Episode 265 - Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 Tech Performance and Industry Update (02-JUL-2025)

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Episode 265 - Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 Tech Performance and Industry Update (02-JUL-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.192 – Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 on the MK18. Smaller diameter silencers making a comeback? Potentially. Does this silencer bring competitive performance to a crowded market? Technical discussion for this technical report published last week. (00:08:50)

  2. Ongoing testing is awesome. New test hosts are awesome. New silencers are awesome. What a time to be alive! Let’s have a quick chat about where we see things going in the industry, as related to technology and performance. (00:41:20)

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Episode 264 - CAT RAT MCX Technical Discussion and Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 (25-JUN-2025)

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Episode 264 - CAT RAT MCX Technical Discussion and Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 (25-JUN-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Semiauto 300 BLK is here! Sound Signature Review 6.191 – Combat Application Technologies CAT/RAT on the 6.75-in SIG SAUER MCX AR-18 consumer retail LVAW analog in all three of its modular configurations (COVERT, FLOW, and Base). This is the technical talk for the report published last week.

    a. Technical Intro (00:07:24)

    b. SIG MCX technical performance factors (00:10:33)

    c. CAT RAT COVERT performance (00:42:38)

    d. CAT RAT FLOW performance (01:01:51)

    e. CAT RAT Base performance (01:09:29)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.192 – Engaged Industries Operator 5.56 on the MK18. Smaller diameter silencers making a comeback? Potentially. Weight savings can be real – does this silencer bring competitive performance to a crowded market? Introductory discussion for this technical report published with today’s episode. (01:21:28)

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Episode 263 - CAT RAT 300 BLK MCX Testing Intro and PWS BDE 22 Tech Discussion (18-JUN-2025)

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Episode 263 - CAT RAT 300 BLK MCX Testing Intro and PWS BDE 22 Tech Discussion (18-JUN-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.190 – the Primary Weapon Systems PWS BDE 22 on the subcompact Beretta 21A (Bobcat). A little rimfire palate cleanser for you! Monocore, 3D printed, user serviceable. Technical discussion of this lightweight silencer’s performance that was characterized in last week’s report (00:09:09)

  2. Semiauto 300 BLK is here! Sound Signature Review 6.191 – Combat Application Technologies CAT/RAT on the 6.75-in SIG SAUER MCX AR-18 consumer retail LVAW analog. The CAT RAT is modular – but not how we typically see. This is also more than an end cap change. Let’s introduce both this new test host and this new silencer system designed specifically for the SIG MCX and Rattler family of PDWs.

    a. Topic Intro (00:35:33)

    b. SIG MCX System Intro (00:39:40)

    c. CAT RAT System Intro (00:51:33)

    d. CAT RAT Program Intro (01:03:26)

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Episode 262 - Q Southpaw Testing Tech Discussion and PWS BDE 22 Intro (11-JUN-2025)

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Episode 262 - Q Southpaw Testing Tech Discussion and PWS BDE 22 Intro (11-JUN-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. PEW Science Member Deals are here! Slowly but surely, we would like to give you members something a little extra – more than you get already. This is our way of thanking you for all of your amazing support! (00:08:08)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.189 – the Q Southpaw on the standard untuned MK18. Highly requested research study – funded by PEW Science Members! How does this update to the Q Trash Panda, for 5.56, address the performance deficiencies we saw with over-bore? This is the technical discussion of the whitepaper published 28-MAY. (00:12:26)

  3. Sound Signature Review 6.190 – the Primary Weapon Systems PWS BDE 22 on the subcompact Beretta 21A (Bobcat). A little rimfire palate cleanser for you! Monocore? 3D printed? Certainly – and you can take it apart. Let’s take a look at this lightweight silencer in this intro talk for the research published with today’s episode. (00:52:23)

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Episode 261 - Q Southpaw Testing Intro and Off Grid Scorpius Tech Discussion (28-MAY-2025)

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Episode 261 - Q Southpaw Testing Intro and Off Grid Scorpius Tech Discussion (28-MAY-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.188 – Off Grid Scorpius on the Beretta 21A subcompact .22LR pistol. Some more rimfire data and analysis for you folks! Small. Light. Quiet. Technical discussion for the whitepaper published last week. (00:07:07)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.189 – the Q Southpaw on the standard untuned MK18. Highly requested research study – funded by PEW Science Members! How does this update to the Q Trash Panda, for 5.56, address the performance deficiencies? Or does it at all? Let’s talk about that in this intro topic for the whitepaper published today with this episode. (00:25:57)

