SSS.6.227 - AAC Ti-RANT 45 and the .45ACP 1911 (Free Version)

/

AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the 1911 Full-Size .45ACP Semiautomatic Pistol

The Ti-RANT 45 was designed and manufactured by the original Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC). It is a .45 caliber centerfire pistol silencer, intended to suppress many cartridges with projectiles appropriately sized to travel through the bore. The Ti-RANT 45 has a 1.38-inch primary diameter and is 8.75 inches long. The silencer may be attached to a pistol with an internal inertial-decoupling piston possessing a variety of different thread diameters, pitches, and lengths, to interface with multiple .45ACP, .40, and 9x19mm combat handguns. Users should note the legacy Ti-RANT 45 is compatible with Ti-RANT 9M-HD pistons but not legacy Ti-RANT 9/9M pistons. As with the Ti-RANT 9, 3-lug attachment is possible with the AAC TRIAD mount. The piston, piston housing, and blast baffle of the Ti-RANT 45 are heat treated stainless steel and the remainder of the baffles and the end cap are 7075-T6 aluminum. The tube of the silencer is Grade 9 titanium. The silencer is user-serviceable and and weighs 11.3 ounces with the inertial-decoupling piston and spring assembly installed, as tested. The Ti-RANT 45 is no longer produced and is considered a legacy silencer.  Intermediate legacy models also exist, including the Ti-RANT 45S and the modular Ti-RANT 45M.  New revisions of the Ti-RANT 45 family may be released by the new AAC (Advanced Armament Company) in the future. 

Silencer Hazard Map:

The predicted personnel hazards generated by the tested weapon system in this report, in the free field, are shown in the adjacent Silencer Hazard Map. Click or tap the Map to enlarge. Please reference Silencer Hazard Map Brief 8.1.24 for further details.  The PEW-SOFT HD Blast Hazard Prediction Tool and Hazard Mapper is presented in Report 8.1.1.

AAC Ti-RANT 45 1911 Free Field Hazard Map Produced by PEW-SOFT HD Blast Hazard Prediction Tool using PEW Science Test Data

PEW Science laboratory evaluations of other legacy AAC silencers to date include:

Centerfire Pistol Silencer Technology Historical Notes

It is important that readers view centerfire pistol suppression technology and performance in historical context and are encouraged to examine the suppressed .45ACP Historical Case Study featuring the KAC MK23 system (6.214).  The gross results from that research program are included in this Ti-RANT 45 study for comparison.

At the time of its development and release, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 represented the pinnacle of .45ACP pistol signature suppression technology. No other .45ACP pistol silencer, since the KAC MK23.USP silencer referenced above, came close to achieving “shooter comfort” when fielded “dry” (without ablative media).  The original AAC marketing copy for the Ti-RANT 45 is presented below:

“The Ti-RANT .45 is the world’s first silencer for .45 ACP pistols that is truly stealthy when fired dry. The average dry sound signature of the Ti-RANT .45 is 133 dB when fired on a Heckler and Koch USP Tactical .45 with Remington 230 grain ammunition. This puts the dry performance of the Ti-RANT .45 squarely in the ballpark of most competitor's 9mm pistol silencers. With a wet charge of 5cc’s of water, the sound signature drops to 125 dB. To put it another way, our .45 silencer is quieter than some company’s .22 silencers. The Ti-RANT .45 does not stand out among a sea of posers just because of its jaw-dropping performance. Intelligent material selection gives the Ti-RANT .45 unequalled durability in a deceptively light-weight package. The Ti-RANT .45 incorporates AAC’s new A.S.A.P.™ CLUTCH. This highly evolved Nielsen device enables flawless semi-automatic operation on all relevant host pistols, and can be fully disassembled for cleaning or piston replacement with no tools in seconds. The Ti-RANT .45 can be outfitted with pistons threaded M16 x 1 Right Hand, M16 x 1 Left Hand, and two pistons threaded .578-28; one extended for the Sig P-220 and 1911’s with a full length guide rod, and a flush mount for 1911’s with a standard G.I. guide rod. For multi-caliber use, pistons are available in the most common 9mm and .40 thread patterns to allow use of the Ti-RANT 45 on hosts in those calibers.”

