Transcription
Well, 2026 is turning out to be the year of suppressors, and today I want to help you out in this process. If you are a new gun owner, you're new to NFA stuff, I want to make sure that you have all the information that you need from beginning to end to after you get your suppressor from muzzle devices, things to do, things not to do, and things that could actually get you into trouble with the ATF and actually lead to some pretty serious crimes as well. Right.
There's a lot of nuance that goes into it, way more so than, you know, just buying regular guns. And so, with there being so many new people coming in, I want to give you the information that I have. Now, this comes from my personal experience, but also people that work at the industry, people that I trust that have been doing this a really long time. I'm going to try to cover everything. So, this is almost like the ultimate guide.
At the end of this video, I'm going to link another one that's going to talk about all of the new regulations. I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time uh on that stuff in this video. This is more about the rest of the process, but if you want to know more about uh some of the new regulations and stuff, again, watch that video in the end screen.
Other than that, if you've had issues along the way, experienced gun owners, this is where we can really kind of step in and help people out in this process. So, if you had issues of your own and you've been able to come up with some really good ways to resolve those issues, leave your opinion down below. Maybe when you first got into it, what are some of the issues that arose then? And that is just another source for new gun owners coming in and so we can kind of help each other out in this process. The year started out with 150,000 new e-form applications when on a normal day it's like 2500. So there's a lot of new people here. So that's great news. Anyways, let me know your opinion down below. Let's go ahead and jump right in.
Now, there is one thing I want to talk about that's new to the process in 2026, and that is the fact, of course, there's now no tax stamp. But remember, the process is still in place. Now, this isn't me condoning that. This is my disclaimer that I make in these videos because in no way do I like this stuff, but me not liking it doesn't change the fact that it's already there. This is a stepping stone to get us to the eventual elimination of the NFA. But just remember, $0 tax stamp. So they can't charge you extra for your possession now or to exercise your right, which is great. But the process is still there.
So the process can be as simple or as hard as the gun shop you go to. That will help you out in that process. If the gun shop you go to has a Silencer Shop kiosk, this is going to make the process so easy. This is where you're going to be able to fill out your information. You're going to be able to do your fingerprints, your passport style photo. It allows you to integrate trust information, which we'll talk a little bit more about here in a minute. Um, and digitally does all of this, so you don't have to fill out stupid ink cards for fingerprints each and every time. What it doesn't do though is sometimes even more important. So, it doesn't do like your submissions. It doesn't allow you to kind of skip the process, but it does save your information for future NFA items. So, that's my first piece of advice. Pick a good FFL, one that's willing to take the time with you to answer questions and one that preferably has one of these kiosks because again, it's going to save you a ton of time.
But when it comes to picking out suppressors specifically, one of the first things that you need to kind of be aware of is, are you looking for the quietest sound you can possibly get? Do you want the most functionality? Do you want a K can, which is going to be a little bit shorter configuration, or do you want a longer variant of it, which is typically going to give you a quieter sound? What kind of build material? If you want something like titanium, which is super light and really good for like bolt guns, that's a fantastic option, but it's not going to give you like sustained fire over a long period of time. There's 3D printed technology now that's coming along. Or you have the more traditional stainless steel, hardened steel, nitride finish. These are going to be like full auto rated. That's going to be the ones that's going to give you the most sustained fire and still make sure it, you know, kind of stays in one piece as well. So, build material, caliber, and what is the purpose?
When I bought my first suppressor, I went with the Omega 36M, and there's a reason for that, and I'm going to show you right now. It all came down to the caliber. Now again a 30 caliber so I can run this on pretty much everything I have from 308, 762 by 39, 5.56, 9mm, almost anything in between, almost everything except for like 22 LR and anything over a 30 caliber of course. So have a 44 Magnum or 45, you know, FNX tactical, it won't run those things. But this gave me the best bang for my buck for my first one. But also I can take it from the K configuration or the shorter configuration like you see right here, which is great for like home defense. And then I can throw this piece on there for maximum decibel rating drops when I'm at the range or maybe even better yet for home defense because now it's going to be even quieter. But again, a lot of that depends on the type of gun that you run it on, the caliber, and the type of ammo you run through it. But again, this was a great option for me as my first one because now I can run it on pretty much everything that I have and the calibers that work for me.
