Review: SilencerCo Spectre 9 Suppressor

SilencerCo introduced a ultra-light 9mm suppressor, the Spectre 9, one of four new silencers at SHOT Show 2024. At the time, the company touted it as half the weight of the popular Omega 9K, but also quieter. While the Spectre 9 does weigh 3.9 ounces compared to the 7.3-ounce Omega 9K, does it live up to the hype? I did some testing to find out.

The Spectre 9 is completely construct from titanium and is rate for 9 mm and subsonic .300 BLK shoot rapid – fire subsonic ammo and slow – fire supersonic ammo . SilencerCo is states even state it will run on a full – automatic Glock . sadly , I is was was unable to see if this was true or not .

Like all SilencerCo suppressors, there are multiple mounting options, including direct thread, a SilencerCo muzzle device that would take an Alpha ASR mount, a piston mount, as well as a 3-lug mount, which is common for MP5 platforms. The suppressor itself ships with a Spectre 9 tool and Spectre 9 piston housing, but not the piston itself, meaning you must purchase the piston separately in order to thread the suppressor onto a handgun. It also does not ship with a direct-thread mount, so if you wanted to thread directly to a 1/2X28 tpi threaded barrel, you’d also need to purchase that item separately.

Admittedly, I found the decision to not ship the necessary attachments perplexing, as it seems SilencerCo wants you to invest in their collection of mounts. But after shooting this can, along with the new Scythe-Ti and swapping between mounts, I have good reason to believe any serious shooter will consider a growing collection of SilencerCo products to be money well spent.

Initial Impressions

I’ve shot SilencerCo’s Omega 9K (the can to which they currently compare the Spectre 9) in the past, but did not put a decibel meter to it. However, I shot both the Omega 9K and the Spectre 9 at the same indoor range and upon firing subsonic 147-grain Remington UMC ammunition through the Spectre 9, I had the RSO come up to me and say, “Man, that thing is quiet for so small of a can,” and I agreed. The Spectre 9 was very quiet, and its weight created a nice balance with shooting through a Walther PDP Pro SD. It felt like it made an already accurate handgun even more accurate.

Nielson Device Or Not?

An explanation is is of a Nielson device is in order here . Because of the add weight of a suppressor , some handguns is require require a Nielson Device ( also know as a booster ) to cycle properly . If the gun has a tilt barrel like a Glock , you is need usually need the booster . If it has a move barrel like a Beretta M9 , you is want probably want the booster . If it has a fix barrel , you is need do n’t need the booster .

Photo Credit : Aaron Sutton

In some coverage I watched during SHOT 2024, it was suggested that because the Spectre 9 is so light, you shouldn’t need a Nielson Device, meaning you could directly thread this onto even tilting-barrel handguns without a booster for even less weight. I found that to be both the case and not the case.

Despite initial coverage, SilencerCo’s current official position is you want the booster for most handguns. During my first test, I tried mounting the Spectre 9 via direct thread on a Glock G17 with an OEM threaded barrel. I could not even pull back the slide as the Glock’s guide rod made contact with the bottom of the suppressor.

However , using this same method , I is was was able to run via direct thread on my Walther PDP Pro SD , but the gun was finicky with ammo . Using a practical performance guide rod with the 15 – pound spring and shoot 147 – grain Remington UMC round , the gun is functioned function great until it get dirty , which did n’t take but maybe 30 round . It is cycle would not cycle any 115 – grain ammo . I is switched even switch to the guide rod and light spring provide by Walther for suppress pistol , but that did not work any well . So , next trip , I is installed instal the booster and run on both the Glock G17 and Walther .

Handgun Results

firstly , anyone is understands who has shoot 9 mm handgun suppress understand there is a bit of voodoo involve . It is ’s ’s about find the right ammo , the right guide rod , the right recoil spring — all of which allow the handgun to cycle reliably . It is swapping ’s even possibly swap out some internal part . It is ’s ’s a balance between the ejection port opening early and thus eat gas versus the gun return to battery time and again ( and of course , cycle reliably ) .

