MAE Sound Moderators Review

Heralding form New Zealand these southern hemisphere moderators cater for all sportsmen needs offering superior sound suppression with hard wearing stainless steel construction. Both persuasions of moderator fetishes are catered for in the guise of muzzle mounted cans from rimfires to full bore rifles as well as the now standard over the barrel designs.

IMS .22 LR IMS I (22 LR Shorty)

Heralding form New Zealand these southern hemisphere moderators cater for all sportsmen needs offering superior sound suppression with hard wearing stainless steel construction. Both persuasions of moderator fetishes are catered for in the guise of muzzle mounted cans from rimfires to full bore rifles as well as the now standard over the barrel designs. Again both rimfire and fullbore moderators are found in this configuration with the addition of custom one offs, fully suppressed rimfires and shotguns, so the whole gambit is sewn up.

With over thirty years of suppressor technology supplying both the public and police and military organisations, MAE offer great overall decibel reduction at a very fair price, no gimmicks just good old fashioned quality.

I have used MAE moderators on every rifle from .17 Mach 2 through the various small game calibres such as Hornets, .222 and .223 as well as a few wildcats , .17 PPC,.20 Satan and .20 BR right up to deer calibres from .243 up to .300 Win magnum. All performed brilliantly and without fault offering dependable, low profile well balance and excellent noise reduction.

I have recently been testing some new muzzle mounted cans designed for extreme noise reduction and stealthy operation but first the more conventional range of  MAE moderators.

Model	Length	Length forward	Diameter	Weight	Calibre Range	Price
T12	350mm	115mm	38mm	800grams	.17-300 Win Mag	£ see site
T12 Scout	280mm	115mm	38mm	650grams	.17-.308	£ see site
Large Muzzle Can	220mm	220mm	38mm	530grams	.17-300 Win Mag	£ see site
Small Muzzle Can	200mm	200mm	32mm	350grams	.17-.308	£ see site
.17 Muzzle can	130mm	130mm	32mm	280grams	.17-.22 Hornet	£ see site
P/H Rimfire	180mm	180mm	22mm	170grams	.17-.22 Rimfire	£ see site
Mighty Mouse	150mm	150mm	22mm	71grams	.22lr	£ see site

This is the bare bones list of moderators available as the over the barrel models are available with a custom made to measure rear expansion chamber so as to fit your rifle precisely. Each moderator can be specified with a particular baffle bore size to match a particular calibre if desired and a choice of finishes on the standard stainless steel cans now allows a mil spec black or camo surface. Talking to Julian at JMS (or go to the website www.maemoderators.co.uk) will enable you to be guided effortlessly through the MAE products to ascertain the best moderator for your needs. Not every one likes the over barrel designs and favours the more traditional muzzle cans (forward fitting), especially if your rifle has a shorter barrel than normal, or perhaps you are just after the best noise reduction regardless of weight and favour the T12 design, regardless , MAE have a moderator to suit all your needs.

The T12 over barrel models are strippable in the sense that the rear expansion chamber section can be removed for cleaning or thread exchange whilst the muzzle cans are a sealed unit. I use to like totally strippable cans but with all the pressure of the combustion gases most of the crud is expelled from the moderator on firing unlike rimfire moderator which have a tendency clog up with wax and unburnt powder. So the MAE designs offer the best of both worlds, strip to allow the water and crud to be removed from the rear sections and let the baffles look after them selves.

Available in both 32mm and 38mm diameters the differences is not only being the girth but also the 32mm version is supported at the rear section not by a synthetic bush as on the 38mm cans but via twin high pressure o rings. This system utilises no inner section, rather the gases forced back from the blast baffle fill the space between the outer tube and the barrel itself. This makes for an ultra slim and very effective moderator but you do need to clean the barrel surface after shooting, no great shakes.

Stainless steel construction maintains a good degree on maintenance free operation and the solid structure further enhances noise level reductions. The problem with some lighter cans is that there is a vibration through the thin walled aluminium that translates to more noise, just like in your house, the thinner the walls the more you hear the neighbours.

All MAE cans have a characteristic roll crimp across their mid section and at the muzzle. This is the best way to ensure total security and non movement of the primary blast baffle, internal baffles and end cap ensuring zero internal movement and thus perfect alignment and no unnecessary vibrations.

All tubes are now seamless in design and the whole construction is performed on the latest CNC machinery for total uniformity through out the range. This means if you ordered a tight baffle stack i.e., as small a hole to match your calibre, then you are safe in knowing that concentricity is such that alignment is assured.

Also with the 38mm diameter over barrel design because the inner rear section is removable and houses the thread that attaches to the muzzle, means that additional rear tubes can be ordered with differing girths to suit barrel diameters but also differing threads. This means you can have one outer and baffle section that can be used on many rifles, if the bore diameter is correct, by simply changing the rear section.

The muzzle cans are really my favourites, often dismissed for the larger over barrel designs, one should not forget how really good these cans are. Especially when a rifle has a shorter barrel, say 18 inches the simplicity of an addition of the muzzle can without any rear supporting bush is quite appealing. Weigh is kept to a minimum, often only replacing the weight of the absent barrel length.

However, yes they do project all forward of the muzzle but with an 18 inch barrel and 7 inches more for the moderator, I personally am more than happy to live with that. MAE muzzle cans, either in 32mm or 38mm guise are seriously good at decibel reduction, I have baffled many a bystander with the quietness from my MAE muzzle cans when the bystander was using another makes much larger over barrel design. They are also cheap and offer superb noise reduction, yes they are sealed units but I have been running mine for eight years with no problems at all. A quick tap on a hard surface removes any loose carbon and that’s all it needs.

The muzzle cans also offer the best suppression for the pesky .17 HMR rounds which are really tricky to suppress, their size is disproportionate the noise they make. MAE make a dedicated .17 can of 130mm length which is excellent but I use the larger 32mm can with a dedicated .17 baffle stack offers the quietest HMR can on the market. Depending on overall length issues on your rifle you will not be disappointed in either model.

All cans except the small .22lr Mighty Midget which is aluminium, are stainless steel but if you are worried about too shiny an external surface do not worry , the Stainless is brushed matt or you can order the new black or camouflage Mil-Spec coating. This not only eliminates reflections but further enhance the MAE non-corrosive properties as they are very tough and used by the New Zealand military.

MAE can also cater for custom items such as specific fit rear sections, dedicated calibre baffle stacks and one offs. As I mentioned I love the MAE muzzle cans and as such ordered a couple of extra large models with 38mm tubes to fit on several short woodland deer and truck gun fox rifles. One has a double set of blast baffles and 12 addition baffle chambers whilst the second has the 24 baffles. Yes at 12 inches they long but boy oh boy are they quiet, in fact the quietness moderators I have ever tested period and I have tested a few. Not for every one but seriously good and now dubbed the MAE Extreme.

To sum up, Julian / JMS ARMS offers the sportsmen a premium product at the right price with excellent noise reduction and longevity by a man and manufacturer who have been using and manufacturing silencers for decades, not like some of these new companies just hoping to cash in on the moderator boom.  I can choose any moderator to test or shoot my self, I guess I am lucky here and what do I choose, MAE first and foremost, period.

MAE Forward Fitting 6MM 30 ST

 MAE Forward Fitting - 224 ST

 MAE IMS .17 HMR IMS II

 MAE Over Barrel T12 ST 1

MAE Over Barrel T12 ST

Contact

Julian on 07771 962121 or 01444 400126
Email  jmsarmsuk@gmail.com
or visit the website at www.maemoderators.co.uk

Article and images by Bruce Potts