Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us for another edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the YHM R9 suppressor. Last week we reviewed the SureFire Ryder 22S, a quiet rimfire suppressor with a minor mounting drawback. This week we start off a multi-part review of the Elevated Silence Evolution with some subsonic 300BLK in a bolt action rifle. Should you consider this multi-platform titanium suppressor for your next purchase? Let’s take a look.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
As much as I love to highlight the advances made by the bigger suppressor manufacturers, part of the goal when we kicked off Silencer Saturday almost three years ago was to feature companies that don’t get enough attention. Many of these teams are only lesser-known because they made the decision to take the money that would have been earmarked for marketing and funnel it directly into research and design. Of course there are manufacturers that should be kept out of distributor and dealer inventories (we won’t sling any mud today). Trust me, Elevated Silence deserves to sit next next to the top market leaders.
Even though I’m not a machinist or an engineer, I’ve come to appreciate quality suppressor manufacturing. Welding, materials, construction, and design – good or bad – are all noticed by the consumer. From a non-technical perspective, Elevated Silence appears to make a top-shelf suppressor. They use Grade 5 titanium for the baffles and Grade 9 titanium for the tubes. In short, Grade 5 is superior to Grade 9 by being stronger at high temperatures, but comes at the price of specialized manufacturing equipment and added costs. I’m sure a materials scientist will be along shortly to point out how badly I explained the differences in titanium alloys.
Ti 6-4 (Grade 5) is significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium while having the same stiffness and thermal properties (excluding thermal conductivity, which is about 60% lower in Grade 5 than in CP Ti). Among its many advantages, Grade 5 Titanium it is heat treatable. This grade is an excellent combination of strength, corrosion resistance, weldability and fabricability.
For demanding applications such as biomedical implants where a material is needed that can emulate bone and high-temperature structural applications in the aerospace industry Grade 5 Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) is a common choice. Ulbrich.com
The point is, the Elevated Silence Evolution is made from some of the best materials possible, providing extreme strength as well as weight savings. While it is rated for full auto use, titanium has inherent limitations at high temperatures so make sure to stay under three magazines of .223/5.56 and two magazines of .308/7.62×39. Of course, if you have the means to shoot full auto rifle rounds in this day and age, you can probably afford to swap between multiple Evolutions.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
Speaking of prices, the Evolution is on the upper end of the titanium 7.62 rifle suppressor scale. However, each kit includes three mounts which would typically add up to about $300-$350. Props to Elevated Silence for making a multi-caliber/multi-host silencer and including all the needed mounts. As a comparison, the Dead Air Nomad LT is priced at $1,099 and comes with a direct thread mount.
I rarely time my muzzle devices (who shoots unsuppressed?) but I used two spacers to torque this brake into position. The brakes use a simple and effective taper and thread system for solid mounting. I put a bit of high temperature anti-seize on the threads out of habit.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
At a little over 15 ounces (I actually measured 14.8 ounces) the Evolution is slightly heavier than other full-size titanium suppressors, but is within a perfectly acceptable range. Also, it has a slightly larger diameter than other options as well. Let’s take a look at the rest of the details.
The ES Evolution
The Evolution™ internal structure is like no other suppressor the market has ever seen. One of the keys to the success of this system is the specifically designed muzzle brakes/mounts. Three separate muzzle brakes are supplied to tailor fit the performance of the Evolution to the host weapon. These will provide the maximum amount of suppression per a given platform: 5.56/.224, .264/6.5 or 30 cal.
Utilizing multi chamber technology, the Evolution™ effectively redirects gas away from the bullet as it travels through the length of the suppressor. This in turn yields the absolute minimal effects on bullet trajectory and stability. Which in turn yields a consistently accurate suppressor over a myriad of calibers and weapons systems. To put it simply, the Evolution™ is a truly Cross Platform suppressor. It is a much at home on your 10” 5.56 CQB semi auto rifle as your 300 Win Mag bolt action sniper rifle and everything in between
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
The business end of the Evolution with relief cuts to save weight.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
The Evolution’s taper mounting surface.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
The Evolution’s baffles.
Elevated Silence Evolution – Details And Specifications
- Website/Ordering: https://www.elevatedsilence.com/product/evolution/
- MSRP: $1,199
- CALIBER: .17HMR TO .300 WIN MAG
- LENGTH: 8.25”
- DIAMETER: 1.75″
- WEIGHT: 15.3OZ
- FULL AUTO*: Yes
- CORE GRADE: 5 – TITANIUM
- TUBE GRADE: 9 – TITANIUM
- INCLUDED: three mounts for .223, 6.5 and .30 caliber firearms.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
To preserve repeatability and precision, the Evolution’s baffles do not have the “mouse hole” relief cutouts typically found in rifle suppressors. This may slightly decrease suppression performance but eliminates the need for re-zeroing when going between suppressed and unsuppressed for precision shooters. I’m one of the last people you’d want testing precision rifles, however, with subsonic 300BLK, I didn’t see any POA/POI shift between the two configurations at 50 yards.
SILENCER SATURDAY #187: Elevated Silence Evolution – Stealthy And On Target
As far as suppression, the Evolution is definitely quiet. Loads of internal volume and an efficient baffle design help put this can near the top of the subsonic rifle suppressors I own or have reviewed in the past. Is it the quietest? That’s a tough call. At a minimum, I’ll reserve final judgement for Part 2 when we test the Elevated Silence Evolution on semiautomatic 5.56mm and 300BLK hosts. So far, I really enjoy shooting this suppressor.
Be safe, have fun and we’ll see you back here next weekend for another Silencer Saturday.
