FIELD TEST: Silencer Central’s Meateater Suppressor

Looking for a hunting or a general-purpose suppressor? The Meateater from Silencer Central is a solid choice.

by Richard Mann

Suppressors are becoming more common for hunting. This is evident just by looking at the new hunting rifles being introduced. Most come with shorter barrels and threaded muzzles to be more suppressor friendly. This trend is also evidenced by the brand new 7mm Backcountry cartridge Federal specifically designed for use with a short, suppressed barrel. Suppressor manufacturers are adapting to this trend as well by engineering suppressors designed to appeal to hunters. One of the newest is the Meateater suppressor from Silencer Central.

Field Test: Silencer Central’s Meateater Suppressor — Though primarily marketed as a hunting suppressor, the Meateater is configured to provide great service as a general-purpose suppressor.

The Meateater suppressor is a 100% titanium unit that is 5.85 inches long and weighs 10.3 ounces. It is suitable for use for any 0.30-caliber cartridge up to .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and down to .223 Remington and even smaller. Silencer Central equipped the Meateater suppressor with an adjustable anchor brake, and they claim it can reduce felt recoil by as much as 30%. As for noise reduction, they claim the Meateater will reduce a .308 Winchester to around 133 dB with the brake closed and to about 137 dB with the brake open.

You purchase a suppressor for sound and recoil reduction but there are other things to consider, like how it will mount and how you will service it. And with the Meateater suppressor, you can also tune its performance with the anchor brake. Silencer Central sent me one to test and evaluate, and here is a comprehensive look at what you need to know before you buy.

Mounting

One issue that has plagued suppressor shooters for years has been mounting. Unfortunately, the thread pitch used for rifle barrels/muzzles varies from barrel to barrel and from manufacturer to manufacturer. The two most common thread pitches are 5/8×24 and 1/2×28, but there are a lot of others. The solution has been to purchase an adapter, which not only adds length and weight to the system, but it also adds another link to work loose. The Meateater suppressor works with a direct thread mount, which greatly simplifies this process and eliminates the weak link of an adapter.

The direct-thread hub is actually the rear end cap of the suppressor, and you order the hub with the correct thread pitch you need for your barrel when you purchase the suppressor. You can also order additional end caps/hubs to fit other barrels. For example, I have a hub in 5/8×24 and another in 1/2×28. These will also work with the Meateater suppressor or any suppressor with a hub attachment thread pitch of 1.375×24. When I’m swapping my Banish Backcountry suppressor between rifles with different thread pitches, I just swap hubs and tighten them to between 50 and 60 inch-pounds. The Meateater suppressor works the same way.

Adjusting

One of the neat features of the Meateater suppressor is the built-in anchor brake. The anchor brake allows you to tune the performance of the suppressor to allow for more recoil reduction or more sound suppression. This is a neat function incorporated into the end cap of the Meateater suppressor, and you can make the adjustments in a matter of minutes.

To tune the anchor brake, unscrew the end cap and you’ll notice that inside there is a slotted disk. You can rotate this disk, which locks in place with a tab inside the endcap. This allows you to adjust the disk so gas escapes through the holes on the top and side of the endcap when it’s installed on your rifle. This reduces felt recoil. You can also flip the disk over so it blocks all the holes. This provides maximum sound reduction.

The Meateater suppressor also comes with two muzzle inserts. This allows you to use an insert that matches the caliber of the rifle you’re shooting. The closer the hole in the end of the suppressor is in size to the caliber of the bullet, the more noise reduction you’ll have. The Meateater suppressor comes with a 6.5mm and 0.308-caliber insert, and you can swap them with a flat blade screwdriver. Be careful that you’re using the caliber insert that matches the caliber of the rifle you’re shooting!

Servicing and Cleaning

Some suppressors like the Banish Backcountry are unserviceable but with others, such as the Banish 30 and the Meateater, you can disassemble them for cleaning. This can extend the life of the suppressor and ensure optimum noise and recoil reduction. Silencer Central suggests you clean your Meateater suppressor between every 50 and 100 shots.

