A couple of weeks ago I found myself in Salt Lake City which of course meant I just had to make the trek out to visit Mike Pappas and Todd Magee of Dead Air Silencers. As luck would have it, at the time they were mere days away from announcing the newest suppressor in the Dead Air line, the Nomad-30.
This compact, lightweight, .30 caliber suppressor strikes a balance that makes it ideal for most of the silencer-buying market . . .
In the video above, I conduct a sloppy interview of Mike and Todd and they walk us through all of the features, benefits, and design considerations of the Nomad-30. Then we put rounds down range, firing .300 Win Mag, 300 Blackout, and 5.56 through the Nomad.
At only 6.5 inches in length (minus the mount), the Nomad-30 is a particularly compact, .30 cal suppressor. It maintains excellent sound suppression thanks to a larger-than-usual 1.735-inch diameter and a unique baffle design.
With no external tube, internal space is maximized and weight is kept to a minimum. Each 17-4 PH stainless steel baffle is directly welded to the next via LBM or laser beam welding. A pretty sweet process that bonds more deeply despite less overheating and almost no distortion.
On the business end, the Nomad uses Dead Air’s existing end cap system. The user can easily swap between end caps with different aperture diameters, flash hider end caps, and more.
On the mount end, Dead Air made the cool decision of designing the Nomad to be compatible with “legacy” mounts. Mainly, this means mounts for some SilencerCo and other suppressors. This opens up a whole world of direct-thread mount pitches and QD mounts for all sorts of different muzzle devices.
Including, of course, Dead Air’s own Key-Mo system that works with their brakes and flash hiders.
Mounted on a Barrett MRAD chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, the Nomad-30 was surprisingly effective. For such a small suppressor, it cut the sound of that punchy caliber shockingly well. Especially for the shooter, it was flat-out quiet and completely comfortable with a great tone. It also appreciably tames recoil.
On 5.56 it sounded great. We shot this Galil ARM, a Ruger Mini-14, and an AR-15 with the Nomad attached. The large diameter of the suppressor reduces backpressure, and the sound level and tone were great even on the slimmer caliber with the .30 caliber end cap.
Through a 300 Blackout, it was as quiet as I’ve heard anywhere. At least subjectively using the ol’ ear-o-meter. Given the compact size, light weight, and durability, the Nomad-30 is a fantastic choice and a top performer for 300 BLK.
When I first saw it, I didn’t really “get” the Nomad-30 (which is funny, because I had the same experience with Dead Air’s Wolf 9SD). It isn’t a belt-fed-full-auto-rated super durable suppressor but it isn’t a featherweight titanium suppressor, and Dead Air already sells five other .30 cal cans. But after holding it and experiencing it, I’ve come around 100 percent.
I think Dead Air has found the sweet spot where most of us actually live. Do I personally need a suppressor to be rated for belt-fed full-auto fire? No. I wish, but no. Would I like a suppressor to be durable enough that I can do mag dumps through a semi-auto 5.56 or 300 BLK or .308 and not have to worry about the bore eroding? Yes, yes I would.
So it gives up a few ounces to an all-Ti can and ultimate high-temp stability to the Inconel and Stellite super-alloy cans, but in doing so finds that sweet spot between weight, durability, and sound suppression. The Nomad-30 would be at home at a PRS match, out hunting on a bolt gun or hunting hogs with a semi-auto, or taking a tactical carbine course and sending a thousand rounds down range in a day.
I’m a big fan.
Specifications: Dead Air Nomad-30
Length: 6.5″
Weight: 14 oz
Diameter: 1.735″
Caliber: Multi — up to .300 Winchester Magnum
Finish: Cerakote
Materials: all 17-4 stainless steel except for Grade 5 titanium end caps
Minimum Barrel Length: no restriction
MSRP: $916 (about $745 via Silencer Shop)