2026 is going to be the year of the silencer! As of January 1 the NFA tax officially dropped from $200 to $0, and the suppressor market has already exploded. New brands are popping up almost daily, and the speculation ahead of time was that we’d soon see suppressor designs more akin to what’s available in Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, and elsewhere where there are no special government taxes or hoops to jump through.
This is exactly what Lyman has done with its new Sonicore Suppressors line, which it says “brings a proven suppressor design known across Europe for decades […] to the American market” (Nielsen Sonic?). And get this! MSRPs across the, as of today, 6-suppressor line range from $199 to $299. That’s certainly unique and noteworthy!
The Sonicore line is fully modular, meaning the end user can remove or reinstall baffles as desired to balance length and weight with suppression needs.
While most of the suppressor is machined from aluminum, the critical parts are stainless steel. The threads that attach the silencer to the barrel, which in some models (as in the case of the one pictured above) includes a stainless steel muzzle brake that serves as the blast baffle) and the core — the actual cones that form the bore — are stainless steel. This should greatly increase lifespan vs. an all-aluminum suppressor and is absolutely a smart design to deliver additional durability to a lightweight, low-cost can.
From the reactions I’ve received from folks who I’ve shown these suppressors to, the fully-knurled design is slightly polarizing. Most liked it, but the couple who didn’t really didn’t. I happen to think it looks cool. Like the pegs on a dirt bike or something. Obviously it will provide great grip for mounting and removing the silencer as well as for reconfiguring the baffles, and all that surface area should help with heat dissipation.
We’ll absolutely be stopping by Lyman’s booth at SHOT Show this week to get our hands on the Sonicore line and to hopefully secure a couple of loaner units as soon as possible. A $199 to $299 (and that’s MSRP, so “street price” may well be lower), lightweight suppressor most definitely has a place in the 2026 market and, if they perform decently, I’m sure in a lot of our gun safes.
“6-suppressor line range from $199 to $299.”
Well, that certainly kicks the stuffing out of the pricing for the other U.S. manufacturers, especially for those who just wanna try one out for a while or get into it on a budget.
I suspect LKB will be shown to be right on his prediction a *flood* of cheap cans is on the near horizon.
Add to that the efforts to get them off the NFA entirely, and a new era may be upon us soon…