SSS.6.69 - Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold and the Savage Model 10 PC .308
/Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold on a Savage Model 10 .308 with 20-in Barrel
The Banish 30 Gold is designed and manufactured by Silencer Central. It is a 30 caliber centerfire rifle silencer, intended to suppress most cartridges with projectiles appropriately sized to travel through the bore, including 300 Remington Ultra Magnum. It has a 1.6-inch diameter and is 8.2 inches in length. The silencer is attached to the host weapon with included taper mounts threaded for barrels with both 1/2”-28tpi and 5/8”-24tpi thread patterns. The silencer’s rear tapered mount interface is also compatible with taper mounts from Thunder Beast Arms Corporation. The silencer is user-serviceable; the entire titanium baffle assembly may be removed from the titanium tube with the included end cap removal tool and baffle pusher tool. The silencer weighs 13 ounces without the mount. The included titanium taper mount adds 1 ounce, for a total system weight of 14 ounces, as tested. The Banish 30 Gold can be obtained from Silencer Central.
PEW Science is an independent private testing laboratory and also the world’s only publicly funded suppressed small arms research cooperative. Testing, data analysis, and reporting is generated with funding provided by PEW Science members. Any test data that is generated with any portion of private funding contains this disclosure. The testing and data production for this Sound Signature Review was funded in part by PEW Science Project PEW-SC-022-001-21. Therefore, data pertaining to the Banish 30 Gold in this Sound Signature Review is published with the express written permission of Silencer Central.
This review contains single-test results using the Banish 30 Gold mounted with the taper brake mount on the Savage Model 10 Precision Carbine rifle, chambered in .308WIN with a 20-inch barrel. Federal XM80 149gr ammunition was used in the test.
- Section 6.69.1 contains the Banish 30 Gold test results and analysis. The Banish 30 Gold is not the same silencer as the Banish 30, in construction, features, or performance.
- Section 6.69.2 contains back pressure and Suppression Rating comparisons with selected .30 rifle silencers possessing a PEW Science Back Pressure Metric, Ω [Pa-1] in Omega Zone 5 and above. An updated Ω metric chart for the full suite of publicly evaluated .30 rifle silencers is also provided in this section. Further information about the Ω metric and Omega Zones can be obtained in PEW Science Research Supplement 6.40 (Public Article).
- Section 6.69.3 contains the review summary and PEW Science opinions.
Summary: When paired with the Savage M10 20” .308 and fired with Federal XM80, the Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold mounted with the taper brake mount, achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 44.4 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
Test data and analysis of the Banish 30 Gold with subsonic 300 BLK can be found in Sound Signature Review 6.70.
6.69.1 Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Sound Signature Test Results
A summary of the principal Silencer Sound Standard performance metrics of the Banish 30 Gold 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. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Sound Metric Summary
6.69.1.1 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.
Figure 1 shows a 3 millisecond long portion of the first round sound pressure signature of the Banish 30 Gold as measured 1.0 m left of the muzzle. There are four significant waveform features labeled:
The end cap exit event results in an initial overpressure peak magnitude of 141.6 dB.
Jetting is immediately suppressed down to an amplitude of 116.6 dB
The first major jet reaches a peak amplitude of 140.6 dB.
Peak FRP occurs with an amplitude of 143.8 dB.
This is a somewhat typical sequence observed when firing supersonic .308WIN ammunition from a bolt-action rifle with an attached silencer that exhibits relatively high flow restriction (back pressure). Internal silencer design can significantly influence the measured timing and pressure amplitudes. Preliminary back pressure comparisons are shown in Section 6.68.2 of this review, with the PEW Science Back Pressure Metric, Ω [Pa-1].
Fig 1. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold First Round Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature
The waveform shown in Figure 1 possesses early time characteristics very similar to the FRP signature of silencers exhibiting flow restriction (back pressure) in PEW Science Omega Zone 6, such as the Diligent Defense Enticer-S (Review 6.68), the Rugged Surge (Review 6.22), the Otter Creek Labs PR30S (Review 6.49), and the CGS Helios QD (Review 6.13). The Q Thunder Chicken (Review 6.20) is also in Zone 6 and possesses similar features of early time gas delay. The bullet exit event of the Thunder Chicken possesses an atypical gas jet coupling, characteristic of the bore and baffle design in Q rifle silencers.
