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QSM Titanium .20 Calibre Custom Mod.


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For the last two or three years I have been looking for the quietest possible suppresor for my 20ppc rifle. I have tried nearly every model on the market and even had a custom suppresor built by Steve Bowers, you could say that it had become a bit of an obsession!!

 

About 18 months ago I was talking to Bruce Potts, who mentioned that he had desinged a new moderator that Julian from JMS had built by PES, This new mod was called The Extreme and when I heard Bruce use it on his .223 I knew I had to have one as it was by far the quietest mod I had heard. I have been very pleased with the PES Extreme, but I was sure that I could get something even quieter!!

 

I had heard of QSM and had looked at their website, however their standard mods did not really fit my needs as they were very compact and light and clearly aimed more at law enforcement or the stalker who wanted a small, compact and light mod that would provide a good level of suppresion without affecting the handling and balance of a rifle, I did not think that they would be prepared to even consider making a custom mod so I did not give the matter any more thought. That is until the CLA game fair this year when I went into the FA Anderson stand for a chat with Bruce. He showed me a couple of QSM mods that they had for sale and I was extremely impressed with the build quality and finish.

 

I had another look at the QSM website and realised that they were about to start manufacturing a batch of Magnum suppresors for a military contract so I phoned George Balbino and asked about the possibility of trying one on my 20 calibre fox rifle. I think George thought I was slightly mad to start with(he probrably still does) but to cut a long story short, He had a spare 50BMG tube that they used to build a custom mod with a set of .20 calibre baffles. I have to say that it was a pleasure dealing with George and I was very surprised that QSM were prepared to build a mod to my particular specifications.

 

The mod is 13" long and 1.9" in diameter, it adds 12" to the lenght of the rifle but as my barrel is cut at 17" this is not an issue. Weight is 48oz or 3lbs and is finished in a very hard wearing PVD coating. The thread is 3/4 x 28unef. I have been very impressed with the build quality and finish, the only issue I have had is that the thread on the mod did not match the thread on the barrel, but this was very quickly sorted out by Ian (Verciminerator). To be fair the thread on the barrel was the problem as it had not been cut to the industry standard.

 

Anyway the burning question for me was would it be quieter than my PES Extreme? There is only one word to describe it "Unbelievable" It totaly eliminates the blast and the olnly sound is the sonic crack and bullet impact. WSM and Shootingbags were both present at a recent moderator test that Bruce Potts carried out and I think I can safely say that they were both pretty impressed with the performance. Suffice it to say it was by far the quietest mod with over 40db sound reduction. Accuracy is very good, easily sub 1/4" All in all I am very happy and I honestly dont think its possible to get any better suppresion than that achieved by this mod.

 

Obviously this is a very specilalised mod and clearly would not suit most people, however it is exactly what I wanted and the service provided by George and QSM has been excellent and I would highly recomend them. As to the cost, lets just say it was not cheap!!

 

I would post a picture but my technical abilities dont stretch that far, however there is a picture of the mod on my rifle on the QSM Website under the testimonials section. www.qsmsilencers.co.uk

 

All the best,

 

Nick.

 

Added

50_BMG_can_for_204_round.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ohh, thats nice. :lol:

We have one on order from deerman, for a nice lightweight lawton stalker i,ve just finished. The customers mate has one, and says you cant tell, whether its on , or off the gun, weight wise. Lot of money, but certain people [usually stalkers] must have minimum weight. My customer is just such a man.

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Ohh, thats nice. :lol:

We have one on order from deerman, for a nice lightweight lawton stalker i,ve just finished. The customers mate has one, and says you cant tell, whether its on , or off the gun, weight wise. Lot of money, but certain people [usually stalkers] must have minimum weight. My customer is just such a man.

 

 

I hope you have ordered a different one to the one nick has got as his is 3lb.

not a stalking mod that is for sure.

 

ATB

Colin

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I hope you have ordered a different one to the one nick has got as his is 3lb.

not a stalking mod that is for sure.

 

ATB

Colin

 

 

Hi Colin,

 

it's only 3lbs!!! Not that heavy at all.

