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Selecting a suppressor — especially a first suppressor — is difficult. With the generally high cost of entry, $200 NFA tax, and ~nine-month wait in addition to various other fees and hassles, it’s a big decision. If you ask me, the Liberty Cosmic is the best first suppressor available.

Rated for use on at least 66 calibers, the Cosmic provides huge bang for the buck. After the expense, hassle, and long wait, there’s major payoff from a suppressor that works on practically everything. As a basic rule of thumb, if it fires a .45 caliber or smaller projectile through an AR-15/AK-47 or smaller firearm, it’s good to go. Just note that rifle calibers producing 45,000 psi or more of chamber pressure require a 16″ or longer barrel.

I’ve been shooting my Cosmic regularly since mid-June of 2016. It has seen .22 LR, .22 WMR, 9mm, 9×25 Dillon, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto, .45 ACP, .460 Rowland, .30 Carbine, 5.56, 300 BLK, and .458 SOCOM through it.

The first thing I did after picking up my Cosmic (bottom) from NFA approval purgatory was compare its stainless steel guts against those of my Mystic X (top). Dimensionally, the two suppressors are identical. They use the same mounts and, not that I actually did this because I’m not sure it’s technically legal, even the titanium tubes can be swapped between monocore baffles.

As you can see, there isn’t a lot of similarity in baffle design, though. The Cosmic uses “Bi-Directional Baffles” and fewer of them (five vs the Mystic X’s 11). Liberty’s Centurion, which I borrowed from Silencer Shop for its own review, is seen at bottom.

No surprise, then, that the Cosmic is lighter. With all other components being equal, the difference is entirely in the core. The Mystic X’s tips the scales at 7-7/8 ounces.

While the Cosmic’s core is over an ounce lighter at 6-3/4 ounces.

The second thing I did with my new Cosmic was hit the range. I was most curious to shoot it back-to-back against my Mystic X on a 9mm to see how much louder the .45-bore suppressor with fewer baffles was.

As it turned out, I was the baffled one. A friend and I both gave the slightest of nods to the Cosmic as the quieter suppressor on a 9mm pistol and on my 9mm CZ Scorpion Evo. It could be that it has a marginally lower tone and that just makes it seem quieter. But as I’ve now shot both suppressors on 10 or more 9mm firearms of various sorts, I can say with complete confidence that the Cosmic does not sound louder on 9mm than the Mystic X.

Which is to say, it’s one of the quieter 9mm suppressors available. Somewhere in the range of 124 dB with subsonic ammo.

On a .45 ACP like the SIG P220 seen above, it’s louder. I had previously attributed the larger bore diameter to most of the sound level difference between suppressed 9mm and .45, but the Cosmic proved otherwise. That said, at about 131.5 dB on a .45 ACP pistol, the Cosmic is also one of the quietest .45 cans available.

Shooting 300 Blackout I think the Mystic has a slight edge, whereas on 5.56 / .223 they were equivalent as far as I could tell. On .22 LR, any large pistol can is going to be really quiet. The ability to easily disassemble and clean these Liberty options is a big plus, though.

Running the impressive .458 SOCOM through the Cosmic via a CMMG ANVIL, the suppressor is not rated as hearing safe. Detroit Ammo Co’s 350 grain subsonic loads almost certainly skirted under the 140 dB threshold, though, while 500 grain subs were clearly louder. Still, the Cosmic makes this heavy-hitting caliber more pleasant to shoot with a noticeable reduction in recoil and blast.

Part of the Cosmic’s industry-leading caliber handling capability is due to the strength of its monocore baffle design and titanium tube. The other important feature is an interchangeable mount system. Liberty makes boosters and fixed mounts for just about every thread pitch and QD attach you can imagine, and will even whip up custom ones if needed.

My next mount purchase will be Liberty’s Low Profile Fixed Barrel Adapter (or two). Instead of the normal FBA, which is a couple inches long to help act as a blast chamber, the low profile version adds only 0.1″ to the length of the monocore. This would knock about an inch-and-a-half off the length of my Cosmic (or Mystic X) when used on a fixed barrel gun like the CZ Scorpion Evo seen above or a 300 BLK shooting subsonic ammo. The larger adapter is needed for rifle-power calibers.