The Banish 30 Gold also shares some similarities in early time signature in this flow regime with silencers exhibiting higher back pressure; those in Omega Zone 7, particularly with the Otter Creek Labs PR30L (Review 6.48). The gross behavior of the Banish 30 on this host weapon system is highlighted by the extreme amplitude decay (feature 2 in Fig 1) prior to primary jetting.
At the muzzle, the Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold is quieter than all silencers in Omega Zone 6 and below, and also quieter than the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9 (Review 6.24) which resides in Omega Zone 7. However, it is important to note that the Banish 30 Gold is not as quiet as the ULTRA 9 to the shooter on this host weapon system, and also does not exhibit the same FRP behavior to bystanders. This phenomenon is further addressed below.
The Banish 30 Gold design possesses conventional truncated and notched straight cone baffles. The blast baffle is ported. The sound suppression of the Banish 30 Gold on this host weapon is consistent with its internal design and size envelope; on average, its performance is very close to that of the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9. The Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold exhibits higher sound suppression performance, on average, than both the Rugged Surge and Q Thunder Chicken on this platform. Comprehensive Suppression Rating comparisons are provided in Section 6.69.2.
Closer views of the first peak of all shots (Fig 2a) and highest peak of the first shot (Fig 2b) are shown below. Figure 2a illustrates the relative consistency of the internal silencer combustion and end cap exit event between all 5 shots during the test. These waveform feature consistencies in both gross amplitude and wave shape, from shot to shot, are discernable as a result of the high sample rate and raw, unfiltered data stream from PEW-SOFT. Figure 2b shows points later in time during Shot 1 as the maximum sound pressure occurs from the primary combustion event. Note that the total timescale in Figure 2a is 0.65 milliseconds (650 microseconds) and the total timescale in Figure 2b is only 0.16 milliseconds (160 microseconds). PEW-SOFT provides a sampling point every microsecond and the individual data points are shown in Figure 2b to illustrate this.
Fig 2a. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Early-Time Peaks
Fig 2b. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Shot 1 Peak
The primary sound signature pressure histories for all 5 shots with the Banish 30 Gold are shown in Figure 3a. The sound signatures of Shot 1 and Shot 2 are shown in Figure 3b, in early time. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories from the same 5-shot test are shown in Figure 4a. In Figure 4b, a shorter timescale is shown comparing the impulse of Shot 1 to that of Shot 2 and Shot 3.
Fig 3a. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature
Fig 3b. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window
Figure 4a. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 4b. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature, Short Time Window
The Banish 30 Gold exhibits FRP measured at the muzzle that may be perceptible to bystanders, in accordance with PEW Science inner ear modeling. It exhibits a more significantly perceptible FRP than does the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9, despite having a higher overall muzzle Suppression Rating than the ULTRA 9. The FRP is highlighted in both the pressure regime (Figure 3) and impulse regime (Figure 4). It is important to note that while the Banish 30 Gold exhibits perceptible FRP to bystanders on this platform, it is not extreme.
PEW Science Research Note 1: The primary features of the impulse signatures in Figure 4, above, are consistent with those from full size rifle silencers with conventional cone baffles, such as the Rugged Surge. This type of behavior is scalable in both suppression and flow rate (back pressure) with the addition or subtraction of baffles. The performance characteristics of such silencers are relatively predictable and have been the subject of numerous internal PEW Science parametric research studies, some of which were instrumental in the development of the published Omega Metric in PEW Science Research Supplement 6.40 (Public Article).
For a silencer with relatively simple internal geometry that is also user-serviceable, the performance of the Banish 30 Gold is somewhat notable. Complete disassembly of the silencer internals is possible, which is not always feasible for more complex designs. The shallow baffle design of the Banish 30 Gold allows for 11 baffles in the stack, scaling performance to compete in suppression with the aforementioned 1.5-inch diameter silencers.
