Suppressors are more popular than ever, and with the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) eliminating the $200 tax stamp to buy one, that trend will increase. Suppressor companies are meeting that demand with cutting-edge products that are lighter and more capable every year.
SilencerCo is an industry leader, and their lightweight Spectre 9 titanium suppressor is just one of those cutting-edge products.
The Spectre Series features models compatible with 9mm Luger, including the shortened Spectre 9K, and subsonic .300 Blackout rounds. My example is the full-sized 9mm model, so this review will focus solely on that.
I’ve been running this Spectre 9 for about a year now, and its performance and versatility have made it one of my go-to accessories. I use it on pistols, PDWs, and even a carbine. The HPA’s passage seemed like a good time for a product review, so here’s the lowdown on this excellent suppressor, and what I think it’s good for. But first, the basic specs:
SilencerCo Spectre 9 Specifications
- Caliber Compatibility: 9mm
- Length: 4.76 inches
- Weight: 3.9 ounces
- Diameter: 1.37 inches
- Construction Materials: Titanium Grades 5 and 9
- 132.7 Decibels at the Muzzle
- Full Auto Rated
SilencerCo Spectre 9 Strengths
First, SilencerCo builds quality, robust products. But, as with firearms, you need the right suppressor for your particular application. The Spectre 9’s all-titanium construction offers a strong, light, low-profile suppressor with the versatility to run on multiple platforms.
SilencerCo designed the Spectre 9 for pistols, subguns, and pistol caliber carbines. I’ve run it on all three. It ships with the piston housing necessary for pistol use and the Spectre 9 tool. The piston weighs more than the suppressor itself, demonstrating an advantage of titanium construction.
The weight is negligible on the Walther PPQ and IWI Masada pistols, on which I ran it. I only really noticed it on the Beretta Tomcat mouse gun. I admit that was pretty cool, but I particularly liked it on the PPQ, which is my favorite semi-auto handgun. The Spectre 9 tamed recoil a bit on all three pistols.
I don’t even notice the Spectre 9’s extra weight on my Stribog SPA3G PDW or my Henry Homesteader 9mm carbine. The Homesteader already has a low recoil impulse, but with careful attention, I could detect a small decrease with the Spectre 9. The Stribog has more muzzle flip, and the Spectre 9 did reduce that a bit.
Ammo Selection
In terms of noise reduction, the Spectre 9 was noticeably quieter than shooting unsuppressed, registering 132 decibels at the muzzle. Ear protection is still recommended, even with subsonic 9mm rounds, but the lower powder charge of the naturally subsonic .32 ACP ammo in the Tomcat made hearing protection unnecessary. It was downright pleasant.
Supersonic ammo, in case you didn’t know, contributes to the noise from a gunshot because it creates a sonic crack, which the suppressor cannot control. Subsonic ammo, if it suits your needs, helps reduce the noise by eliminating the sonic crack, though the reduction isn’t as much as you might think.
We ran the Spectre 9 with numerous supersonic 9mm loads, including 115-grain Federal American Eagle FMJ provided by Ammo-to-Go and 147-grain Sterling FMJ subsonic rounds sent to us by Global Ordnance. Their generous support makes these reviews possible.
Other Considerations
The Spectre 9’s low-profile and reduced weight cost a few decibels, but firearms and accessories always come with trade-offs. A larger, heavier suppressor might reduce the noise a bit more, but you will have weight and size considerations. Only you can decide the right balance for what you want to do.
You should also be aware that even a few decibels worth of noise suppression is a big deal. Decibels are not measured on a linear scale. Rather, we measure them logarithmically, meaning that the higher you go, the larger the sound cone gets. 140 decibels is supposedly “hearing safe,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous over time, and it’s certainly not comfortable, even outdoors.
An unsuppressed 9mm pistol firing 115-grain supersonic ammo generates an average of 160-165 dB at the muzzle. So, the Spectre 9’s 132.7 dB is a big deal, though ear pro should still be worn as repeated exposure will damage your hearing.
Running the SilencerCo Spectre 9
We primarily ran the Spectre 9 on the Walther PPQ, IWI Masada Tactical, Grand Power Stribog, and Henry Homesteader, plus a couple of mags through the Beretta 30X Tomcat. And we ran it hard, especially on the PPQ and the Stribog.
It was 100 percent reliable with those firearms, and everything else with which I’ve paired it over the last year. Every one of those guns is a semi-automatic, and we had no problems with the action cycling properly. From the tiny Tomcat to the Homesteader, they all ran great. We used a SilencerCo ASR flash hider mount for the Homesteader, which worked perfectly.
Two separate range trips saw us push, or try to push, the Spectre 9’s limits. The Spectre 9 is full-auto rated for 9mm, so we tried to simulate it as best we could. First with the Stribog, then with the PPQ, we ran some 200 rounds as fast as we could change mags and get back on target. I wish I had a full-auto Stribog, but I digress.
Both guns were smoking heavily when we finished, as was the Spectre 9. It was also extremely hot to the touch, as you might imagine, not that I was dumb enough to test it. But once it cooled, we shot more deliberately with no change in performance. On a side note, the gas from that session clouded my PPQ optic’s lens so badly that I could barely use it at the end. We ran it hard.
We loved the Spectre 9 on every gun, even the Tomcat. This is a very nice, very capable suppressor.
Final Thoughts
I’m late to the suppressor game, only having fired my first suppressed firearm in 2021. Since then, I’ve used several suppressors, and the more I shoot suppressed, the better I like it. The HPA will take effect on January 1, 2026, making suppressors more accessible than they’ve been since 1934. That will only increase my interest, and that of many other shooters, too.
The SilencerCo Spectre 9 is a compact, lightweight, high-quality performer with many applications. I’ve been thinking about configuring my Homesteader for home defense. The Spectre 9 would be perfect for that gun in that role.
In short, the Spectre 9 is among my favorite accessories, and I use it a lot. It’s not something that sits on the safe shelf gathering dust. Truth told, it usually lives in my range bag, so it’s available whenever I want it. It has its own zippered pocket.
If you’re looking for a versatile suppressor that you’ll use often, not to mention one that can stand up to that sustained use, take a hard look at the SilencerCo Spectre 9. It might be just what you need.