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Episode 260 - Sylvan Arms Technical Discussion and Off Grid Scorpius Intro (21-MAY-2025)

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Episode 260 - Sylvan Arms Technical Discussion and Off Grid Scorpius Intro (21-MAY-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.186 – Sylvan Arms SA30TI with supersonic .308. Classic design; smaller diameter. Simple and secure mount. Technical discussion for this 30 caliber silencer whitepaper published last week! (00:08:14)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.187 – Sylvan Arms SA223TIS on the 14.5 M4. The shorter, dedicated 5.56 silencer to complement the SA30TI. Another classic, small diameter system with the same simple ACME thread secondary-retention. Technical discussion for this 5.56 silencer whitepaper published last week! (00:28:04)

  3. Sound Signature Review 6.188 – Off Grid Scorpius on the Beretta 21A subcompact .22LR pistol. Some more rimfire data and analysis for you folks! Small. Light. Quiet? Please check out the report to find out! Intro talk for this lightweight 3D printed rimfire silencer whitepaper published today with this episode. (00:46:27)

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Episode 259 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Technical Performance and Sylvan Arms Intro (14-MAY-2025)

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Episode 259 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Technical Performance and Sylvan Arms Intro (14-MAY-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Big shout-out to Mark and the Hunt Backcountry Podcast! Mark invited me to speak with him a while back about “Suppressor Science, Selection, and Sound” in sort of a “hunting centric” fashion. Please check out Episode 523 of their podcast when you can! (00:09:18)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.185 – Otter Creek Labs Infinity with subsonic 300 BLK. The Q mini Fix – an 8-in barrel proving ground, from the beginning. How does the versatile Infinity handle subsonic ammunition combustion out of a relatively short barrel? How does its performance compare with some older designs and some purpose-built 300 BLK designs? Technical discussion for this technical paper published 30-APR. (00:11:37)

  3. Sound Signature Review 6.186 – Sylvan Arms SA30TI with supersonic .308. Classic design; smaller diameter. Simple and secure mount. Let’s take a look at this 30 caliber silencer in this introductory topic to the whitepaper published today with this episode! (00:37:36)

  4. Sound Signature Review 6.187 – Sylvan Arms SA223TIS on the 14.5 M4. The shorter, dedicated 5.56 silencer to complement the SA30TI. Another classic, small diameter system with the same simple ACME thread secondary-retention. This is the introductory topic to the second whitepaper published today with this episode! (00:46:16)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 258 - BOE Mod 1 M4 Testing Technical Performance Discussion (07-MAY-2025)

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Episode 258 - BOE Mod 1 M4 Testing Technical Performance Discussion (07-MAY-2025)

Today’s Topic:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.183 – BOE Mod 1 on the 14.5-in mid-length gas 5.56 M4A1. Yet another player entering the 5.56 suppression space. 3D printing involved? Of course. A bit of a twist with some conventional elements? Yes! This is the technical discussion to accompany the technical paper published on 16-APR.

    a. Introduction (00:07:56)

    b. Physical Characteristics (00:12:13)

    c. Performance Characteristics (00:25:53)

    d. Performance Comparisons (00:38:29)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 257 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity subsonic 300 BLK Testing Intro (30-APR-2025)

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Episode 257 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity subsonic 300 BLK Testing Intro (30-APR-2025)

Today’s Topic:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.185 – Otter Creek Labs Infinity with subsonic 300 BLK. The Q mini Fix – an 8-in barrel proving ground, from the beginning. How does the versatile Infinity handle subsonic ammunition combustion out of a relatively short barrel? How does its performance compare with some older designs and some purpose-built 300 BLK designs? Can it hang? Introductory discussion for this technical paper published today. (00:05:49)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 256 - The Quietest MP5 Silencers and Listener Questions (23-APR-2025)

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Episode 256 - The Quietest MP5 Silencers and Listener Questions (23-APR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Member Research Supplement 6.184 – The Quietest 9mm Silencers - MP5 Silencer Detailed Loudness and Tone Comparisons. We compare the loudness, tone, and severity of the CAT MOB, Dead Air Wolfman, GSL Phoenix, HUXWRX CASH 9K, Otter Creek Labs Lithium, PTR VENT 2, and Resilient RS9. Who comes out on top, and how? (00:06:14)

  2. Listener Questions – back again! More from the 7th solicitation. Let’s continue where we left off last episode. (00:16:23)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 255 - BOE Mod 1 M4 Testing Intro and Listener Questions (16-APR-2025)

