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Posted: 4/5/2012 9:06:50 AM EDT
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A few questions...
1. Why would I not want one of these? 2. My SBR has a 10.5" barrel and a MI T-9 9" handguard. Anybody know if it will fit? I could not find anything on this. 3. I'm looking at either this or the AAC Ranger 3. Any recommendations? 4. What other cans should I be looking at that are quality yet affordable. I don't want one where I have to permanently attach a flash hider, like the YHM Phantom. The features most important to me are sound reduction, weight (lighter the better) and quality/warranty. |
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Quoted:
A few questions... 1. Why would I not want one of these? 2. My SBR has a 10.5" barrel and a MI T-9 9" handguard. Anybody know if it will fit? I could not find anything on this. 3. I'm looking at either this or the AAC Ranger 3. Any recommendations? 4. What other cans should I be looking at that are quality yet affordable. I don't want one where I have to permanently attach a flash hider, like the YHM Phantom. The features most important to me are sound reduction, weight (lighter the better) and quality/warranty. I would reverse that order. Any can you buy is somewhat of a non-returnable investment. Like a new car leaving the lot depreciates immediately. You want the best made one you can afford that is as light as you can afford. To my ear pretty much all cans sound fairly close to one another. |
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The Halo is heavier and longer than many thread-on cans. For the same overall length the Gemtech Trek on an 11.5 inch bbl will give you lighter wt, more velocity than your 10.5 and sounds about the same to me, plus it costs less than the Halo.
The Halo is great if you are going to swap it around a lot, but the wt difference is noticeable to me. |
I would stay away from the HALO. My friends loosens up within a few rounds and when I put it on my rifle it the collar chewed up the spacers on my battlecomp. It also was so heavy my impact was changed by quite a bit even on a medium contour barrel. My buddy was pretty disappointed after spending so much money and having those issues. For what it is worth, he talked to Gemtech and the acknowleded that if both the male and female threads were at the limits of thier tolerance. They told him to use lock-tite to correct the issue 
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I had a HALO, didnt like it.
1) POI would change , as much as 5-6" @ 50yards when I would take it off and put it back on, Getting it "clocked" the same didnt seem to matter. 2) Extremely heavy 3) Collar could loosen up after a couple hundred rounds 4) Can only use NATO FH, nothing longer or different. |
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My experience has been all good. I've used my Halo almost exclusively on PWS braked rifles without any hint of loosening. The can has held up through several classes without issue.
It is heavier than other cans which is a negative, but the ability to swap easily between rifles is a big plus. I've come to prefer it over my other .223 can (which is both quieter, lighter, and a lot more expensive) mostly due to not having to use proprietary mounts. I also get very little POI change with the can. |
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I have had my HALO since 08 without any issues. I run it on an A2 flash hider on both a 10.5" LMT upper and a 16" DD Lightweight barrel (.625)
The HALO is not the lightest suppressor but it is rugged and is easy to swap between my rifles although it stays on the 10.5 most of the time. It has never loosened on me and my POI shift at 100 yards is 2" low on both of my setups listed above. I would look toward direct thread on if you want to save as much weight as possible. The Ranger, Trek and Trek Titanium are all lightweight. |
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I'm moving from a YHM can to a HALO.
I really like the idea of using an A2/1 flash hider, or any number of other flash hiders, rather than having to buy an expensive, proprietary (think SF and AAC) mount. I can pick up A1/2 flash hiders for a few bucks, rather than $100+ from the other guys. My approach to ARs has become more KISS over the years so it seems to fit my mindset. The newer HALOs have lost a few ounces over the earlier models, making them only slightly heavier than the competition. I'm not gonna let 2 ounces upset me too much. Part of that weight is the stainless steel mount, and I'm wondering if I might have someone fabricate a titanium or aluminum one for more weight savings. Or wondering if it can be safely perforated to trim it down even more... |
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Quoted:
I had a HALO, didnt like it. 1) POI would change , as much as 5-6" @ 50yards when I would take it off and put it back on, Getting it "clocked" the same didnt seem to matter. I've heard others say they experience little no POI change. 2) Extremely heavy The HALO shed some weight recently. I think the deeper dimpling in the collar played a part. 3) Collar could loosen up after a couple hundred rounds Make sure your boyfriend is at the range to help you tighten it. 
4) Can only use NATO FH, nothing longer or different. NOT TRUE. Below is a partial list of flash hiders compatible with the HALO. Rather than being limited, there are actually MORE OPTIONS than with proprietary mounts. Primary Weapons SM556 brake VLTOR VC1 flash hider Bravo Company A2X extended A2 flash hider Sabre Defense SDI extended A2 flash hider and since 2010, the Smith Vortex flash hider The BattleComp 2.0 was specifically developed for use with the HALO. |
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I've had a Halo since last year and love it. I had 2 AR's when I bought it, so it made sense to get something that I didn't have to spend and extra $100 or so for another mount. Yeah, its heavy, but it doesn't feel any heavier than my friend's YHM can.
I like the fact that it's built like a tank. The collar doesn't loosen on me at all. In fact, several times I've had problems getting it off, although thats been after several hundred rounds at a time. I also have been very pleased with the service I get from Gemtech. I've called numerous times to ask "dumb" questions, and they've been extremely pleasant and helpful. One last thing, and I know that this is frowned upon especially here, is that I have no worries shooting .22lr thru it with my conversion bolt. According to Gemtech themselves, run it with no worries. I'll always finish up with a 20 round mag of 5.56, but I've noticed NO difference in sound reduction after approx 1k of .22lr. |
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i think the "mounts to any standard NATO flash hider" is about the best possible idea for a can - you aren't screwing a can on and off of barrel threads, which weren't meant to have things put on and off of them repeatedly, you don't have a bare muzzle and threads when you remove the can, you don't have to worry about the can coming lose (provided the can's locking system works as it should), and you don't need expensive mounts. as much as i like gemtech products, the HALO is an older design and won't perform quite as well as some of the other newer whiz-bang cans out there, but that may or may not matter to you. it performs perfectly acceptable IMHO. there are a few other companies making cans that mount to A2 hiders these days. |
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