Though the above AAC marketing text includes hyperbole, some of the claims are somewhat rooted in reality, in accordance with the silencer signature suppression performance quantification state of practice at the time (circa 2010). The blast overpressure levels reported in the marketing text were measured at low sample rates and filtered (hence their relatively low amplitudes); nonetheless, the performance gap between the Ti-RANT 45 and competitors was extreme. In accordance with internal PEW Science research, a significant performance gap remains to this day, 16 years later.

After Advanced Armament Corporation was acquired by Remington, operations continued. The Ti-RANT 45 was offered as a retail package SKU with an enhanced Remington 1911 R1 featuring a factory threaded 5.5-inch barrel and AAC logo styling on the slide and grips. The piston assembly included with the silencer is the flush-mounted version for use with standard G.I. guide rod pistols as noted in the above legacy marketing copy. This test report documents the PEW Science Laboratory high fidelity testing and analysis of this retail package.

The Remington 1911 R1 is henceforth the standard public PEW Science Laboratory .45ACP pistol silencer test host weapon system.  Future public .45ACP pistol silencer evaluations will be presented using this host weapon.

Summary and Table of Contents

This Sound Signature Review contains test results and analysis using the AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the standard 1911 .45ACP combat handgun with 5.5-in factory threaded barrel. Speer Lawman 230gr ammunition was used in the test.  Unsuppressed combustion phenomena are also examined.

  • Section 6.227.1 contains Suppression Rating comparisons of the AAC Ti-RANT 45 with other .45ACP systems, including KAC and B&T silencers evaluated on the HK MK23 and HK USP45 Tactical. Unsuppressed muzzle blast pressure and impulse comparisons are provided for the different weapon systems.

  • Section 6.227.2 contains the AAC Ti-RANT 45 test results and analysis on the 1911.

  • Section 6.227.3 repeats the initial summary suppression performance comparisons with additional commentary.

  • Section 6.227.4 contains the review summary and PEW Science laboratory staff opinions.

Summary: When paired with the 1911 full-size semiautomatic pistol and fired with Speer Lawman 230gr ammunition, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 50.0 in PEW Science testing.

As with all weapon systems, the user is encouraged to examine both muzzle and ear Suppression Ratings.

Relative Suppression Rating Performance is Summarized in SSS.7 - PEW Science Rankings.

6.227.1 AAC Ti-RANT 45 1911 and Legacy System Performance Summary

The PEW Science Silencer Sound Standard includes the evaluation of several centerfire pistol silencers suppressing the 9x19mm cartridge from a combat handgun.  This report continues examination of .45ACP combustion phenomenology and introduces its suppression from the 1911 full-size combat handgun.  Previously, two other .45ACP combat handguns were evaluated; the HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical, both with the KAC MOD.MK23/USP developed for the SOCOM MK23 Offensive Handgun (OHG) program and the B&T Impulse-IIA SD Mk23 Rev. 03 designed to function on the same host weapons.  The reader may examine the full research report on the KAC and B&T silencers here.

Unsuppressed and suppressed muzzle blast pressure histories were measured from all systems in the free field.  Data reduction was performed to derive blast impulse histories as well as computations of the PEW Science Suppression Rating DRC metrics at the fielded pressure sensor locations in accordance with the Silencer Sound Standard and compatible with MIL-STD 1474E.

Suppression Rating calculations from all test data in the research programs are summarized in Figure 1.

Fig 1. Suppression Rating Comparisons of AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the Remington 1911 R1 and KAC MOD.MK23/USP and B&T Impulse-IIA SD Mk23 Rev. 03 silencers on the HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical full-size semiautomatic pistols Using PEW-SOFT Test Data and PEW Science Analysis

From the above performance comparisons, the following gross conclusions can be made:

  1. The AAC Ti-RANT 45 produces exceptionally higher performance than both the KAC and B&T silencers.  Though the tested host weapons differ, suppression performance of a full-size .45ACP 1911 and HK MK23 is relatively similar, all other things equal.

  2. Both muzzle blast and ejection port blast hazards are reduced when fielding the AAC Ti-RANT 45, compared to the use of legacy KAC designs.

