SSS.6.99 - Q Full Nelson and the Q mini FIX 300 BLK Subsonic
/Q Full Nelson on a Q mini FIX 300 BLK with 8-in Barrel
The Full Nelson is designed and 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 8.86 inches in length. The silencer is available as a 5/8”-24tpi 25-degree tapered direct-thread model. The silencer is tubeless, constructed of titanium, and weighs 16.6 ounces. The Full Nelson can be obtained from Silencer Shop.
This review contains single-test results using the Q Full Nelson direct-thread mounted to the Q mini FIX bolt action pistol, chambered in 300 BLK with an 8-inch barrel. Discreet Ballistics 190gr ammunition was used in the test.
- Section 6.99.1 contains the Q Full Nelson test results and analysis.
- Section 6.99.2 contains Suppression Rating comparisons with selected .30 rifle silencers in the subsonic flow regime.
- Section 6.99.3 contains the review summary and PEW Science opinions.
Summary: When paired with the Q mini FIX 8” 300 BLK and fired with Discreet Ballistics 190gr Subsonic Target ammunition, the Q Full Nelson achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 73.6 in PEW Science testing. As with all weapon systems, the user is encouraged to examine both muzzle and ear Suppression Ratings.
The subsonic 300 BLK performance of the compact version of the Full Nelson, the Q Half Nelson, is detailed in previous Sound Signature Review 6.29, in which it achieved a Suppression Rating of 55.6.
Relative Suppression Rating Performance is Summarized in SSS.7 - PEW Science Rankings
6.99.1 Q Full Nelson Sound Signature Test Results
A summary of the principal Silencer Sound Standard performance metrics of the Q Full Nelson 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. Q Full Nelson Sound Metric Summary
6.99.1.1 SOUND SIGNATURES AT THE MUZZLE
Real sound pressure histories from a 5-shot test 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, here.
Figure 1 shows a 4-millisecond long sequence of events during the first test shot with the Q Full Nelson, as measured 1.0 m left of the muzzle. There are five significant events labeled:
During combustion within the weapon system, a 107.0 dB peak is measured.
Precursor flow through the silencer is suppressed, and a peak of 120.0 dB is measured during this initial jetting.
The first major jet peaks at an amplitude of 127.4 dB.
Secondary jetting is measured to be delayed with amplitude of 126.2 dB.
Primary jetting results in a peak overpressure amplitude measured to be 132.0 dB, which is the highest of the first shot.
This is a typical sequence observed when firing subsonic 300 BLK ammunition from a bolt-action weapon system with an attached silencer that exhibits relatively high flow restriction (high back pressure); internal silencer design can significantly influence the measured timing and pressure amplitudes. The Q Full Nelson exhibits measured supersonic 7.62x51mm NATO suppression performance in PEW Science Omega Zone 7. Supersonic 7.62x51mm and supersonic 300 BLK test data using the Q Full Nelson are the subject of future PEW Science publications. A derivation of the PEW Science Back Pressure Metric, Ω [Pa-1], is presented in PEW Science Public Research Supplement 6.40.
Fig. 1 Early-Time Shot History, Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature
The back pressure generated by the Q Full Nelson in the supersonic 7.62x51mm NATO flow regime is predicted to be lower than that of other silencers in Omega Zone 7, such as the Thunder Beast ULTRA 9 (Review Review 6.24), the Otter Creek Labs Hydrogen-L (Review 6.94), the Diligent Defense Co. Enticer L-Ti (Review 6.88), the CGS Hyperion (Review 6.71), and the Dead Air Nomad-L (Review 6.55). This phenomenon is notable, considering the extreme subsonic 300 BLK suppression performance of the Q Full Nelson. It is important to note that back pressure generation in combustion regimes exhibiting both varying pressure and duration may manifest differently across silencer designs.
The Q Full Nelson exhibits the highest Composite Suppression Rating on the subsonic 300 BLK mini Fix bolt action test platform of any silencer tested by PEW Science, to date. To bystanders, the 300 BLK signature suppression of the Full Nelson is bested only by the CGS Hyperion on this host weapon, by a small margin. To the shooter, the Full Nelson is quieter than the Hyperion by a somewhat larger margin.