So besides the versatility, another thing that you have to do is consider the type of gun that you want to run the suppressor on and set your expectations accordingly. So the shorter barrel that you have means the more unburnt powder and the harsher it's going to be typically on your suppressors. Some manufacturers actually have minimum barrel length requirements. Uh, especially for like 5.56 because you have a heck of a lot more muzzle velocity coming out of that 5.56. Where 300 Blackout, a 7 or 8 inch barrel is totally acceptable. Where, you know, under 10 and a half inch barrel on an AR pistol, maybe not so much. It's going to be really hard on that suppressor and you may end up voiding a warranty or having a baffle strike.
The other thing is ammo, right? So, supersonic ammo is still going to give you a crack no matter what kind of suppressor you have on it. It's moving faster. It's going to be a little harsher on the suppressor and all of that. You can still do it and it's still going to be quieter than not having a suppressor on it, but again, managing those expectations is huge. Now, when you go to subsonic ammo, of course, it's going to be a heavier bullet. It's going to move slower. It's going to be easier on the whole system. But then that's where you may have some issues with cycling. You know, it may not be moving fast enough. You may not have enough gas to in order to actually cycle the gun. That's where having adjustable gas blocks really comes in to play or having a suppressor setting on the type of gun that you have. The other thing that subsonic ammo will do is shift your point of impact. That point of impact shift can be significant, too, by the way. I found that out with the Badger. But if you want the maximum effectiveness, you know, running subsonic ammo and readjusting your scope to run with the suppressor and the subsonic ammo is the way to go. That's kind of what I did with this setup because I was like, dude, I I don't need to ring steel at like 300 yards with this setup. I need this to be good for home defense. That is the purpose of this gun. It's kind of nice being able to take one can and run it on several different setups, but when it comes down to the setup that I wanted to be on it, it it mainly came down to this gun. And so what you'll find is one can to do it all sounds great in the beginning, but it's kind of like one gun to do everything you needed to do. H, it sounds good in theory, but uh, let's just be realistic. It's nearly impossible to pull that off. So, you will probably find yourself owning multiple suppressors over time. That's just kind of the way it is.
Another thing to consider, 5.56 dedicated cans are going to be the best option for that round. Again, you can run a a 46 or a 30 caliber can and it will work on 5.56, but when you're trying to put a small caliber bullet through a 30 caliber opening, there's only so much these baffles can actually do to eliminate a lot of the noise that you're going to hear. So, I find that uh and I think that most people kind of agree on that a 5.56 dedicated can is definitely going to be the best route if that's mainly what you shoot. Again, you're not going to get the versatility. You might be able to run, you know, 57 by 28 and a couple of other calibers. So, it really is going to lower the amount of versatility that you have, but it's going to provide you the best sound reduction.
Now, here's another thing that you want to kind of figure out before you even buy a suppressor. What kind of mounting system that you want to use. If you decide that ASR, which is mainly actually what I've went with, uh, is what you want, then use ASR muzzle devices. If you like Kemo, if you like Plan B, or whatever type you like, go with that and stick with that. And make sure that your suppressor is hub compatible. So 1.375x 24 is kind of the universal size. And hub compatible just means that you can put an adapter on there and run whatever type of suppressor setup or whatever kind of mounting system you actually like in place of what the manufacturer has put on there. So you're not married to that system. So if you have one that's Kemo, you have one that's Plan B, you have one that's ASR, now you have all these different muzzle devices and stuff and just to clean it up, you can just pick one and stick with that. And as long as your suppressor mounts directly to it or it's hub compatible, then you're good to go.
Now, direct thread, of course, is kind of the older standard option. But it is very good for bolt guns and and things like that. Uh, but they do have a tendency to kind of walk off as they heat up and after you shoot them. So, uh, one thing that you can do, of course, is get some kind of wrap for the end. These things don't just look cool, they actually do provide a purpose as well. So you can actually grab that suppressor after it's been shot and safely tighten it or loosen it back up. It it actually does look cool, too. So you have that benefit.
Now QD is probably the best way to go. You're going to get less of a walk-off because you actually have a secure mounting system and and different manufacturers will actually use a variety of different lockups or QD systems, but the premise is still the same. You have some kind of locking device to kind of hold that in place. You still want to check it periodically, but you're going to get a heck of a lot less chance of walking off. Remember, walking off isn't just loosening up, but what it could do is get your suppressor off center just enough where you get a baffle strike and there goes your freaking really expensive suppressor. But certain QDs after you shoot them, they can become carbon locked. So, cleaning and a little bit of maintenance is going to be a requirement for this. You don't have to clean every single range trip, but it is something that you want to keep in mind.