  3. The KAC MOD.MK23/USP silencer, and its requisite inertial-decoupling piston assemblies, provide scalable signature suppression and personnel hazard reduction performance on the two HK combat handgun host weapons. The KAC system performance is more robust than the B&T system performance.

  4. The 1911 and HK MK23 system signatures may be suppressed to a greater degree than the HK USP45 Tactical system signature. This is a function of the longer 1911 and MK23 barrels generating lower muzzle blast pressure input into the silencer(s), as well as system lock time mechanics and dynamics.

  5. The 1911 system lock time and barrel rifling differs from the two HK systems. This changes unsuppressed and suppressed hazards by varying ejection port blast timing and muzzle blast precursor development. Nonetheless, unsuppressed blast loads from all three weapon systems are exceedingly hazardous to personnel in the near field. Silencer use is recommended not only to minimize operational signature, but to reduce damage to the unprotected human ear.

Unsuppressed blast loads from the three weapon systems are presented in the subsection below, for completeness. Future .45ACP combat handgun suppression performance in the Silencer Sound Standard will use the 1911 host weapon. The below blast phenomenology should be viewed by the reader as relevant to this research study, though unsuppressed muzzle blast from other .45ACP combat handguns is similar in amplitude, timing, and wave shape.

6.227.1.1 Unsuppressed Muzzle Blast Loads - Remington 1911 R1 vs. HK MK23 vs. USP45 Tactical

The unsuppressed muzzle blast pressures measured from the first shots from the Remington 1911 R1, HK MK23, and HK USP45 Tactical .45ACP combat handguns, in the free field, are presented in Figure 2.  The time scale has been trimmed such that significant early time waveform features can be viewed in detail.  Therefore, later time weapon mechanics signatures are not shown (please reference the full-time scale suppressed system data plots later in this report to view those phenomena).  Note that each vertical axis provides pressure in different units.  Metric pressure units are on the left axis [Pa] with imperial pressure units on the right axis [psi].  The vertical axes scales are linear.  Logarithmic pressure units with 20 micropascal reference [dB] are shown in plot annotations.

Fig 2. Unsuppressed muzzle Blast Pressure from the Remington 1911 R1, HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical full-size semiautomatic pistols measured by PEW Science with PEW-SOFT

Similarly to the above, the unsuppressed muzzle blast impulse, in the free field, is presented in Figure 3.  Again, linear metric and imperial units are presented with logarithmic units annotated on the plot.  The time scale is kept constant for comparison.

Fig 3. Unsuppressed muzzle Blast Impulse from the Remington 1911 R1, the HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical full-size semiautomatic pistols measured by PEW Science with PEW-SOFT

From the above raw blast overpressure and impulse plots, it can be concluded that unsuppressed combat handgun signatures are severe, despite the use of subsonic ammunition.  The timing of the signatures differ between the three weapon systems due to barrel length.  The signatures have been synced in time in accordance with the initiation of the precursor blast events.

The precursor events in the figures result from two phenomena:

  1. Chamber blowby resulting from obturation delay (blast load leak around the projectile as it seats in the chamber which then propagates from the gun barrels prior to bullet uncorking and primary muzzle blast exit).

  2. Compression of the air column in the barrel from the subsonic projectile, forming a pressure wave in air (this does not occur in supersonic projectile flight as shock loads are generated instead that couple with the primary muzzle blast).

Note that the precursor blast amplitude is higher with the 1911 in both pressure and impulse space. This is due to the traditional rifling of the 1911 barrel allowing more blowby described in (1) above, compared to the polygonal rifling in the two HK systems that enables a more robust gas seal.

Ground reflection of primary muzzle blast is significant, as annotated. Again, the test data is generated with subsonic ammunition.

PEW Science encourages the use of silencers with small arms. The suppression of primary muzzle blast significantly reduces personnel hazards when compared to the firing of unsuppressed small arm weapon systems.

Detailed suppressed signature evaluations of the AAC Ti-RANT 45 suppressing the .45ACP Remington 1911 R1 follow.