Ultimately, if I were hitting the suppressor market fresh today I wouldn’t purchase the Mystic X again and would make a Cosmic my first can. Given the expense and wait time involved in buying a suppressor, the ability to use it on 66+ calibers provides incredible bang for the buck and makes the Cosmic arguably the best first suppressor on the market. Yet at a scant 9.5 ounces (plus a mount, which will vary from 0.4 oz to about 3.3 oz) with industry-leading sound suppression ability, it will remain a go-to even as one’s stamp collection grows.

A Liberty Suppressors Cosmic, a rimfire suppressor, and a .30 caliber rifle suppressor will cover 99% of the guns 99% of the shooters will want to suppress. And, technically, the rimfire one is optional since the Cosmic has all of those calibers covered, too. It’s a great can.

Specifications: Liberty Suppressors Cosmic

Caliber: .45 ACP
Length:
8″ (Suppressor module only)
Diameter: 1.375″
Material: Titanium / Stainless steel
Weight: 9.5 ounces (a mount adds 0.4 oz to 3.3 oz)
Approx dB Overall: 131.9 dB (including First Round Pop, on .45 ACP)
Approx. dB Reduction: 30 – 31 dB (on .45 ACP)
Mounting Type: Multiple Mount Solutions
Finish:
C-Series Cerakote
MSRP: $799 (approximately $100 less via Silencer Shop)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Utility * * * * *
The Cosmic can be used on at least 66 calibers and its swappable mount system ensures firearm compatibility. Basically, if the bullet will fit through the Cosmic’s .45-caliber bore and the cartridge produces 45,000 psi of chamber pressure or less, the Cosmic is in play.

Suppression * * * * *
It’s probably in the top 10% of the market for sound suppression performance on pistol calibers. I was shocked how quiet the Cosmic is on 9mm in particular.

Overall * * * * *
There’s nothing I can think of that would prevent the Liberty Cosmic from achieving a full five-star rating. While it’s slightly on the long end as compared to much of the pistol suppressor market, it’s still lightweight and it’s incredibly quiet. Officially rated for 66 different calibers, there’s little else that can provide the value of the Cosmic.

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31 COMMENTS

  1. I would argue a .30 caliber suppressor is totally unnecessary since the Comic covers that, but a dedicated .22 suppressor like the Q Erector that allows variable lengths and weighs less than a quarter of a pound is THE .22 suppressor to get.

    Thanks for all those reviews Jeremy, now I know which suppressors to get in the event they never get removed from the NFA.

    • Well, the Cosmic doesn’t cover .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor or .300 WM or really any other hunting caliber. You’d get a .30 cal can for all those full-power rifle calibers plus for use on 5.56, where it would be quieter than the Cosmic.

      • I may be eccentric, but I consider .30-30 to be a hunting caliber, hunting deer for instance. The Cosmic handles that just fine. It is, in all, a fine can.

        I think almost everyone is surprised by how well the Cosmic works on 9mm. People expect that the larger .45 opening must let 9mm gas escape too rapidly. The calculation is more comlpex than that. With standard pressure 147 grain, my ears are safe.

        Nice thorough review!

      • Would you still pick the Cosmic over the Mystic X since it’s been updated/upgraded to handle up to .300 win mag? Especially if one doesn’t own anything with a .45cal bore.

        • Crap, yeah, I completely forgot that the Mystic X had been upgraded and handles up to Win Mag now! Mine does not. I wonder if it’s capable of bringing the sound level down to under 140 dB at the shooter’s ear on the .308 family and up. Admittedly this would make the decision harder. But…I still think you’d ultimately be better off getting a Cosmic, a rimfire can, and a .30 cal rifle can. Going that route you’d end up covering more calibers in a more effective way.

      • If I was using a suppressor with .308 it would be with subsonic ammunition. No sense in having a can attached to the barrel if I’m using standard .308 ammo.

    • So the only purpose for a silencer I can think of is for an assassin to escape detection, what are the legit reasons for using a silencer?

      And have you tested taping a two liter soda filled with foam as a silencer?

      • Nice try, Mr. “Totally-not-a-government-agent!” I know the jackbooted thugs are waiting just outside for me to say yes so they can kick in my door and shoot my dog.

