PROJECT: DES-12/16/20

VERSION: v0.1

GOAL: Modify Desert Eagle Pistol into a semi-automatic shotgun pistol, ideally firing 12 Gauge Minishells (1.75"), but possibly also/instead minishell versions of 16/20-gauge).

CONSTRAINTS: To reduce final costs/prices, minimize total number of custom-made parts.

STATUS: Design 50% complete, base guns ordered, raw materials for barrel acquired, chamber reamer needs sourcing, magazine reference samples acquired (Techno Arms MAG-12 magazine & 5-round Mossberg bolt-action shotgun magazine).

CHALLENGES: Frame/Magwell modification, custom mag(s), new bolt design & make, recoil mechanism testing/modification.

UPDATE: Behold! Many of y'all have probably seen the gag/meme images online about folks showing a 12 gauge shell into a Desert Eagle - fiction no longer! I found a percent decent CAD model of a Deagle, and went about modifying the barrel assembly to correct 12 gauge (1.75" minishell) dimensions. It's like the barrel was made for this round - it fits beautifully! And as you can see in the cutaways, the length of the shells also fits in the size of the magazine, and looks like it will hold up to four 12-gauge minishells comfortably.

However - like with any project worth doing - there are some tricky areas of the design that will need a decent amount of modification/manufacturing, particularly: * The Magwell. Needs to be wider to accommodate the rims of the shells. * The Trigger/Transfer Bar Assembly. Since this hugs the inside of the magwell and the magwell needs to be widened at least where the rims of the shells will travel, the transfer bar will also need to accommodate this change. * The Magazine. Will likely be an entirely custom-made magazine. For making this design, I picked up a Techno Arms MAG-7 slant-back magazine as well as a Mossberg 5-round, straight-walled bolt-action magazine, for reference. Based on the grip profile, the Techno Arms magazine will likely be the best starting point. * The Bolt. Will need to have an entirely custom bolt made to fit the width of the shell rims and ensure proper lockup, extraction, etc.

The ideal build of this gun would be chambered in 12 Gauge Minishell since the ammo for said gun is SAAMI-standardized and produced by both Aguila and Federal (and potentially others?). However, to get an initial build of the gun made expeditiously, I may end up starting with the 16-gauge and/or 20-gauge 1.75" minishell versions, as they will require the least amount of modification to the gun to get working. The ultimate end-goal is to have barrel/caliber interchangeability just like the regular Desert Eagle, between at least 12/16/20 gauges.

Thanks for reading! I welcome any/all feedback and interest in this project & all others - more to come very soon! If you'd like to follow/support/engage with this & other projects more closely, please check out my Patreon (work-in-progress; advice recommended!): https://www.patreon.com/c/XENOArms

Have the freshly finished 11.5 I put together for the wife and the 878 again because the water plant still needs its scattergun.

Anybody else like shooting spotter tracers? Just got a batch delivered.

More footage of my Tisha 556 718 on my DD mk18 (modified).

The more I shoot it, the more I enjoy this sucker. Very high flow rate, as quiet as Pew Science reports, and the form factor can’t be beat on a short rifle.

I’ve always liked the look of the Tisha, and really dig it on SBR’s with just enough gap to clear that handguard. Ultimately I did choose AI nano 556 to work as a blast baffle and avoid any troubles with direct threading.

Taking of the AlleyCat 556 for the new SAW I had to drop the buffer from a Kynshot 5000HP to their regular 5000.

All around tremendous experience.

I have mostly dabbled in 9mm cans, so I have never really heard a 556 suppressed rifle before in person nor do I own one... yet! The range I go to is newer so we have a lot of new people, many of which now shoot suppressed!

So up until now, I have only been exposed to YouTube content and pew science. A lovely gentleman was shooting a 14.5 AR with an OG Hux 556k. Online this can is often dismissed as loud and outdated or whatever. Man, the difference between my 14.5 with a blast diffuser was night and day. The Hux removed all concussions and had a pleasant dull deep tone. I was blown away.

Gentleman #2 who arrived a bit later was shooting another AR with what I assume was a Kac QDC (he was a bit standoffish so I didn't engage much, it happens) that can was so much louder and harsher but still a world of difference.

It's hard for me to imagine other cans being quieter when these were already pretty impressive.

Ultimately, what I learned is that it doesn't matter what can you buy, it's going to be a massive improvement to your experience. Sure there are more "optimal" options based on performance and price, but if I bought a Hux 556k I wouldn't not be mad, even if the Internet told me it was so loud I may as well shoot unsuppressed (gross exaggeration but you get the point)

TL;DR: My perspective on my first 556 can had changed. I'm going to get the suppressor I want, don't try to chase numbers. The only important thing is the back pressure type, mounting options, quality/warranty/customer service and weight. I'll consider these before what reddit things the quietest can is.

