Dead Air Mojave 45 Suppressor

By
Dave Bahde
-

Dead Air Mojave 45 Suppressor

By: Dave Bahde

The modular, ultra-low-backpressure big-bore counterpart to the Mojave 9

Dead Air’s Mojave 9 9mm suppressor has been incredibly popular, providing a low backpressure design and remarkably quiet sound signature thanks to advanced engineering and construction techniques.   Joining that stable is the new Mojave 45 — a .45 caliber version with the same characteristics. Utilizing their new Triskelion baffle system, both recoil and gas blowback are noticeably reduced. Pistol suppressors have always tended to be pretty dirty and often harsh to shoot, and those with less of either tended to be loud. Dead Air’s Mojave line is designed to deal with those issues, and it does so with a high level of effectiveness.

In its entirety, the Mojave 45 is 3D printed from Grade 5 Titanium for strength and the lightest weight possible. Unthreading the front module reveals Dead Air’s advanced Triskelion baffle design, which can only be achieved through additive manufacturing. A flow-through design, these baffles efficiently direct gases forward and away from the shooter, all while generating optimal acoustics.

Mojave 45 Suppressor

Weighing in at 12.07 ounces in its long configuration, removing the front module drops it to 10.44 ounces. Its long configuration measures 8.6 inches, while the short is 6.8 inches. 3D printed entirely from Grade 5 Titanium, it is finished in either a black or FDE Cerakote.  Shipped with a Mojave .578-28 threaded piston, it is capable of accepting other thread-pitch pistons as well as a spacer to convert it to a fixed mount.   With no barrel length restrictions and full-auto rated in pistol calibers up to 45 ACP, it is limited to an 8-inch barrel with semi-auto 300 BLK subsonic, 350 Legend, 400 Legend subsonic, and 450 Bushmaster subsonic loads. At 1.48 inches in diameter, suppressor height sights and optics remain largely unobstructed. With a retail price of $ 1,099.00, the Mojave 45 is moderately priced for an advanced, top-of-the-line low-backpressure pistol suppressor.

While the Mojave 45 ships with a .578-28 threaded piston for installation onto most .45 caliber threaded barrels, the threads at the rear of the suppressor body are also compatible with Dead Air’s P Series fixed mounts (and the compatible fixed barrel-spacer for use on sub guns), and Xeno and KeyMicro mounts. The outer tube is finished in either a black or FDE high-temp Cerakote.

Test Platform

Pistol suppressors often don’t play nice with 1911-style pistols, making my Finks Custom Guns GSP-D 1911 the perfect host.   It was also a good excuse to get a threaded barrel fitted, so I picked up an Ed Brown threaded “drop-in” barrel. Conveniently, on my way to Gunsite Academy, the pistol was dropped off at Finks Custom for fitting. The GSP-D is a 5-inch all-steel 1911 built to Gunsite Service Pistol specifications, with the addition of a direct slide cut for the RMSc optic mounting pattern and forward cocking serrations.   Designed to be an upgraded Government model, the barrel features a standard chamber, return spring and barrel bushing. Back-up irons consist of a rear sight mounted forward of the optic; both the front and rear are black (no dots). Finks builds them with a Holosun SCS Carry using a green reticle. This optic is compact and a good match to the 1911 slide width. The primary testing ammunition was Wilson Combat’s 200-grain HAP IPSC load.

The Mojave 9 9mm suppressor — which On Target gave a 2023 Editors’ Choice Award to — pushed the boundaries of pistol-suppressor technology, making their completion a bit nervous by allowing shooters to have the benefits of both low blowback and maximum acoustic signature reduction all in one, while also paving the way for future line extensions like the Mojave 45.

Range Time

Function was excellent in both long and short configurations, a bit of a surprise given the practice loads I was using. Recoil was noticeably softer with the long version, but neither was particularly harsh. The gas blowback was minimal, and after about 100 rounds, it was still clean by comparison. Testing other suppressors, you start to experience significant fowling and an occasional failure to feed after a couple magazines.   It was 100 rounds before I began to see significant fouling and the hollow points started to hang up, although the 230-grain ball continued to feed for another 100 rounds. Keep the pistol clean and “wet,” and it would likely run for a long time.   What was most surprising was how accurate this setup was at distance. Shooting on steel at 25 yards, I went through three magazines without a single miss on an 8” steel, and at 50 yards, it was almost boring, creating a fist-sized group from the bench. Sound suppression, from the seat of my pants, was downright impressive in its long configuration and still very good in truncated form.

Tested on a full-size 1911, a platform known to be finicky when suppressed, the Mojave 45’s lack of backpressure kept the pistol running strong throughout testing. Sound suppression was absolutely outstanding in its long configuration (shown) and still very good in its short form with the front module removed. If any pistol-suppressor line ever fell into the “have your cake and eat it too” category, it’s the Mojave.

Bottom Line

This was an impressive suppressor, especially used on a full-sized 1911. Quiet, soft shooting, low backpressure, and clean, the Mojave 45 left absolutely nothing to gripe about. With its truly modular construction and capability of working with both fixed and linked-barrel systems, the Mojave 45 should be at the top of your list when looking for a big-bore pistol suppressor. See it in person at your nearest dealer, or for more information, contact Dead Air Silencers; Tel.: (801) 857-4232; Web: www.deadairsilencers.com.

Specifications:

Construction:                        Titanium (Triskelion baffle system)

Caliber:                                .45 caliber

Coating:                               Black or FDE Cerakote

OAL:                                    8.6 inches (long), 6.8 inches (short)

Weight:                               12.07 ounces (long), 10.44 ounces (short)

MSRP                                  $1099.00

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