This week, we got our hands on the new Ti-Raid suppressor from Advanced Armament Company. The Ti-Raid is an all-new multipurpose can made from, you guessed it, titanium.
The baffle stack in a suppressor is commonly made of one of three things, each with advantages and disadvantages. Stainless steel is by far the most common, especially in larger bore cans. It has excellent erosion resistance, and handles heat well. Inconel, an alloy of nickel, containing chromium and iron, is a step up in erosion resistance, though it is heavy and hard to work with. Very few suppressor companies make a full Inconel can, though AAC does. It is also very common to see a combination of the two, such as an Inconel blast baffle followed by a steel or titanium baffle stack. We have seen other full titanium cans, but why make one in 30 caliber specifically?
The answer has to do with the purpose of the can. Titanium isn’t quite as good as steel or inconel at erosion resistance, but it certainly doesn’t suck. What it does excel at is weight to strength, in this case making for a very light can for its ratings. Erosion resistance, at the muzzle end at least, has a lot more to do with volume than caliber. The TiRaid is rated for full auto in 308 and below, but would not be the best choice in that application. Then again, how many of us are routinely shooting 308 at full auto? For normal precision rifle applications, the Ti Raid finds its niche. At lower volume precision rifle work, it will last longer than most of us will be willing to shoot. And if you are humping a 300 Win Mag around the mountains, you know every ounce counts.
Available in a direct thread or QC set up, we opted to test the direct thread. The can features a completely toolless takedown, though it has wrench flats on the cap. Not that any of us would ever neglect maintenance so long as to need those. The user serviceable part of this cannot be overstated. It is a common feature to have pistol suppressors come apart, but it is virtual never done for rifles. Not only does the ability to really clean the can have benefits, it creates another option. Normally, once you wear out a blast baffle, the can is done. Even if it is under warranty, the manufacturer would have to cut your can apart, replace the baffles, and weld it back together. Most times, they won’t. They just offer you a new can, with a new serial number. And guess what? Because the ATF is so fun, you have to pay for another tax stamp and wait until the new serial number gets out of jail, all over again. If you did manage to wear this can out, AAC can easily replace the baffles and send it right back. ( No, they can’t just send you a new blast baffle, regardless of how easy that would be. Suppressor building entails all kinds of bureaucratic fun.)
The multipiece baffle stack is shielded and comes apart into small sections for ease of cleaning. The tube and cap have a PVD coating to ensure a long service life.
PVD or Physical Vapor Deposition coating is one of the newest things we are seeing in firearms. To simplify the process greatly, it works like this. Coating material goes from a condensed state to a vapor and lays across the parts making a very thin film. The advantage to the process is that it evenly distributes the coating, and gets into parts that would be difficult to do another way. PVD coatings are generally more corrosion resistant and harder than electroplating processes and have very good high temperature and impact strength. More and more we are seeing slides and frames on pistols with a PVD finish, though this is the first suppressor I have seen. Considering how much abuse a pistol takes compared to a can, this should last for a very, very long time.
The Ti-Raid is a very versatile tool for your toolbox. It is rated for everything 30 caliber up to 300 Winchester Magnum but is light enough to be appropriate for anything. The direct thread model tips the scales at 20.1 ounces.
As far as decibel ratings go, this new AAC model comes in strong. 300 Win Mag is reduced to 140 Db at the muzzle, with 308 at 137 and 300 Blackout at 123 Db.
Performance wise, the Ti-Raid works as advertised. I didn’t have access to a 300 Win Mag during my testing window, so I went with the next best thing. My test rifle was a Larue OBR in 308, with an 18” barrel. For testing ammunition, I chose the Gold standard in accuracy. The Black Hills match 178 grain.
From unsuppressed to suppressed, I did have a shift of about 3 inches. It was, however repeatable. And straight down, which makes adjusting much easier. Without hearing protection, the Ti-Raid did a fine job of taming supersonic 308.
MSRP: $1,199.99
Visit AAC to learn more about the Ti-Raid suppressor by clicking here.
What ever happened to the motion to get suppressors for us without the big tax and crap?
Need to replace more dems and rinos! Trump will sign it but they have to put it on his desk. I and my people are going to vote! How bout you and yours?