As typically indicated, 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 can 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 relative consistency of most high quality factory ammunition.
PEW Science has made a concerted effort to characterize the FRP phenomenon with true physiological human inner-ear response analyses. Additional PEW Science Member Research Supplements containing this information are released periodically.
6.69.1.2 SOUND SIGNATURES AT SHOOTER’S EAR
Real sound pressure histories from the same 5-shot test of the Banish 30 Gold suppressor 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 5. 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 for Shot 1 and Shot 2. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories at the ear from the same 5-shot test are shown in Figure 6. Again, full and short timescales are shown.
Figure 5a. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Pressure Signature
Figure 5b. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window
Figure 6a. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 6b. Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold Bolt Action Rifle Ear Sound Impulse Signature, Short Time Window
The Banish 30 Gold is able to mask FRP at the shooter’s ear on this platform. Like the Hyperion, Nomad-L, and ULTRA 9, the Banish 30 Gold suppresses impulse at the shooter’s ear (Figure 6) significantly. After primary combustion in the weapon system, the overall signature is significantly suppressed. Then, after bullet exit, the relatively long gas jetting delay (Fig 5b) continues to pay dividends in suppression. Despite its high performance, the Banish 30 Gold does not quite reach the sound suppression performance of the aforementioned silencers at the shooter's position.
The at-ear performance of the Banish 30 Gold on this platform is somewhat similar to that of the Otter Creek Labs PR30L. The Banish 30 Gold is somewhat more consistent than the PR30L, while the PR30L is slightly quieter to the shooter, on average.
6.69.2 Relative Suppression Rating and Back Pressure Comparisons (.30 Rifle Silencers)
The Banish 30 Gold suppressor is intended to maximize sound signature suppression without significant regard to back pressure. PEW Science has developed an empirical relation to quantify the back pressure (flow restriction) of silencers. Figure 7 and Figure 8 show supersonic suppression and back pressure comparisons between selected 7.62mm (30 caliber) rifle silencers shown in public PEW Science Sound Signature Reviews, as of the date of this review publication. The results shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 are calculated from real test data acquired with PEW-SOFT. Please note the following:
- The PEW Science Back Pressure Metric, Ω [Pa-1], may be generated for any silencer and suppressed weapon system using any suitable raw external overpressure signature data acquired 1.0 m left of the silencer end cap. PEW Science highly recommends data acquisition in accordance with The Silencer Sound Standard.
- Omega Zones are presented in Table 2, below, which are intended to provide guidance to weapons developers, silencer designers, and end-users, with regard to flow restriction characteristics of different silencer designs. It is very important to note that silencers possessing a relatively high Ω can still provide functional use on weapon systems. Some weapon systems are more sensitive to Ω than others.
- It is important to note that a silencer’s Omega Zone can shift when using a mounting scheme that differs from that used in the testing referenced in the published PEW Science Sound Signature Reviews. This phenomenon occurs due to some silencer mounting schemes significantly influencing flow restriction with some silencer designs.
- The theoretical lower limit of flow restriction, or so-called "zero back pressure" would be represented by the unsupressed state, Ω = 0 [Pa-1].
- PEW Science acknowledges that other dynamic events occur within a suppressed weapon system that can also influence weapon function. Therefore, PEW Science acknowledges that Ω is not the sole parameter one must consider for total supppressed weapon system operation. However, PEW Science postulates that the Ω metric influence can be significant.
- The Back Pressure Metric relations are most easily viewed on a logarithmic scale (See Figure 8).
Figure 7. Omega Back Pressure Metric And Suppression Rating Comparisons Of .308 Rifle Silencers Using PEW-SOFT Data and Analysis
As stated above, the PEW Science Back Pressure Metric is most easily viewed on a logarithmic scale. The metric is nonlinear; the shape of the trend in the data presented in Figure 8, below, illustrates the potential thresholds of extreme flow rate (approaching the unsuppressed state) and extreme flow restriction (approaching the trapping of the maximum amount of combustion byproducts in a system).
