SSS.6.87 - Resilient Suppressors RSP and the HK P30L
/Resilient Suppressors RSP on the HK P30L Full-Size Semiautomatic Pistol
The RSP is designed and manufactured by Resilient Suppressors. It is a 9mm centerfire pistol silencer, intended to suppress many cartridges with projectiles appropriately sized to travel through the bore, up to and including subsonic 300BLK. The RSP has a 1.35-inch diameter and is 6.8 inches long. The silencer may be attached to a pistol with an internal inertial-decoupling piston possessing 1/2-28tpi or 13.5x1mm LH threading. Other mounting options are possible due to the rear of the silencer body being threaded with the so-called SilencerCo Alpha thread pattern. The first three baffles of the RSP are constructed from nitrided 17-4 heat treated stainless steel. The remainder of the baffles, as well as the rest of the silencer body, are constructed of hard-anodized 7075 aluminum. The silencer is user-serviceable and weighs 7.9 ounces with the inertial-decoupling piston and spring assembly, as tested. The RSP can be obtained from Resilient Suppressor Dealers.
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-RS-031-001-22. Therefore, data pertaining to the RSP in this Sound Signature Review is published with the express written permission of Resilient Suppressors, LLC.
This Sound Signature Review contains single-test results using the Resilient Suppressors RSP on the HK P30L full-size semiautomatic pistol, chambered in 9mm with a 5-inch factory HK threaded barrel. Speer Lawman 147gr ammunition was used in the test.
Section 6.87.1 contains the RSP test results and analysis.
Section 6.87.2 contains Suppression Rating comparisons of the RSP with the CGS MOD9 FS, Rugged Obsidian 45, and SWR Trident-9 silencers, fired on the Heckler and Koch P30L.
Section 6.87.3 contains the review summary and PEW Science subjective opinions.
Summary: When paired with the HK P30L full-size semiautomatic pistol and fired with Speer Lawman 147gr ammunition, the Resilient Suppressors RSP achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 46.0 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
6.87.1 Resilient Suppressors RSP Sound Signature Test Results
A summary of the principal Silencer Sound Standard performance metrics of the RSP tested on the HK P30L 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. Resilient Suppressors RSP Sound Metric Summary
6.87.1.1 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 Resilient Suppressors RSP are shown in Figure 1a. The sound signatures of Shot 1 and Shot 2 are shown in Figure 1b, in early time. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories from the same 6-shot test are shown in Figure 2a. In Figure 2b, a shorter timescale is shown comparing the impulse of Shot 1 through Shot 4.
Fig 1a. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature
Fig 1b. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Sound Pressure Signature
Figure 2a. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 2b. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature
The Resilient Suppressors RSP is a unique centerfire pistol silencer in both design and performance. Several signature characteristics of the RSP measured at the muzzle highlight key differences from other silencers tested by PEW Science, to date, on the full-size HK P30L semiautomatic host weapon. These characteristics include:
Relatively uniform combustion characteristics in both pressure space (Figure 1) and impulse space (Figure 2). Note coincident suppressed precursor waves in Figure 1b and uniform impulse rise and decay in Figure 2a. When examining test results of 9mm pistol silencers on the HK P30L previously published by PEW Science, it should be noted that improvements to data presentation have been made since the dates of those publications (circa 2020). Nonetheless, the signature uniformity of the RSP is apparent in both the raw measured waveforms and PEW Science inner ear modeling analytical results. The RSP is a consistent 9mm pistol silencer.
Relatively fast rise-time to peak positive phase impulse (Figure 2a) with relatively expedient decay. The RSP displays clear signature characteristics at the muzzle consistent with a high flow rate, or low backpressure, behavior. This behavior is further confirmed, holistically, by the signature measured at the shooter’s ear and the shooter’s-ear Suppression Rating.
Lack of first-round-pop (FRP) to bystanders. Although the the ancillary combustion during Shot 1 is observed in both pressure space (Figure 1a) and impulse space (Figure 2a), the effects are effectively nullified to observers. The FRP from the RSP may sound different to bystanders, but it is not postulated to induce a more severe inner ear damage risk to bystanders, in accordance with PEW Science inner ear modeling.
PEW Science Research Note 1: Despite the RSP exhibiting the above three superior performance factors to other silencers used on this host, the system still exhibits semi-random early time pressure shocks on the HK P30L semiautomatic pistol. This phenomenon manifests in both the waveforms measured at the muzzle (29.2 ms, Shot 4, Fig 2b) and in the waveforms measured at the shooter’s ear. This measured early-time shock load is postulated by PEW Science to result from possible pressure leak from the breach of the locked semiautomatic HK P30L pistol. This phenomenon also occurred in the PEW Science tests of the SWR Trident-9 (Review 6.8), the Rugged Obsidian 45 in both long and short configurations (Review 6.7), and the CGS MOD9 FS (Review 6.6). Interestingly, the phenomenon occurs less frequently with the RSP; these shocks occurred only during Shot 4 in this test, which was also the loudest shot to bystanders, in accordance with PEW Science inner ear response analyses. Factors contributing to this phenomenon are the subject of internal PEW Science research.
