Silencer Central Banish Backcountry: Pioneering Ways to Overcome Sound

It's no secret that Silencer Central has significantly simplified the process of buying a suppressor. Now, the South Dakota-based company is offering a lightweight, compact can that's engineered specifically for hunters whose pursuits take them into rugged, steep terrain. Known as the Banish Backcountry, the suppressor features all titanium construction and is fully welded. Since titanium is extremely light and exceptionally strong, the Banish Backcountry weighs just 7.8 ounces. Adding Silencer Central’s Direct Thread Mount (which allows you to thread the suppressor directly to your rifle without an adapter) adds a mere 1.2 ounces to the overall weight of this can. The total length of the Banish Backcountry is 5.5-inches without the Direct Thread Mount, 5.7-inches with the DRT in place.

Backcountry Hunters in Mind

As any suppressor fan (and there are a lot more of those these days thanks in large to Silencer Central, but more on that later) will tell you a few inches of length and a few ounces of weight can substantially influence the practicality of a silencer, and this is especially true when hunting. Adding a nine-inch suppressor to a rifle with a 20-inch barrel gives it a very long overall length. Add that same can to a rifle with a 22 or 24-inch barrel and the gun becomes almost impractical for hunting. But the Banish Backcountry's sub-six-inch length makes it quite manageable on most rifles. I carried a Browning X-Bolt .300 Winchester Magnum with a 22-inch barrel and the Banish Backcountry suppressor in place for three days while elk hunting in New Mexico without issue. I could weave the rifle around low-hanging pine boughs and still navigate the woods with some stealth.

The Banish Backcountry’s weight savings are also an important consideration for high mountain hunters. When you’re at altitudes approaching 10,000 feet and wrestling to take in enough air to keep your brain functioning and legs churning every additional ounce of weight adds to the strain. The Banish Backcountry’s minimal weight makes it an excellent choice when you’re on the hunt of the lifetime at high altitudes. The Banish Backcountry certainly adds minimal mass to your rifle but having some weight at the end of your barrel isn’t always a bad idea on a mountain gun. Most mountain rifles are exceptionally light, and one of the ways manufacturers use to trim weight is to use a narrow barrel profile. Adding the weight of a suppressor causes most mountain rifles to balance better, but all mountain rifles with a suppressor generate less measurable recoil. I had a very light .300 WSM rifle that shot well but was abusive to shoot. The addition of a can offered ballast and felt recoil would be reduced.

Banish Sound, Blast and Recoil

The primary goal of any suppressor, though, is to reduce noise. Despite its short length and barely-there weight, the Banish Backcountry does an admirable job of quieting even the loudest rounds. The can is rated to handle .300 Magnums, and it drops the .300 Winchester Magnum to a hearing-safe 138 or so decibels, far below the 160 or so decibels that a rifle produces sans suppressor. I've spent enough time in the field trying to negotiate with ear protection just before touching the trigger on a magnum rifle that I greatly appreciate having a suppressor in place. A suppressor allows every hunter to focus solely on the task at hand--placing the shot properly.

Silencers like the Banish Backcountry also greatly reduce muzzle blast and dampen felt recoil, which are the two leading causes of flinching. Our bodies are hard-wired to avoid pain, and very loud noises and the subsequent damage they inflict on the auditory systems are indeed forms of pain. To properly maintain sight picture, control the trigger, and remain on the gun after the shot you must manage your body’s natural reaction to flinch in anticipation of pain. That’s a lot easier to do when shooting suppressed, and it’s what makes shooting with a can so much more fun than shooting without one.

The Silencer Central Difference

Silencer Central founder and CEO Brandon Maddox has taken to simplify the suppressor buying process and thousands of hunters have benefited from his efforts. Silencer Central streamlines the suppressor-buying process and encourages more shooters to purchase these valuable tools.

“There are so many hunters who are hesitant to buy a suppressor because of the added weight and the purchasing process,” says Maddox. “We’ve fixed both of those issues at Silencer Central.”

Like many first-time suppressor buyers, I was unsure buying a silencer was worth all the hassle when I met Maddox three years ago. The purchasing process was confounded by unfamiliar terms like trusts and tax stamps as well as the piles of paperwork that must be completed (including a background check and fingerprints submissions). Maddox told me that his company had simplified that process and, to illustrate his point, he walked me through the process of buying my first suppressor. The Silencer Central team understands the laws and terminology that most buyers do not, and the company prides itself on offering exceptional customer service. I purchased my first silencer three years ago and, after my application was cleared by the ATF, had it shipped to my front door—a major benefit of working with Silencer Central. Maddox helped secure the funding and promoted digitizing the application process using E-Form 4 which helps cut wait times even further by eliminating paperwork that must wade through government offices before approval. I was so impressed that I’ve purchased two additional suppressors from Silencer Central and, considering the many benefits of the Backcountry, I plan to own another.

Banish Backcountry in the Field

I field-tested the Backcountry on a recent elk hunt in northern New Mexico. I had a management tag, which allowed me to harvest a bull with irregular antler growth to improve overall herd health. After seeing over 300 elk and perhaps 80 bulls in three days I didn’t find a single bull with irregular antlers. The management tag allowed me to take a cow elk, which I was glad to do, and on the third and final day of the hunt, we encountered a small band of elk moving through a narrow chain of meadows separated by fingers of aspen and pine forest. While the herd was feeding in one of the open valleys I slipped into position for a 92-yard shot. The cow turned sideways, and I fired, the solid thwop of the 200-grain Nosler bullet was more audible than the subdued report of the rifle.

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I was overly impressed with how well the pint-sized Backcountry cut back on noise and muzzle blast from the .300 Winchester Magnum. Recoil was substantially reduced and muzzle blast was minimized, making the X-Bolt much more fun to shoot. The rifle and suppressor were short enough to carry through the woods without tangling in low-hanging brush and branches, and the rifle remained light enough to comfortably carry at almost 10,000 feet of elevation. As a bonus, my overall accuracy with the rifle improved. Group sizes shrank by a third with the suppressor in place.

I’ve been a fan of Silencer Central suppressors for years, but the Banish Backcountry rounds out their robust line of cans. Silencer Central doesn't just sell their suppressors, either. They carry a wide range of silencers from other manufacturers, but if you're a dedicated mountain hunter you need look no further than the Backcountry. Silencer Central has taken the “can’t” out of purchasing a can by making the process simpler and easier for eligible buyers.

The Banish Backcountry is fully welded and the baffles cannot be removed. The only part that can be removed for cleaning is the mount interface.

By adding the direct thread mount, I could attach the Backcountry directly to my rifle’s threads so there was no need for an adapter. MSRP for the Backcountry is set at $1,099.

Silencer Central Banish Backcountry Specifications:

• Construction: Titanium, including joints. Fully welded
• Weight: 7.8 ounces, 9.0 ounces with Direct Thread Mount
• Length: 5.7 inches
• Diameter: 1.6 inches
• Noise Rating: 138 dB for .300 Win Mag
• Compatibility: Up to .300 Win Mag
• MSRP: $1,099
• Contact: silencercentral.com