6.227.2 AAC Ti-RANT 45 1911 Sound Signature Test Results

A summary of the principal Silencer Sound Standard performance metrics of the AAC Ti-RANT 45 tested on the Remington 1911 R1 is shown in Table 1. The data acquired 1.0 m (39.4 in) left of the muzzle is available for viewing to all. The data acquired 0.15 m (6 in) right of the shooter’s ear is only available to membership supporters of PEW Science and the Silencer Sound Standard. You can support public PEW Science testing, research, and development with a membership, here. State-of-the-art public firearm sound signature testing and research conducted by PEW Science is supported by readers like you.

 

Table 1. AAC Ti-RANT 45 Subsonic .45 ACP 1911 Sound Metric Summary

 

6.227.2.1 SOUND SIGNATURES AT THE MUZZLE

Real sound pressure histories from a 6-shot test acquired with PEW-SOFT™ are shown below. Six cartridges were loaded into the magazine and the weapon was fired until the magazine was empty, and the slide locked back on the slide-release lever actuated by the follower of the empty magazine. Only five shots are considered in the analysis. The signatures of Shot 6 are displayed in the data presentation but are not included in the analysis to maintain consistency with the overall PEW Science dataset. The waveforms are not averaged, decimated, or filtered. The data acquisition rate used in all PEW Science testing is 1.0 MS/s (1 MHz). The peaks, shape, and time phasing (when the peaks occur in relation to absolute time and to each other) of these raw waveforms are the most accurate of any firearm silencer testing publicly available. PEW-SOFT data is acquired by PEW Science independent testing; the industry leader in silencer sound research. For more information, please consult the Silencer Sound Standard.

The primary sound signature pressure histories for all 6 shots with the AAC Ti-RANT 45 tested on the Remington 1911 R1 are shown in Figure 4a. The sound signatures of Shot 1 and Shot 2 are shown in Figure 4b, in early time. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories from the same 6-shot test are shown in Figure 5a. In Figure 5b, a shorter timescale is shown comparing the impulse of Shots 1 through 3.

Fig 4a. AAC Ti-RANT 45 Subsonic .45 ACP 1911 Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature

Fig 4b. AAC Ti-RANT 45 Subsonic .45 ACP 1911 Semiautomatic Pistol Sound Pressure Signature

Figure 5a. AAC Ti-RANT 45 Subsonic .45 ACP 1911 Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature

Figure 5b. AAC Ti-RANT 45 Subsonic .45 ACP 1911 Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature

The .45 ACP cartridge is of significantly larger diameter than the commonly fielded 9x19mm cartridge, and it also operates at a lower combustion pressure.  This creates complexities in balancing distal flow rate with adequate turbulence generation and heat transfer.  The larger the silencer exit aperture, the more difficult the signature suppression, all other things equal.  When combustion pressure drops, some silencer technologies lose suppression efficiency to a greater degree than do others.

Like the AAC Ti-RANT 9 (6.118), the AAC Ti-RANT 45 uses highly optimized K-baffle geometry. The inertial decoupling piston housing (A.S.A.P. Clutch assembly) possesses a dual-layer annular porting array that begins from piston wall, transitions to the A.S.A.P. wall, and then vents to the annulus created by the stainless steel piston housing and outer titanium tube.  This early-vent structure pays significant performance dividends as pressure stagnation can be relieved in early time in the first expansion chamber as initial reflections occur off of the blast baffle. The net result of this behavior is lower early time back pressure than some other pistol silencers, including modern models such as the Rugged Obsidian 45 (.45ACP performance evaluation forthcoming; the 9mm pistol performance evaluation of the Obsidian 45 was presented in Report 6.7 in 2020).

The Ti-RANT 45 is not a short pistol silencer. At 8.75 inches long, it is slightly longer than the aforementioned Rugged Obsidian 45, SWR Trident-9 (6.8), and Microtech R2K9 (6.198), which are all “long,” and two of which are 9mm silencers. In general, suppression performance of pistol silencers increases with length. The performance of .45ACP pistol silencers is significantly handicapped by their large bore apertures, and they are therefore typically the longest pistol silencers on the market.  Nonetheless, in the case of the AAC Ti-RANT 45, the efficiency of its optimized K-baffles can’t be overstated. The Ti-RANT 45 suppression performance is very robust. Traits observed in the above measured blast loads from the 1911 test include the following:

  1. Extremely controlled initial jetting with low amplitude precursor from the large bore aperture (Fig. 4b).

  2. Significantly suppressed coupled jetting both during first-round-pop (FRP) and subsequent shots (Fig. 4b).

  3. Minor FRP divergence occurs prior to primary jet accumulation and continues after primary blast onset though peak momentum accumulation.  Consistency with post-FRP accumulation is noted post-peak (Fig. 5).

