Tag

I have new lathe and hear that Ti is easier to machine than SS. Would like to know going forward....

Depends greatly on the alloy and heat treat of each...

Most commercial Ti rifle cans have a SS or Inconel (or even Stellite) blast baffle for a reason, it is tougher at high temps than Ti.

I think you'll have to weigh this upon certain criteria.
Is this to be used on rifle that isn't going to see a large round count and/or high rate of fire? Magnum ammunition?
Is a muzzle device going to be used and, if so, will be able to absorb/deflect a good portion of the initial blast?
Are these going to be purpose built baffles or commercially available parts?

No reason an all Ti suppressor can't handle the "average" use shooter or rifle.

I look at a lot of my builds like this:
It's $200 for a stamp, roughly <$50 for materials and a case of 5.56/7.62 is ~$300.
So, it costs me less to make the can than to buy a case of ammo
If I can get the can to last even 10k rounds than I think I've done well. Not that I aim to build something good enough for only 10K rounds and this doesn't include the ability to replace an eroded muzzle device.
And, let's be honest, an eroded blast baffle shouldn't compromise the integrity or overall effectiveness of a suppressor. Can performance be lost? Sure, but if you build another you'll have a spare or be able to do some destructive testing...
By this time I can look forward to using my gained knowledge and build a new design.
To be honest, I quite enjoy designing and building so it's a win win

It's not really that cut and dry.
Is Ti hard to cut? No, not with the right tools.
Is it easier than SS? Yes and no. 303 will be much easier to machine than Ti, but succumb quicker to the environment of a suppressor. 316, on the other hand, will most assuredly be more of a pain than the Ti used for these builds and lacks strength. I would consider 17-4 to on par, as for machinability, with Ti, but superior in: strength, erosion resistance, and weldability. Not that Ti is difficult to weld; I'm just not set up for it.

Titanium work hardens so having a stiff enough lathe with decent power lets you take heavier cuts with carbide tooling. The main thing is getting conditions for good chip formation and removal.  With a lighter lathe carbide tooling doesn't handle chatter well and light cuts with HSS or cobalt tooling increase the opportunity for work hardening the titanium surface.  Flood cooling also helps. Ti is pyrophoric so you want to avoid the chips igniting.

As to stainless, 416 machines well, 17-4 isn't too bad, other grades can be stringy.  For something like baffles you can get away with ugly surface finish.

Q and Thunderbeast don't seem too concerned about all titanium stacks.

Well also think how easy it is for them to replace the stack as a SOT.

I'd prefer a MB over a FH, but not everyone shoots 100% suppressed. If this were the case, I'd stick to 1 SS blast baffle and go Ti the rest. I'd cut it thicker, but I know retail parts don't allow for this. A second is fine. However, with your firing schedule, seems unnecessary. Maybe keep the 2? The price is cheaper for SS and you can rotate for piece of mind. Lol

Skirt cones vs spacers, meh, you have to cut either one so not a huge diff.

Ti is very strong, but does not achieve good hardness, so as a blast baffle, it is more susceptible to erosion than a hardened martensitic stainless.  17-4 H900 is pretty standard, but 416 can achieve similar hardness with much easier machining characteristics and lower material cost.  It's about half as strong, but plenty enough nonetheless.

17-4 is much easier to work with and easier on tooling than 6/4 Ti.  I can run inserts a lot longer on 17-4.  304, on the other hand, behaves a lot like Ti, eating twist drills and taps, overheating & burnishing cutters.

I've turned loads of 316 and 17-4.  316 is not overly difficult to machine and 17-4 is a breeze to turn.  I'd take either any day over Ti.

Personally, My next centerfire rifle can will have 2 17-4 baffles followed by the rest in Ti.  My first one was an all inconel baffle stack and it weighs a ton (but I'm pretty sure it could survive a few belts on a M240). YMMV

17-4 is becoming the norm these days as it has much better erosion defense characteristics. You can almost balance out the weight argument by running 17-4 thinner for a baffle that weighs close to what a Ti baffle weighs.

One thing overlooked with 17-4 is the heat treatment. it can be some really strong stuff with the proper HT. Most of your tier 1 commercial cans are going full 17-4 internals with Ti tubes and endcaps. just saying.