Nearly two years ago I lucked out and was one of the first people outside of Dead Air Silencers to shoot their then-new Nomad-30 suppressor. Over the next few months, the more I shot a Nomad the more it solidified its place as one of my very favorite .30 cal cans. Now, with the release of the featherweight Nomad-Ti, they’ve done it all over again.
Silencer Shop has a line on everything Dead Air and nobody makes the silencer buying process easier. Make sure to check them out if you’re interested in this or any other suppressor, as they’ll handle all the complicated stuff and likely already have a friendly dealer near you for the transfer.
As mentioned, the Dead Air Nomad-30 is quite possibly my favorite all-around .30 caliber silencer. Good news, then, that the Nomad-Ti is effectively identical.
Same swappable end cap system.
Same length and 1.735-inch diameter, tubeless design with beautifully laser-welded baffles.
Same 1.375×24 “universal” mounting system at its base. This size has become the industry standard and offers the owner dozens of mounting options from dozens of companies.
I’m sure you’ve already guessed at what makes the Nomad-Ti different: titanium! Instead of an all 17-4 PH stainless steel construction like the Nomad-30 and Nomad-L, the Nomad-Ti is all Grade 5 titanium (6Al-4V).
The Nomad-30, with fixed mount, tips the scales at 14.2 ounces.
The Nomad-Ti? A scant 9.8 ounces. It’s one of the lightest centerfire rifle silencers on the market.
That weight stat, to be clear, includes the 5/8×24 fixed mount and the front cap, both of which are included with the -Ti. With its wire-EDM’d bore and precision welds combined with its extremely light weight, POI shift with the Nomad-Ti is minimized and accuracy is maximized.
For those who want to torque the mount onto their rifle (or need to break it free from a rifle), a socket or wrench can be used on the front of the mount. Grooves on the exterior are also available for use with the two included wrenches in order to tighten or loosen the mount inside of the suppressor.
If that isn’t enough, there are even wrench flats on the barrel shoulder side of the mount. That means zero concerns here with having to engage a gunsmith to remove a stuck mount from inside of your suppressor or from on your barrel.
Hitting the range, I first slapped the Nomad-Ti onto a Black Collar Arms Pork Sword Pistol. This one a 9-inch 300 Blackout with an SB Tactical FS1913A pistol brace and a Primary Arms SLx MD-25 red dot.
Okay, yeah, so the thing is REALLY quiet. Given the compact size of the Nomad-Ti and its insanely light weight — heck, given any suppressor size or weight — it’s silly quiet. Maybe not quite air gun or church mouse quiet, but about as quiet as 300 BLK gets.
In fact, in the top right of this photo where that shade structure is, an instructor was teaching a pistol course of some sort (probably a concealed carry license class). I heard him inform a curious student that I was shooting a “suppressed .22.”
A 9-inch, bolt-action 300 Blackout shooting Armscor 220 grain subsonic ammo through the 9.8-ounce Nomad-Ti is so quiet that an experienced professional thought it was a silenced .22 LR. And I don’t blame him.
Shooting supersonic ammo was louder, of course, but not as much louder as I’ve come to expect. This was the most surprising part of shooting the Nomad-Ti. It’s a suppression rockstar.
But 300 Blackout is easy. How about a 16-inch 6.5 Creedmoor? In this case it’s another Black Collar Arms Pork Sword, but this time a rifle with BCA’s Stock Option and their custom action outfitted with a carbon fiber X-Caliber barrel.
The result? Awesome. It’s amazing how much sound suppression happens within such a short suppressor. The Nomad series’ ability to suppress all sorts of calibers from all sorts of guns is one of its most impressive features. And every time I shoot one it impresses me more.
Pitch and tone on the Nomad-Ti were great. Combined with the dB reduction it was completely comfortable to the ears and without a doubt very well under that 140 dB “hearing safe” threshold per OSHA for impulse noises, etc. This thing is a rockstar, just like its heavier brethren.
