The Banish Meateater
As I got to know the Banish MeatEater, its hunting focus became clear in more than just the name. The titanium construction makes the suppressor quite light, which is of paramount importance for hunters.
Part of the reason the can is so light is because of its simple design. A traditional baffle stack is held in by two threaded end caps. On the breech side, you have the industry standard 1.375x24 threaded hub, which allows you to change the mount to whatever best fits your needs. The suppressor comes with a 5/8x24 threaded cap, but you could easily swap it out for a different one should you need to. This is a welcome feature over having to have your barrel re-threaded.
Innovative Design
The front end is where this can gets interesting. The threaded end cap houses some cunning features, as the muzzle can be interchanged between .30 caliber and 6.5mm. These two inserts allow users to optimize the suppressor for most every popular hunting caliber of .30 or less. Reducing the muzzle cap to 6.5mm will optimize its performance for .22, 6mm, .25 and 6.5mm cartridges, while the .30-caliber cap keeps it tight for .270, 7mm, and .30-caliber options.
Using the optimal muzzle cap in the MeatEater is important, because there is another innovative feature in the muzzle of this can. The end cap keeps backpressure to help force more of the pressure out through a radial brake incorporated in the front of the suppressor. Its purpose is to reduce felt recoil.
It gets even more interesting inside. The MeatEater uses a reversible spacer that allows you to turn the muzzle brake feature on or off. With the muzzle end threaded out, you can flip the spacer one way or the other. It has a keyway on both sides for alignment. One side leaves the muzzle ports open to reduce recoil, while the reversed installation closes the ports. It’s a simple yet intuitive design.
Specs
- Length: 5.85 inches
- Diameter: 1.73 inches
- Weight: 10.3 ounces
- Construction Material: Titanium
- Thread Pitch: 5/8x24 included
- Serviceable: Yes
- Caliber: .30 (6.5 muzzle cap also included)
- Maximum Caliber: .300 RUM
- Finish: Sniper Gray Cerakote
- Sound Reduction: 32dB
- Mounting Style: Direct thread
- Full-auto Rated: No
- Mounting Hub Thread Pitch: 1.375x24 TPI
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Lifetime Warranty: Yes
Shooting the Banish Meateater
For initial testing, I mounted the Banish MeatEater to my Desert Tech SRS M2. With the 22-inch .308 barrel installed, it would make for easy analysis. I also used the suppressor on one of my Bergara hunting rifles, as well as my custom 6.5 PRC PVA Modus rifle.
Shooting these rifles with the MeatEater was extremely pleasant. While these are not particularly heavy-recoiling rifles, they shot significantly softer with the suppressor. The impressive dispersion of the muzzle blast became very evident in the cold, damp morning air.
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The suppressed report of my rifles sounded great, not quite as sharp as other suppressors. It’s almost as if the bleeding off of pressure through the brake vents made it sound better. It was an impressive suppression performance from a can that is neither heavy nor bulky.
As far as I could tell, the muzzle brake feature had no effect on accuracy. The uniform direction of gas flows keeps everything straight, and the can has a clean release of the bullet. I found my rifles shot just as accurately as before adding the MeatEater.
Modularity
Like most suppressors these days, the Banish MeatEater uses a common threaded mounting hub. This allows you to use whatever thread pitch you like or choose from a variety of brake-mounted QD systems. I used two different direct-thread caps to fit an assortment of rifles. This is a great feature if you want to suppress several different hunting rifles.
Some might not like the muzzle brake feature of the MeatEater, but you can turn off the feature by simply threading out the front of the can and flipping the spacer over to block the muzzle brake ports. The only scenario where I figure this might be needed is if you are shooting from dusty ground in the prone position and wish to avoid kicking up dust.
Pros & Cons
The Banish MeatEater has a lot going for it, and few things I would count as negative. On the positive side, there is much to say. This can sounds fantastic and will surely help you take game without spooking the whole herd. The muzzle brake feature is a nice option, and if you don’t want it, you can always turn it off.
Related: Harvesting with Suppressors – All About Safer Hunting
It’s also easy to service the suppressor, as it can be completely disassembled to clean the individual parts. The multi-caliber muzzle is another fancy feature that you may or may not need or even use. With the industry standard hub, you can easily configure this can to fit nearly any .30-caliber or smaller firearm. All this adds a mere 10 ounces to your hunting rifle.