PEW Science Research Note 2: 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 73 ms in Figure 1a) 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 3: Note that the muzzle Suppression Rating of the Resilient Suppressors RSP used on the full-size HK P30L semiautomatic handgun test host is 36.9 and the shooter’s-ear Suppression Rating is 45.1 ; which are different zones 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 signatures measured at the shooter’s ear are presented below.
6.87.1.2 SOUND SIGNATURES AT SHOOTER’S EAR
Real sound pressure histories from the same 6-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 6 shots are shown in Figure 3. The primary sound signature history is shown in Figure 3a. A zoomed-in timescale is displayed in Figure 3b, in the region of peak sound pressure for Shot 1 through Shot 4. The real sound impulse (momentum transfer potential) histories at the ear from the same 6-shot test are shown in Figure 4. Again, full and short timescales are shown.
Figure 3a. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Ear Sound Pressure Signature
Figure 3b. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Ear Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window
Figure 4a. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Ear Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 4b. Resilient Suppressors RSP subsonic 9x19mm HK P30L Semiautomatic Pistol Ear Sound Impulse Signature Peaks
As stated in the above section of this review, PEW Science has made improvements to data presentation since the dates of previous 9mm semiautomatic pistol publications (circa 2020). The sound signatures measured at the shooter’s ear from a suppressed semiautomatic pistol are complex. However, there are key waveform features that allow for strict interpretation of various events occurring during the gunshot, and their contribution to the overall signature.
PEW Science Research Note 4: The early-time shock load occurring during Shot 4, previously discussed above, is plainly visible in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Note the early time combustion signatures in Figure 3b; at approximately 27 ms, combustion initiation occurs uniformly, from shot to shot. The subsequent shock load during Shot 4 is therefore not a late-time phenomenon manifesting earlier due to data acquisition timing, but is actually an early-time pulse from ejection port combustion prior to complete combustion. This conclusion is further reinforced by the coincident maximum positive phase impulse accumulation at approximately 30.5 ms in Figure 4b. PEW Science postulates that the so-called modified tilting-barrel Browning action present in many modern semiautomatic handguns is susceptible to this phenomenon due to its locking resistance early in the displacement-time kinematic cycle. PEW Science further postulates that this phenomenon may be more prevalent during the use of pistol silencers exhibiting relatively higher early-time flow restriction (back pressure). The RSP signatures exhibit this phenomenon less so than other silencers tested by PEW Science on this platform, as stated previously. It is also interesting to note that although Shot 4 was the loudest to bystanders in this test, it was not the loudest shot to the shooter; FRP was slightly louder to the shooter.
PEW Science Research Note 5: The lack of flow restriction (back pressure) from the Resilient Suppressors RSP, compared to other silencers tested on the HK P30L by PEW Science, is significant. As stated in the preceding section, the RSP possesses signature features consistent with this behavior. At the shooter’s ear, the signatures share many characteristics with those of the Rugged Obsidian 45 in its short configuration (Review 6.7), with the notable exception of FRP differential in both pressure and impulse space. Despite having low back pressure, like the short configuration of the Rugged Obsidian, the Resilient Suppressors RSP is significantly more efficient at sound suppression and exhibits significantly less FRP. This is likely due to the mechanism of flow rate increase (back pressure reduction) on the Rugged Obsidian 45 being over-bore, whereas the RSP uses a more advanced early venting scheme.
The advantage of the RSP’s flow rate (low back pressure) is evident in the comparison of its performance on this system with the other silencers, as shown in the following section.
6.87.2 Suppression Rating Comparison (Subsonic 9x19mm from the HK P30L)
Figure 5 presents a comparison of the PEW Science Suppression Rating of the Resilient Suppressors RSP with other silencers on the full-size HK P30L semiautomatic pistol using subsonic Speer Lawman 147gr 9mm ammunition.