If there’s any downside to the -Ti vs. its stainless steel siblings, it’s that the all-titanium can heats up faster. Actually, that’s a double-edged sword.
While the suppressor gets hotter faster — and even this high grade of titanium is more susceptible to heat-induced erosion than 17-4 PH stainless steel is — the increased heat transfer actually aids sound suppression capability by sucking more heat energy out of the muzzle gases. Well, at least in theory that should help suppression. I suppose professional dB metering will determine if it pans out in real life or if I’m just full of hot air.
EDIT: pans out! Silencer Shop tested the Nomad-Ti vs. the Nomad-30 in this video and here are the 300 BLK and 6.5 Creedmoor numbers:
220 grain subsonic 300 Blackout (9-inch barrel semi-auto)
Unsuppressed: 152.33 dB average at ear
Nomad-Ti: 133.38 dB average at ear
Nomad-30: 134.86 dB average at ear
At Muzzle dB Reduction: -30.84 dB Nomad-Ti, -25.66 dB Nomad-30140 grain supersonic 6.5 Creedmoor (bolt action rifle)
Unsuppressed: 165.36 dB average at ear
Nomad-Ti: 130.33 dB average at ear
Nomad-30: 132.74 dB average at ear
At Muzzle dB Reduction: -26.72 dB Nomad-Ti, -24.27 dB Nomad-30
Regardless, the Nomad-Ti isn’t the suppressor to get for your machine gun. Even though the titanium being used by Dead Air is of higher quality and durability than that used by some other companies who do provide a full-auto rating, Dead Air suggests staying within a more reasonable semi-auto rate of fire.
Mechanical strength, though, is not a concern. Dead Air rates the Nomad-Ti for use on firearms up to and including .300 Norma Magnum.
I’m at least as impressed with the Dead Air Nomad-Ti as I have been with the standard Nomad-30. After a couple years of occasionally shooting a Nomad, I somehow still find myself surprised by how quiet it is on all sorts of host firearms in all sorts of chamberings. It simply seems too quiet for its size, and now with the Nomad-Ti it also seems unrealistically quiet for its ridiculously light weight.
I’ll just go ahead and say it, then: the Dead Air Nomad-Ti is likely my favorite .30 caliber suppressor. And I only say “likely,” because the standard Nomad-30 offers increased utility thanks to its 17-4 PH construction. At the cost of 45% more weight — though by no means is the Nomad-30 a heavy suppressor!…which just goes to show you how absurdly lightweight the -Ti is! — you do gain the ability to mag dump all day long without keeping an eye on temperatures.
Ultimately, deciding how to value weight vs. rate-of-fire ratings comes down to how the owner primarily intends to use the suppressor. Then there’s length (the Nomad-L is ridiculously quiet) and price, to boot. Bottom line? You cannot go wrong with a Nomad, regardless of which flavor best suits your fancy.
Specifications: Dead Air Nomad-Ti
Caliber: .30 cal and smaller (up to .300 Norma Mag)
Diameter: 1.735 inches
Length: 6.5 inches
Weight: 9.6 oz.
Mount Type: 1.375×24 universal mounting threads. Comes with 5/8×24 fixed mount.
Materials: 100% 6Al-4V Grade 5 Titanium
Finish: raw titanium satin bead blast
MSRP: $1,099 (find it for less at Silencer Shop)
Ratings (out of five stars):
Utility * * * *
With the “universal” mounting size and swappable end caps, the Nomad-Ti is extremely adaptable. Its titanium construction prevents a five-star rating due to mild rate-of-fire limits.
Form Factor * * * * *
No hesitation, five stars for design, machining and weld quality, mounting system, etc. Plus, of course, the Nomad-Ti’s compact size and incredibly light weight.
Suppression * * * * *
From a can this small and this light, I don’t think anything can touch the Nomad-Ti’s sound suppression.
Overall * * * * *
Huge fan. The Dead Air Nomad-Ti ain’t cheap, but hot damn, it’s good.
All photos courtesy the author.