Some of these muzzle devices actually have like a bit of a shoulder that's built in, so it helps to keep some of that carbon buildup from getting to the back where the suppressor actually locks on. Um, I know the Cherry Bomb specifically that comes originally on your like Badgers and stuff have those. There's a variety of different ones that actually have that feature. Sometimes for your muzzle devices as well, you got to get an additional shoulder piece here so the muzzle device can actually sit flush up against it. That's going to keep everything concentric. It's going to keep the muzzle device on there straight because if you don't have that additional piece, again, it isn't a requirement for all barrels, but some uh it is a requirement. And so if that muzzle device gets off any which way, that means the suppressor is out of line with the barrel. And again, that can lead to a baffle strike or an end cap strike. And if you don't know how to mount these things up or whatever, go to a good gun shop and those, you know, good gunsmith, they can help you with that. It's it's it's really not that hard, but it is a crucial part in the process. Some of these will require crush washers, uh, like muzzle devices. So, this ASR for instance, you got to make sure that you have all your ports aligned correctly. Um, so that's where crush washers come into place.
Another issue that you may come across is going to be overgassing and gas back in the face. This is truly one of the most kind of uncomfortable things when it comes to running suppressors. Something I found out extremely early. I can remember doing a review on the X95. It was the first rifle I had ever purchased. This was back in I don't know 2016 or something. And I ran it suppressed and I just noticed, man, this kind of sucks. And it's not an issue really with the suppressor. It's more of gas management and the shorter barrel that you have typically, especially 5.56, which is kind of the overgassing or gas back in the face king. Um, is small bore, high velocity, poor gas management, unburnt powder. That stuff comes back in your face and it sucks, right? And you'll have issues with your optics or being able to see through your optics is, you know, as you're firing, you'll have this like kind of like heat mirage that uh, you know, builds up. And so there can be some issues there, but there's also some fixes for that as well.
One of the best fixes is going to be an adjustable gas block. This is going to allow you to fine-tune between having enough gas in the system to operate the gun reliably, but also to redirect most of that out the end of the suppressor. You have the like high flow through or low back pressure suppressors that are specifically designed to push that gas and unburnt powder out the front of the gun as opposed to coming back in the system. Temporary fixes you can do for this is like a heavier buffer spring. So that's going to kind of slow or the gas back timing. It's not really going to reduce it, but by slowing the bolt unlock sequence a little bit, it might help in reducing some of that. There's also like uh gas trap charging handles, which again isn't going to really fix the issue, but it can help make that experience more enjoyable for you. And redirecting some of that away from your face, but it's not something that you just have to deal with. Again, adjustable gas block, you're pretty much going to be able to fix a lot of issues with that. Uh, the type of ammo, if you're running NATO spec ammo, hotter ammo, it's going to have more gas. If you run subsonic ammo, cleaner burning ammo, it's going to help alleviate that issue.
Now, we've talked about some of the more technical things, but here's one part of the process that can really not only jam you up, but jam your family up if you were and when you actually pass, right? So, right now, you have these NFA items, okay? SPRs, SPSs, AS, suppressors, whatever. Well, you decide, hey, I want to go the easiest possible route with the least amount of paperwork. So, you file it as an individual. Well, this leaves a lot of mess for your family to clean up in the case that you actually pass on. They got to deal with the ATF while also grieving over you. In my opinion, it's kind of like buying insurance. As much as it sucks, I want to make sure that I make the process as easy for my family if something were to happen to me. And so, that's why trust, in my opinion, is is the best way to go.
Now, a trust is pretty great because it not only dictates what happens if you pass, but what happens while you're alive. So, if you list your trustees in the right way, meaning you don't list them as just a beneficiary, but a trustee right now, they can use your NFA items. As long as they're not a prohibited person, they can use them right now and you don't have to be with them. That item belongs to the trust and the trustees that are listed can use those items. But it also makes the process with the ATF heck of a lot simpler when you do pass on. But if you have everything in one big trust, essentially everybody listed as a trustee or a beneficiary has access to all the items. But let's say you want to leave this suppressor, this gun, the SPR, whatever to this child. Then you want to leave this other one to another child. You want to leave this one to your wife. Single shot trust lists one item and whoever the trustee is to that item or beneficiary and it simplifies the process. It's a little bit more paperwork, but that way you can separate all of your items and do it very cleanly. This to me is probably the best way to do it. I don't want to deal with the ATF while I'm alive. Certainly, you don't want your family having to deal with them when you're gone. They may not even know how to do the process, but this makes it a heck of a lot easier for everybody involved and keeps the ATF at least minimally invasive when it comes to this process. And even really, assuming the NFA went away, still having this stuff in a living trust is is a good idea anyways.
