Looking to easily swap your suppressor between multiple firearms? Here we take a look at Gemtechโs direct-thread rear caps.
A lot of suppressor users are not going to swap their silencer across a whole rack of rifles. Not the first suppressor, anyway. It will spend its range time on one or twoโmaybe three riflesโever.
If thatโs the case, thereโs no reason to invest in a QD mount system. Oh, they are cool, but they cost and add weight. A typical rear cap for a quick-attach system, and the muzzle brake it fits on to, can run up to 7 ounces.
Especially on a rifle meant for hunting, 7 ounces can matter. The old hiking adage, โLook after the ounces, and the pounds will look after themselves,โ comes to mind. So, Gemtech has now made available direct-thread rear caps for their new Abyss and Neutron suppressors.
They screw into the rear HUB threads on those suppressors. The HUB thread pattern is the new universal rear design, and if you have some other brand of suppressor that uses HUB, the Gemtech caps will also work.
The best part? If you have a 5.56 rifle, and the Gemtech Abyss 7.62, the 1/2-28 rear cap puts your .30 silencer onto your 5.56 rifle. Two rifles, two calibers, for one extra $52 part.
Will a .30 suppressor on a 5.56 rifle be as quiet as a dedicated 5.56 suppressor? Youโd be surprised. Plus, the Abyss is going to shrug off pretty much anything your 5.56 rifle can give it.
At the price, you would be crazy not to be able to swap your silencer around. Oh, your barrels have to be threaded, but thatโs common now, and theyโd have to be threaded anyway.
The big deal is cost: Compared to the $52 of one cap to fit them all, each quick-attach sept requires a muzzle device. Depending on the brand, that can be $70 to $150 for each rifle. And weโve been over the weight, which each rifle in turn is stuck with.
Now, you have to be careful. You must check alignment each time you install, because itโs prudent. And this mistake can be expensive.
Plus, thereโs one more detail you have to keep in mind. Since the rear of the suppressor is the HUB thread, if you owned them you could inadvertently install the 5/8-28 rear cap on your HUB 5.56 suppressor. That would be bad. So donโt do that.
One way to avoid that is to use a paint pen, and discreetly mark your .30 and 5.56 suppressors and caps, front and rear. Say, blue for 5.56 and red for .30. The ease and versatility of the HUB design makes things simpler โฆ but you have to be thinking.
And this isnโt just Gemtech: All suppressors using the HUB have this. So, pay attention.
But get the caps, theyโre too good to pass up.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2025 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
More On Suppressors:
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- Best AR-15 Suppressor Options For A Quiet Advantage
- Handgun Gear: Best 9mm Suppressor Choices
- Best .22 Suppressor Choices To Mute Your Plinker
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