I’ve had a couple of rimfire suppressors and a .45 rated pistol suppressor for a while now, but had held off on getting a rifle suppressor. Mostly out of indecision and not being sure what to get. I wanted something I could use with all, or at least most, of my rifles. Being that I was shooting a .350 Legend that knocked out the more common .30 suppressors. When I saw the Griffin Sportsman Ultra Light .36 drop, it caught my eye. The features looked good, and the price was reasonable. After a little bit of research, I decided to pull the trigger on one.
The Griffin Sportsman Ultra Light .36
The Sportsman Ultra Light HD .36 is a lightweight, affordable suppressors designed by hunters for hunters. Full 17-4 Stainless Steel construction brings a new paradigm of durability to the Sportsman Ultra Light family of suppressors, hence the HD (High Durability) designation. Tubeless laser-welding, a silencer technology pioneered by Griffin, affords near-titanium weights using much more durable 17-4 H900 heat-treated stainless steel.
The original Sportsman Ultra Light Suppressors were aluminum in construction, and had to be relegated to sporting use only allowing a handful of rounds to be fired in quick succession then allowed to cool. The Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ series does away with these restrictions, providing of peace of mind to hunters knowing their suppressor can handle whatever they throw at it. This added durability allows end users to dial in their hunting rifles without needing to break for suppressor cooling, as was the case with the previous, aluminum Sportsman suppressors.
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Sportsman Ultra Light HD suppressors feature Griffin’s patented ECO-FLOW baffle technology to minimize user exposure to toxic gases, and decrease system gas to allow better functioning on gas-operated hosts. Industry-standard 1.375×24 HUB threading allows users to utilize any HUB mount adapters from Griffin as well as other manufacturer’s mounting systems if desired. This .36cal (9mm) suppressor can also accept Nielson devices (booster housings) to be run on 9mm Browning-style tilt-barrel pistols.
Sportsman Ultra Light HD suppressors are machined in Griffin’s Watertown, Wisconsin facility by freedom loving Americans.
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Mounting Options
While the Sportsman Ultra Light does not technically come with a mount, you have your choice of adding a 5/8×24, 1/2×28, or a Plan-A Taper Mount for free when you order. Their DUAL-LOK HUB and GATE-LOK adapters are available at an additional charge.
I chose a 5/8x24mm adapter, since that was what is most common for .30 and above rifles. I also ended up ordering a 1/2x28mm adapter which will work on 9mm and 5.56 platforms. When the GATE-LOK comes back in stock I plan on getting one of those as well since they work with standard A1/A2 pattern flash hiders, and I shoot a lot of mil-spec clone rifles with GI flash hiders.
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Cost for the Ultralight Sportsman 36 was $589.95 which I thought was very reasonable for a .36 caliber can with accessories.
Silencers to your Door
Once I looked at the specs and decided to grab the Ultra Light .36 I took a look at Griffin’s silencer to your door option through Capital Armory. I knew the program existed but had never looked closely at it. I have a good local SOT I deal with normally, but decided to see what the Capital Armory program was all about.
When you purchase your suppressor from Griffin you have the option of adding your tax stamp to your cart. When you check out you’ll get an email from Capital Armory that walks you through the process. The first step is setting up a profile with Capital Armory. You have the option of filing as an individual or using a trust. If you don’t have a trust you can purchase one through Capital Armory for $79.95 and then you’ll have it in place for future purchases.
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Step-By-Step
You’ll then get a link to a step by step walk through to do your Form 4 suppressor paperwork.Much of this information will be prepopulated for you based upon your Capital Armory profile information. You do all of the same paperwork as you normally do to purchase a suppressor, but in this case you do it online. It’s fast and easy.
There’s an option to upload a photo, and they give you the guidelines for the photo requirements. Basically it’s a passport photo. You also have the option to upload a digital copy of your finger prints. I already had a digital passport photo and my Electronic Fingerprint (.eft file) so I was able to just upload those immediately.
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If you don’t have your .eft, Griffin sends you out a package complete with fingerprint cards, an ink pad, and instructions on rolling your own prints. They do a nice job of walking you through the process and explaining how to do your prints and how to send them back to them. They do need your fingerprints to continue processing your Form 4.
ATF Forms & More
Once they have your prints you finish the Form 4 and digitally sign it via DocuSign. Within a couple days you’ll get a follow up email from them and arrange a time to call and work with a Capitol Armory representative to certify your Form 4 in the ATF e-forms system. The said the phone call only takes 3 to 10 minutes and they’re right. I was on the phone for maybe 5 minutes doing mine. They do a good job of keeping in contact and explaining where you are in the process. It honestly sounds more involved when I explain it than it really is. It’s simple, and you don’t have to leave your house to do it.
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My Form 4 was approved within 9 days of me starting the purchase and paperwork through Griffin and Capitol Armory. Now, there’s one last step before they can ship the suppressor and that’s the Chief Law Enforcement Officer notification.
At The Doorstep
Capitol Armory sends this out by certified mail and they give one week from the acknowledged receipt of that letter before they ship. This allows time for the CLEO to review it and get back to them if there is any issue. Once that time period is up you get a shipping notice and your suppressor is sent right to your house. An adult does need to be present to sign when it arrives.
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All in all, the process is pretty simple. It potentially takes a little longer having it sent to your door than picking it up at your local SOT but there’s a definite convenience factor involved. I didn’t have to leave my house for the anything during the process, and my total time between my order and having my suppressor at my door was 30 days. Not bad, especially considering the wait times just a year or so ago. It’s a great option to if you don’t happen to have a good local SOT to deal with.
Hands on with the Sportsman Ultra Light .36
When I got my suppressor I ripped into the package right away. The Ultra Light .36 came packed in a foam padded box. Along with the suppressor I received a Griffin Bushwhacker Wrench, and an accessory bag to hold your suppressor, and a pack of stickers. My bag had a pretty slick camo pattern that incorporated the Griffin logo. There was also a manual.
Since I ordered through the mail, I hadn’t had a chance to check out the suppressor in person before now. My initial impressions were good. It’s a pretty compact at 6.09 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter. Weight is 10.4 ounces without an adapter installed. With the 5/8×24 direct thread adapter installed, it weighed right at 12.4 ounces.
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Range Testing
My imetus for getting the .36 cal Griffin was so that I could use it on my .350 Legend rifles. The fact that it will work on my 300 Blackout and .308 builds was a bonus. And the fact that it also works on 9mm was an even bigger plus. I erounded up two .350 Legends rifles, a 300 Blackout pistol and a 9mm SBR for testing.
My .350 Legend rifles were a Rossi LWC single shot, and a Ruger American Ranch Rifle Gen II. The Rossi was mounted with a with a SIG Romeo 5 green dot sight, and the Ruger had one of the new Winchester Supreme Optics 1-4x24mm scopes.
Final Notes
After spending some time with the Griffin Sportsman Ultra Light HD .36, I can honestly say I’m glad I finally made the jump into the rifle suppressor world. It checked all the boxes I was looking for; lightweight, durable, versatile, and reasonably priced. And the fact that I can run it across everything from my .350 Legend rifles to my 300 Blackout and even a 9mm host makes it an incredibly practical option.
Add in the smooth “silencer to your door” process through Capital Armory, and the whole experience was about as painless as buying an NFA item can be. I still have plenty more range time ahead with this can, but so far the Sportsman Ultra Light .36 feels like one of those rare purchases where you walk away thinking, yep… should’ve done this sooner.
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