• *The discussion of the creation, fabrication, or modification of airgun moderators is prohibited. The discussion of any "adapters" used to convert an airgun moderator to a firearm silencer will result in immediate termination of the account.*

Silent Thunder Ordnance - Falx (First Impressions)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
PelletJunkie

PelletJunkie

Member
Sep 25, 2022
211
111
Dallas, TX, USA
I recently purchased a Standard Taipan Veteran from a member on this forum (smooth and great transaction). From all of the Veteran reviews that I read, folks were commenting on how quiet the Veteran is to shoot. I was a bit surprised at how loud my Taipan was as compared to the Leshiy 2 and immediately realized the sound level emanating from my Veteran was going to have to be mitigated. It was to time to find the right moderator to tame the noise.

A lot of folks are interested in and recommend the Donny FL stuff so I considered that as an option. I then read some things about Silent Thunder Ordnance specifically the Falx and the Sarissa. I didn't want to increase the overall length of my Veteran so decided to start with the Falx.

I emailed Silent Thunder Ordnance and they gave me feedback as to which flow factor was correct for my Vet. STO was helpful and communicated efficiently and answered all of my questions. I decided to purchase the Falx and a few days later I had it in my hands.

Overall it seems well made. Looking through the moderator I can see some of the 3D printed edges from the baffles, but nothing looks like it will deflect or interfere with the exit of a pellet. I'm not crazy about the shiny/glossy anodizing and would have preferred a type III matte anodizing (hardcoat), but it is what it is...

I'm a form follows function guy so enough about aesthetics, it was time to thread it on and test it. I installed the Donny FL threaded adapter (I'm impressed and it was machined perfectly - highly recommended) and then threaded the STO Falx onto the Vet. Fired a shot and began grinning. The Falx took a substantial amount of the bark from my Vet. I might end up getting the Sarissa to see exactly how quiet I can get the Vet.

It will have to wait until I can thoroughly test the Falx for any POA/POI shifting that could occur as a result of the moderator. So far I am really pleased and I believe this is a promising solution. Take care y'all!

-PJ
 
  • Like
Reactions: Air King, beerthief, Centercut and 1 other person
I have a Vet .25. I'm using a Huggett Belita. It's 4.7" long, 3.4 oz, and 1.22" in diameter. It's the same diameter as the shroud, and looks like it's part of the gun. I'm shooting JSB's at 940 fps and all you hear is the hammer slap. This destroys the theory that you need a long, fat moderator to quiet the gun. It's also cheaper than a lot of the other ones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: daddypaddy
Upvote 0
Calbarry said:
I have a Vet .25. I'm using a Huggett Belita. It's 4.7" long, 3.4 oz, and 1.22" in diameter. It's the same diameter as the shroud, and looks like it's part of the gun. I'm shooting JSB's at 940 fps and all you hear is the hammer slap. This destroys the theory that you need a long, fat moderator to quiet the gun. It's also cheaper than a lot of the other ones.
Click to expand...
Well it doesn't destroy that theory. It does prove that there's more than one way to skin that cat.

The really quiet moderators use an efficient design like the Belita does AND they are longer.

There is a law of diminishing returns with respect to length. It seems to me that the amount of suppression gained by doubling the length is about 50% more. So for example if a 4-in long moderator gives you 10 DBS of suppression then an 8-in moderator of the same design will give you about 12 decibels of suppression.

Now for the law a diminishing returns you have to double the length again to get another couple of decibels. So now you're talking about a moderator that's 16 in long to get about 14 decibels of suppression. Clearly that's not workable.

Now then those numbers are just examples they are meaningless if you try to apply them to any particular moderator.
 
Upvote 0
john8 said:
I use STOs Falixs on 4 of my rifles, 3 hubens and a SK. They impress me. They are a good comprise between size, cost and performance. They lower the tonal quality, not as harsh on my ears. I do have a Sarissa, the extra length didn't equate to a substantial noise reduction.
Click to expand...
John8,

Thanks for the heads up on the Sarissa. I might still get it as an option for another setup and to get a feel for the sound reduction. I do like that the Falx is pretty compact.


-PJ
 
Upvote 0
Calbarry said:
I have a Vet .25. I'm using a Huggett Belita. It's 4.7" long, 3.4 oz, and 1.22" in diameter. It's the same diameter as the shroud, and looks like it's part of the gun. I'm shooting JSB's at 940 fps and all you hear is the hammer slap. This destroys the theory that you need a long, fat moderator to quiet the gun. It's also cheaper than a lot of the other ones.
Click to expand...
Calbarry,

I am not familiar with the Huggett Belita. Where did you purchase yours from? Did you find a US reseller or did you order it from across the pond?