        Also, there are many answers to your “legit reasons” question. Four off the top are “because it’s fun,” “because it’s cool,” “because I can,” and my favorite, as used on an ATF form 1 when filling in Box i (“State Why You Intend To Make Firearm”), “Any legal reasons.”

  2. the Cosmic provides huge bang for the buck…
    Isn’t the point of a suppressor to provide a smaller bang for the buck? 😁

      • It might, once; from the chart it’s not rated for .308 Win, and from the article the cartridge is too high pressure. But it didn’t explicitly say no .308 so I don’t know for sure.

    • It would only work on .308 if you were running reduced power ammo. Yes, Liberty makes at least one .30 cal rifle can but it’s a dedicated rifle can. I’m not aware of any pistol can (lightweight, comes apart for cleaning, can operate with a booster) that’s also rated for .308. But there is subsonic .308 that would definitely be totally fine through the Cosmic and there’s some reduced recoil .308 that may or may not be.

      • A day late and probably a dollar short, but Liberty updated their caliber listings for the MysticX to include rifle calibers up to 300WM. This is quieter and good for up to .458 SOCOM, but the MysticX will run full strength rifle calibers.

    • The thing is, that only means it was a year wait a year prior to your approval, not that it’s a year wait today. Suppressor sales have been very slow the last ~16 months. An application submitted today goes into a MUCH shorter line than an application submitted 1 to 2 years ago did.

      • They claim to have automated the process at the ATF end if you submit a compliant digital (bar code added, and all typed, a la SilencerShop?) form. Perhaps they still have a backlog to clear before they’ll start processing recent digital forms?

        • Yeah, the forms with barcodes are currently in line with the normal forms. Once the ATF starts encountering those barcoded forms then they’ll allegedly be processing them separately and much faster. But the first barcode forms were sent in late July, I believe, so it isn’t anticipated that the ATF will run into the first one for a couple more months.

      • I just put in for a Q brand El Camino and my dealer commented that he expected the wait time to be much less when I said I’ll be back in 6-9 months.

  3. So, oddly, I did choose this for my first suppressor (though I got a Regulator at the same time for .22). I’m overall very pleased by the Cosmic, but would note a couple of things.

    On a light 9mm gun like the VP9, it REALLY changes the feel of the gun. Like a lot. But it’s still awesome and quiet.

    You can spend a surprising amount of $$$ very quickly buying boosters and FBAs. I have to wonder if they sell the Cosmic at or near cost and make their profit on the accessories.

    • I’ve spent a small fortune on adapters, brakes, etc. for my SiCo Omegas, Hybrid, and Harvester Big Bore cans. It always end up being the case of “I ‘could’ use this and just swap it over…but having a dedicated adapter/mount is so much simpler”, and maybe lazy, heh.

  4. I hear everyone dreaming of the Hearing Protection Act, but I still need Illinois to legalize suppressors … finally. This would be perfect for my .22 and 9 mm shooting.

  5. It looks to me that if you have some 45 cal stuff that you want to suppress the Cosmic make good sense. If you want to suppress 308 & 6.5creed, and have no 45 stuff, the mystic X is rate to handle that using their fixed barrel adapter.

  6. Intrigued, but that price is too much for me. Any recommendations on a less expensive can that will handle .308, 5.56 and 22-250?

    • replying to self… actually just a can that can do 5.56 and 22-250 at a reasonable price would be ideal. I only use .308 for deer, and honestly how many shots do you take?

      • Memory serves me that Griffin Armament is set to release a can for .22-250. I believe they stated would work on 5.56. Not sure of barrel length requirements

  7. Suppressor wait times really are down. I got my tax stamp back the other day, after only 5 months and 13 days from the check being cashed. I was quite pleasantly surprised. Could be shorter, but I was expecting another three months at minimum. Submitted as an individual through silencershop.

  8. I have the Mystic x (300 wm upgrade) which is very light weight and versatile. It will probably stay my rifle suppressor. When I get the chanch I plan to buy the Cosmic (uses the same 6x mounts i have for added value) for hunting use on a big bore (44mag, 458 cal) subsonic rife + use this for pistols.
    Then either a .22 suppressor or maybe if they come out with a cosmic shorty just buy that as a .22 pistol can. I currently have an integral .22 suppressor for small game hunting that works wonderful. Just missing out on a small .22 pistol can.

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