The AAC Tirant 45 is currently one of the best suppressors on the market. The 2011 and newer models are user-serviceable. Meaning, you can take them apart and clean the baffles. Among the top suppressors (or cans as we call them) for the .45 ACP, the Tirant is rivaled by the Silencro Osprey. The Osprey follows a non-traditional design in which the suppressor is not based on a cylinder like the Tirant. I looked at both before making a decision, and in the end, the Tirant was the one for me. I just couldn't buy a suppressor that I couldn't clean when the alternative was the same price and offered that ability. The specs and price between the two are very close. That being said, let's take a look at what the AAC Tirant really is: As you can see there isn't much to it. The parts are designed and precisely machined to provide the best possible sound and flash suppression. Let's take a look at each of the components:

1. Suppressor host: HK USP Compact
2. Suppressor host: HK Mark 23
3. Suppressor host: HK USP SD
4. Pistons in different thread pitches
5. Barrel thread protectors
6. Fixed barrel spacer
7. Piston recoil booster
8. Piston housing
9. Baffle stack (aluminum)
10. End cap removal tool
11. End cap
12. Suppressor tube (serialized part)

The 3 pistols shown are .45 and 9mm. Yes, you can shoot sub-calibers through a larger caliber suppressor. The pistons shown are for various barrel types. Mostly metric since the guns I primarily shoot are German. The thread protectors shown are not used much as the barrels in these guns are hardened after they are threaded. This makes the threads so hard the use of a thread protector is merely cosmetic.

The fixed barrel spacer is used for any gun that does not have a slide which cycles when fired. Examples would be the HK UMP, Ruger 22/45, or any bolt action rifle. The use of a piston recoil booster is necessary in all guns with a moving slide as it produces the extra pressure needed to cycle rounds.

The use of a recoil booster on a gun which does not require it puts unnecessary stress on the barrel threads. Over time, they may become stripped due to the extra tension provided by the recoil booster. The opposite is also true. If you use a fixed barrel spacer on a gun that requires a booster, the gun may not cycle properly. Usually it produces malfunctions like failure to eject, stovepipes, or feeding errors.

The piston housing is made from stainless steel and holds both the piston and booster/barrel spacer. It is the heaviest part of the suppressor and also gets dirty very quickly.

The baffle stack is made from aluminum, except for the first baffle which is stainless steel. The first baffle commonly called the "blast baffle" as it takes the most abuse and is first in line when the bullet comes down the barrel. It gets considerably dirty and requires are good amount of scrubbing to come clean. Each baffle has a port as seen in the last 4 baffles of the stack. The first 5 have ports which are not seen in the photo because they are turned 90 degrees from the front-most ones to aid sound suppression.

The end cap must be removed with the AAC provided end cap removal tool. DO NOT try to open it with anything else as you will probably strip out or break the end cap.

The last part is the actual tube which is made from titanium. It should be wiped out as it does accumulate carbon from the baffle ports. It is the only part of the suppressor which contains the serial number.

Overall the Tirant 45 is a great choice. It can be shot wet or dry. Unlike some others it is hearing safe even when DRY. In addition to the sound suppression, the flash suppression is also second to none. I used this setup at a night shoot and the flash signature was completely hidden.

The downside... price. It retails for around $850. Not to mention the 5+ months to wait for the ATF to approve it and $200 more for the tax stamp. If you are in the market for a .45 suppressor you cannot go wrong with the Tirant. Here is a recap with some footage of me opening the Tirant to expose the baffles:

If you want to shoot suppressed, the first thing you may notice is that your sights are probably blocked by the round can sitting at the end of your barrel. There are certain guns which are designed to be used with a suppressor and therefore come with taller sights to eliminate this problem.

It is really that big of a problem? Well not really, if you can deal with "shooting through the can" then more power to you. I personally feel that I cannot shoot accurately unless I am able to line up my sight posts. If you are going to add a suppressor to a run of the mill gun like a Glock by simply adding a threaded barrel you may want to consider having the sights swapped out for a set of "tactical" ones.

The image below shows 3 guns with an AAC Tirant-45 installed.
The first gun is a standard USP compact with a threaded barrel. It does not have tactical sights and while the photo didn't focus well on the front of the gun, you can see the sight picture is blocked by the top of the suppressor.

The middle gun is a Mark 23 which was designed to be run with a suppressor. As seen from the rear it does in fact have raised sights and provides the best sight picture (of these 3) in my opinion. The sight radius is longer than the other guns which allows for just enough light on each side of the front sight post.

Last is the USP-SD with a night sight front post. It does come with tactical sights which as you can see also provide a great sight picture. My only compliant with the tactical sights is the lack of dots on the rear post like the other two guns. The absence of rear dots makes target acquisition very difficult and sometimes even impossible in low light/dark shooting.

The HK USP-SD is the 9mm version their tactical line of USP pistols. It has several features the standard USP 9 does not have. However, it also lacks some features of its tactical big brothers. The following features are added the SD model and are not found on the standard USP-9:

• Threaded barrel
• Tall adjustable sights (for use with a suppressor)

There are two features found on the .40 and .45 caliber tactical pistols which are not present on the SD model:

• Tactical marking on the slide
• O-ring barrel
• Match Trigger

The .40 and .45 caliber version have TACTICAL engraved into the slide after the USP Mark. This was left off the SD for some reason. HK claims the o-ring barrel improves accuracy. There is some debate over this, but for whatever reason HK did not include that either. The match trigger is a HUGE upgrade. It smooths and lightens an already decent trigger pull which results in noticeably better shot placement. The match trigger is present in 9mm versions of the USP Expert, USP Elite and USP Match. Again, left out of the SD model? So you want to venture down the road of purchasing an SD and outfitting it will all the cool upgrades. That's great, but you better have deep pockets. As I covered earlier, HK guns and parts are outrageously expensive.

Let's take a look at what it would cost to outfit a USP-SD as seen above. The figures below are based on prices current to when this article was written. I am not going to list installation for any parts except the trigger and front sight post.

• HK USP-SD Pistol - $1075
• Jet funnel magazine kit - $60
• Jet funnel magazine - $50 x 2
• Ambidextrous safety/decock lever - $80
• Extended Magazine release - $25
• GG&G light adapter - $60
• Streamlight TLR-1s - $100
• Match Trigger kit - $125
• Front night-sight post - $45
• Trigger & sight installation - $65

GRAND TOTAL: $1735

WOW! Considering you would probably go with more than 2 magazines, this ends up being one expensive pistol. I will tell you that once it's all tricked out as seen, it truly is an awesome machine to shoot. Especially with a suppressor.

The only downfall to shooting a 9mm suppressed is that you will need to use subsonic ammo to get the full benefit of suppression. That usually comes in the form 147 grain ammo which is more expensive and also has a slightly different point of impact than the standard 115 grain.

On a side note, the SD does come with something the other tactical models do not... A $15 thread protector... In the video below I show you the USP-SD compared to the standard USP 9mm: