Liberty Mystic to Mystic X Upgrade Process

 

Upon successfully escaping CA in my move back to WA, I had decided that a suppressor would be my first prize; my first freedom present to myself. After a bit of research and shopping around, Liberty Suppressors’ Mystic was firmly at the top of the list. A 9mm pistol can with swappable mounts and the ability to function extremely well on everything from .22 LR to .300 BLK to 5.56? Yes, please! Talk about bang for the $200 tax stamp buck and, at the time, the 10-month wait. Although it has served me well for a couple of years and many thousands of rounds of various calibers, it was time for an upgrade to the Mystic X. . .

According to Liberty, the changes and improvements from the Mystic to the Mystic X are as follows:

• On the original Mystic there is a roll pin at the end of the tube that keeps the tube from spinning. We had a common issue there with folks that shot lots of .22 LR that the existence of the pin also made it very difficult to break the tube free from the core for cleaning. We have eliminated that pin on the X and in its place we cut a wave pattern in the end of the tube and a corresponding wave pattern in the core’s end-cap. This Wave-Loc prevents tube roll while, at the same time, allows for the manual twist motion needed to free the core after carbon build-up.
• At the other end of the tube is the second external difference. We have increased the threading and reduced the outer diameter of the Tube Retaining Ring. This allows for the Mystic X to fit inside a smaller ID hand-guard than the original Mystic while at the same time retaining the structural security of the tube assembly.
• Internally we extended the I-bean support along the sides of the core on the Mystic X. This increased the overall strength of the design which allowed us reduce the number of baffles, thereby eliminating nearly 2 ounces of weight. This redesigned core also allowed for the increased caliber rating list. The Mystic X is currently rated for 55 calibers on our website.
• The Mystic X comes coated in Cerakote Type C, high-temp in Graphite Black. The entire outside of the Mystic X is black as opposed to the grey end-cap and retaining ring on the original Mystic.

Thankfully, for the owner of a Mystic, upgrading to a Mystic X doesn’t mean purchasing a new silencer! Liberty offers an upgrade program and will complete the necessary machining to update the tube so it fits on a brand new core with a brand new retaining ring. Any Mystic mounts already owned are still compatible with the X, which is a good thing as I have a 1/2×28 pistol booster mount as well as fixed mounts in 1/2×28, 5/8×24, and 18×1 mm RH thread patterns.

Machining is completed on both ends of the existing Mystic core. On the muzzle end to cut the Wave-Loc pattern:

And on the mount end to change the thread pattern for the new, streamlined retaining ring.

This is a definite aesthetic improvement, as the old retaining ring was gray and also stood out due to its larger diameter:

As mentioned above, it can also be a functional change so the suppressor can fit under a smaller-diameter handguard. The outer diameter of the Mystic X is 1.375″, while OD on the old Mystic is 1.462″. This ~9/100ths of an inch reduction does actually open up some handguard options that will clear the X but not the previous Mystic.

Also getting the black treatment is the new endcap, which is supposed to disperse gasses better. I can’t really test that but I can definitely say that it looks more aggressive and sufficiently cooler.

Finally, as part of the upgrade process Liberty replaces the entire core with a new, updated one. This is where the ~2 oz of weight savings is found, while retaining at least as much strength and sound suppression capability as the older core design.

The whole upgrade took only 10-or-so days (Liberty commits to a 3-week or shorter turnaround), and now I’m once again shooting the newest and the best!