Review of my Suppressed SIG MPX Pistol

You might consider this article a “Part II” to the article I wrote way back in December of 2017 on the SIG MPX Pistol.  In that article, I talked about the fact that my end goal for this “project” was to put together the ultimate personal defense weapon – a suppressed 9mm subgun.  Because of my familiarity with the SIG MPX from competition use, it was an easy choice as the foundation platform for this project.  The final step of the project was to select and secure a suppressor.

The suppressor I chose for my MPX is the SilencerCo Omega 9k, which is perhaps the most popular 9mm suppressor on the market today.  The combination of its size, ease of use, rock-solid reliability, and the SilencerCo brand reputation make it an easy choice for a 1st-time suppressor buyer such as myself.  Here are some photos of the final product, with the Omega 9k mounted:

MY EXPERIENCE GOING THROUGH THE NFA PROCESS

I can’t say that I had a great experience going through the NFA process, possibly because of the Class III dealer I chose.  I’m not going to “out” this dealer – he’s a nice guy actually that I’ve dealt with for several years.  Had I to do it over, I probably would have tried to go through a class III dealer in the Silencer Shop Process – they seem to have things figured out in terms of making it as easy and convenient on the customer as possible.  But, I felt I sort of owed it to this dealer to buy from him because I almost never use him for anything but FFL transfers.  But using him meant there was a lot of running around to get pictures, stuff filled out by local law enforcement, filling out redundant paperwork, etc.  Perhaps my situation was complicated by the fact that I did use a trust through which to purchase my suppressor.  But there were two errors during the process which both added time and extra work for me which I think could have been avoided by going through Silencer Shop, which I plan to do if I want another suppressor.  From the point of handing in all the paperwork to the dealer, to the point of actually getting the call to come get my suppressor, it took seven months.  At the time I filed, I was hoping for six months or less, so the time certainly added to my frustration.

After getting my Omega 9k, I needed to get the flash hider off my MPX barrel, and have the In Lead We Trust HK Style 3-Lug Suppressor adapter installed.  This adaptor would essentially make my barrel compatible with the SilencerCo 3-Lug Mount which serves as an alternative to “direct thread” mounting my Omega 9k to the MPX pistol barrel.  It adds a bit to the overall length but makes it easier to remove the suppressor.  This was an important consideration for me not only for cleaning the suppressor but also for instances when I would want to transport my SIG MPX pistol across state lines WITHOUT the suppressor so I don’t have to go through ATF notification hassles.  I opted to have my local gunsmith remove the flash hider and mount the adaptor – it was worth $20.00 to make sure it was done correctly. 

MY SHOOTING EXPERIENCE WITH THE SUPPRESSOR

Shooting a suppressed weapon isn’t exactly a new thing for me – I’ve shot several.  There are some people out there that REALLY dig shooting suppressed, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  That’s just not me – I don’t have the fanboy-like giddy enthusiasm for suppressors that others do.  I’m putting together my MPX pistol as a home defense weapon, and if I should need to use it in that capacity I don’t want to lose my hearing in the process.  In other words, for me the suppressor isn’t a novelty – I have a very specific purpose.  So keep this fact in mind as I discuss my experience taking my suppressed MPX to the range to test it out for the first time.

Most of the shooting I did for this initial test was with my defensive ammunition of choice – 147gr. 9mm Federal Premium HST.  The first thing to determine was if the ammo would continue to run reliably with the suppressor, which it did.  I ran about 100 rounds of HST through it and did not observe any malfunctions – no big surprises there.  One of the pleasant surprises for me is that my point of aim/point of impact really didn’t change much with the suppressor.  I ran it at several different distances from 7 yrds/21ft. to 25 yrds/75 ft. and POA/POI remained consistent.  I’m guessing that at longer distances things might shift more dramatically.  However, I intend to use my suppressed MPX as a much shorter distance weapon (inside my home).

In doing my research regarding the Omega 9k mated to the SIG MPX, a common complaint I read about was excessive gas being blown back in the face of the weapon operator.  I didn’t notice any problems in this regard while firing on the steel targets and plate racks I normally use at my range – I was shooting around 5-10 shots in a row in fairly quick succession.  However, I decided to do a “mag dump” and loaded a magazine with 30 rounds, and began rapid firing into a large target.  By the time I got to about round 20, I had to stop firing as my eyes were burning from gases being blown back into my face.  The effect subsided quickly, and I returned to shooting the rest of the rounds in the magazine.  Ideally, this glass blow-back issue with the Omega 9k and the MPX wouldn’t be an issue at all.  However, I see it as a minor issue in the grand scheme of things relative to how I use my MPX.  In a defensive scenario, I don’t anticipate I’d fire more than 3-5 round controlled busts (at most).  I don’t see myself rapid firing 20 rounds inside my home.   So again, the gas blow-back issue seems to be a non-issue for me, but your mileage may vary.  I understand that there are ways to mitigate this issue in the MPX, such as by using a different suppressor, and/or different ammunition.  Others who do have this issue report good success with have the gas port on the MPX opened, or buying a barrel from In Lead We Trust which has a gas port opened for this purpose.

When I got home, I did a thorough cleaning of the MPX.  I had always heard that suppressed guns get much dirtier, and this was certainly the case with my rifle.  The suppressor itself wasn’t too bad, it was fairly easily cleaned.  Thanks to the 3-lug mount I used, it was quick to remove and the Omega 9k is simple to disassemble and clean.  The MPX bolt carrier group is where I noticed the most grime and residue – I only shot a bit over 100 rounds, but the BCG looked as though I’d shot much more than that.  Unlike the above-mentioned gas blowback issue which seems somewhat specific to the MPX, all suppressed firearms get dirtier as a result of using a suppressor.  Again, this issue isn’t a huge concern for me.  I have a carbine length MPX that I use in Steel Challenge, USPSA, and 3-Gun.  If I want to scratch my PCC itch, my competition gun does that just fine.  I doubt I’ll shoot my suppressed MPX more than two or three times a year.

While the process to acquire a suppressor was both painfully long and very expensive, I’m very pleased with my suppressed SIG MPX.  The combination of my SIG MPX pistol mated to the SilencerCo Omega 9k meets my requirements for use in home defense.  Fans of suppressors are fond of saying that suppressors are like Doritos…”you can’t have just one.”  In my case, I’m struggling to justify getting another one – what would I use it for?  Perhaps a .22 suppressor to use on my M&P 22 and M&P 15-22?  As a novelty I suppose.  Of course, .22 ammo can be even dirtier than centerfire 9mm so I shudder to think about cleaning them.  I’ve got a 300 Blackout barrel for my SIG MCX that really be ideal for making a suppressed platform.  But do I need it?  300 Blackout ammo is expensive relative to other choices.  And such a rfile might well be redundant to my MPX.  Other than the “kewl” factor, it’s card to justify, but if I do get another suppressor, it would likely be for my MCX.  We’ll see if my enthusiasm and appetite for suppressors grows in the future.