Figure 8. Omega Back Pressure Metric Comparisons Of .308 Rifle Silencers Using PEW-SOFT Data and Analysis
Omega characterizes silencer back pressure. It is important to note that back pressure is not blow back. The back pressure of a silencer is the flow restriction it introduces in a suppressed weapon system. The blow back phenomenon that can occur during the use of a suppressed weapon system is caused by the reciprocating system actuating too early relative to overpressure decay within the weapon system, resulting in exposure of excessive internal system overpressure to atmosphere. Some weapons may be tuned to function well with silencers in a high Omega Zone. Some weapons may require low-Omega silencers due to constraints in their operating system(s). Omega metric technical details can be found in PEW Science Public Research Supplement 6.40.
Table 2. PEW Science Back Pressure Metric Omega Zones And Suppressed Weapon System Functional Descriptions
The Banish 30 Gold possesses sound suppression performance, on average, that is similar to that of a Thunder Beast ULTRA 9. However, as previously noted, the Banish 30 Gold is not able to compete with the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9 in FRP suppression, to bystanders. At the shooter’s ear, the Banish 30 Gold exhibits sound suppression performance similar to that of the shorter CGS Helios QD (Review 6.13) on this platform. However, the Banish 30 Gold exhibits a higher Muzzle Suppression Rating and is quieter than the Helios QD to bystanders, on this platform.
As previously stated, the overall sound suppression performance of the Banish 30 Gold is notable for the size and maintenance factors. In the approximately 1.5-inch diameter size envelope, Muzzle Suppression Ratings above 30 on a 20-in 7.62x51mm host weapon may be considered high performance. Typically, performance further above that threshold is characteristic of more advanced silencers. Silencers such as the Banish 30 Gold represent simple implementations of conventional design that may be applied to a variety of applications, as the system is user serviceable.
It is extremely important to note that peak sound pressure [dB], peak sound impulse [dB-ms], and Omega (Ω) [Pa-1], alone, do not determine the sound supression performance of a silencer. It is the combination of these and other waveform parameters that form the total sound signature and the influence on human inner ear response. The Suppression Rating computation considers all of these factors.
6.69.3 Review Summary: Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold on a Savage Model 10 .308 with 20-in Barrel
When paired with the Savage M10 20” .308 and fired with Federal XM80, the Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold mounted with taper brake mount, achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 44.4 in PEW Science testing.
PEW Science Subjective Opinion:
The Silencer Central Banish 30 Gold is a full-size and lightweight .30 rifle silencer that exhibits relatively high performance sound signature reduction for its design envelope. Note that the Banish 30 Gold is user-serviceable, allowing use on a variety of platforms. The Banish 30 Gold is not the same silencer as the Banish 30, in construction, features, or performance.
The Banish 30 Gold design possesses conventional truncated and notched straight cone baffles with a ported blast baffle. The sound suppression of the silencer on this host weapon is consistent with its internal design and size envelope, and meets or exceeds the sound suppression performance of several other full-size rifle silencers. On average, its performance is very close to that of the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9 and is higher than that of both the Rugged Surge and Q Thunder Chicken, on this platform. Subsonic performance data of the Banish 30 Gold is the subject of Sound Signature Review 6.70.
The silencer is user-serviceable, which theoretically makes it attractive for use in suppressing rimfire weapons. Though the silencer may be relatively easily cleaned of vaporized lead and carbon deposits, rimfire suppression may be best relegated to dedicated designs for size and weight efficiency. Nonetheless, the use case is possible.
The taper mounts included with the Banish 30 Gold are backward compatible with taper mount silencers from Thunder Beast Arms Corporation. The seating taper is aft of the mounting threads. Care must be taken to clean and maintain the threads such that attachment and removal of the silencer to the mount does not become arduous.
The Banish 30 Gold is not the same silencer as the Banish 30; the later employs curved cone baffles and is modular in length. Banish 30 testing and analysis is the subject of future PEW Science publication. Note that the entire Banish 30 series is constructed of titanium. PEW Science has not evaluated the durability of the Banish 30 silencer system(s) on semiautomatic or automatic host weapons.
In this review, the Banish 30 Gold 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.
