Griffin Armament Dual-Lok Suppressor Review
The Griffin Armament Dual-Lok suppressors are the culmination of the latest technology from Griffin Armament. The ECO-FLOW baffles, tubeless design, and a new mount system are just the start for the new Dual-Lok silencers. Let’s take an in-depth look at the latest offering from Griffin in our review of the Dual-Lok silencers.
I’ve seen a lot of silencers (I call them silencers, but sometimes suppressors), and over the years, the trend in design has gone in a few directions. Consumers have determined the features they are looking for with a silencer, and for a good reason. The process of acquiring a silencer is long, even with the new Eform system. Also, the end-user wants a silencer that will last a long time and have the performance they want. To that end, many of the new silencers we see coming to the market have several things in common. They are shorter, lighter, and have less backpressure and, thus, less blowback than previous designs.
Tubeless Silencers
To answer these demands, silencers have gone “tubeless.” That means the baffles are welded together on top of each other and don’t have an outer sleeve. This decreases weight and helps with strength. This design feature has the bonus of allowing a faulty silencer to be repaired more easily. Since the outer tube doesn’t have to be removed, a damaged baffle can be cut off, and a new one welded on.
Tubeless silencers are not new; the European market has been making silencers this way for quite some time. They have only gained in popularity in the US since around 2015. However, this design is not new to Griffin Armament, which has been developing and working with tubeless silencers since the company was founded.
The Green brothers started Griffin Armament in 2006, and since the beginning, they have been pushing the limits of what silencers can and should be. They were the first in modular silencers and creating user-serviceable rifle silencers. Griffin not only innovates – they listen to customer feedback and deliver what people want. The new Dual-Lok silencers are a perfect example.
Decreased backpressure and blowback…Check
Light weight silencers…Check
Short overall length added to the host…Check
Durability…Check
Great sound performance at the shooter’s ear and downrange…Check
Mounting retention system that doesn’t wear out…Check
Low flash signature…Check
Minimal POI (point of impact) shift…Check
The Dual-Lok silencers seem to have it all. They really are a combination of the different technologies Griffin has developed over the years.
Features of the Griffin Armament Dual-Lok Silencers
Let’s start at the back of the silencer and work our way forward since the mounting system is where the Dual-Lok silencers get their name.
The Dual-Lok mounting system is an active locking system with no wearable parts. At first, it looks like a ratcheting system or compression mount that other manufacturers use. However, it just locks the silencer to the mount and keeps the silencer from rotating during firing.
Once the silencer is screwed onto the large ACME threads, it stops on the taper located just before the threads. This allows for a repeatable mounting location and increases the accuracy of the silencer. After that, twist the locking ring to the left or right. This causes the wave spring to drop the collar onto the splines of the mount. It will only fully engage on one side, and it will always be the same side for that mount.
There are 60 different splines on the mount, and the silencer will lock onto any Dual-Lok mount without issue. The lock does not have to be engaged for the silencer to be firmly attached. The taper lock on the front of the mount keeps it tight regardless of your shooting conditions.
The large threads on the Dual-Lok make the attachment of the silencer faster than the Griffin Armament taper lock system while still providing the benefits of the taper system. The muzzle devices feature a ¾” flat wrench for easy installation.
Several different muzzle devices are available, including brakes, flash hiders, and comps. Griffin also makes a Dual-Lok hub threaded in 1.375×24 that attaches to other silencers on the market. This allows you to take advantage of the Dual-Lok mounts with your non-Griffin silencers.
Moving upward on the silencer, it becomes obvious that Griffin invested in laser welding technology. The welds on the Dual-Lok are smooth and consistent. This is a point of difference from some other silencers on the market that have uneven welds. The silencers are made of high strength, high temperature, corrosion resistant 17-4PH Stainless Steel and 718 Inconel. They are finished in a matte black or FDE Cerakote.
The Dual-Lok suppressors feature Griffin’s ECO-FLOW baffles. This provides flash reduction and flow, reducing blowback in semi-automatic and fully automatic rifles. This gives the end user reduced sound pressure and gas at the shooter’s ear and face. The flash-hiding end cap features high-performance internal and external flash-reducing features and optimally-tuned gas vents. These gas vents enhance flash reduction and increase sound performance to ECO-FLOW baffles.
Review of the Griffin Armament Dual-Lok Suppressors
All these features look great on paper, but how do the Dual-Lok suppressors perform in the real world?
The answer is: Exceptionally well. There are a lot of silencers on the market that have a flow-through design to decrease blowback on the shooter. For the most part, they are very loud. The ECO-FLOW baffles do a much better job. The sound performance at the shooter’s ear is excellent, and they sound good both downrange and to the side of the shooter. Watch the video for a sound comparison from the shooter’s perspective and downrange.
The silencer is much faster and easier to attach compared to the Griffin taper mount system. On the taper mount system, you must have the silencer aligned perfectly, or you will not get the threads started. This can make installing the silencer in low light a little difficult. With the Dual-Lok’s larger threads, the silencer attaches much faster and screws down quicker. I’m a fan of the new mounts over the taper mount. They solve a lot of potential issues. For example, one thing I have experienced with the taper mount system is that the mount has to be firmly attached to the host, or it could come off and become stuck in the silencer. Because the taper system also has a solid mounting attachment, removing the silencer can sometimes remove the muzzle device from the host. While the Dual-Lok also has a taper, the larger threads make it far less likely to become stuck vs the older taper mount. This is a much better design, in my opinion.
As far as the silencer specs, it is very competitive in length and weight.
Griffin Armament Dual-Lok Silencer Specs
Diameter: 1.5″
Overall Length: 6.5″
Length Added: 5.1″ with included Minimalist Brake
Weight: 11.8 Ounces
Materials: 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Attachment: DUAL-LOK Mounts
DB Rating: (134DB) 16” Griffin MK1
Finish: High Temp Cerakote
Full Auto Rated: Yes
MSRP: $1,045
Diameter: 1.5″
Overall Length: 7″
Length Added: 5.6″ with included Minimalist Brake
Weight: 12.6 Ounces
Materials: 17-4PH Stainless Steel
Attachment: DUAL-LOK Mounts
DB Rating: (139DB) 16” 308win AR10, (125DB) 9.5” 300BLK SUB, (136DB) 11.5″ 5.56mm Griffin MK1
Finish: High Temp Cerakote
Full Auto Rated: Yes
MSRP: $1,095
Overall, I enjoyed shooting the Griffin Armament Dual-Lok silencers. They tamed the 300 Win Mag and the 6.8 Western, both hard to suppress and have a bit of recoil. Size and weight were good; you don’t notice them on the guns. However, they are not the lightest on the market if you have a lightweight rifle and are counting ounces. The Dual-Lok 7 is only a few ounces away from some of the lightest on the market. This is a small tradeoff to make for a silencer that can handle a lot of abuse and has a fast mounting system.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.