MeatEater by BANISH SUPPRESSOR: ALL ABOUT THE HUNT – by Todd Burgreen

BANISH Suppressors continue to show South Dakota hunting roots of pursuing coyotes, predators, prairie dogs, deer, etc.  Along these same lines, BANISH suppressors are often versatile multi-role cans and lighter in weight than competitor offerings while maintaining a better “shh!” factor per ounce and dollar.  BANISH makes shrewd use of titanium and stainless steel to achieve this.

Since its conception in 2009 by CEO Brandon Maddox, BANISH Suppressors has grown into one of the US’s largest and most influential suppressor entities. For full disclosure, BANISH is a sister company to another Brandon Maddox corporate entity: Silencer Central.   After starting Silencer Central in 2005, Brandon decided to offer his own “private label” suppressor brand, BANISH Suppressors. BANISH Suppressors were initially contracted out to the Mack Brothers/West River Rifle Company for manufacturing. To keep up with demand, BANISH Suppressors now contracts five different companies to manufacture.
Suppressor use has steadily grown in popularity for military, law enforcement, and civilians.  One section of the civilian market that shows steady expansion/acceptance of suppressor use is hunting.   It has almost become standard for a rifle muzzle to be threaded coming from the factory.

The benefits of suppressor use are hard to argue against—sound mitigation, recoil tamed, flash suppression, etc.  This is accomplished by taming muzzle gasses.   With most BANISH Suppressors, this gas taming is accomplished with baffle stacks.  Baffle stacks are multiple sections of cone-like shapes placed atop one another to create a series of partitions and passages that help disperse and redirect the expanding gases when a shot is fired. Typically, these baffles are slid inside an outer tube or sleeve with the end caps threaded or welded on.

TIME TO EAT
BANISH and MeatEater have collaborated on a suppressor offering.  None of the BANISH MeatEater suppressor traits should surprise considering the input from Steven Rinella’s crew of avid hunters.  Hunters know minimizing size is important just not for humping into the bush, but also for not creating a front-heavy cantilever on your rifle’s barrel.  The MeatEater can measures just under 6 inches in length with a width of 1.73 inches. The increased girth helps maintain volume…something important in how suppressors reduce sound. The BANISH MeatEater suppressor weighs only 10.3 ounces, thanks to titanium construction, yet offers enhanced sound reduction at 32dB along with its anchor brake feature.   The MeatEater by BANISH suppressor introduces the concept of the anchor brake into the BANISH lineup with a twist…pun intended, which I have to say is quite innovative in how it employs the anchor brake.

I will admit to not being that familiar with a suppressor being combined with enhanced recoil reduction such as an anchor brake before spending time with the MeatEater by BANISH.  While suppressors already act as superior muzzle brakes while mitigating blast/noise, I figured while in Rome, do as the Romans do and give the MeatEater with anchor brake a try.  The MeatEater folks’ hunting credentials are such that their opinions garner respect.
The MeatEater’s anchor brake can be turned on/off as well as “tuned” depending on user preference accentuating either recoil reduction or sound suppression. With groupings of small ports around the anchor brake’s perimeter, an internal collar is the key to tuning/timing muzzle gasses in a particular direction as well as turning off the muzzle brake function.  With the collar flipped in one direction, the ports are open.  You can also “time” the ports so that the gasses escape out upwards only. This assists in reducing muzzle climb and raising dust signature from your firing point.  By taking the collar out and flipping it over you turn the brake aspect off for maximum sound suppression.

As opposed to anchor brakes that use larger baffles, the MeatEater by BANISH is quieter thanks to using the smaller ports for the muzzle gasses to pass through.  Recoil reduction with MeatEater anchor brake is touted at 40% with only a few decibels increase in sound compared to when the anchor brake is deactivated.  Even if the MeatEater anchor brake is deactivated, you still get substantial recoil reduction based on typical suppressor use.  The MeatEater by BANISH is rated for 300RemUltra Mag use.

GIVING IT A GO
The majority of my time with the MeatEater suppressor involved another MeatEater collaboration—SIG CROSS SAWTOOTH bolt action chambered in 7PRC.  Recoil reduction is definitely noticeable when the brake is activated as is a slight increase in blast signature.  For me, the real benefit was reduced muzzle jump with the 7PRC SAWTOOTH to the point where calling your own shot was possible.  That has real potential when afield.   Determination of how well an animal is struck and/or enabling getting off a second round before the animal disappears into cover or over the hill is a real advantage.   Imagine having a rifle set up on a tripod or pack when taking a shot.  The increased control over muzzle rise is an important enhancement.

The MeatEater by BANISH direct threads to your barrel without an intermediate connection.  This method tends to be more accurate than QD-mounted suppressors.  Direct thread suppressors also provide a more consistent return to zero, and they tend to have less point-of-impact shift than QD designs when removed and then reinstalled.  Individual weapon’s point of impact (POI) did shift when the MeatEater suppressor was installed.  This is to be expected whenever hanging something off the end of a rifle barrel.  After all, it changes the barrel’s harmonics.   What was closely monitored was if the point of impact stayed consistent once logged in for when the MeatEater suppressor was installed on a specific rifle.  Another important consideration for a suppressor is if the intrinsic accuracy of a rifle is impacted negatively.  The MeatEater suppressor had no negative impact on multiple rifles it was tried on and zero maintained constant when removing/reinstalling on a rifle.

The ability to suppress a centerfire rifle is an ever increasingly important aspect of hunting.  While the sonic crack of a supersonic bullet is noticeable, the use of a suppressor such as the MeatEater by BANISH will mask your firing point keeping animals disorientated as to where the hunter is located.   The MeatEater suppressor succeeds in surpassing all expectations no matter the criteria used to judge albeit sound reduction, durability, accuracy, and flexibility.  This is a credit to the BANISH and MeatEater collaboration reflecting both teams’ real-world experience.

EDITOR NOTES:
Some of the best accuracy achieved with suppressors has been the result of handloading ammunition specific for the purpose. Handloaded ammunition provides a shooter the customization and utility not available in factory ammunition. Factory ammunition is an excellent option for a single, consistent load that can work for many different firearms; handloading provides a unique ammunition specific for that firearm only. BANISH is an excellent option for a handload that will offer a shooter both a unique experience and accuracy beyond factory ammunition.

SPECIFICATIONS: MeatEater by BANISH suppressor
Length: 5.85-inches
Diameter:1.73-inches
Weight: 10.3 oz
Material: Titanium
Thread Pitch: 5/8×24
Self-service: Yes
Caliber: .30
Caliber rating: Up to 300 RUM
Color: Sniper Gray
Finish: Cerakote
Sound Reduction:32 dB
Mount-style: Direct thread
Full-auto rated: no
Lifetime warranty: Yes