 

You just have to make sure that you have a fat barrel.

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

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After i re-fitted Nicks mod i weighed his rig..............................21 1/2lbs :lol:

 

Ian.

 

Crikey! Some people don't shoot foxes that weigh that much. Still, I suppose it saves Nick a trip to the gym..

 

 

I though my rig was heavy at 15lbs but its just a tiddler in comparison. I'll get to it with the lead matrix devcon and I think I'll lathe turn some bullets out of that spare neutron star I have kicking around in the workshop. That ought to do it.

 

:lol:

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I hope you have ordered a different one to the one nick has got as his is 3lb.

not a stalking mod that is for sure.

 

ATB

Colin

 

Yeah, its the standard item we have on order Col, well, as standard, as a custom made mod is i suppose.

 

Are you up and about ? How,s the leg doing ?

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not good -. its taking some healing. i might be getting old :lol:

Col,

Sorry to hear that your leg isn't too good. I don't know what you have done regarding physio but after I got my leg pinned I had private physio and it worked wonders . I know it can seem expensive and the NHS do their best but it really was worth it.

 

ps sorry to hijack thread :lol:

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Plus, when you go private, you get nice bits of stuff, in tight......crisp......clean....uniforms......with stockings.......

 

 

Not like the old nhs trouts... [yes, i married one ] :lol:

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One of the key issues is balance, walking with a rifle on a sling the barrel always wants to point down not up, hence stalkers want light. They also do a lot of walk/carry and only fire an odd shot.

 

21 1/2 lb plus this moddy, that is a weighty beast for sure. Bet it is as steady as hell when fired though.

 

A

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Hi all,

 

Thanks Nick for posting the review on your QSUK custom moderator. What readers need to bear in mind is that this is a moderator designed for the .50 BMG calibre, on which it delivers around 40 dB reduction, so it is constructed to withstand the massive pressures produced by that cartridge and to be soldier-proof, hence the weight and sturdiness of the unit, which even when compared to most of the competition at that level it is about half of the weight and size and delivers around 30-40% greater suppression. I was running a batch of these mods for a weapons manufacturer for Army trials and that was when Nick contacted me. I offered him our compact .22CF model bored out to suit his calibre, but he was having none of it. I then offered to do the work on a .308 can and that was when Nick asked about a magnum model. I tried to remind him of the size, weight and, more importantly, the price of a magnum mod, but Nick was showing no signs of wavering and seemed to know what he wanted. So I checked with the work shop and they told me that there was a spare length of 1.9" tube and a set of .50 BMG baffles, so I contacted Nick to see if he was mad enough to go for a .50 BMG rather than the magnum can he had chosen! To my surprise the answer was a loud "YES", and so the super .204 moderator was born. Since then we have taken some sound level readings of Nick's combo on the field and it is delivering around 38 dB sound suppression, which is impressive whatever way you look at it. All the people who have seen/heard this moderator in use have been impressed and many are coming forward with orders, even from the most unlikely corners of the shooting community. Nick is right when he says that it wasn't cheap, but sometimes only the best will do for some people or for the task at hand and that is where custom work comes in. Shooters now have more choice than ever before in every respect of their sport and that is good for all. It pushes innovation, quality, and healthy competition is always good. QSUK products were never intended to be mass market items. It is for those who have tried everything else and are now looking for the ultimate, just like when choosing a new scope that will give you an extra 30 minutes of shooting time either side of the day light and will be consistent and dependable for years to come. For a range of products that according to many was doomed to failure we seem to be proving them wrong and are having a tough time keeping up with the demand, and bearing in mind that we have not advertised in the press, this is quite encouraging for us and only proves that there will always be a place on the market for quality products.

Our revamped website will be up and running in the very near future. In the meantime you can visit us at www.qsmsilencers.co.uk

 

Best,

 

George

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One of the key issues is balance, walking with a rifle on a sling the barrel always wants to point down not up, hence stalkers want light. They also do a lot of walk/carry and only fire an odd shot.