While the Q Full Nelson represents the highest overall subsonic 300 BLK suppression performance in the PEW Science dataset, it is important to note that relative supersonic performance between silencers designs can vary independently. Relative silencer suppression performance across varying combustion regimes, like back pressure, may vary and is a function of silencer design.
PEW Science Research Note 1: The Full Nelson suppression method is best described as brute force in that it utilizes repetitive geometry throughout its copious baffles. The baffles are ported, and the bore aperture is similar in dimension to a CGS Hyperion (i.e. not overly restrictive for the caliber). It is postulated that this is one reason for the lower back pressure generation of the Q Full Nelson in the supersonic flow regime; a trait not typically exhibited by silencers with similar baffle quantity.
PEW Science Research Note 2: For an example of supersonic muzzle blast pressure propagation originating from the typical Q rifle silencer design, the reader may refer to the supersonic testing of the Q Thunder Chicken (Review 6.20). Figure 1 in Section 6.20.1.1 of that review illustrates significant primary jetting in early time. This behavior does not manifest in the lower pressure, shorter duration 300 BLK combustion regime, as illustrated in Figure 1 of this current review, above. Although the Thunder Chicken possesses less baffles than the Full Nelson, and mounts with the Cherry Bomb muzzle device instead of a direct thread interface, the gas dynamics are relatively comparable with regard to the aforementioned phenomena. The same phenomena also occurred in the supersonic testing of the Q Trash Panda (Review 6.40). It is likely that, in the subsonic 300 BLK combustion regime, a Trash Panda would exhibit pronounced early time precursor flow like the Q Half Nelson (Review 6.29). In Section 6.29.1.1 of that review, the reader will note the significantly more pronounced early-time jetting, compared to the jetting from the full-size Full Nelson. These comparisons illustrate pure gas propagation differences from a single baffle design when used in varying quantity, across two combustion regimes.
It is interesting to note that the Sig SRD762Ti-QD (Review 6.39) exhibits subsonic 300 BLK performance bounded by the Q Half Nelson and Q Full Nelson, and its length is bounded by the same. All three silencers exhibit similar internal design. This is a significant example of the consistency of PEW Science testing and analysis in accordance with the Silencer Sound Standard.
PEW Science Research Note 3: Despite the difference in muzzle (bystander) Suppression Rating between the Q Full Nelson and CGS Hyperion, their FRP signature severity to bystanders is almost identical.
In a similar fashion to the early time subsonic 300 BLK signature suppression with the aforementioned silencers, precursor flow (the pressure measured from compression and subsequent overpressure pulse through the air column in the gun barrel by the bullet prior to bullet exit) is significantly suppressed. This is in contrast to the subsonic signature generated by silencers with lower flow restriction (lower back pressure). Nonetheless, the primary jetting from ancillary combustion during the first shot is clearly delineated, relative to other shots, below.
The primary sound signature pressure histories for all 5 shots are shown in Figure 2a. A zoomed-in timescale displays the region of peak sound pressure in Figure 2b, for the first three shots. 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 Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature
Fig 2b. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Muzzle Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window
Figure 3a. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 3b. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Muzzle Sound Impulse Signature
The Q Full Nelson produces somewhat perceptible FRP to bystanders; it is also discernable in both the pressure and impulse regimes (Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively). The overpressure amplitude generated by the Full Nelson at the muzzle on this platform is significantly suppressed (Fig 2a). Although the FRP in the pressure regime does occur, the jetting amplitude from ancillary combustion is not significant (Fig 2b). There are, however, marked deviations in FRP jetting from subsequent shots (29.25 ms, Fig 2b).
The deviation of ancillary early-time combustion behavior during FRP is highlighted in the impulse regime (Fig 3), in which the Full Nelson reaches peak amplitude sooner than in subsequent shots, with approximately 41% more peak impulse, on average. Despite this increase, the overall suppression of both FRP and subsequent shots, in this impulse amplitude regime, is significant.
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.
With subsonic 300 BLK from an 8-inch barrel, the Q Full Nelson is noticeably quieter to bystanders than most silencers on this host weapon. Direct comparisons with other silencers are provided in Section 6.99.2.
