7 Turns
10 Turns
How many turns are required to properly mount your Allen Engineering suppressor? The short answer is 7-10 turns. This only applies to the brake mounted suppressors. Direct thread suppressors like the M4 and M24 only have a minimum engagement recommendation of 7 turns.
When properly mounting your AE suppressor the goal is to get good thread engagement with the mount while preventing exposure of the threads on your muzzle device to the blast chamber.
The number of turns will vary between each setup due to the tolerances of barrels, mounts, shims, and the suppressors themselves. The 3 turns of thread engagement is a forgiving window (3mm or .118″) that gives you plenty of room to work with various barrels and mount setups.
So why 10 turns? You can see in the photo above that 10 turns seats the muzzle device all the way into the suppressor with full thread engagement. Any more turns past that will cause the threads on the muzzle device to be exposed within the blast chamber. Once the threads are exposed to the blast chamber they can erode and build up carbon. Often times we have seen suppressors seize onto the mount in these cases.
So why 7 turns? You can see in the photo above that 7 turns seats the muzzle device shallower within the suppressor, however it is plenty of thread engagement to secure the suppressor properly. The combined friction at the threads and the taper are what prevent your suppressor from coming loose under use.
For best results, torque your suppressor onto your mount as tight as you can by hand. We have also seen suppressors come off due to use of other third party hardware. This happens because for various reasons, but are primarily due to wrong taper angles being used or poor surface finishes. Many third party hardware also do not use original specs, and instead attempts to reverse engineer OPS/AE hardware. Using genuine OPS/AE hardware or approved third party accessories like the Allegheny Arms gas block can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
If you are having less than 7 turns then you might want to consider adding a spacer to make up the difference. If you are already using a crush washer or spacer, typically the collar has been located incorrectly and may need gunsmith work or a collar specific to your application (i.e.. the MOD1-DD collar for Daniel Defense barrels), if available.
If you are having more than 10 turns then you might want to consider using shims instead of a crush washer or spacer. Also be sure that the silencer you are using is on the correct mount (i.e.. A on A mount). While it is possible to thread an A length suppressor onto a B mount, the brake may bottom out against the blast baffle and give you a false seat that can lead to misalignment and baffle strikes.
This was a really helpful post, particularly with the example pictures.
will exposing the threads on 7 turns cause any erosion to the threads not in use ? on 10 its fully seated creating a “perfect” seal, when on 7 it leaves some threads open.