Target Sports

PRODUCT REVIEW: STEALTH 10 SHHH...

Created on 30th June 2009

ROB HUNTER reviews the new Stealth 10 Fullbore Sound Moderator

AS READERS will know, I am a big fan of technology and I welcome any gizmo that helps me improve my shooting. I have used sound moderators as part of my standard shooting kit for many years. There are a number of benefits, whether you are on a range or in the field. Firstly, they reduce the sound or report of the rifle. On land the benefit is obvious. The sound reduction helps greatly in the health and safety department when surrounded by other shooters on the range. Secondly, the reduced muzzle flip helps you to ‘watch your round in' and speeds up the follow-up shot; this applies both in the field and on range. Finally, and most importantly, it helps with shooting technique. The reduction of felt-recoil, noise, and rifle-jump all help to overcome the dreaded flinch.

I therefore regard moderators as must-have equipment. So when Stuart Crane of The Whole Shooting Match in Devon contacted me to tell me of his new design for a lighter, quieter, and still serviceable moderator my only comment was "when can I have one?"

Modern moderators

There are many problems facing manufacturers of sound moderators. For maximum efficiency, they have to be large so that they catch and hold the gases, but customers want small and light moderators. Then there is the problem of material. Some steel cans have a metallic ring to them and are prone to rust, but are easy to machine and produce. Aluminium is light but can be too soft, especially in conjunction with excessive heat. Exotic metals like titanium are light and strong but are a nightmare to machine and are very expensive. As you can see, you have to be a brave man to set up in the moderator construction business. However, Stuart has progressed rapidly through several designs to what he believes gives the best all-round performance in all of the above areas.

Form and function

Let's take a closer look. There are basically two designs of moderators: those that extend in front of the crown and those that come back over the barrel. A design that screws on and is then supported back over the barrel gives optimum strength and is without doubt less likely to suffer from knocks. The portion called the expansion chamber, which comes back over the barrel to catch the gas, can also carry some of the weight so that the gun nose is not ‘barrel-heavy'. The other advantage is the reduction of length added to the rifle barrel. In the past, a moderator could add an extra 10" to your rifle which made it very unwieldy. The Stealth has an overall length of 10", but it only overhangs the crown by 4".

The mix of metals is another area where Stuart's moderators differ from most. By far the biggest piece of the moderator is the outside tube, or ‘can'. This is usually not in direct contact with the initial blast, so super-thick walls are not necessary. It's a good place to save weight so aluminium is used for this. On the other hand, the baffles take the brunt of the hot gasses, so steel is a must here. The first baffle in the line is an extra-thick 3mm deflecting baffle designed to re-direct the gas back into the expansion chamber. This first baffle can suffer from gas-cutting if too flimsy, and once this happens to a sealed unit the moderator is only fit for the bin. On Stuart's moderators the subsequent eight baffles are 1.5mm. They are all machined out of stainless steel rather than stamped out - this helps to keep tolerance to a minimum. The steel discs stack neatly into a recessed lip of the last one, so there are no worries about them not lining up when re-assembling. All the machined parts are finished with a 1200 ‘Allicrome' finish.

Multi-use moderator

Why would you want to take your moderator apart? Well, there is a very good reason to strip down with the new line of moderators as it's possible to change the baffles to accommodate different calibre. The owner can buy and fit a spare set of baffles, reducing the cost of buying two or more units. By regular stripping down and simple cleaning you will also see if any part needs replacing well before the day something bad happens. A squirt of ‘cure-all' WD40 does not let you know what's going on inside, and after all, you maintain your car, lawnmower and rifle, so why not your moderator? At present, baffle sizes can be ordered in 25=243, 30=308, 35=338 and above.

Acid test

Now to the range for some testing. All my moderators (a T8 reflex, AU Jet-Z and the Stealth) had the same threads. I took my .308 custom tactical rifle, built by Pete Walker, and shot a three-shot group without the moderator and then with the moderator on. The idea was to see how much difference there was between point-of-aim and point-of-impact with the moderator off and on. A friend sat through the whole test to try to ascertain the difference in noise reduction, although it is difficult to be objective using the human ear. He thought the Stealth was the quietest of the three models we tested, but to be fair some expensive technology is needed to confirm our findings. Stuart reports the Stealth has a reading of sound reduction measuring 93db seven metres away from a .308.

All three printed similar groups in relation to point-of-aim and point-of-impact but the best of the lot was the Stealth. From a shooter's point of view, the Stealth gave a good ‘dead' sound and feel upon shooting. Post-firing, I stripped the moderator to see what the after-effects were. There was a lot more moisture than I anticipated (a side effect of powder combustion), as well as general powder-fouling, but it all wiped away, leaving no marks. I suspect that this exercise would have to be done regularly to stop the sludge congealing and setting.

The future

Stuart is constantly adding to the Stealth line of products and is currently producing a line of compact moderators called the Stealth 10 Compact. These are for the small calibres from .222 to .270. Stuart is also working on an extra-small add-on section of baffles that can be screwed directly onto the front of the moderator. This only adds 0.75" to the OAL but will greatly reduce the noise. In the past, Stuart has been criticised for updating his designs too regularly - in my opinion that is like asking Ferrari to stop making faster cars! If it helps my shooting, I say bring it on.

There have been many requests for replacement sets of steel baffles (the Magnum Option) for those who run ‘hot' calibres like the WSMs. If this interests you I suggest you speak to Stuart or consult your local dealer.

For further details of all Stuart's products, contact:
Stuart Crane, The Whole Shooting Match Ltd,
T: 01598 740685
W: www.thewholeshootingmatch.co.uk