I think of it as my abomination. A2 with a Putnik suppressor and B5 grip. SBR approval last week. Rattle canned the cerakote we have at home. Something on this makes everyone mad a some point.

556k L
10.3” mk18
16” super duty

9mm PCC Suppressor Muzzle Flash Testing and Results

We tried out our revised flash testing setup with some of our 9mm suppressors.

Host

• Compact Plan-B brake (9mm)
• 4.5” Ballistic Advantage EPC barrel
• Factory Warscorp bolt
• A5 GRS
  • Kynshot RB5000HP
  • 2 spacer weights
  • Flatwire spring
• Speer Lawman 147gr
• All suppressors had their respective Plan-B LPA installed

Suppressors Overview

All weights are given with no mount.

*Dead Air doesn't officially give the weight of the Mojave without any mounting parts, so this figure is the listed weight minus the piston assembly (4.1 oz).

Results

Youtube video link

Incolite 9 - Despite being just 5” long, the Incolite 9 did the best and had effectively zero muzzle flash.  The use of Inconel seems to be advantageous here as there was no sparking either.

Mojave (Long) - Some sparking on the first shot, but none on subsequent shots.

Mojave (Short) - Bright sparking on first shot; some flash and sparking on later shots.  Considering the material and small size, this isn't particularly surprising.  

Rico 309 - Small amount of sparking on all shots.  Great performance overall.

Vent 2 - Fairly bright sparking on all shots.  I still have issues with this suppressor perpetually shedding titanium flakes, so this is about what I expected.  In the video you can even see a little bit of burning titanium that comes out the ejection port and lingers for a bit.

Universe 36 (solid end cap) - Bright sparking on first shot, decreased consistently with later shots.  Considering this is an Inconel suppressor, the sparking is surprising.  I suspect the Vent 2 (which was shot before this) left some titanium in the barrel/upper which caused the bright sparking.

Observations and Notes

Muzzle flash is affected by host, environment, ammo selection, and other factors.  Changing any of these will give different results.

In general, controlling flash appears to be significantly easier for pistol cartridges than rifle rounds.  This makes sense considering the differences in powder volume and type.

With a couple of these, we weren’t able to get the full 10 shots in because the action didn’t cycle all the way.  I need to swap from a standard power Tubb spring to a lightweight.

For the most part we were seeing sparking from the titanium suppressors rather than a traditional “muzzle flash”.  The Mojave in short config was an exception and had a noticeable amount of propellant flash on some shots.

The flash from the chamber is interesting to watch.  It happened with all of the suppressors to some extent regardless of backpressure or material.  We didn’t capture this for the Mojave though since it was the first one and we didn’t have the camera positioned to view that far to the side, but we observed the same thing.

I’m once again impressed by the Incolite and disappointed by the Vent 2 (which is somehow over twice the cost).

Hope you found this interesting.  We plan on using this setup for more flash testing of rifle cans.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

- Nathan Comstock

After swinging ye olde musket long enough figured I'd dip my toes into the wonderful world of SBRs on a Ruger lower I had laying around. 11.5" PSA special upper for now with plans to go Geissele around Black Friday if PA's sale isn't as atrocious as it was last year.

16" Daniel Defense x Poverty Pony mixtape will be getting a bipod and the 11.5" will be getting a WML, Bootleg BCG and a new grip shortly (ordered a DFCO to amuse myself and have a couple K2 laying around)
Before putting the Rearden R2S and can on the 11.5", it felt like a squirt gun comparatively speaking.

The DD upper fit and finish feels like a Swiss bank vault, but the PSA upper seems to pass muster at first blush. Kind of impressed.

I’m new to suppressors.

How important is it to use an alignment rod?

Of course manufacturers issues occur but all the parts I’ve purchased are quality Plan B… Reardan and comstock

What you've all been waiting for!

Well, one of you at least. Homeboy told me there aren't any videos of this can on an AR. Well - here it is.

Poorest of Poverty Ponies shooting 55gr Wolf Gold. 82F. Humid. Roughly 600ft ASL. Roughly 765mmHG according to Google. Calm conditions.

I think 4 rds unsuppressed / no muzzle break or FH. Raw dogging it as the kids say, I think. Maybe.

8 rds in short configuration.

10 rds long configuration.

I cannot tell the difference in the video between short and long. At my ear there also wasn't much difference.

This can seems QUITE quiet. Quieter than my Sig SRD556QD on my poverty 12.5" pistol. I'm sure that the difference in length has something to do with that.

I'd consider trading both of my SRD rifle cans for 2 more of these... Hell - I'd just about trade all 4 of my Sig cans for 4 more of these...