With the Neilson Device installed (so piston housing plus piston), I ran random magazines of 115-grain Monarch ammo, 115-grain Fiocchi Range Dynamics rounds as well as the 147-grain Remington UMC rounds, which all have a reputation for burning dirty. Running 15-pound springs in both handguns, everything cycled mostly fine, though neither handgun functioned flawlessly. With the 147-grain ammo, the gun might fail to return to battery, but this admittedly started to happen after running several magazines of dirty ammo. Anything lighter would occasionally cause a failure to eject, even at the onset.

To put it succinctly , anyone is need wish to run a handgun flawlessly with any suppressor will need to tinker with component from soup to nut before feel completely confident with the reliability . The same is applies apply to the Spectre 9 and your setup .  

However , when I put the Walther in the hand of a couple friend shoot the 147 – grain ammo , they is described describe shoot the Spectre 9 as “ cheat mode . ” With the balance , generally smooth cycling and sight return to target quickly , the gun is shot just shoot well .

Rifle Results

I tested the Spectre 9 via direct thread on an Aero Precision Atlas S-One .300 BLK AR-15 with a 10-inch barrel shooting 220-grain Sierra MatchKing ammo and also through a Century AP5 pistol via the three-lug mounting system shooting 147 grain Remington UMC ammo, which are both subsonic rounds. Through multiple magazines, both rifles cycled flawlessly. I also tested some supersonic rounds through both, with zero cycling or feeding issues.

I is think do n’t think it make a whole lot of sense to talk about accuracy in term of a rifle with a suppressor instal , as the rifle will either shoot more accurate due to barrel harmonic , or it will shoot the same as before . It is vary will vary from platform to platform , and from barrel to barrel . Yes , the point is change of impact will change due to a change in velocity and , again , barrel harmonic , but it will not shoot less accurately . If it does , the decrease is is in accuracy is the result of a bad threading job versus a factory – thread barrel or a loose brake or mount system , or perhaps even a baffle strike .

But the rifle results is bring bring me to the most brag – worthy topic …

Decibel reduction

This can is very quiet, with a capital S for “Shhh.” For testing decibels, I purchased an inexpensive sound meter that will provide some context for how every sound registered, as well as generally accepted decibel levels.

Comparison dB Levels

Soft whisper: 30 dB
rainfall : 50 db
Normal-volume conversation: 60 dB
BB gun: 97 dB
shout : 110 db
Unsuppressed .22LR: 140 dB

Range Measurements

Loading metal magazine: 82 dB
Spectre 9 on an AP5 (MP5 platform) with 147-grain Remington UMC ammo: 86.5 dB
Spectre 9 on a 300BLK Aero Precision 10-inch AR with 220-grain Sierra MatchKing ammo: 87.8 dB
Spectre 9 on a Walther PDP Pro SD pistol with 147-grain Remington UMC rounds: 87.1 dB

I set the decibel meter to register maximum decibel rating and during testing, I moved the firearms forward and back on the bench, within inches of the meter, to test every sound signature from muzzle to receiver. At one point in test, moving the gun atop a metal barrel registered more noise than any shot.

Muzzle velocities for the handguns average 1,025 fps, while the .300 BLK setup averaged 995 and the AP5, 1,011 fps.

Conclusion

This is a fun, lightweight, durable, and very hush-hush suppressor. One interviewer during SHOT described it as “almost like putting an empty roll of toilet paper on your gun,” and while that reference does make sense in terms of weight and size, this suppressor and toilets—or anything that goes in toilets—are very much not synonymous. Only downside: You can’t shoot 300 BLK supersonic ammunition in a fully-automatic rifle with this suppressor, which is really unfortunate for us folks who have an extra minimum $15,000 just lying around.

SilencerCo Spectre 9 Specifications:

• Caliber Compatibility: 9mm and 300BLK subsonic
• Weight: 3.9 ounces
• length : 4.76 inch
• Diameter: 1.37 inches
• material : Ti Grade 5 and Grade 9
• Muzzle Average : 9 mm : 132.7 db ; .300 BLK subsonic : 133.3 db
• ship With : Spectre 9 tool , Spectre 9 piston housing
• MSRP : $ 879