6.99.1.2 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. Full and short timescales are shown.
Figure 4a. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Ear Sound Pressure Signature
Figure 4b. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Ear Sound Pressure Signature, Short Time Window
Figure 5a. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Ear Sound Impulse Signature
Figure 5b. Q Full Nelson Bolt Action 300 BLK Ear Sound Impulse Signature
The FRP at the shooter’s ear with the Q Full Nelson is almost not discernable, both in the pressure regime (Figure 4b) and impulse regime (Figure 5), as well as in PEW Science inner ear response analysis. The shooter’s ear suppression performance of the Q Full Nelson with subsonic 300 BLK ammunition on this host weapon is one of the least severe signature phenomena studied by PEW Science, to date. This performance represents significant subsonic centerfire suppression. The FRP suppression to the shooter, and the overall suppression performance of the Q Full Nelson to the shooter on this platform, eclipses that of the CGS Hyperion. The suppression of FRP by the Full Nelson on this platform, to the shooter, is so great that it may be considered masked to most weapon system operators. The risk of hearing damage risk to the weapon system operator is significantly reduced with the Full Nelson on this system.
PEW Science Research Note 4: It is very important to note that when a suppressed weapon system is operated with an at-ear Suppression Rating near or above 70, the signatures are not characteristic of typical suppressed small arms. Operation of such weapon systems by inexperienced shooters may result in situations in which system lethality is not adequately understood; the propensity for such weapon systems to not be operated with the same respect as “louder” systems may be non-trivial. PEW Science encourages the user to practice safe firearm system operation in accordance with weapon system component manufacturer directives. The sound signatures of such centerfire rifle systems, and their relationship to lethality, may be misleading or not readily apparent, to both the operator and bystanders.
Comparisons with other silencers in the subsonic flow regime are shown in Section 6.99.2, below.
6.99.2 Suppression Rating Comparison - Subsonic 300 BLK
The Q Full Nelson is intended to exhibit extreme sound suppression in the subsonic combustion regime (exhibiting a high PEW Science Suppression Rating). As previously discussed, its subsonic sound signature suppression performance is high. Figure 6 shows a performance comparison of the 17 .30 rifle silencer configurations tested with the subsonic 300 BLK cartridge shown in public PEW Science testing, to date. Unsuppressed and suppressed Suppression Ratings are shown for both the shooter and bystanders.
Figure 6. Suppression Rating Comparisons Of .30 Rifle Silencers Using PEW-SOFT 300 BLK Subsonic Test Data
From the above data, it can be concluded that the Q Full Nelson exhibits higher overall suppression performance in the subsonic 300 BLK combustion regime than any other silencer presented in the PEW Science dataset, to date. The Full Nelson is able to significantly restrict gas flow in this combustion regime; with its simple baffle geometry used in a large quantity, it is able to almost match the Suppression Rating at the muzzle of the CGS Hyperion (Review 6.71) on this platform and eclipse the performance of the Hyperion at the shooter’s ear. As the Suppression Rating of a system nears or eclipses 70, other physical characteristics, other than pure geometry, begin to exhibit greater influence on the signature produced by silencers and resulting human inner ear response. Systems in this suppression regime are extremely quiet relative to their combustion energy, objectively.
For further context, silencers like the Q Full Nelson and CGS Hyperion on this weapon system produce such a different hearing damage risk potential to the shooter and to bystanders than some other silencers, that such suppressed weapon systems may be considered by some operators to be completely different. For example, even with a wipe, the Energetic Armament VOX-S (Review 6.38), induces over 250% more severe inner ear response to bystanders, on average, than the Q Full Nelson on the same host weapon. This signature is so different that some bystanders may perceive them to be shooting different cartridges. Without a wipe, the difference in signature is even more severe (Reference Review 6.25). An even more extreme example of signature differential between silencers like the Q Full Nelson and CGS Hyperion with subsonic 300 BLK is the SilencerCo Omega 9K (Review 6.62), which represents a difference in signature severity that is an order of magnitude greater than the previous example.