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Episode 255 - BOE Mod 1 M4 Testing Intro and Listener Questions (16-APR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.183 – BOE Mod 1 on the 14.5-in mid-length gas 5.56 M4A1. Yet another player entering the 5.56 suppression space. 3D printing involved? Of course. A bit of a twist with some conventional elements? Yes! This is the introductory discussion to accompany the technical paper published concurrently with this episode. (00:07:08)

  2. Listener Questions – they’re back! More from the 7th solicitation. Your queries are numerous, thought provoking, and useful! Chances are, someone has the same questions as you do. Let’s continue to do our best to answer them! (00:25:24)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston,Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 254 - Dead Air Wolfman Testing and MP5 Performance Research (09-APR-2025)

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Episode 254 - Dead Air Wolfman Testing and MP5 Performance Research (09-APR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.182 – the Dead Air Wolfman on the HK SP5 – in both long and short configurations. Prolific (and also misunderstood) submachine gun silencer. Let’s dive into the technical discussion of the data and analysis published last week.

    a. Introduction (00:07:46)

    b. Physical Characteristics (00:17:31)

    c. Technical Performance – Long Configuration (00:27:10)

    d. Technical Performance – Short Configuration (00:44:04)

    e. MP5 Suppression Performance Comparisons (00:51:09)

  2. Pending Member Research – MP5 suppression. The Quietest 9mm Subgun Silencers. We all know and love the MP5 platform. It is, perhaps, one of the most famous and refined subgun silencer hosts that we have in small arms. So, which silencers help it to perform at its greatest potential? Which have the best signature reduction and tone? Ongoing in-depth signature research that will be delivered exclusively to PEW Science Members. Thank you for your support! (00:58:35)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 253 - Dead Air Wolfman Testing, Echo Zulu Defense, OSU, and PEW Anniversary (02-APR-2025)

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Episode 253 - Dead Air Wolfman Testing, Echo Zulu Defense, OSU, and PEW Anniversary (02-APR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. The Silencer Sound Standard is now 5 years old! Thank you for supporting PEW Science all of these years and helping make this the industry standard for silencer sound suppression performance. (00:09:05)

  2. Big thanks to Oklahoma State University! Engineering faculty and students attended our seminar last week – a very welcoming group of people who are learning about fire, explosions, and protecting the public! A great degree program for folks that are interested. (00:30:06)

  3. Sound Signature Review 6.181 – the Echo Zulu Defense X1R556-Ti on the 5.56 standard untuned mid-gas 14.5-in barrel M4A1. Another hybrid design. Let’s dig into the technical talk for this report published last week. (00:42:45)

  4. Sound Signature Review 6.182 – the Dead Air Wolfman on the HK SP5 – in both long and short configurations. Prolific submachine gun silencer? Absolutely. Misunderstood? Clearly. Let’s do a quick introduction to this technical report published concurrently with this episode. (01:28:29)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston,Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 252 - Echo Zulu Defense X1R556-Ti Testing Intro (19-MAR-2025)

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Episode 252 - Echo Zulu Defense X1R556-Ti Testing Intro (19-MAR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.181 – the Echo Zulu Defense X1R556-Ti on the 5.56 standard untuned mid-gas 14.5-in barrel M4A1. Yet ANOTHER hybrid design? Yes. Now, are there levels to this? Also, yes. What happens when certain parameters are changed and slightly deviate from some core design principles? Introductory discussion for this whitepaper published with today’s episode. (00:06:24)

  2. PEW Science testing continues! The first quarter of 2025 has been very interesting; new hosts, new silencers, and all sort of things to show you. How far can the performance gauntlet take us? That’s literally what we are trying to determine! (00:22:21)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston,Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 251 - Centurion Arms Maximus-L Technical Discussion (13-MAR-2025)

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Episode 251 - Centurion Arms Maximus-L Technical Discussion (13-MAR-2025)

Today’s Topic:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.180 – the Centurion Arms Maximus-L on the 5.56 standard untuned MK18. Another hybrid design, and another dedicated 5.56 model. This is the technical discussion for the report published last week.

    a. Introduction. (00:08:55)

    b. Metrics – what are they good for, anyway? (00:14:25)

    c. Maximus-L and the competition. (00:19:24)

    d. Report technical deep dive. (00:29:22)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 250 - Centurion Arms Maximus-L Testing Intro and Walther PPK-SD Update (05-MAR-2025)

