Nov
8
Just bought a suppressor
Filed Under Personal Defense
Yes! Just sent in my order for a .308 suppressor. I figured I needed some consolation after the election results yesterday. Granted, I didn’t really want McCain to win, but with Obama I’m pretty sure gun owners are royally screwed. Oh well, I’ll just have to have fun while it lasts…
I’ve been looking at getting a suppressor (aka silencer) for a while but never wanted to go through the hassle. I think there was a part of me that didn’t want the stigma a lot of people assign to something like that either. That is, until I realized I don’t really agree with those notions in the first place, especially considering much of it is based on nothing more than what they’ve seen portrayed in the movies. So tough! 
After doing copious amounts of research (by proxy through my coworker anyway 
) I’ve narrowed my choices down to two:
- YHM (Yankee Hill Machine) Phantom 7.62 suppressor
- SAS (Suppressed Armament Systems) Arbiter 7.62 suppressor
From everything I’ve been able to tell, either one would be a good fit for me and would actually cost about the same with the options I want (quick-detach flash hider). After considering everything, I opted for the SAS. The primary reason is I feel it might be slightly better performing than the Yankee Hill. The only downside is the unknown quality of on-going support from SAS as they are a much younger and smaller company. This can go both ways and I can only hope it stays top notch. The price breakdown for this is going to be something like:
$575.00 - SAS 7.62 suppressor
$75.00 – .308 quick-detach flash hider
$75.00 – .223 quick-detach flash hider (for my AR-15’s)
$50.00 – FFL transfer cost
$200.00 – IRS TAX. Yeah, you’ve got to pay for a TAX STAMP, how backwards is that?
Total cost should be about $1,000. More than I’d like to pay but I’ve decided to “just do it”. At least I’m just getting the .308 can right from the start. All reports suggest they will work fine on the smaller .223 round and this will make it so I don’t feel the need to get a .223 AND .308 suppressor.
Firearms are complicated enough to purchase already, especially when dealing with shipping across state lines, items like fully automatic weapons (machine guns) or suppressors are even more convoluted and complex. If everything goes according to plan, it should go something like this:
- Place order for suppressor. (DONE)
- Send copy of FFL license to manufacturer. They will verify the validity of the license.
- Pay for the suppressor.
- Manufacturer submits paperwork to BATFE for permission to do a dealer-to-dealer transfer.
- 7-21 days (if all goes well) later, BAFTE approves the request and SAS ships suppressor to FFL.
- Once FFL receives the suppressor, I am able to submit my own paperwork to BATFE for the tax stamp.
- 3-9 months (if all goes well) later, BATFE approves the transfer and I can go pick up the suppressor from my FFL.
- Enjoy.
At least that’s my current understanding. Once the initial steps are taken care of, my FFL will help me with my part since they specialize in dealing with the ATF whereas I don’t! I don’t plan on actually getting the thing until the middle of next year. Who knows though, maybe I’ll get lucky and it will be by March! Heh, yeah.
Finally, here are a few Youtube videos of the SAS in action…
The audio is kinda messed up on the video above, but it gives you some idea…
Needless to say, I can’t wait!
That looks like some fun, I really need to get one but man 1000 bucks is a lot. Any way to do it cheaper?