SSS.6.4 - Q Trash Panda and the Remington 700 .308
/Q Trash Panda on a Remington 700 .308 with 20-in Barrel
The Trash Panda is manufactured by Q. It is a 30 caliber centerfire rifle silencer, intended to suppress most cartridges with projectiles appropriately sized to travel through the bore, including 300 Winchester Magnum. It has a 1.75-inch diameter and is 6.9 inches in length. The silencer mounts to the host firearm with the Q Cherry Bomb muzzle brake. The silencer is tubeless and constructed of titanium, while the muzzle brake mount is constructed of 17-4 PH stainless steel. The silencer weighs 13.9 ounces with the muzzle brake. The Trash Panda can be obtained from Silencer Shop.
This review contains single-test results using the Trash Panda on the Remington 700 rifle, chambered in .308WIN with an 20-inch barrel. Federal Gold Medal Match (GMM) 168gr. ammunition was used in the test.
Summary: When paired with the Remington 700 20” .308 and fired with Federal GMM, the Trash Panda achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 33.1 in PEW Science testing.
6.4.1 Trash Panda Sound Signature Test Results
A summary of the principal Silencer Sound Standard performance metrics of the Trash Panda is shown in Table 1. The data acquired 1.0 m (39.4 in) left of the muzzle is available for viewing to all. This is a members-only review and includes pressure and impulse waveforms measured at the shooter’s ear. PEW Science thanks you for your support; further testing, research, and development of PEW-SOFT and the Silencer Sound Standard is made possible by members like you!
Table 1. Trash Panda Sound Metric Summary
6.4.1.1 SOUND SIGNATURES AT THE MUZZLE
Real sound pressure histories acquired with PEW-SOFT™ are shown below. 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 previous Sound Signature Review 6.3 featured a different host weapon and ammunition. However, the sound signatures from the Remington 700 and Savage Model 10 are very similar, even when comparing the different ammunition types used. Figure 1 shows three unsuppressed baseline shots of each ammunition type with the two different host weapons on the day of the VOX S test in the previous review and on the day of the Trash Panda test in this review. The waveforms were measured 1.0 m left of the muzzle. Only the initial shockwave portions of the waveforms are shown, for clarity. Early time pressure comparisons are shown in Figure 1a and early time impulse comparisons are shown in Figure 1b. These waveform comparisons should give you confidence that the host weapon platforms are comparable, and therefore the suppression performance evaluations of the subject silencers are also comparable.
Fig 1a. Unsuppressed .308WIN Sound Pressure on 19-DEC-2019 and 16-APR-2020
Fig 1b. Unsuppressed .308WIN Sound Impulse on 19-DEC-2019 and 16-APR-2020
The primary sound signature pressure histories for all 5 shots with the Trash Panda are shown in Figure 2a. A zoomed-in timescale displays the region of peak sound pressure in Figure 2b. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories from the same 5-shot test are shown in Figure 3. Again, full and short timescales are shown.
Fig 2a. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Fig 2b. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 3a. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 3b. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 2 shows a pressure regime first-round-pop (FRP), when comparing Shot 1 to Shot 2. Figure 3 also shows FRP in the impulse regime, albeit with less significant magnitude, when comparing the same shots. Note that the faster rise to peak pressure during Shot 1, coupled with the negative-phase transition during Shot 2, results in different initial impulse waveform slopes. Nonetheless, the overall shape of the impulse waveforms from shot-to-shot are extremely consistent, highlighting the silencer’s sound performance consistency, as well as the consistency of the tested firearm configuration.
The rise to peak pressure measured from the Q Trash Panda is significantly different than seen from the Energetic Armament VOX S in previous Sound Signature Review 6.3. The gas dynamics within the Trash Panda are significantly different due to both baffle geometry and overall internal volume. Although a different host weapon and ammunition was used in Review 6.3, the barrel length and cartridge are extremely similar.
Shot 3, which triggered data acquisition 0.15 ms late, appears to also have an early impulse rise-time in Figure 3a. This is misleading and is an artificial relative time-phase anomaly due to the pre-trigger time being different for that shot (PEW-SOFT triggered later due to the actual pressure threshold from the waveform, thus the captured waveform is shifted in time, artificially). This is only a visual anomaly, and PEW Science has not shifted the shot forward in time in the reported figures due to the nature of this instrumentation-based phenomenon. If the pressure and impulse histories for that shot are shifted forward in time by 0.15 ms, they overlay consistently onto the shots subsequent to Shot 1, confirming the data integrity.