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Episode 250 - Centurion Arms Maximus-L Testing Intro and Walther PPK-SD Update (05-MAR-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.180 – the Centurion Arms Maximus-L on the 5.56 standard untuned MK18. Oh, my goodness gracious. Yet another hybrid design on the market?! The humanity! Dedicated 5.56 model, Inconel, light weight…. Does it bring the performance? This is the introductory discussion for the report published today with this episode. (00:06:37)

  2. The Walther PPK-SD chambered in .32ACP. We got it back from RMA! What was fixed? Apparently, a common issue. No more light strikes! A quick update on this potential future test host and the slow progress of its proving ground. (00:28:57)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 249 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Testing Technical Performance (26-FEB-2025)

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Episode 249 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Testing Technical Performance (26-FEB-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.178 – the Otter Creek Labs Infinity on .308 bolt-action. New hybrid design silencer from OCL – two tests; both solid and vented 7.62 end caps. Technical discussion of the Infinity’s .308 performance.

    a. Intro and Infinity physical characteristics (00:07:34)

    b. Solid 7.62 end cap technical performance walkthrough (00:29:31)

    c. Vented 7.62 end cap technical performance walkthrough (00:36:58)

    d. Performance comparisons (00:45:44)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.179 – the Otter Creek Labs Infinity on the 5.56 standard untuned MK18. Three tests! Solid 5.56 end cap, vented 5.56 end cap, and the vented 7.62 end cap. Adjustable back pressure. Technical discussion of the Infinity’s 5.56 performance.

    a. Intro and Polonium and Infinity 5.56 semiauto behavior (00:49:43)

    b. Solid 5.56 end cap performance notes (01:11:15)

    c. Vented 5.56 end cap performance notes (01:13:10)

    d. Vented 7.62 end cap performance notes (01:15:26)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 248 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Testing Intro (19-FEB-2025)

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Episode 248 - Otter Creek Labs Infinity Testing Intro (19-FEB-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.178 – the Otter Creek Labs Infinity on .308 bolt-action. New hybrid design silencer from OCL – two tests; both solid and vented 7.62 end caps. How does this technology perform with 7.62 NATO? Introductory discussion for this whitepaper published today. (00:09:35)

  2. Sound Signature Review 6.179 – the Otter Creek Labs Infinity on the 5.56 standard untuned MK18. Three tests! Solid 5.56 end cap, vented 5.56 end cap, and the vented 7.62 end cap. Adjustable back pressure? Yes. How does each configuration perform? Introductory discussion for this lengthy study published today. (00:23:48)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

Legion Athletics: use code pewscience for 20% off your first order and double points!

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Episode 247 - Dead Air Mojave 9 Testing and PEW Science Technical Discussion (12-FEB-2025)

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Episode 247 - Dead Air Mojave 9 Testing and PEW Science Technical Discussion (12-FEB-2025)

Today’s Topic:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.177 – the Dead Air Mojave 9 on the HK P30L. Long and short configuration. Triskelion baffle technology. Technical discussion covering the performance of this new hybrid design in the market. What makes the new 3D-printed Dead Air technology tick? Subtopic timestamps:

    a. Introduction: (00:06:42)

    b. Physical design characteristics: (00:09:48)

    c. Long configuration technical performance: (00:30:30)

    d. Short configuration technical performance and summary: (00:48:58)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

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Episode 246 - Dead Air Mojave 9 Testing Intro and Listener Questions (05-FEB-2025)

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Episode 246 - Dead Air Mojave 9 Testing Intro and Listener Questions (05-FEB-2025)

Today’s Topics:

  1. Sound Signature Review 6.177 – the Dead Air Mojave 9 on the HK P30L. Long and short configuration. Triskelion baffle technology. Another hybrid design in the market? You betcha! Highly requested research project and we went pretty deep! Find out what makes the new 3D-printed Dead Air technology tick in this latest whitepaper. This is the introductory discussion. (00:07:07)

  2. Listener Questions are back! It’s been a minute! We’ll dig back into the 7th solicitation and continue to address your queries. Sit back, relax, and let’s learn about silencers and silencer accessories! (00:25:26)

Sponsored by - Silencer Shop, Top Gun Range Houston, Legion Athletics, Capitol Armory, and the PEW Science Laboratory!

Legion Athletics: use code pewscience for 20% off your first order and double points!

Magpul: Use code PSTEN to receive $10 off your order of $100 or more at Magpul

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