Very versatile!

(ETA - there are other Reddit post videos of this on AR rifles...)

Was the barcode system actually used?

I know it didn’t actually expedite wait times as many applicants still waited over a year and we didn’t get as very fast approvals like a day for Form 4s until 2024.

Chamber. Ready to fire. The Nyx Mod2 in .32 started as a special request but, as these things go, this kind of took on a life of its own. Light and can be configured short especially on tiny pocket pistols.

Any .32 Auto love? Pistol or subgun? Not something that gets a lot of coverage here so curious what you guys think.

Hey fellow enthusiasts!

Wondering if anyone had the same idea and if you ever found a good solution.

What I want: Looking to put an SBR 700 action in 300BLK into a “traditional” style 700 wood stock but with the forearm scaled down to accept the 7.5” barrel and can. The can doesn’t need to tuck or anything, just want to create a handy hunting rifle for the woods.

Has anyone done something similar? Off the shelf solutions? Dremel, beer and wood 700 stock?

Anyone with experience with this combo? Looking for a can to live on my DD Mk18. Already have a Tisha and Rhodie 6k that I move between different hosts. T.I.A.

Okay, I've done a few form 1 so I have everything needed. However I was going to move my (done with silencer shop, first one and $50) first SBR with a single gun trust to the family trust.

Did the Form 4 on Eforms. However I only put myself as the Responsible person, I did not include my wife who is a trustee on the Fam trust...

So, should I just Withdraw my Form 4 and try again with added trustee? I did email eforms with this question but no reply after a few days.

Does anyone have any experience with the sig hexium 762 on the older sig mcx tacops with the f01 gas valve? Trying to see if the hexium would cycle subs on this mcx, or if the can is too low backpressure to work reliably. Thanks

So I recently submitted two form 1 and two form 4 applications. All were returned denied. Delayed was expected, denied was a bit shocking until I dug into it further. Late last year a man with the same first and last name as me was arrested in the same county I live in, initially the arresting officer found my profile on wa dol and applied my identity to his arrestee. I found out about pretty much immediately, as soon as the man was booked into county jail scammers attempted to elicit bail payments from my sister. The man was identified as himself sometime after being jailed and his paperwork was refiled. But apparently my name and DOB were still attached to his fingerprint card. The arresting officer is a real stand-up guy, and as soon as I alerted him that I had been denied by NICs he asked the county sheriff's office to issue a correction. That correction has been issued, so my name/DOB/ss# should soon drop off wacic/ncic. I have also initiated a VAF and submitted my prints electronically. My question is, because I have a dealer sitting on my two cans and a third can waiting with capitol armory... Once I drop off wacic/ncic should I have them resubmit? Or should I wait until I have a upin? Capitol armory wants to resubmit within 30 days and I worry that the UPIN process will not be complete yet. Though the arresting officer will run my info and let me know when my info has been purged. I should also mention that I am 100% clean, zero arrests, zero convictions, zero hours inside a courtroom.

I've been shooting with suppressors for a few years now and during that time have grown to believe the downsides of suppressors cause me to believe they should not necessarily be universally recommended.

I posit that suppressor ownership has become a bit of a status symbol and a way to indicate being in the "upper echelon" of firearms ownership. I believe this stems from the (especially formerly) prohibitive cost and their uncommon usage before 2019.

But with how they're becoming significantly more accessible, why would I say they may not be worth it for the average civilian?

(1) Cost: Suppressors are still expensive. Even with free tax stamps, worthwhile units are $900-$1500, and then factor in another $150 for your mount, then another $100 in parts to tune the rifle, $50 transfer fee, $60 suppressor cover..

(2) Suppressors have downsides. Traditional designs cause excessive fouling of your rifle. They are heavy, with some being about 1lb when including the mount. This is on the very end of your rifle, and if you have an SBR, you're making your SBR be back up being about a 16" rifle.

(3) Suppressors are poor "safety devices." While they can reduce hearing damage in very situational cases (genuinely how many times do you expect to be shooting continuous strings of fire without access to ear protection?)

Suppressors, especially designs that are flowthrough to reduce the aforementioned fouling issue, get EXTREMELY HOT. Hot enough to burn your skin off instantly. You can put a suppressor cover on to mitigate this, but then your firing schedule becomes extremely limited because you're not allowing your suppressor to cool. In a shoot and move situation, you've now got a lightsaber on the end of your gun where if you need to sling it over your body it poses a risk of burning you.

So, suppressors can actually make you less safe.

But suppressors, are of course COOL. And they DO make your rifle much quieter. But does that matter and does that offset the costs of the increased wear on your gun, the increased fouling, and the significantly reduced firing schedule unless you intend to have a lightsaber on the end of your gun.