 

21 1/2 lb plus this moddy, that is a weighty beast for sure. Bet it is as steady as hell when fired though.

 

A

 

Hi Geoff,

 

You have hit the nail on the head, my rifle and mod combo is very heavy but it is very stable and very easy to shoot with about the same recoil as a .22lr and with the mod you have the same db as an unmoderated .22lr shooting subs. 95% of the shooting will be off one of Garys shootingbags out of or of the top of a vehicle, or off the bipod/tripod bog sticks so for me the weight is not a problem and is actually a plus point.

 

However for a stalking rifle where weight and balance is an important consideration and the number of shots fired is not great I would opt for the lightest and shortest mod. One of the guys I work with was adamant that he did not want a mod on his new Sako 85 stalking rifle because of weight/balance issues but having seen one of the QSM Titanium mods he has changed his mind and is ordering one from Deerman.

 

Regards

 

 

Nick.

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At the end of the day, there is nothing quite like having your product out there and having your customers do the word of mouth advertising for you based on their own experiences.

 

George

George,

 

You can advertise in every shooting magazine going but as you say, word of mouth is invaluable and is the best advert there is.

As long as it is positive :rolleyes:

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Just to add a second opinion, I heard this .20/.50BMG moderator and it is ridiculously quiet. To date, I haven't been very impressed by the noise suppression of moderators on the market - yes, they do reduce the noise considerably, but I have still found them to be too loud. I know some people are perfectly satisfied with the performance of their various moderators, but I have been half looking out for something considerably quieter, though I haven't been as proactive as Nick trying all the different models, and even getting one built without knowing what it will sound like.

 

I have been running a pes muzzle can on my Tac .20, which has worked fine, but this custom .20/.50BMG model is in a different league - so much so that I've ordered one.

 

The weight for me is not an issue, and as Nick has stated can almost be an advantage with stability, shooting from a vehicle etc. My rifle has a heavy action and barrel anyway, so the extra weight is pretty irrelevant.

As with most things there's no 'free lunch' - if you want the quietest moderator possible, you have to accept the extra size/volume, weight and cost. This moderator will never be a mass market item and will remain very specialised, but I'm certain that a few others will be interested once they hear it. I was pretty shocked when I heard the price, but the fact that I've ordered one tells you all you need to know.

 

Andrew

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I'm not trying to piss anyone off or anything, but i will bet my last £ if you made an aluminum mod and made it as heavy as the quicksilver one is,then you would end up with a mod of equal suppression or better,and it would be a dam site cheaper, and i can state this with out even knowing the price of the quick silver mods.

 

Most/ All the mods are made for a reason that we have over here,and they are built to a budget and for a purpose.

stalking you need one that is balanced and light weight, this is not the best for suppression,but we have mods out there for the job.

now if weight size are not an issue then y would you want a titanium mod? its more expensive to buy.and more expensive to machine.

 

just my 2p worth

 

ATB

Colin

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I'm not trying to piss anyone off or anything, but i will bet my last £ if you made an aluminum mod and made it as heavy as the quicksilver one is,then you would end up with a mod of equal suppression or better,and it would be a dam site cheaper, and i can state this with out even knowing the price of the quick silver mods.

 

Most/ All the mods are made for a reason that we have over here,and they are built to a budget and for a purpose.

stalking you need one that is balanced and light weight, this is not the best for suppression,but we have mods out there for the job.

now if weight size are not an issue then y would you want a titanium mod? its more expensive to buy.and more expensive to machine.

 

just my 2p worth

 

ATB

Colin

 

 

Colin,

 

That's an interesting point, which I also considered - however until someone actually produces one and tests it, you won't know. If there was something similar available then I would definitely look at it, regardless of what it's made from and who it's made by. For sure titanium is expensive, at the moment this particular model just happens to work well. Of course it would be cheaper to use stainless or some other metal, but would someone bother for such a small production run? Even then, you wouldn't know whether it would be better or worse until you had built and tested it. I would be suprised if manufacturers would be prepared to fund development for this kind of calibre specific .50BMG style moderator, with a tiny market share - George didn't, it was Nick who ordered it.

