7 Best AR-15 Suppressors (5.56 And Multi-Cal)

Suppressors improve the safety of shooting sports, can improve weapon accuracy, and are just awesome to have.

Choosing the suppressor that is right for you can feel stressful with the added weight of a tax stamp and federal regulation that goes into it.

But that’s why you have us!

We’ve taken a look at a lot of the major suppressors on the market built for .223/5.56 and will give you our top picks and recommendations to take some of the stress off of you.

The NFA, Suppressors, and You

A lot of people miss the good old days.

Take 1934 for example, gas was only 19 cents! The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series and the Three Stooges released their first short.

Oh, and the National Firearms Act was passed and signed into law.

We’ve had a few significant changes since 1934.

One example is the value of $200 dollars.

In 1934 that was a lot of money for a suppressor tax stamp and this restricted the ownership of these items to the rich ($200 in 1934 had the buying power of $3,800 today).

Two hundred dollars these days isn’t pocket change, but its a lot more affordable now than it was in 1934.

With the cost of a stamp being so low, NFA items have increased in popularity. None more so than the suppressor, at least in terms of purchasing a new NFA item.

Getting a stamp and everything is relatively easy and we recommend doing it through a gun trust. Check out the $79 option through GunTrustGuru hosted on Capitol Armory (one of our fav places to buy suppressors).

Without further ado…we’re going to be looking at two flavors of suppressors…one specific for the AR-15 5.56 caliber…and also multi-caliber suppressors that can be used from everything rimfire through .30 cal.

Most will gravitate towards the .30 multi-caliber ones since they can be used on multiple guns.

Best AR-15 Suppressors

1. Silencer Central Banish 30 & Banish 223

Why only suppress your 5.56 when you can suppress from .17 all the way up to .300 Weatherby?

Check out Silencer Central’s Banish 30 multi-caliber and fully modular system that does just that.

And go with a place where you don’t need to leave the comfort of your home to do all the paperwork, get $99 barrel threading, a free NFA trust, AND EZ-Pay layaway.

Check out our full review of the Banish 30 plus our video:

It’s direct thread but Silencer Central also has their Banish 30 Gold model which is quick disconnect with flash hider and compensator muzzle devices.

Manufacturer Specs (Banish 30):

• Decibel Rating: 34 dB reduction
• Rating: .17 to .300 Weatherby
• Weight: 10 oz (7″) or 13 oz (9″)
• Diameter: 1.5″
• Length: 7″or 9″
• Construction: Titanium
• Mount: direct thread

But if you’re looking for only .223/5.56 they also have their pure .223 model. But I’d suggest saving up that extra hundred books to get their regular Banish 30 model.

What’s your take on the Banish line?

2. SilencerCo Omega 300

The Omega 300 is probably the most popular suppressor…with an estimated 100k+ units in the wild.

And it’s popular because it’s full-auto rated from 5.7 to .300 Win Mag.

It’s easy to fix, durable, and there’s different endcaps you can get for different calibers.

Plus when they say full-auto rated…it’s real. M16s mag after mag will not destroy the Omega 300.

It’s also Bravo threaded so you’ll have your pick of easy to find muzzle devices to quick disconnect.

As for weight…it’s in the middle. Not too heavy but not too light either.

The perfect Goldilocks rifle suppressor that will take all kinds of calibers and abuse.

Manufacturer Specs:

• Decibel Rating: 130.1 dB (5.56)
• Rating: 5.7mm to 300 Win Mag
• Weight: 14oz
• Diameter: 1.56″
• Length: 7.09″
• Construction: Titanium + Cobalt 6 + Stainless Steel
• Mount: Bravo threaded

3. Surefire SOCOM556 RC2

We’re back at a pure 5.56 suppressor with an impressive pedigree.

The original Surefire 556 RC and 762 RC suppressors were both tested and approved for use by the United States Special Operations Command, aka SOCOM.

TSurefire, of course…will sell them to you too.

And now they have the SOCOM556 RC2 which is new and improved.

Surefire suppressors are like their lights, exceptionally well made, durable, and reliable. And always make our list of Best AR-15 Lights.

These cans were initially chosen for the M4 and MK18 series of rifles. These guns are designs to be light and short for use in vehicles and buildings.

The SOCOM556 RC2 model adds 4-inches to the gun and areQD for Surefire’s flash hider and suppressor adapter. This system effectively conceals both sound and flash, a demand made by SOCOM.