Silencer Saturday #346: SilencerCo’s Hunting Suppressor Evolution

Welcome back to another installment of Silencer Saturday. This week we're shifting gears to look at the various generations of SilencerCo hunting rifle cans. It's an interesting progression and also shows some of the design trends in the market over the last few years.

Silencer Saturday @ TFB:

• Silencer Saturday #345: A Weird Sig SG550 Silencer From B&T
• Silencer Saturday #344: Thunderbeast Arms Silencer Summit 2024
• Silencer Saturday #343: YHM Maxim Woodsman .22LR
• Silencer Saturday #342: What Is The Best First Silencer
• Silencer Saturday 341: The Case For (Some) Non-standard Thread Pitches
• Silencer Saturday #340: The SHUSH Act Reintroduced In Congress

Before we get into the meat of the article a few disclaimers are in order. First, silencers are heavily regulated in the United States. Make sure you know what you are doing, and don’t do illegal things. Second, I have a close relationship with SilencerCo that extends well beyond owning their suppressors for many years. It is not an arm's length situation.

Harvester 300

First up is the Harvester 300. It has an aluminum exterior with 17-4 stainless steel baffles. The design is closely related to the (now discontinued) Octane pistol silencer. The serialized componenet is the outer sleeve which contains the baffles. Like the Octane, it uses Alpha mounts. One of the most original features was the Anchor Brake fitted to the front of the silencer, which acts like a muzzle brake to reduce recoil.

The Harvester 300 is so named because it is rated up to .300 Win Mag. SilecerCo also made a Harvester Big Bore that could handle up to .338 Lapua.

Harvester Evo

Next up is the Harvester Evo. It has a tubeless design and is constructed of Cobalt-6, Inconel, and 17-4 stainless steel. The serialized component is the rearmost blast baffle, and the rest of the baffles are welded together without an outer sleeve.

It is rated up to .300 Win Mag. There are barrel length restrictions, 16 inches on a 5.56 or .308, and 20 inches on .300 Win Mag. Unlike the original Harvester, it has no Anchor Brake. It uses Bravo pattern mounts, and both a 1/2x28 and 5/8x24 mount are included in the box.

One major gripe about the Harveteser Evo was the quality of the welds. They are a little rough on my example, but I have seen others that were even uglier. Without an outer sleeve, the welds are on full display.

Scythe Ti

The newest silencer is the Scythe-Ti. It is a fully titanium suppressor, with the only non-titanium part being the single-port Anchor Brake. Both Grade 5 and Grade 9 titanium are used. The included 5/8x24 direct thread mount is also made of titanium. A 1/2x28 version is also available, and these are standard Bravo Mounts so they work with other models as well.

It is also a tubeless design, much like the Harvester Evo. The welds on the Scythe look quite a bit better, though. The Scythe-Ti is rated up to .300 Remington Ultra Mag and has no barrel length restrictions. So you can amuse yourself with short-barreled magnums.

Comparing The Family

While the designs differ, there are some similarities too. None of these silencers is user-serviceable. All feature welded designs to cope with the pressures of centerfire hunting calibers. Two of the three use an Anchor Brake, and given that it has returned after an absence that feature seems likely to stay.

The designs also show some of the prevailing trends in silencer design. Tubeless designs are becoming increasingly popular as a way to shave weight. Materials are also more advanced than they used to be. Where the Harvester 300 is aluminum and steel, more exotic materials like Cobalt 6 and Inconel or full titanium are the wave of the future.

Only one of these silencers has a published Pew Science score, and that is the Harvester 300. It scored 34.5 on a .308 bolt action rifle. That is not the best rating for this type of suppressor, and the Pew Science report posits that the Anchor Brake is to blame at least in part. Muzzle brakes make guns louder by redirecting sound toward the shooter, and the Anchor Brake does the same.

SilencerCo’s published decibel ratings are as follows:

Harvester 300

5.56 NATO: 134.9 dB

308 WIN: 136.4 dB

300 WM: 138.3 dB

Harvester Evo

5.56 NATO: 129.6 dB

300 BLK: 128.1 dB

308 WIN: 133.1 dB

300 WM: 136.8 dB

Scythe-Ti

5.56 NATO: 128.9 dB

300 BLK: 118.6 dB

308 WIN: 132.6 dB

300 WM: 137.2 dB

Thanks for participating in this trip down silencer development lane, and stop by again next week for some more Silencer Saturday.

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