 

I did look at the pes extreme which is made from stainless and similar dimensions, but with a larger expansion chamber, and to me wasn't nearly as quiet. I don't think they will be making any more anyway.

 

There is another .50 bmg moderator on the market, the very large T16 reflex, which wasn't as quiet in .50 cal tests as the QSM one, so it's not guaranteed to get a similar level of suppression, even if you were to make something of similar weight/dimensions or larger. The T16 is mass produced, so doing a calibre specific one of those (supposing they were to make one) would drive up the costs enormously.

 

As you say if someone wants a light stalking moderator then there are plenty of options. This particular one wouldn't be one of them.

 

 

Andrew

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I havent posted for a while but I have read this with interest.

 

From what I have read this moderator is being marketed for its exceptional supression, which is fine it works very well. However, one would expect it too due to it being a 50 cal mod running on a 20 Tac, or have I not read this correctly...

 

Col48 has a good point, I have no doubt that an Alloy moderator of the same size and volume would be as good as the QSM and a lot cheaper.

 

The range of mods I have running now are excellent both in terms of price, build and materials, price being the a key thing for the everyday guy at £175 you could buy a few for the same cost of a Titanium mod.

 

I could make one from stainless and 7075 Alloy no trouble at all and still have some pennies left for a bag of sweeties! :D

 

What are the dimensions of the 50 cal mod any ideas?

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Hi James

 

The stats for this mod are detailed in my original post or a full spec is available on the QSM website.

 

This mod is not infact being marketed and was infact desinged as a one off to attempt to achieve the ultimate in suppresion on a 20 calibre rifle which I think we have achieved. It just so happens that two of the people who were present during testing were so impressed that they have both ordered one.

 

You say that you could easily make a mod just as good as the QSM 20/50 Ti out of stainless and 7075: How about you put your money where your mouth is and actually make one!!!

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Nick.

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Is the price of these mods sooo high nobody dare publish it?!

 

 

yes it would seem that way. first off to plug a mod and not put the price up?? i think it should be published so everyone gets a true account of everything.after all is meant to be good enough to plug on here.

 

and yes i do know how much they are but it not my place to say

 

ATB

Colin

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I havent posted for a while but I have read this with interest.

 

From what I have read this moderator is being marketed for its exceptional supression, which is fine it works very well. However, one would expect it too due to it being a 50 cal mod running on a 20 Tac, or have I not read this correctly...

 

Col48 has a good point, I have no doubt that an Alloy moderator of the same size and volume would be as good as the QSM and a lot cheaper.

 

The range of mods I have running now are excellent both in terms of price, build and materials, price being the a key thing for the everyday guy at £175 you could buy a few for the same cost of a Titanium mod.

 

I could make one from stainless and 7075 Alloy no trouble at all and still have some pennies left for a bag of sweeties! :D

 

What are the dimensions of the 50 cal mod any ideas?

 

James,

 

You could go the full distance and make something similar to the T16 reflex.

 

That is 19.3" long and 3.0" in diameter. It weighs in at 81oz (2300g).

 

That delivers a noise reduction of approximately 25db.

 

 

Andrew

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What makes a quiet mod is very, very, accurate machining, perfectly concentric, and the absolute minimum boresize, to bullet size ratio.

Size is not the issue on a mod, the law of diminishing returns swings in at some point. A mod needs to be just big enough, to absorb a given amount of gas, from a specific charge weight. Anymore, and its noisy, any less, and the gas doesn,t make the mod "work"

A good example is a 17hmr and say, an ase utra mod [thin] and a sak mod [fat]

The utra works better, as the sak is overkill for the amount of gas.

 

This titanium mod, looks very well made [ probarbly by hand ? ] and is more than likely matched very closely to the bore size. I would willingly bet however, it would be just as efficient with double the amount of gas through it.

 

A price would be nice Nick, so the folks have an idea of cost, and then can make their own minds up.

That sure is a pretty gun, and a Gary Cane masterpiece if i,m not mistaken ?

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