Now, another area where gun owners might find themselves getting into trouble or not is actually traveling. Again, you want to check your state, right? I'm no kind of lawyer here, but the way I understand it is if you have a SPR, SPS, full autos, suppressors, you can travel inside of your state with those, you don't have to notify the ATF of any of this. But if you [clears throat] have to travel through a state where it is illegal, remember the Firearm Owners Protection Act doesn't view suppressors and SBRs and stuff like that, uh, as a protected firearm, even if it's locked away, unloaded, whatever, traveling through those states where suppressor ownership is banned could still lead to a felony if you're stopped. But if the destination state and any state you travel through suppressors are legal to own, then you're legal to travel with those without having to do any paperwork. SBRs, full autos, SPSs are different. You actually have to file a form for either short-term or long-term traveling. So that 5320.20 form is what you have to file. And again, that state you go to, those items have to be legal. So, with some extra careful route planning, you could avoid those things with suppressors, or you can actually ship them to the state you're going to in advance of whatever kind of trip you're going on. Now, you got to follow their rules and regulations depending on the carrier and all that kind of stuff. You guys know that, but uh, that is one option. And you can also fly with suppressors, too. Now, they have to be declared. They have to go in a a locked case and all that kind of stuff. And of course, they're going to be in your checked bag. But you absolutely can fly with suppressors just like guns. You just have to follow the airlines procedures when it comes to that. And of course, declaring it is like one of the first things you do. And remember that trustees can travel with those items and you don't have to be present, but they still have to follow all the same rules, regulations, all that kind of stuff. A trust doesn't trump state law. They still have to follow everything, but if they're listed as a current trustee, uh, they absolutely can travel with these as well.
So, with all of this information, you may think, "Dude, that is way too much. I I don't have the time. I don't even want to deal with it." Um, and there's a lot of people that still don't want to do this because the NFA process is still there. The registry part of it is still in place, and that I totally understand. Again, hopefully the $0 tax and the excuse for them keeping the NFA in place, a big part of that is actually gone. So hopefully this is the stepping stone to get rid of the additional rules, regulations, fingerprints, all of this kind of stuff. But for right now, it's still in place. These are some of the things though that will hopefully help this make this process a lot easier cuz owning suppressors and SPRs and all this kind of stuff is great. And these firearms and firearm components should be protected under the Second Amendment and you should not have to go through this extra process.
By the way, one thing I didn't talk about uh too is like handguns. So, you want to keep in mind size and weight. This applies to rifles too, but handguns, they definitely are more susceptible to heavier cans. It's going to make it a heck of a lot more uncomfortable to shoot those handguns if you have heavier cans. So, keep that in mind. You may want to have a dedicated handgun can and then have your other ones for your rifles or your fixed barrel PCCs, tilting barrels, right? Most semi-autos today are going to require a booster in order to assist that spring and allow the action to cycle reliably. Fixed barrels don't require that. 22s get super dirty, so make sure that you regularly clean those. And that's pretty much it.
I know there's a lot that goes into this. Hopefully, this is the stepping stone because now the $0 tax is gone. A lot of the excuse they had for keeping the NFA in place is now gone and you can do a lot of great things now without that financial barrier in place. But remember, the paperwork side is still there for now. These items are not only going to become more common, but cheaper to own, more manufacturers, more free market at play, more players, cheaper for us, and better products on our side. But also, with being in even more common use now than they ever were, it definitely falls under protected under the Second Amendment. I can really see the NFA going away for most items. I don't know that it'll disappear for full autos and stuff like that. I can't see them anybody actually uh getting us that far. Maybe I'm wrong, but uh suppressors, SPRs, and all that, I can for sure seeing that stuff fall off the NFA. But for now, this is the process. And these are some of the issues and pros and cons and things that you will run into along the way. May not seem worth it, but just like learning firearms and all of that, it just takes a little bit of time. I don't know everything there is to know about it, but at least that'll give you a good starting point. Again, I'd love to hear your experience with this stuff and some of the more important things that you've learned along the way when it comes to owning suppressors, SPRs, and all of that kind of stuff. Let me know down below if you like what I do. Consider subscribing. See you in the next one. And as always, holding.