The aforementioned contextual examples consider silencers that are significantly smaller than the Q Full Nelson and CGS Hyperion. However, even full size silencers can be significantly louder than these very high performing silencers, such as the Surefire SOCOM300-SPS (Review 6.57); another high performing 300 BLK silencer. Small arm weapon system suppression performance is a spectrum. The PEW Science Suppression Rating and the Silencer Sound Standard help quantify this spectrum for end users and industry, objectively.
6.99.3 Review Summary: Q Full Nelson on a Q mini FIX 300 BLK with 8-in Barrel
When paired with the Q mini FIX 8” 300 BLK and fired with Discreet Ballistics 190gr Subsonic Target ammunition, the Q Full Nelson achieved a Suppression Rating™ of 73.6 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 Q Full Nelson is a full size and simple high-performance subsonic .30 rifle silencer with extreme performance in the subsonic combustion regime. Like the Half Nelson, the Full Nelson is a direct-thread model, and cannot be used with the Cherry Bomb muzzle brake. Although the direct-thread interface of the silencer possesses a 25-degree taper for use on tapered-barrel muzzles, the silencer can also attach to standard 90-degree shoulder muzzles due to adequate surface area at the mount interface.
The simple ported cone-baffle tubeless design of the Q Full Nelson and other Q rifle silencers (Half Nelson, Thunder Chicken, and Trash Panda) is observed to exhibit extremely efficient subsonic sound signature performance for the design envelope. The Suppression Rating Performance delta between the Full Nelson and the silencers like the SilencerCo Omega 9K and the Energetic Armament VOX S, for example, is so significant that end users may perceive the signature to be generated by different cartridges. Even high performance subsonic 300 BLK silencers like the Surefire SOCOM300-SPS are eclipsed in performance by the Q Full Nelson. It is only the CGS Hyperion that exceeds the suppression performance of the Q Full Nelson to bystanders, albeit by a small margin. The Q Full Nelson is quieter to the shooter by a larger margin and exhibits the highest Composite Suppression Rating for the cartridge of any silencer tested by PEW Science, to date.
The Q Full Nelson exhibits minimal first round pop (FRP) to bystanders and eliminates FRP to the shooter, on this host weapon platform.
Many of the performance characteristics of the Full Nelson are shared with that of the Thunder Chicken; the notable differences are that of the direct-thread interface instead of the muzzle brake attachment threading and a greater number of baffles in the Full Nelson. An examination of the performance differences in the subsonic and supersonic flow regime of these two silencers is the subject of future PEW Science publication.
Note that the Cherry Bomb muzzle brake used with the Thunder Chicken is heat-treated stainless steel; the combustion products produced on various barrel lengths influence the heat, abrasion, and other phenomena incurred by the blast-baffle interface of a silencer. As a result, the user is encouraged to consider their use case(s) when selecting a direct-thread silencer or a muzzle brake mounted silencer, as muzzle brake mounts like the Cherry Bomb can serve as “sacrificial” blast baffles on certain host weapons such as short-barrel semi-automatic rifles. As the Full Nelson and Thunder Chicken are both constructed of titanium, users should be mindful of their firing schedules and barrel lengths. Users with less severe firing schedules or longer barrels may choose to use the Full Nelson instead of the Thunder Chicken. Note that using the Full Nelson with a tapered barrel provides for a very simple, repeatable, and secure attachment mechanism. This is the case with all 25-degree tapered direct-thread silencers.
In this review, the Q Full Nelson performance metrics depend upon suppressing a subsonic intermediate rifle cartridge. While the sound signature of such cartridges can be suppressed to levels that may result in the desire of the shooter and bystanders to not wear hearing protection, PEW Science encourages the reader to remain vigilant with regard to all subsonic rifle cartridge suppression claims. The gas volume and combustion products created by firing a subsonic intermediate rifle cartridge such as 300 BLK are still significant; the measured pressure and impulse magnitudes, and their durations, illustrate this fact.
The hearing damage potential of subsonic rifle use is not insignificant. PEW Science encourages the reader to consider the Suppression Rating when deciding on an appropriate silencer and host weapon combination for their desired use.
