

 

[killahog]

Went with the STO Falx myself. 

Liked the thought put into the noise suppression with actual baffles compared to just felt and washers. I also liked that I can buy separate baffle stacks when improvements are made.

Sound suppression is very good at 30 fpe that I am shooting right now out of an FX Impact M3 Compact .22. Once I tune up the power for slugs, I'm sure it will still be very quiet.

I have the M3 in 22 with the 600 on order and I am wondering how STO compares to the stock MOD that is supposed to come with the M3?. 

 

[Vetmx]

After you’re done being hung up on the sound of a mod or how cool it looks, it’s time to see what it does to your accuracy. With some guns the difference between 4 or 5 different mods is subtle. On other guns the difference is really noticeable. If you only own one brand and it’s all you use on your gun, you will never know. But maybe that’s a good thing because it’s another expensive rabbit hole to go down. I don’t like them for quite a few reasons but they are necessary if you don’t have a loaded shroud. Some mods are definitely better than others and shockingly one of the most popular brands is at the bottom of my list.

 

[KatoKevin454]

I like DonnyFL Sumo and Ronin, but I also make my own and have had better results with Baffles and Moderators, I designed a 3D printed Baffle for Flash and Flashpups that replaces the original baffles and makes the guns as quiet as having an added Moderator, and made short 4" long Moderators with the 3D baffle that makes the guns sound like a "Puff", Tested around Game at about 25 yards, Quail and Dove, the shots were in the dirt next to the birds and they didn't even flinch, so quiet the birds had no Idea pellets were buzzing around them....

you can find these Baffles on Tinkercad....

wrap with felt...

 

[theLBC]

Wow that actually clears a lot up for me. I didn't realize how much the power and tune played into it. I read STO's findings and he basically said the same, in fact you have to choose the power level when you buying a mod from them.

I also didn't realize until doing a lot of research that the "noise dampening materials" play a very small role in the silencing, it is more so the amount of space in the moderator. I also failed Physics so..... 

I also read the length of the barrel has a lot to do with it bc shorter barrels get roughly the same amount of air pushed thru them but obviously that air exits the barrel faster and harder.

These are things newbies don't realize lol

i am not certain about this, but some designs are so different that perhaps this depends a lot on other factors.

i have a huma mod40 and if i remove the the insert in one of the 5 sections, it is significantly louder.