To disassemble the Meateater suppressor, unscrew both end caps and remove the anchor brake from the front-end cap. Next, spray the inside of the suppressor, the end caps, and brake with a carbon solvent — I typically use Ballistol — and let it set for about 24 hours. After the solvent has had time to work, push the baffles out of the suppressor tube. If the baffles seem stuck, you’ll need a baffle removal tool from Silencer Central.

You can clean these baffles by hand or dump them and the end caps in a sonic cleaner. Your goal is to remove all the carbon deposits from all the suppressor parts. Once cleaned to satisfaction, it’s time to reassemble, and the baffles must go back in the correct order. Stack the baffles on your workbench starting with the thinnest baffle. The next six baffles are all the same, and the top/final baffle is the baffle with the extra holes in it. They all lock together with a keyed slot.

Now, screw in the mounting hub and then slide the suppressor tube down over the baffle stack and pick up the suppressor — be careful to hold the baffles in place — and rotate it 180 degrees. This will allow the baffles to fall in place so you can screw on the end cap/anchor brake. It’s always a good idea to add a bit of anti-seize lubricant to all the threads on the mounting hub and front end cap after cleaning, and before assembly and installation.

Testing

I evaluated the Meateater suppressor on five rifles that included an AR-15 in 5.56 NATO, an AR in .300 HAMR, and bolt action rifles chambered for the 6.5-.300 Weatherby Magnum, .308 Winchester, and .300 HAMR. To evaluate noise suppression, I closed the anchor brake and, to me, it seemed that the Meateater suppressor was a tad quieter than my Banish Backcountry suppressor but not as quite as my Banish 30 suppressor.

The 6.5-.300 Weatherby rifle was the hardest-kicking rifle I tried the Meateater suppressor on, so it was a good candidate to assess how well the anchor brake worked. Recoil is a very subjective thing and in the absence of a sophisticated testing apparatus, all I had to go on was feel. I could tell a difference in recoil when the anchor brake was open, and if I had to guess, I’d say it reduced felt recoil by about 20% to 25%.

In total, out of the five rifles, I fired 200 rounds through the Meateater suppressor and experienced no issues whatsoever. I also cleaned the suppressor three times. Once after 60 rounds, again after 80 rounds, and finally after another 60 rounds. The carbon fouling appeared to be about the same each time and I was able to remove the baffles by hand every time. I think if you cleaned this can after every 50 shots or so, you’ll probably be able to get by without a baffle remover.

Final Word

Suppressors — good suppressors — are expensive and, in addition to a suppressor’s cost, you must pay the $200 tax to the government. That puts the price of the Meateater suppressor at $1500. The good news is that with the anchor brake and user serviceability features of the Meateater suppressor, especially when combined with the unit’s compactness and lightweight, you’re getting a lot for your money.

If I were looking for a one-suppressor-answer for several rifles of 0.30-caliber and less, as well as for one suppressor I could use for hunting and recreational shooting, the Meateater would be among those at the top of my list. I currently have a Banish 30 and a Banish Backcountry suppressor, but since I’ve had the Meateater suppressor on hand for testing, I’ve found I’ve been using it most often. And don’t forget, buying a suppressor from Silencer Central is as easy as it gets. They offer a barrel threading service, you can conduct the entire purchase process from your home, and they’ll not only ship your suppressor to your doorstep, they’ll also let you make payments.

Meateater Suppressor Specifications

Manufacturer: Silencer Central
Caliber: 0.308 and less
Cartridge Rating: .300 Remington Ultra Magnum
Diameter: 1.73 inches
Weight: 10.3 ounces
Length: 5.85 inches
Baffles: 8
Materials: 100% titanium
Finish: Sniper Grey Cerakote
Sound Reduction: 32 dB
Recoil Reduction: 30% to 40%
Accessories/Features: Adjustable anchor brake, direct 5/8×24 thread mount, 6.5mm and 0.308-caliber muzzle inserts
Price: $1299

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Richard Mann

Richard Mann is a veteran, former police officer and special agent, and a firearms instructor. He has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. During the last quarter-century he has published thousands of articles and several books about guns and hunting. Richard lives on his private shooting range in West Virginia with his wife and a pack of dogs.