The overall behavior of suppressed .45 ACP systems is somewhat similar to that of suppressed 9x19mm systems, with the primary differences resulting from large bore aperture precursor flow and significant primary blast propagation in early time.

PEW Science Research Note 1:  The AAC Ti-RANT 9 provides much closer .45ACP pistol silencer suppression performance to some suppressed 9mm pistol systems, than the legacy KAC MK23 system (6.214).  This is partially due to the length differences of the two silencers.  The Ti-RANT 45 is 1.12 inches (15 percent) longer than the KAC unit.  The performance differential is also due to the K-baffle optimization in the Ti-RANT 45 compared with the KAC crimped cone baffle design.  With the elevated performance described above, .45ACP pistols suppressed with the Ti-RANT 45 exhibit signatures much closer to that of 9mm pistols with full size 9mm silencers than that of compact 9mm silencers.  Waveshape differentials, strongly characterized by primary blast impulsivity, are some of the most telling indicators, as discussed in Research Note 2 of Report 6.214.

PEW Science Research Note 2:  On closed-breech weapons, or weapons in which the chamber may be closed or extraction delayed by a relatively significant amount of time, high silencer flow rate is of less significance.  However, almost all modern traditional combat handguns using a modified Browning tilting-barrel action exhibit lock times unfavorable to significant backpressure generation. The 1911 uses a linked tilting barrel with less angular displacement and exhibits reduced ejection port blast hazards when suppressed, as a result.  It is important to note that back pressure in a silencer design is not blowback.  Back pressure is caused by blast load impulse accumulation above given thresholds in various parts of the silencer, and therefore occurs in multiple time regimes.  Blast load impulse accumulation is the result of not only pressure stagnation, but additive load reflections.  Without clearing (venting), impulse will continue to accumulate during the time regimes of interest.  Matching the time regime of clearing to the requisite weapon function sequence is paramount to the design process used by suppressed small arm weapon system developers (developers of the whole systems; silencers and hosts).  The back pressure generated by the AAC silencer on this weapon system is lower than that generated by some modern designs.  

PEW Science Research Note 3: As in most semiautomatic weapon testing, a second pressure pulse originates from the ejection-port signature of the weapon and it occurs early enough in time such that its waves coalesce with that of the muzzle signature. However, in late time (at approximately 80 ms in Figure 4a) the mechanical noise of the slide closing is observed. The pressure signature of Shot 6 does not display this event due to the slide remaining locked to the rear after the sixth and final round is fired from the magazine.

The shape, timing, and magnitudes of the early-time pressure pulses and overall shape of the impulse waveforms measured at the muzzle, from shot-to-shot, are relatively consistent. The consistency of the waveform amplitudes highlight the silencer’s overall sound performance consistency at the muzzle after the FRP, as well as the relative consistency of the tested semiautomatic firearm configuration.

PEW Science Research Note 4: Note that the muzzle Suppression Rating of the AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the 1911 semiautomatic handgun test host is 47.6 and the shooter’s-ear Suppression Rating is 45.1; which are in the same zone on the Suppression Rating Dose Chart. The gross suppression of a silencer, as well as its flow rate, influences the holistic signature on a semiautomatic host weapon. The reader is encouraged to consult the Hazard Map at the beginning of this report and in Hazard Map Brief 8.1.24 to view personnel risk spatially.  The signatures measured at the shooter’s ear are presented and examined in the full Member Version of this report.

The overall performance summary presented in Section 6.227.1 is repeated below with additional commentary.

