It’s a little cliché, but I’ll say it anyway: shooting a fully automatic 9mm with a suppressor is about as much fun as you can have with your pants on. And when SilencerCo’s excellent Omega 36M is on the end of the barrel? As they say in certain parts of New York’s underbelly, forget about it.
The Omega 36M is a modular suppressor that can suppress everything from the .22 Hornet to the .338 Lapua Magnum. Other cans might do a better job on this or that cartridge, but few suppressors have as wide a range as the 36M.
It’s been out for a while, but I was still excited to shoot SilecnerCo’s newest suppressor when we wandered by their booth at this year’s Primary Arms Range Day. I wasn’t disappointed. The Omega 36M is an absolute pleasure to shoot on an MP5 platform (terrible iron sights notwithstanding). It’s super quiet, and the can’s length and weight don’t make the pistol feel front-heavy.
For pistol work, the front 2.5-inch fully welded core of the suppressor can be removed to reduce length and weight (total length: 5.1 inches). For rifles, the front core can be re-installed for maximum noise and recoil suppression (total length: 7.6 inches). Adding or removing this front portion changes the weight from 9.2 ounces to 16.5 ounces.
The rear core contains Cobalt 6 and Inconel baffles which provides extreme wear resistance under high heat. The front core consists of lightweight 17-4 stainless steel baffle design to save weight while still providing high wear resistance.
The Omega 36M is full-auto rated for 5.56 with barrels as short as 10 inches long, .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO with barrels at least 16 inches long and .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua with barrels at least 20 inches long, as well as all full-auto submachine guns in 9mm Luger.
The Omega 36M can be mounted using a variety of options, including SilencerCo’s Charlie Direct Thread Mount, Charlie ASR Mount, Charlie 3 Lug Mount, and the Charlie Piston Mount.
We also have it on good authority that SilencerCo is planning to debut several new suppressors in the coming months, including a .46-caliber suppressor in the 36M style. They already offer the .46-caliber Hybrid 46, but this suppressor is not modular in the same way as the 36M.
The only downside of the 36M is the price. At $1,187 MSRP, the 36M is among the more expensive suppressors on the market. Hopefully, they’ll have found a way to make the 46M a little more attainable.