-PJ
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
I have been eyeing the STO moderators due to the "Tesla design".
However I bought the Huggett Astille since Penchetta had a good deal with an extra extension.
I plan to use the Huggett for bench rest, I also have the Donny Tanto which has more of a bark to it than the Huggett .
I’m shooting an AV Bullpup 25 cal. using a 30cal/Huggett and a 25cal/Tanto. Decided to up the caliber in case (…when) I buy another caliber.

Buying moderators is like buying guitars, they all work but sometimes one works better than another and until it’s actually used there’s no telling which one sounds better.
At least guitars can be sound tested before buying, the YouTube vids of moderators are very little help for actual sound quality( for me) even with Db meters etc.
At least moderators aren’t as pricey as guitars!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Impact701
Upvote 0
Mr303 said:
I have been eyeing the STO moderators due to the "Tesla design".
However I bought the Huggett Astille since Penchetta had a good deal with an extra extension.
I plan to use the Huggett for bench rest, I also have the Donny Tanto which has more of a bark to it than the Huggett .
I’m shooting an AV Bullpup 25 cal. using a 30cal/Huggett and a 25cal/Tanto. Decided to up the caliber in case (…when) I buy another caliber.

Buying moderators is like buying guitars, they all work but sometimes one works better than another and until it’s actually used there’s no telling which one sounds better.
At least guitars can be sound tested before buying, the YouTube vids of moderators are very little help for actual sound quality( for me) even with Db meters etc.
At least moderators aren’t as pricey as guitars!
Click to expand...
Mr303

I ended up buying the Huggett Belita as was recommended above. I should have looked closely at the overall dimensions as the mod is a quite a bit smaller than the STO Falx.

Again without using a DB/Sound meter it is a subjective opinion, but from my perspective the Falx definitely takes down the sound signature significantly more than the Belita. In all fairness one of the larger Huggett Mods may have been a more fair comparison:

20221108_115247.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apohlo
Upvote 0
PelletJunkie said:
Mr303

I ended up buying the Huggett Belita as was recommended above. I should have looked closely at the overall dimensions as the mod is a quite a bit smaller than the STO Falx.

Again without using a DB/Sound meter it is a subjective opinion, but from my perspective the Falx definitely takes down the sound signature significantly more than the Belita. In all fairness one of the larger Huggett Mods may have been a more fair comparison:

View attachment 304371
Click to expand...
Good size comparison
The Astille and Falx look to have similar overall dimensions with one extension in the Huggett.
I am not overly impressed with the Tanto but I don’t have a good baseline to draw from either, but it does quiet down the crisp snap without a moderator.
The Huggett makes more of a hard whooshing sound of air movement rather than a snap.
The Huggett yields an indoor level of sound more than the Tanto does of course due to the size difference.
I don’t have to remove the Huggett to pressure up the tank which I like.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
varcoyote said:
I have a Sarissa on my FX Impact .25. During EBR, the competitor next to me commented that he could not hear me shoot. It is long but very backyard friendly.
Click to expand...
Varcoyote

The Sarissa will be my next one. I really am pleased with STO at this point I want to do some longer range work and see if accuracy is affected in any way with my Falx. If not I will be getting the Sarissa.

-PJ
 
Upvote 0
varcoyote said:
I have a Sarissa on my FX Impact .25. During EBR, the competitor next to me commented that he could not hear me shoot. It is long but very backyard friendly.
Click to expand...
Did you happen to get any kind of a DB reading off of it? Asking for a friend. I bought an Impulse and added two segments it's still too loud, It's 12 db over my stock Moderator.
 
Upvote 0
Mr303 said:
Using the Tesla’s gas diode is a remarkably practical application for the design.
I’ve only seen the valve design used in hydraulic systems but since air acts like a fluid it’s a natural fit.

How durable are the moderators for practical shooting? Any opinions?
Click to expand...
The Falax and Sarrissa are aluminum tubes - very durable. The Accipiter models, the tube is made of Derlin I think - Seems pretty durable as well. Quite a bit lighter but I prefer the non-Accipiter (aluminum tube) Sarissa and from what I can tell - the only advantage of the Accipiter is weight savings, otherwise the db levels are virtually the same. As for the valves, Accipiter - very light weight = not durable (IMO) - Sarissa is made from a heavier materiel so it's held up reasonably well. email only but STO has great customer service.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu