Dead Air’s CT5P Patrol Suppressor

By
Dave Bahde
-

Dead Air’s CT5P Patrol Suppressor

By: Dave Bahde

A hard-use suppressor designed for Law Enforcement (but Dead Air was nice enough to also make it available to the rest of us)

Once a novelty, the low (or no) backpressure suppressor has become the fast favorite, with most every suppressor manufacturer producing at least one example. Hard-use variants, generally focused on hard-use clients, are built to work with any barrel length and can withstand full-auto fire. Built to last, they can run on the heavy side, although “heavy” models today are lighter than ever these days. Dead Air’s latest offering in the hard-use category, the CT5P Patrol, is designed around your typical police carbine, comes in at a comparatively reasonable price point, and is among the best-performing and most durable 5.56mm suppressors we’ve tested to date.

The CT5P is entirely 3D printed from the nickel-based superalloy known as Haynes 282. Compared to the commonly used Inconel, Haynes 282 better maintains its integrity under prolonged exposure to high heat caused by heavy firing schedules. The CT5P is full-auto rated with no barrel-length restrictions.

Dead Air CT5P

Weighing in at 14.9 oz with the heaviest mounting system (KEYMO), it drops to 14.3 oz with XENO and 13.7 oz with direct thread. Each mounting system is integral, 3D printed directly into the suppressor, abandoning the universal “HUB” system. This not only saves weight but increases durability and longevity.   Made entirely from Haynes 282, it uses the proven Triskelion baffle system for gas management and is coated in either a Black or FDE High Temp Cerakote. With no barrel-length restrictions and full-auto-rated in both 5.56 NATO and 6mm ARC, the CT5P is about as tough as it gets. Its longest configuration is 6.55 inches (KeyMo), and the shortest is 5.49 inches (direct thread). At 1.6 inches in diameter, it can be used under some handguards and accommodates most suppressor covers. With an MSRP starting at $899, the CT5P is moderately priced for a top-of-the-line, low-backpressure rifle suppressor.

For durability and weight savings, the CT5P’s mount is 3D printed directly into the suppressor’s body. Mount options include 1/2-28 and 5/8-24 direct-thread mounts and XENO (shown with included 3-prong flash hider) and KEYMO quick-detach variants.

Test Platform

For testing, the XENO mounting system was chosen for its simplicity and effectiveness; remember that, since it’s integral, there is no swapping mounts, so make sure to choose the one that best meets your needs. This XENO mount allowed me to move the CT5P from my 6mm ARC build on my LWRCI Six 8 to my 5.56mm Geissele URG using an LWRC- IC lower. Both use fixed gas blocks and tend to be on the over-gassed side. Testing was also completed using my 5.56mm Daniel Defense MK18 and LMT MARS-L with fixed gas blocks and 10.5” barrels, covering the most common “patrol” configurations.

Seen here with the end cap removed, the CT5P’s proven and very effective flow-through Triskelion baffle system is far too complicated for traditional machining methods, and can only be created through Direct Metal Laser Sintering (3D printing). The end cap’s built-in flash hider doubles as wrench flats for removal.

Range Time

All of these weapons have been suppressed using standard backpressure suppressors, going back to 2019 on the URG using the SureFire RC2. The difference the CT5P offered was striking, especially on the Geissele URG. While it ran using the RC2, it was an outright gas-making machine that gunked up the works in less than three magazines and ejected brass at a consistent 1:00 O’clock.  Using the CT5P, it was pure joy; little or no gas at my face and a consistent 3:00 ejection pattern with an occasional flyer. This pattern also mostly held on both the LMT and MK18. While ejection patterns varied slightly with each, the minimal gas and fouling levels were identical to those when shooting unsuppressed. The big winner here was the 6mm ARC. Not only did its ejection pattern remain the same as unsuppressed, but it was also more consistent, and the CT5P created an overall softer shooting experience. There was no visible shift in impact at 100 yards with any of them, and both the 6mm ARC and 5.56mm URG were still dead on at 300 meters while shooting suppressed.

Designed with heavy firing schedules in mind — with strong considerations in several departments including weight, reduced backpressure that results in a reduction of gases in the shooter’s face and less punishment on the host firearm, vastly-reduced/no flash signature, caliber versatility, and pricing — the author states that he doesn’t think it gets any better in the hard-use, duty-suppressor category. Tested on multiple barrel length and caliber ARs, the CT5P performed exceptionally well on all.

Bottom Line

Quiet, soft-shooting, ultra-low backpressure, and clean-running, the CT5P proved to be as advertised and ideal for duty use. After spending the day with both, the URG with the CT5P attached has shifted back to one of my primary rifles; accurate, well balanced with the can, clean running, and the absolute epitome of “hard use”, it just does not get any better! See the new CT5P at your nearest dealer, or for more information, contact Dead Air Silencers; Tel.: (801) 857-4232; Web: www.deadairsilencers.com

Specifications:

Construction:                        Haynes 282, 3D Printed

Coating:                                 Black or FDE Cerakote

Caliber:                                  5.56mm and 6mm ARC

Barrel Restrictions:                 None

Full-Auto Rated:                     Yes

OAL:                                     5.49 to 6.55 inches

Weight:                                13.7 to 14.9 ounces

MSRP:                                  $899 to $1,099

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