I got a few kits in my greedy little hands waiting for stamps, they're my first and I have been reading and watching videos about drilling the baffles since I got a few weeks to get it all sorted.  

Quietbore videos recommend using a hand drill with their jig, which I have purchased.  Their claim is that drill presses are often too far off to drill straight and most people don't know how to prevent this, so their jig was designed to force a hand drill to be straight.  

Okay, no problem.  Except other people, including in these forums have historically had problems doing just that and their bit wandered into the baffle scoops screwing with concentricity.  So, maybe use a pilot hole right?  Well, my 22LR can I went with Titanium and running a smaller bit in first is supposed to work harden the Ti which will make drilling the final hole harder if not almost impossible.  

To make it worse, others have said screw the hand drill, use the jig, and put it in a bench press vice.  I have a bench press, but that goes against what Quietbore explicitly says.  If a press is the right answer how do I ensure it is absolutely plumb?  I can't imagine how a hand drill will be less "off" than a drill press that is at least to the eye straight and level.  

Supplemental Question 1: the 22LR K baffles have scoops cut out, the 30 cal cans have more cone shaped baffles, do I need to clip those or just drill and go?
Supplemental Question 2: if I screw up a baffle or two can I destroy and get another one from Quietbore?

I've made a couple form 1's and I always get a drill bushing and baffle holder from @number40fan
He will get you squared away on what you'll need.
When I've drilled mine, I put them in the drill bushing and holder, level them in my drill press and go to town.
As far as drilling Ti, I make sure I use plenty of oil to prevent work hardening it.
If you're not going to be using a drill bushing, drill undersized and use a round file to get to your final diameter.

I got a bushing and holder from QB, it seems somewhat similar, bushing prevents the bit from angling/wandering, holder pins the baffle in place.

Yup that's the stuff.
It's not that hard as long as you take your time.

Here are my experiences with a Quietbore titanium baffle .22 can. All baffles were drilled on a lathe by a 30+ year machinist under my direction. The cobalt drill bits dulled fairly quickly, about every 2 baffles. Due to the scoop I assume, the bits wanted to walk. A pilot hole was drilled after the first two baffles, and as mentioned, the metal work hardened a bit. No discernable change in the amount of walk in the drill bit. After some digging, a stubby carbide bit was found and used. The carbide bit didn't dull, but still wanted to walk a bit although less than the cobalt bits. As mentioned, generous lube was applied. While a little rough  looking (not rough edges, some egg shaped holes) on the baffles, the can functions fine, no baffle strikes, plenty of clearance for the bullet, and can only hear the action on a semi rifle with subsonics, even better with a bolt .22.     I would like to try another .22 kit with a fresh carbide bit since the one found was of unknown age and use. I'll be doing a 5.56 and .30 quietbore kit with stainless baffles soon and will note my experiences with them.

Interesting.  The walking bit is what makes me raise an eyebrow because the jig/bushing is supposed to keep the bit straight and the baffle straight and still.  I test fit mine and it seems like the bit can't wander, but I obviously haven't used it yet.  

Also the 45 can comes with one stainless baffle to take the brunt of the blast, then aluminum baffles after that.  I was debating buying another stainless baffle or two to replace aluminum baffles #2 and #3, or am I overthinking it?  My biggest concern is once the can is done I cannot replace worn baffles and would have to do a new F1.

Keep in mind, I did not use a jig. Also, I did not try drilling from the flatter side of the baffle since I assumed the small divot would cause the bit to walk worse. Later today or tomorrow I'll start work on the .30 cal kit which has cone vs k baffles. There's a small little tit on the end of the cones that we will remove so we'll be starting from a flat surface.

30+ years doesn’t mean they are experienced with titanium. If done properly titanium won’t work harden. As soon as it does, you’re done.

Slow speed and heavy feed. You want a large chip to carry away the heat. Titanium transfers heat incredibly well and needs the large chip and slow speed to keep heat at manageable levels. You also needs loads of coolant. Oil is definitely not the best choice. You want so much coolant you can’t really see the part.

If done properly you will end up with a nice surface finish. If you had egg shaped holes that happens with drills. They should have finished up the hole with a boring bar to ensure it was round.

I had the conduction thing backwards. I’ll grant you that.

But the rest of your response is incorrect.

Just because it can be done, doesn’t mean it’s best practice.

"Best practice" is extremely subjective and doesn't mean or apply as a blanket. It directly applies to the situation and its parameters. On a small machine, your S&F's are going to be limited. Therefore, HSS may be your best option. Hence, cutting dry is preferred. On a 5 axis cnc, sure, you'd probably want to flood coolant, as your capabilities are higher.

So, you disagree that a boring head or bar can create anything other than a perfectly round hole?

For goodness sake, who has a lathe but doesn't own a center drill? Center drill the baffle, and the drill bit will follow on center.

You can't make egg shaped holes on a lathe. You can make holes bigger, you can make them off center, but they will be round.

Maybe you've never experienced it or never measured for it afterward. The magnitude of out of roundness can be almost imperceivable, but it happens. . They make boring bars that are specifically designed to create "accurate" bores. They have servo controlled fluid heads which can continuously change cutter location. They're used to create accurately shaped holes, round or otherwise. If a boring bar was good enough, they wouldn't have needed to create something better.

I do agree that a center drill should be the first bit used. However, once a bit's cutting edge starts to hit the preformed clip (from the QB K's) getting the bit not to wander can be a chore. A boring bar, on a lathe, would do better, yes.

Good drill bits are key.  Stubby screw machine drills in the tail stock after center drilling should hold center. That or a step drill if the cross section is thin enough.  Another trick for non-lathe operations is to fill the scoop with epoxy and burn the polymer out after (hopefully) drilling straighter.  That’s a pain in the ass but it gives impatient blow and go fabricators a sense of control and finesse that is harder to over ride by high gain impatience.

I did a QB kit. I drilled from the other side, avoiding the scoop altogether, on a lathe. I can see how worn headstock bearings, worn ways, etc. causes the ID to vary along the length of the bore. Can't quite picture how the bore is out of round. But I can't dispute it completely either. But if we're talking a few thousandths, I also can't see it affecting a suppressor.

ETA- a tapered bore, or one of varying ID isn't the same as out of round.

I'm not about to argue with a stranger who may well be a master machinist. I'm genuinely curious about this topic.

Maybe egg shaped was the wrong term to use. Would oblong make you feel better? I feel the same as User55645 that it's the preformed clip causing the flex in the bit.

I don't want to come across as arguing. I believe what you are saying. I'm trying to picture how you're getting oblong holes on a lathe. The workpiece is spinning, not the drill bit. Anyway, next time try drilling from the other side of the baffle. No scoop to contend with. I've never used one of the drill fixtures so can't offer any opinion.

You can get out-of-round holes on a lathe sometimes because the part is compressed by 3 or 4 jaws, and the hole is no longer round when you take it out of the chuck, this generally applies to very thin wall parts. I'm pretty sure weird harmonics with the boring bar and work piece can also cause them to be out of round slightly, but changing feeds and speeds should fix that. Concentrically locating the hole is the most important thing to me and that's where a boring bar shines.

Thanks! I'm aware that over clamping can cause this, can happen with a mill vise too. I'd argue that the hole was indeed cut round, but rebounded after the fact. I've bored forgings where there were hard spots deflecting the bar, causing out of roundness with heavy cuts, but a light finishing cut fixed that issue. But the other guy was talking about a drill bit. I'm still playing with that in my small brain.