SILENCER SATURDAY #195: Big Bore Blasting – Henry .45-70 And The Dead Air Primal

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to another edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by our friends at Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the impressive new YHM Phantom 22 rimfire suppressor. Last week we returned to the SilencerCo 36M for a bit of pistol work – slightly on the heavier side but very quiet. This week we take another look at the Dead Air Primal, their latest release, for some Big Bore blasting on the end of a Henry Model X in .45-70. Could this be the ultimate short to mid range hunting setup for deer, elk, moose or bear? Let’s find out.

• SILENCER SATURDAY #191: The Beast Unleashed – The Dead Air Silencers Primal
• BIG BORE BEAST: The Dead Air Primal Is A Caliber-Eating Machine
• VIDEO: The NEW Dead Air Primal Suppressor
• TFB Review: Henry X Series: Suppressed Leverage

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves has the NEW Dead Air Primal suppressor in hand. Just released today, August 27, 2021, the Primal is a do-it-all can, and it will work with bullet diameters up to .458, and pressures up to .338 Lapua. This is a tough can that is full auto rated, and it’s only one pound in weight and under 8 inches in overall length. It works on the AR-15, AR-10, AK-47, the FN P90, pistols, bolt actions, hunting rifles, even rimfires. This can does it all (almost) AND its reasonably priced. But there’s a catch. Watch today’s video and James discusses the pros and cons of this CANacea.

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When it comes to all things quiet, there’s a healthy competition between myself and TFB’s Austin R. on who has the worse infection. For years, we have both lusted after B&T’s SPR300, so when the opportunity came up for a review of the new Pro model, I challenged him to a duel and lost. After reporting his initial findings and writing a teaser post (below), I took a big hit off the suppressor pipe and decided that I’m a buyer. Check out his introductory post below.

I have never ran into a bear in the woods. But being a few hundred yards from a blueberry farm and finding bear scat on my range a few years ago, I’m constantly on the lookout. The black bears around here can get pretty big in the fall. Let’s just say the JHP 9mm I always carry feels slightly less reassuring this time of year.

Thankfully, running into a large predator is a rare occurrence and I don’t feel the need to lug around anything larger than a GLOCK. But hunting is a different story – large Cervids and apex predators deserve respect. They also deserve the largest caliber and the heaviest and hottest loads that are practical for your skills and terrain.

To be clear, I haven’t hunted in years, and when I did it was mostly small game and waterfowl. I lean on the experts like Rusty (TFB and Outdoorhub.com) and Adam (TFB and AllOutdoor.com) when it comes to selecting the right gun and load for a specific hunt. But since I have the brand new Dead Air Primal, the Henry Model x in .45-70 and some quality ammunition, I thought I’d give this classic big bore a test from the noise reduction perspective.

As a reminder, always wear hearing protection when shooting supersonic centerfire rounds. Even one suppressed shot can cause hearing damage.

• Product Page: https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/lever-action-x-model-45-70/
• MSRP: $1,000
• Barrel Length: 19.8″
  
• Barrel Type: Round Blued Steel
  
• Rate of Twist: 1:20
  
• Overall Length: 38.6″
• Weight: 7.4 lbs.
  
• Receiver Finish: Blued Steel
  
• Rear Sight: Fully Adj. Fiber Optic
  
• Front Sight: Fiber Optic
  
• Scopeability: Drilled and Tapped
  
• Scope Mount Type: Weaver 63B
  
• Stock Material: Black Synthetic
  
• Buttplate/Pad: Black Solid Rubber Recoil Pad
• Length of Pull: 14″
• Safety: Transfer Bar
  
• Best Uses: Target/Hunting/Large Game/Collector/Deer, Bear, Hogs, Moose, Elk at 100 yards.
  
• Embellishments/Extras: Swivel Studs, Large Loop Lever, M-Lok, Picatinny Rail, 5/8×24 Threaded Barrel, Fiber Optic Sights

Unless you know how to bend time and space, there’s not much you can do to avoid overall length concerns when you add an eight inch suppressor to a 20 inch barrel. It’s basically the length of a goose gun. So for hunters who come across an area of heavy brush, the Xeno Mount and muzzle devices make one hand removal of the Primal a breeze. I don’t believe I have a .46 bore flash hider or brake in house, but I’ll check and let you know next week. Otherwise the direct thread mount works nicely.

As we talked about in the initial Primal review, suppressing full power .45-70 is never going to be “quiet”. But instead of my hard cast lead loads, this week I picked a handful of cartridges from Hornady and Federal to test out. And despite my own warnings, I shot one round from each batch with my left earmuff off. Many hunters don’t wear hearing protection and I wanted to get an idea of the suppressed .45-70 experience. It’s not terrible, but not great. I don’t recommend it. But, if you have to squeeze off a shot without plugs or muffs, I doubt it will be painful or disorienting when using the Primal.

The actual report was pleasant for a large, loud caliber. The Primal takes a bite out of the blast. I’d rank it as being quieter than any other unsuppressed supersonic rifle cartridge. I could not tell a difference between any of the loads. I did notice that the Primal gets hot quickly when shooting .45-70. After two shots it was too hot to touch.

Perceived recoil was noticeably reduced with the Primal over unsuppressed shooting. Admittedly, this isn’t a sit around all day and plink rifle; most shooters will confirm their zero with about four rounds and take one or two target shots a year. The beauty of the Primal is that it is actually a solid suppressor on other hosts, so it doesn’t need to live on your big bore rifle.

My final thoughts on the Henry Model X in .45-70 with the Dead Air Primal: while still “loud”, the blast is reduced to almost pleasant levels and perceived recoil is definitely lighter.

If .45-70 is your caliber, this is your rifle and suppressor.