Figure 5. Suppression Rating Comparisons of the Resilient Suppressors RSP with the Rugged Obsidian 45, CGS MOD9 FS, and SWR Trident-9 on the HK P30L, Using PEW-SOFT 9x19mm Subsonic Test Data and PEW Science Analysis
Readers may immediately note the performance delta at the shooter’s ear between the Resilient Suppressors RSP and the other silencers shown. The RSP exhibits significantly reduced backpressure relative to other 9mm pistol silencers. In fact, the RSP exhibits signature and flow rate characteristics similar to that of the Rugged Obsidian 45 in its short configuration (Review 6.7). However, unlike the short configuration of the Rugged Obsidian 45, the Resilient Suppressors RSP possesses significantly less FRP to bystanders. Reduction of FRP, with a high flow rate, is a notable performance trait on this type of host weapon configuration and in this flow regime.
Whereas the Rugged Obsidian 45 exhibits a relatively high flow rate when used on 9mm host weapons due to over-bore, the RSP achieves a relatively high flow rate through a more advanced design. This performance-based design comparison is similar to that made by PEW Science when examining the performance of high flow-rate silencers on the MK18 (over-bored 30 caliber silencers vs. dedicated-bore 5.56x45mm silencers with advanced porting or flow paths).
The Resilient Suppressors RSP is similar in bystander Suppression Rating to the short configuration of the Rugged Obsidian 45. The RSP is significantly louder to bystanders, on average, than the long configuration of the Rugged Obsidian 45, the CGS MOD9 FS (Review 6.6), and the SWR Trident-9 (Review 6.8). However, the RSP possesses the highest shooter’s-ear Suppression Rating on the HK P30L published, to date, and is therefore the quietest silencer using that host weapon, to the shooter. The high shooter’s-ear Suppression Rating, coupled with its low FRP, demonstrates a significant performance advantage in the RSP design.
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 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.
6.87.3 Review Summary: Resilient Suppressors RSP on the HK P30L Full-Size Semiautomatic Pistol
When paired with the HK P30L full-size semiautomatic pistol and fired with Speer Lawman 147gr ammunition, the Resilient Suppressors RSP achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 46.0 in PEW Science testing. As with all weapon systems, the user is encouraged to examine both muzzle and ear Suppression Ratings.
PEW Science Subjective Opinion:
The Resilient Suppressors RSP is an ultra-lightweight and advanced 9mm pistol silencer that is also relatively compact. At 7.9 ounces and 6.8 inches long, the RSP is lighter and smaller than many other 9mm pistol silencers on the current market, while also exhibiting superior sound signature suppression to the shooter, using a full-size semiautomatic handgun. The holistic design and performance of the RSP is notable.
The backpressure-reducing features of the Resilient Suppressors RSP, coupled with its overall performance and low first-round-pop, make it one of the most advanced pistol silencers evaluated by PEW Science. Combustion gasses are routed away from the primary bore during early-time through a unique inertial-decoupler piston venting schema. Progressive baffle venting, size, and material geometries also facilitate the RSP’s performance advantage over other pistol silencers in signature suppression at the shooter’s ear. For the shooter, PEW Science considers the RSP to be a welcome addition to the market; its departure from traditional pistol silencer design is significant.
Users should note that bystanders will be subjected to a higher hearing damage risk with the RSP than with some other high-performance centerfire pistol silencers. This difference in muzzle Suppression Rating is a consequence of the RSP’s flow rate and relatively compact size. For context, on average, the short configuration of the Rugged Obsidian 45 possesses similar performance on this host. What is not similar, however, is the severe FRP from the short Obsidian on a full-size 9mm pistol. The Resilient Suppressors RSP exhibits FRP that is almost nonexistent to bystanders on this host weapon.
The first three baffles of the RSP are stainless steel, with the remainder aluminum. PEW Science considers this a welcome design attribute of a user-serviceable pistol silencer; unburnt powder residue from short pistol barrels, along with significant muzzle blast, can damage the first few baffles in a pistol silencer, over time. Although PEW Science has not evaluated the durability of the RSP, historic pistol silencer use dictates stainless steel blast baffles to be a prudent centerfire pistol silencer feature.
Disassembly of the RSP with the included tool is relatively simple; the tool can be used to remove both the inertial decoupling piston assembly and the silencer’s end cap. The use of other mounting systems is possible. PEW Science has not evaluated the RSP with other mounts.
Of particular note is the relatively light weight of the RSP. At a little under half a pound, a full-size pistol silencer with such a weight is notable. Users should also note that this weight is concentrated toward the aft section of the silencer with the inertial decoupling piston, spring, and first three baffles being constructed of steel. The silencer is relatively balanced on a handgun. Note that the RSP also possesses aluminum components. PEW Science highly recommends that users follow the manufacturer’s maintenance and care instructions.
In this review, the Resilient Suppressors RSP performance metrics depend upon suppressing a full-size combat handgun firing a full-power subsonic centerfire pistol cartridge. This type of evaluation provides a potential upper-bound for typical real handgun silencer performance due to the barrel length and action dynamics of the host weapon. 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.
