Can flies off without any damage?

[Brian Shaffer]

Okay, a buddy's can flew off the end of his gun during a hunt. Visual inspection revealed no damage. It is an AAC suppressor, the type that partially screws into place and then ratchets snug. Somewhere along the way, he calls the vendor and explains what happen. The vendor says that "he has heard of some cans flying off like that with no damage to can or rifle. It seems it is usually when the can wasn't on right/tight and the gases, which leave after the bullet, throw the can off the adapter."

Does that make any sense to any of you, that a can (not fully secured) can be shot off the end of a rifle with no damage? The caliber in this case was .308.

And oh yeah, my buddy puts the can back on his rifle and now it won't come off. Apparently, there was damage.

He put it back on the rifle and now it is stuck.

 

[FrankT]

that does not sound good, I would have at least chased the threads, do you use anti-seize lube?

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

I know how to get it off....shoot it.

 

[Ratdog68]

("AAC")... no comment.

And, sorry to hear of your buddy's woes with it. That blows (pun intended).

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Frank, I don't own any NFA gear, LOL, and I would not have put it back on the rifle until completely tearing it down and inspecting it. As for the anti-seize, I don't know. I don't recall it being necessary for the AAC, but I don't own it.

I have a feeling this isn't a bimetal/temperature seize problem, but a mechanical failure of the suppressor's locking mechanism. My buddy told me that they tried getting it off to the point of working the flash hider/adapter loose from the barrel. That puppy is now stuck to the adapter.

So can you shoot a can off your rifle without damaging it?

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Aparrently not!!

 

[Ratdog68]

Personally, I'd be suspect of the claim of "it's fine".

 

[FrankT]

I would find no damage hard to believe, but w/o close inspection I would not be shooting it.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

LOL, chopper, not in this case is right.

Frank, I don't know if it was shot after being being put back on. If so, it wasn't shot much as my buddy tends to be slow on pulling the trigger. They (2 guys) did get 4 more hogs after the that threw the suppressor, but I don't know who shot what with which gun(s).

 

[Wassman]

And this is why I like direct thread, less stuff to break. Now he has to send it back to AAC and wait for them to repair it.

 

[FrankT]

Yeah I am not firing it till that happens

 

[hdfireman]

Like Wassman this is why I do t like QD cans and AAC's QD mounting system is the one you hear about failing the most. I bought a saker because it is the only mount that I have seen that I am some what confident in. Haven't had it loosen up yet, I constantly check it.

Normally when a can gets sent down range it is because the bullet has sent it in that direction. I've never heard of the muzzle blast rip one from its mount. When a can gets loose it hangs down which causes it to be out of alignment. This is when the bullet hits some where in the suppressor and "Houston, we have a problem". On most 30 cal cans there is only .030-.040" clearance to each side of a 308 bullet. Not much room for error.

I'd say the can came loose, had a baffle strike and can took flight.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

I found this interesting. It is the instructions on how to remove a stuck suppressor from KAC. The latch plate has to be fully open for this to work.

http://www.tenpoundmonkey.com/web/remove.jpg

Apparently, Surefire has the same sort of deal. Here is a guy doing it.

 

[hdfireman]

I guess they are saying the locking mechanism is stuck. If it was fully threaded on the adaptor and "stuck" that wouldn't work. If it did you'd be chasing your can after every shot.

 

[ppapago]

Couple things just to throw out there to see if I can diagnose this.

1. Can the ratchet latch be depressed? For example, depress the latch as if you want to unscrew it from the mount. If the latch can be depressed then it sounds like carbon build up. This happens a lot with all my QD cans. This is an easy fix. You just have to depress the latch and muscle it off.
2. Is there a lot of carbon build up on the QD mount or can?
3. Does the latch on the can still have its teeth or have they been rounded off due to wear? When using AAC cans you should always depress the latch while screwing the can on to avoid wearing down the teeth. This sounds like what would cause the can to fly off. If the latch has worn down then it has no way of locking itself in place.

FYI, If the latch is worn down it requires the can to be sent in for repairs which will be free to the owner.

Shooting the can off should be an absolute last ditch effort, but yes it can be done without damaging it amd can also happen if it is not securely locked.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Well, I believe your last comment was correct. After getting it home and inspecting it, the "lock" and the flash hider are damaged and being replaced. Amazing what bright sunlight will do for a good inspection, LOL. It probably wasn't locked or locked properly.