PEW Science note: First-round sound signatures always differ from subsequent shots, as the atmosphere within the silencer changes. The FRP phenomenon cannot always be shown by viewing only the peak sound pressure. This is one of the reasons why The Silencer Sound Standard requires examining multiple sound signature metrics. Ammunition consistency does play a role in the determination of FRP, however, the close examination of measured pressure and impulse waveforms typically excludes ammunition from the possible factors influencing true FRP, due to the consistency of most high quality factory ammunition.
6.4.1.2 SOUND SIGNATURES AT SHOOTER’S EAR
Real sound pressure histories from the same 5-shot test acquired with PEW-SOFT at the shooter’s ear are shown below. Again, 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 primary sound signature pressure histories at the ear for all 5 shots are shown in Figure 4. The primary sound signature history is shown on the left. A zoomed-in timescale is displayed on the right, in the region of peak sound pressure. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories at the ear from the same 5-shot test are shown in Figure 5. Again, full and short timescales are shown.
Figure 4a. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Pressure Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 4b. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 5a. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Impulse Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Figure 5b. Q Trash Panda Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Impulse Signature, 19-DEC-2019
Similar to the measurements at the muzzle, there is FRP evident when examining the waveforms measured at the shooter’s ear, but it is less significant. Shot 2 actually possesses the highest impulse of all shots (Figure 5b). Note that, again, the fast rise-time to peak impulse is evident in Shot 1. Also note the very similar pressure and impulse magnitudes during Shot 1 and Shot 2 prior to the gas completely exiting the weapon system (between 27 and 28 ms). The supersonic .308WIN platform creates significant sound signature even before the gas completely exits the weapon system. The Trash Panda’s measured results show significantly lower impulse during this time window than was measured with the VOX S in the previous review.
The overall sound signature measured at the shooter’s ear possesses significantly less amplitude in both the pressure and impulse regimes than the signature measured at the muzzle (refer to Table 1). Furthermore, the application of both pressure and impulse at the shooter’s ear is delayed when compared to the pressure and impulse at the weapon muzzle. The combination of varying amplitude and rise time to peak amplitude influences the response of the human ear.
6.4.2 Review Summary: Q Trash Panda on a Remington 700 .308 with 20-in Barrel
When paired with the Remington 700 20” .308 and fired with Federal GMM, the Trash Panda achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 33.1 in PEW Science testing.
PEW Science Subjective Opinion:
The Q Trash Panda is a compact, lightweight, and high performance 30 caliber silencer that takes advantage of its length footprint efficiently with its larger diameter design. The silencer must use the Cherry Bomb muzzle brake to mount to the host weapon. It is important to note that the Cherry Bomb acts as a diffusing element which helps to reduce the impingement of combustion products onto the leading edges of the first baffles in the silencer. As the silencer is fully constructed of titanium, the brake may help to prevent significant baffle erosion and will prolong service life when compared to similar silencers that do not utilize a stainless steel brake mount, on shorter barrels. The durability of titanium silencers used with heat-treated stainless steel blast-shielding muzzle brakes has not been experimentally evaluated by PEW Science and is a subject of continued research interest.
The high gas flow rate through the silencer is evident in the measured data from this test. There is an observed relatively fast rise to maximum peak sound pressure for most shots and the measured peaks are relatively consistent. The combination of high gas flow rate and significant sound suppression is notable. Practically, “blow back,” or increased “back pressure” on a particular host weapon can be reduced when using a silencer that possesses high gas flow rate for a given cartridge, barrel length, and weapon system configuration. Achieving significant sound suppression, and therefore a high(er) PEW Science Suppression Rating when also possessing high gas flow rate, is a combination of silencer traits that indicates high performance. It is postulated that the Trash Panda is able to achieve this combination of favorable traits due to three primary factors; larger internal volume due to its 1.75-inch diameter, over-sized bore aperture, and a baffle geometry that maximizes the efficiency of the two aforementioned factors.
In this review, the Trash Panda performance metrics depend upon suppressing a supersonic centerfire rifle cartridge; no easy task. PEW Science encourages the reader to remain vigilant with regard to all supersonic centerfire rifle suppression claims. The gas volume and combustion products created by the firing of the supersonic .308WIN cartridge are significant; the measured pressure and impulse magnitudes, and their durations, illustrate this fact.
The hearing damage potential of supersonic centerfire rifle 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.
