Used a vacation day to try out my SF RC on the OBR for the first time and to try out some reloads and other factory ammo.

So I had a bit of a shock, accuracy was not great with the silencer installed. My POI dropped and I could not get the accuracy that I was expecting.
Another thing was the gas block settings...strange symptoms. First pic of a start of a good day. Help a brother out guys...

I'm a noob in this silencing world. Thought I was losing my mind, I'd take the SF off, groups would come up about 2-3" and tighten up.

Is the drop normal? Is it normal to lose that much accuracy? Weird stuff with the gas block settings?

Hit or miss. Some suppressors will certainly change your poi more than others. Unfortunately there's no way to tell ahead of time. Either way you've got a badass rifle that I'm sure is still a blast to shoot suppressed.

Howdy -

It is very common to see a POI shift when you add the can. Almost all of my rifles with various cans do that. Most folks agree it has to do with barrel harmonics. You add weight to the end of the barrel (the can) and now the recoil impulse can change the flex of the barrel as the round leaves the muzzle. Very common.

In my humble opinion, there are two important things to know about this POI shift when you add the can.

1. Is it repeatable? Is the shift always the same amount ?

=> Typically the answer is yes, especially with a high quality rifle and can like you have. You should test it to be sure though. I have a tOBR 7.62 and SF RC can and it is 100% repeatable. Don't let you mind play tricks on you and create a problem. Just confirm your zero with the can a few times and note it down in your log book assuming you keep one.

2. You should know the difference with and without a can.

=> You really need to know the difference with and without a can. I normally shoot mine suppressed all the time and keep the rifle zero'd assuming the can is attached. However, mine shoots about .5 mil high from a 100yd zero without the can. So, mine shifts down just like yours. You never know if you'll need to shoot it without the can. If you do, you should know the difference so you don't send a round to the next county and we all read about you on the news.

While I'm rambling, I saw 12 ft/sec increase on the chrono when I added the can to my tOBR. It won't make a difference until you get waaaaay out there but thought I would mention it since you're new to the suppressed world.

Lastly, in terms of the vertical stringing you had when shooting with the can. Assuming you were not breathing extra heavy and inducing that yourself because of the excitement or frustration of shooting with your can the first time, I would assume the rifle just doesn't like that load combo.

Did you try other loads ? I normally do my load dev with the can.

Hope this helps.

My SF RC holds awesome repeatability. I will use two separate zeros for suppressed and unsuppressed. Once you know your can's POI shift, you should be good to go. Also, ammo can defiantly be a factor with shift. I tend to stick with one type of match grade for true zero (Speer 64gr Gold Dot for 5.56/Beck 168gr Ultra Match A-Max for .308). Expect other ammo to behave slightly different. Make sure to keep your gas on the suppressed setting when your can is on. With less gas, it's a lot nicer to shoot

Either way, you have a great set up at your finger tips. I wouldn't hate having to figure out what it likes to eat...Have fun!