6.227.3 Suppression Rating Comparisons (Subsonic .45 ACP from the 1911, HK MK23, and USP 45 Tactical)

Figure 8 again presents a comparison of the calculated PEW Science Suppression Ratings of the AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the full-size .45ACP 1911, along with the KAC MOD.MK23/USP and B&T Impulse-IIA SD Mk23 Rev. 03 silencers on both full-size HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical using full power subsonic Speer Lawman 230gr .45 ACP ammunition.  Unsuppressed system risk metrics are also presented.

Fig 8. Suppression Rating Comparisons of AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the Remington 1911 R1 and KAC MOD.MK23/USP and B&T Impulse-IIA SD Mk23 Rev. 03 silencers on the HK MK23 and USP45 Tactical full-size semiautomatic pistols Using PEW-SOFT Test Data and PEW Science Analysis

From the above performance comparisons, the following gross conclusions can be made:

  1. The AAC Ti-RANT 45 produces exceptionally higher performance than both the KAC and B&T silencers.  Though the tested host weapons differ, suppression performance of a full-size .45ACP 1911 and HK MK23 is relatively similar, all other things equal.

  2. Both muzzle blast and ejection port blast hazards are reduced when fielding the AAC Ti-RANT 45, compared to the use of legacy KAC designs.

  3. The KAC MOD.MK23/USP silencer, and its requisite inertial-decoupling piston assemblies, provide scalable signature suppression and personnel hazard reduction performance on the two HK combat handgun host weapons. The KAC system performance is more robust than the B&T system performance.

  4. The 1911 and HK MK23 system signatures may be suppressed to a greater degree than the HK USP45 Tactical system signature. This is a function of the longer 1911 and MK23 barrels generating lower muzzle blast pressure input into the silencer(s), as well as system lock time mechanics and dynamics.

  5. The 1911 system lock time and barrel rifling differs from the two HK systems. This changes unsuppressed and suppressed hazards by varying ejection port blast timing and muzzle blast precursor development. Nonetheless, unsuppressed blast loads from all three weapon systems are exceedingly hazardous to personnel in the near field. Silencer use is recommended not only to minimize operational signature, but to reduce damage to the unprotected human ear.

The AAC Ti-RANT 45 legacy marketing claims from 2010 of its performance being “squarely in the ballpark of most competitor's 9mm pistol silencers” highlighted at the beginning of this report somewhat holds true in that its composite Suppression Rating fits into the median range of the HK P30L 9mm pistol silencer evaluation Rankings, to date.  To highlight the significance of this performance:

PEW Science Research Note 6:  Because the PEW Science Suppression Rating is a damage risk criterion (DRC), a lower Suppression Rating indicates a higher personnel hazard in the free field. Therefore, silencers with a lower Suppression Rating are postulated to be more hazardous to the unprotected ear than silencers with a higher Suppression Rating. To iterate, the Suppression Rating is a DRC - it is not a subjective quantity; it is an objective quantification of hearing damage risk potential.

The signature to which the shooter’s ear is subjected is a function of both ejection port and muzzle signature. When the silencer’s endcap is in closer proximity to the shooter, the severity is increased. The coalescing of the ejection port blast overpressure with the primary muzzle blast exacerbates the severity of the signature at the shooter’s head position. It is not ejection port signature, alone, that dictates the signature measured at the shooter’s head position.

6.227.4 Review Summary: AAC Ti-RANT 45 on the 1911 Full-Size .45ACP Semiautomatic Pistol

When paired with the 1911 full-size semiautomatic pistol and fired with Speer Lawman 230gr ammunition, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 50.0 in PEW Science testing.

As with all weapon systems, the user is encouraged to examine both muzzle and ear Suppression Ratings.

PEW Science Laboratory Staff Opinion:

The AAC Ti-RANT 45 is a full-size legacy .45ACP pistol silencer that debuted in 2010.  At the time of release, its .45 caliber pistol suppression performance was unmatched.  To this day, the Ti-RANT 45 is exceptionally competitive, not only in pure blast load suppression performance, but in high early time flow rate giving way to superior operator protection on combat handguns compared with some other models, including some modern designs.  The highly optimized AAC K-baffle design, intelligent material selection for durability, and ease of user serviceability, cement the performance legacy of the Ti-RANT 45 in silencer history.

