Riflecraft Moderators

The cans are made by Hardy Rifle Engineering Ltd of New Zealand, exclusively for Riflecraft, and offer both fullbore and rimfire options in both reflex (over-barrel) and muzzle-mounted styles depending on calibre choice.

Fullbore

The centrefires are reflex-types and offer the Standard - calibres from 223 to 30-06 - and Magnum - 270 WSM to 300 Win Mag. Unlike other makes they are all bored out to suit a .30” cal projectile, so a 223 would be identical to a 30-06. How much difference this makes is debatable!
The specifications are impressive. I had a Standard which measures 300 x 44.5mm with just 100mm protruding from the muzzle and weighs just 360-grams (12.6oz), which makes it one of the lightest fullbore units around. The Magnum is identical apart from an extra 50mm of inboard length and weighs 40-grams more at 14.10oz. Even the titanium Lawrence weighed 14oz and I thought that was light!

Different, the design features an integral muzzle break, which takes the form of three, kidney-shaped gas ports on the front face. It did seem rather strange as you might assume that a break would increase the noise, we shall see.

Mystery Interior

This is a sealed unit so what’s inside is anyone guess. Hardy have this to say: “Our suppressors are of baffle-less design. The internal is constructed from a solid billet of 7075-T6 aluminium, CNC machined into an intricate style of muzzle break with gas traps.” The alloy is all hard-anodized so it should give good longevity and a quick squirt of oil before and after use should do the trick. Typically there’s a synthetic bushing at the rear for stability.
It’s available in three colours - matt black, silver and green and at the rear are spiral flutes that act as a gripping surface. Hardy also states: “Depending on calibre and ammunition type, decibel reduction can range from 22-30 db and recoil reduction is up to 70%.” With any fullbore moddy you tend to expect reduced kick, though normally through the sheer weight. So does it work?

Stand Corrected

I used the standard on a 308 Win and a 300 Win Mag and have to admit to not expecting anything special as I have tested too many so called ‘super silencers’ to believe the hype! In 308 the report was nice and quite with no high crack but a pleasing thud/boom and well under the pain threshold. Better still the muzzle break functioned as you could feel it working as it pushed down and this was not just the extra weight either. Moderation was that efficient that I ended up with someone else firing it with my head on line with the front face about 3 feet away with no ill effects.

I then switched to the 300 Win Mag, which is significantly more powerful. For example a 180-grain reload burns around 73-grains of powder to push the bullet at around 2950 fps. The Standard Gen III took it in its stride and though noise and recoil were up a bit it was not that much and still well within limits. I also repeated the head near can test with similar results. I’m sold and already ordered one for my new 6.5 Creedmoor custom.

Rimfire

Building the ultimate rimfire can is not that easy as even the cheapest like the - to my mind -benchmark SAK is hard to beat at around £30. Here there are two models - a reflex with a spec of 200 x 35mm with an outboard length of 100mm weighing 200-grams (7.05oz). The muzzle-mounted is 115 x 35mm with an outboard of 100mm weighing 140-grams (4.93oz). In essence it’s the same thing without the expansion chamber… Either can handle from 22 LR up to 17HMR/22WMR.
These can be stripped and show a solid, alloy matrix with five, chevron-shaped baffles, with #5 being deeper. Inspection of the reflex-type shows a slim inner tube and I wondered how much effect it actually has? A word of caution here as rimfires tend to throw out unburnt powder, which can build up inside. This is not an issue on a non-reflex design as it tends to get burnt before too much gets deposited. However, on a reflex this excess tends to be pushed down the expansion chamber, where it builds up and can be set off by the muzzle flash. This happened to me on a prototype I had on my 17HMR two years ago. It held together and I still use it, but I clean it every 200/250-rounds and its fine. So I would say that if you go for the reflex be aware!

A Tad Quieter Maybe?

Testing here used 22LR and 17HMR with control supplied by an SAK. Judging the difference was not easy but I would say that the reflex did seem a tad quieter certainly in the HMR though the muzzle-mounted sounded about the same as the SAK. However it’s nice and short and light at 4”/5oz and does the job.
The beauty of the general design is that there are fewer parts as there are no speared baffles etc. to get loose and misalign. As the muzzle thread screws directly into the baffle matrix with the outer tube screwing onto that too. This is in both rimfire and fullbore units too. Typically most thread sizes are catered for; just ask if you want anything special.

Of the three moddies the fullbore impressed the most due to its size, weight and effectiveness plus its practical muzzle break system. It is also well priced at sub-£300. The rimfires are not so obvious with the muzzle-mounted being expensive for what it is compared to the competition. The reflex costs about a 1/3 more but is still very much in the ballpark for this sort of item and of the two is what I would choose.

Name: Hardy Gen III Moderators
Standard fullbore £285
Rimfire reflex £145
Rimfire muzzle-mounted £90
Contact: Riflecraft Ltd, 01379 853745

For: The Standard is a superior and well priced fullbore moddy
Against: Not a lot
Verdict: Well worth a serious look

For: Two well made rimfire units with the added advantage of the reflex option
Against: The muzzle-mounted is a bit pricey
Verdict: Of the two the reflex has more to offer, but keep it clean