Thread: Shot out suppressor

My range day shooting was cut short today when the A-Tec Maxim suppressor exploded. It was fitted onto my Mauser M12 and had fired eight rounds of 140gr 6,5x55 Sellier and Bellot ammunition before I loaded 160gr Fiocchi round nose soft bullet and fired nine rounds before the tenth did the damage you can see in the image. When I bought the M12 second-hand a couple of months ago, it came with the suppressor and I was told that the rifle had only fired around 300 rounds. I've shot 50 or so rounds since purchase, using Sako (120gr Powerhead), Hornady (140gr SST), and S&B (140gr).


Any thoughts about why the suppressor exploded? Is it repairable?

It didn’t come loose during firing?

160grn round nose SHOULD have stayed stable.... who knows what happened

Originally Posted by Delphus

It didn’t come loose during firing?

It was a little loose when I removed it but I attributed the slack to the last round. (I may be wrong about that.) The thread on the barrel is 15mm and there's no slack or wobble as you screw and unscrew the suppressor onto it.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

160grn round nose SHOULD have stayed stable.... who knows what happened

It's those forsaken gremlins what knows who happened, but they're, like, forsaken, so....
Twist on the M12 is 1-8", which, as you note, means the RN should've been stable.
Bloody gremlins.

Metal fatigue seen it once before. You wouldn't repair the broken part you'd have to replace it but Id look into getting the rest of the suppressor crack tested if such a thing can be done...

Originally Posted by blip

Metal fatigue seen it once before. You wouldn't repair the broken part you'd have to replace it but Id look into getting the rest of the suppressor crack tested if such a thing can be done...

Appreciate your input, blip - fatigue affects us all and time will erode the most stalwart of metals, I imagine. The suppressor is about 10 years young.

Check all the baffles for the bullet hitting them. If all the baffles are mint, then its stress fatigue. Pretty shit, if the round count is accurate.

My Gunworks suppressor on my .308 has clocked up around 5,000 rounds since it was new in the mid 1990's. And its never been cleaned...

Gotta love quality gear

Originally Posted by XR500

Check all the baffles for the bullet hitting them. If all the baffles are mint, then its stress fatigue. Pretty shit, if the round count is accurate.

My Gunworks suppressor on my .308 has clocked up around 5,000 rounds since it was new in the mid 1990's. And its never been cleaned...

Gotta love quality gear

Gotta agree wid'ya, XR500, re: quality gear. My impression is that the Danish made A-Tec suppressor is manufactured by a reputable company, but that doesn't preclude the occasional quality control slip-up.
Thanks for the baffles suggestion.

Have you ever had a chance to take it appart , inspect it and clean it?

Replace it, nuf said. Not worth expending the required to get it tested, will buy most of the replacement...

You'd see if it was a baffle strike doing that much damage, it would be evident on each baffle.

Originally Posted by Friwi

Have you ever had a chance to take it appart , inspect it and clean it?

Buy a DPT. LOL.

Originally Posted by Friwi

Have you ever had a chance to take it appart , inspect it and clean it?

It happened earlier today and I’m neither a gunsmith nor a mechanic, and were I to start dismantling it, I’d not know how to proceed.

You may not know the true history of the can and could of been on a semi auto back in the good old days high round count rapid rate of fire?

Originally Posted by NoMis

It happened earlier today and I’m neither a gunsmith nor a mechanic, and were I to start dismantling it, I’d not know how to proceed.

Buy brand new suppresser,then you know what you got with a warranty.Dont want shit blowing up in your face,barrel,suppresser.