Like the AAC Ti-RANT 9, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 uses highly optimized K-baffle geometry. The inertial decoupling piston housing (A.S.A.P. Clutch assembly) possesses a dual-layer annular porting array that begins from piston wall, transitions to the A.S.A.P. wall, and then vents to the annulus created by the stainless steel piston housing and outer titanium tube.  This early-vent structure pays significant performance dividends as pressure stagnation can be relieved in early time in the first expansion chamber as initial reflections occur off of the blast baffle. The net result of this behavior is lower early time back pressure than some other pistol silencers, including modern models such as the Rugged Obsidian 45.

The Ti-RANT 45 is not a short pistol silencer. At 8.75 inches long, it is slightly longer than the aforementioned Rugged Obsidian 45, SWR Trident-9, and Microtech R2K9, which are all “long,” and two of which are 9mm silencers. In general, suppression performance of pistol silencers increases with length. The performance of .45ACP pistol silencers is significantly handicapped by their large bore apertures, and they are therefore typically the longest pistol silencers on the market.  Nonetheless, in the case of the AAC Ti-RANT 45, the efficiency of its optimized K-baffles can’t be overstated. The Ti-RANT 45 suppression performance is very robust.

The AAC Ti-RANT 45 legacy marketing claims from 2010 of its performance being “squarely in the ballpark of most competitor's 9mm pistol silencers” highlighted at the beginning of this report somewhat holds true in that its composite Suppression Rating fits into the median range of the HK P30L 9mm pistol silencer evaluation Rankings, to date.  The Ti-RANT 45, suppressing the larger bore .45ACP cartridge, far surpasses the performance of a SilencerCo Omega 9K on a full size 9mm combat handgun, and the Ti-RANT 45 protects an operator better when shooting a .45ACP 1911 than does a Rugged Obsidian 9 when shooting a 9mm pistol.  In fact, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 on a .45ACP pistol almost matches the level of operator protection enjoyed by users shooting a modern Dead Air Mojave 9 on a 9mm pistol. It is not until a user equips themselves with a CAT SC on a 9mm host that pistol operator protection is exceeded.  It therefore appears that not only was the AAC Ti-RANT 45 competitive in 2010, but its performance is competitive 16 years later.

Users should note the legacy Ti-RANT 45 is compatible with Ti-RANT 9M-HD pistons but not legacy Ti-RANT 9/9M pistons. As with the Ti-RANT 9, 3-lug attachment is possible with the AAC TRIAD mount.  The silencer may be used on 9mm, .40, and .45ACP weapons.  Pistol use is intended, with fixed-barrel use possible while adhering to firing schedule guidance. 

The suppression of .45ACP combat handguns is more difficult, technically, than the suppression of 9mm combat handguns due to the factors discussed in this report. Oftentimes, “wet” use in which a small bottle cap full of water is placed in the blast chamber of the silencer, distributed throughout the baffle stack by silencer rotation, and then installed on the weapon, may be preferred for operational engagements. The flashing of the water to steam by expanding combustion gasses is an efficient energy transfer mechanism and will significantly reduce the severity of blast propagation from the silencer. Wet silencer evaluation is the subject of future PEW Science research.

Next to the KAC MOD.MK23/USP .45ACP silencer, which is the historical “mother” silencer to which all modern centerfire pistol silencers owe their lineage, the AAC Ti-RANT 45 represents one of the most pivotal pistol silencer performance benchmarks in history.

The AAC Ti-RANT 45 silencer is no longer in production.  We hope there is future opportunity for new generations of silencer users to enjoy its performance.

In this review, the AAC Ti-RANT 45  performance metrics depend upon suppressing the venerable and historic full-size 1911 combat handgun firing the full-power .45ACP subsonic centerfire pistol cartridge. PEW Science encourages the reader to carefully consider action dynamics, barrel lengths, and other characteristics in the selection of centerfire pistol silencer hosts.

The hearing damage potential of centerfire pistol use is significant. PEW Science encourages the reader to consider the Suppression Rating when deciding on an appropriate silencer and host weapon combination for their desired use. Note that the presence of nearby reflecting surfaces, as well as ammunition choice, can influence the sound signature to which both the shooter and bystanders are subjected.