SilencerCo Announces Omega 45K, Kills Trifecta Mounts and Specwar Line
January 3, 2017
This afternoon, SilencerCo dropped a YouTube video outlining changes to their silencer lineup for 2017. In the spot (featured below), they show off the new Omega 45K, a larger brother to the company’s popular Omega 9K. However, it’s changes to existing products that have the firearms community buzzing.
To start things off, SilencerCo is officially abandoning the Trifecta mounting system first seen with and exclusively used by their Saker rifle suppressors. In its place, the company will now ship Sakers in both 5.56mm and 7.62mm with ASR (Active Spring Retention) mounts, like the ones used by the Omega 30 and their now-discontinued Specwar. The end of the Trifecta isn’t all that surprising. While the system generally worked, a surprising number of Sakers have had to make the trip back to SilencerCo’s Utah headquarters to have stuck mounts removed. Because of this, migration to the simpler ASR mounts makes sense.
What is surprising is that with this change, SilencerCo has eliminated the Specwar from their line, and according to retailers, supplies of the cans are already running low. It’s disappointing to see the Specwar headed into history. For one, I own a Specwar 556 and love it. I managed to snag mine on an insane Black Friday deal two years ago for just $399 before the stamp. Even at full price, it was a sub $600 silencer that offered performance and durability on par with $1,000 options. The only area in which it suffers when compared to more recent releases is that it runs a little on the heavy side. The same could be said for the Specwar 762, which still stands as one of the quietest .30 caliber suppressors to date.
Beyond my fondness for the Specwar, this move also leaves SilencerCo with no mid-range or budget options for centerfire rifles. Sure, they’ve significantly lowered the price of the Sakers, but they’re still $100-200 more (for now, depending on the model) than same-caliber Specwars. The company doesn’t want Specwars cannibalizing sales of their pricier Sakers, but the discontinuance of one of the best overall suppressor lines over the past five years is a noteworthy move.
The Specwar won’t be alone in retirement, either. After roughly a year on the market, the Osprey Micro is on its way out. The Micro was an interesting silencer, but few shooters felt the need for an eccentric .22 can. Most rimfire pistol sights are perfectly usable with standard, round .22 silencers, so the Micro failed to capture the same attention that its larger, pistol-caliber siblings have enjoyed. Shooters also complained that the Micro’s unique modularity wasn’t as simple as they hoped.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how SilencerCo’s changes play out over the course of 2017 and beyond.
An information security professional by day and gun blogger by night, Nathan started his firearms journey at 16 years old as a collector of C&R rifles. These days, you’re likely to find him shooting something a bit more modern – and usually equipped with a suppressor – but his passion for firearms with military heritage has never waned. Over the last five years, Nathan has written about a variety of firearms topics, including Second Amendment politics and gun and gear reviews. When he isn’t shooting or writing, Nathan nerds out over computers, 3D printing, and Star Wars.