Living in a restrictive state for a good chunk of my shooting career, I’ll never forget the first time I got to try a suppressor. I would be forever transformed with my initial trigger press, as all of the promises regarding sound and recoil reduction were wholeheartedly kept. However, there is one additional truth that seems to slip off the marketing brochures—suppressors change the rifle’s balance. It’s simple physics, really, as even a little bit of weight applied to the farthest point of the gun is going to be noticeable. Couple that with the generally heavier designs of the time, and I started to realize that suppressors sometimes have a few drawbacks.
While the physics will never change, we can control how much influence they have. Their effect can be mitigated by using lighter materials and more efficient baffle designs. Dead Air has proven this with their Ti series of suppressors, built with extensive use of grade 5 titanium. Using additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, the Nomad baffle system was born. By building something up, instead of shaving it down, more intricate designs can be created, allowing for more suppression without a single scrap of material where you don’t need it.
With the recipe perfected, Dead Air’s engineers shifted their attention to applying it in a way that would cheat the forces of nature. By recessing the attachment point deeply into the silencer’s housing, suppression can begin behind the muzzle, allowing for a reduction in the overall length of the shooting package with negligible loss in sound reduction. This became the premise for the Nomad Ti OTB, which stands for “Over The Barrel.” As the rest of the name implies, it also makes use of titanium construction and the weight-saving Nomad baffle configuration. Through these combined design features, the finished product weighs just 10.5 ounces while only adding 4.6 inches to the muzzle.
Pulling it from its box, a few key points jump out immediately. First, it is indeed user serviceable, as the front cap and the rear cover can be removed. This allows the unit to be soaked in solvent or put through a sonic cleaner. Dead Air also includes the tools to take off both parts, helping you to preserve the high-temp Cerakote finish applied to the exterior. The attachment method is also attention-grabbing and rather well thought out. Instead of picking a common thread and cutting it into the body, the OTB is, in fact, customizable. It does this through the use of the company’s Xeno radial brake. With the Xeno brake affixed to the threaded muzzle of a firearm, the Nomad OTB suppressor spins over the brake’s exterior threads, locking it to the rifle. Of course, this mounting system also dampens felt recoil. Dead Air includes a .30-caliber 5/8-24 Xeno in the box, so it ought to cover most of your needs. However, if you plan on using this for a smaller diameter cartridge, or your .30 caliber rifle is threaded ½-28, additional Xeno adapters and mounts are available at their online store.
Everything needed to mount the Dead Air OTB to a rifle is included, so testing didn’t take any real prep work, especially since I already had a rifle ready to go from deer season. About halfway through last year, I realized I was bringing too much gun into the woods and decided I ought to shorten up things. Turning to a Ruger American Gen. II Ranch rifle in .308 Win., I pulled all the stock spacers and the muzzle brake, leaving me with a full-power rifle that stretched only 34.5 inches. The OTB will fit any rifle with a barrel thinner than 1 inch, so I had plenty of play. My first step was installing the Xeno brake, which is ingeniously cut to accept a ¾-inch 12-point socket. Torquing it to 25 ft.-lbs. is all that’s needed to keep it in place, but the manufacturer welcomes the use of thread locker for a more permanent installation. The suppressor then threads to the outside of the brake in a reverse pattern. The can is clearly marked with “On” and “Off” directional arrows to help you keep track of this. While different, this is helpful when it comes time to break everything free, as loosening the suppressor tightens the Xeno adapter to the gun. Otherwise, you might find yourself with a Xeno adapter carbon locked into the can with no way to get it out. When it was all said and done, the can allowed ample clearance for the barrel to float, and my rig was only extended to a mere 39 inches.
I started my day by confirming my 100-yard zero without the suppressor using Hornady’s Precision Hunter ammo. This supersonic load routinely shoots sub-MOA in this rifle, so any changes to my point of impact or consistency would be easy to notice. Satisfied with the results, as well as the recoil reduction of the Xeno brake alone, I mounted the suppressor and fired a second three-shot group. This group was also sub-MOA and centered 4.5 inches directly below my unsuppressed group, which isn’t too different from any other suppressor I’ve tested. The important part of the result is that it didn’t have any left or right error, as that might indicate an issue with the baffle stacks’ concentricity. Additionally, the first shot’s report was nearly the same volume as the other two, which is important in the field. First-shot pop can be substantially louder than others, and since in most cases you only get that one, a can with poor first-shot performance is essentially useless to hunters.
I hate reporting on whether a suppressor is hearing-safe, because the decibel threshold varies depending on who you ask. Furthermore, few, if any, gun writers have the proper equipment to measure noise reduction. So, instead, I donate a little bit of myself to science with each review and report on my experiences. Those three shots, fired under an overhang, left my ears ringing for about 10 seconds. Not terrible for a shot or two, but not something I’d want to do all day without hearing protection. The operative word here is “I,” which should not translate to “you.” Taking medical advice from a hunter is about as crazy as taking hunting advice from a doctor.
Switching over to a handload that I’ve built to fly below the sound barrier really opened my eyes. Firing this was much more comfortable and barely louder than the conversation around me. The rounds impacting the dirt stood out more. Again, I’m not medically trained, but I was able to fire 50 rounds without hearing protection and didn’t experience any tinnitus.
Ending the day, I found that Dead Air’s Nomad Ti OTB was more than a gimmick, as it produced full-sized sound suppression while minimally impacting the rifle. This is a handy suppressor to have when hunting in a tight blind or if you are looking to outfit a smaller-statured shooter. Using a break as the mounting device was a terrific move, as this configuration cuts both noise and recoil, making it a perfect way to introduce a new shooter to our world. My experience has taught me that if newbies enjoy their initiation, they’ll likely continue to shoot; the inverse is also true. All in all, the OTB gives you what you need to stay quiet, without adding too much length or wrecking the balance of your shooting iron—and that’s the long and short of it.
Dead Air Nomad Ti OTB
- deadairsilencers.com
- Type: multi-caliber suppressor
- Caliber Range: .17 HMR-.300 RUM
- Material: 6AL4V Grade 5 Titanium
- Attachment System: DA870 Xeno Radial Brake, 5/8-24 (included), alternative thread adaptors available
- Self-Service: yes
- Number of Baffles: 5
- Weight: 10.5 ozs.
- Length: 7.65"
- Diameter: 1.76"
- Finish: black Cerakote (tested), FDE Cerakote
- Decibel Reduction: 124 dBA (at shooter’s ear on a .308 Win. bolt-action rifle)
- Full-Auto Rated: no
- MSRP: $1,049
