Silencer Shop Authority: YHM Turbo 5.56 Review
Over the past two to five years, suppressors have exploded in popularity. Once rare, I now regularly see silencers at the range and I’ve had countless conversations with people who plan to purchase one at some point. Still, despite this growth, suppressors remain niche products. The reasons for this are numerous. For some people, they’re too expensive. Others find the extra paperwork to be a turn-off. And others still find themselves living in a state or municipality where silencers are simply illegal to own.
In January, Yankee Hill Machine (YHM), set out to capture that first group of shooters with the Turbo 5.56mm suppressor. Sporting an MSRP of just $489, the Turbo is one of the most affordable 5.56mm silencers, but YHM didn’t skimp on features. It’s equipped with their ratcheting quick detach (QD) system and is made almost entirely of stainless steel. The only question many people have been left asking is: how well does it perform?
Thanks to our friends at Silencer Shop, I recently spent a few weeks with the Turbo and today, we’ll take a close look at this new offering from YHM.
Size & Weight
The Turbo isn’t your typical 5.56mm suppressor. At 1.565” in diameter, it’s wider than almost all of its competitors, but it also lacks an outer tube. The Turbo is also relatively short – just 6.38” long. If you’re wondering how all of this plays out from a performance perspective, the answer is quite well. I’ll cover those details in a bit.
| YHM Turbo 556 | |
|---|---|
|
Length |
6.38" |
|
Diameter |
1.565" |
|
Weight |
12.9 oz |
|
System Weight |
16.9 oz |
|
Materials |
17-4 Stainless Steel, Inconel (Blast Baffle) |
|
Mount |
Phantom QD |
|
MSRP |
$525 |
Materials & Design
As I mentioned previously, the Turbo is a tubeless suppressor, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t rugged. The entire suppressor is made of 17-4 stainless steel – save one part. The reinforced blast baffle is machined from a dense nickel alloy called Inconel. Inconel is a popular material for suppressors and some companies have gone so far as to make their entire baffle stacks out of the alloy. That may make for a durable silencer, but Inconel is around 10% heavier than 17-4 and the added durability isn’t really necessary for distal baffles.
The Turbo’s tubeless body affords it one major advantage in the form of increased internal volume. Yes, the silencer is already slightly wider in diameter than other 5.56mm offerings, but the absence of an outer tube means that YHM could build the Turbo with a thinner outer wall. The outside of the suppressor is just a series of four baffle skirts circumferentially welded to one another and mated with an expansion chamber/mount and an end cap. Conventional silencers would feature a baffle stack made exactly the same way, but would then encase the welded core in a steel or titanium outer tube, making for a much heavier can with wasted volume. The extra space inside the Turbo leads to better performance and less backpressure. While a wider can with thinner walls may technically be less durable than a tubed design, most of us will never abuse our suppressors to the point that it’s noticeable. I’ve seen footage of YHM testing a Turbo until it was glowing orange and the suppressor held up remarkably well. Like YHM’s other 5.56mm silencers, the Turbo is rated down to a 10.5″ barrel.
Because tubeless cans are lighter with less material to absorb heat, they quickly warm during use. The upside is that they also cool relatively quickly, but don’t expect to be able to fire off even a handful of rounds and still be able to comfortably remove the suppressor.
Range Report
Indeed, while the Turbo is a respectable performer by traditional standards, it’s an unquestionable winner when heard from behind the rifle. For comparison’s sake, I mounted the Turbo to my short-barreled AR-15, removed my ear muffs, and fired ten rounds downrange. Then, I quickly unmounted the suppressor, swapped muzzle devices, attached my SilencerCo Specwar 556, loaded another magazine, and fired the same ten-round volley. With the Turbo, I comfortably made it through the entire magazine. Sure, the rifle was loud, but it wasn’t painful. For extended sessions (the rest of my range day), I still would (and did) opt for additional hearing protection. The important part is that you’re not going to go deaf if you must use your AR with the Turbo attached. The Specwar test was far less enjoyable. At round three, I was beginning to question my decision not to use my muffs. After the fourth shot, they were back on. The Specwar 556 is widely regarded as one of the quietest 5.56mm suppressors – at the muzzle. That performance comes at a cost and the increased backpressure of the SilencerCo suppressor is manifest in louder at-ear volume and faster bolt speeds.
Something I didn’t notice until watching my shooting video is that the Turbo does have some first round pop (FRP). If you’ve already watched the footage embedded above, there’s a good chance that you’ve noticed the same. The degree of the FRP is exaggerated by the camcorder’s microphone adjusting to the still-loud report of the AR. In reality, the FRP is no doubt there, but it isn’t as pronounced as the video may indicate.
Since the Turbo is a lightweight suppressor, I was hoping that it would have no effect on my AR’s point of impact (POI). In practice, that’s not very reasonable. The good news was that the shift imparted by the 12.9-ounce Turbo mounted to my AR’s 10.5” barrel was only around 2 MOA. In my case, the suppressed groups were directly to the left of my unsuppressed ones. The direction and degree of POI shift will depend on your host rifle, so my feedback should only serve as a general guideline.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for such a beast, the Turbo can be found at Silencer Shop for as low as $399. Final cost will depend on the pricing set by your local Powered by Silencer Shop dealer.
An information security professional by day and gun blogger by night, Nathan started his firearms journey at 16 years old as a collector of C&R rifles. These days, you’re likely to find him shooting something a bit more modern – and usually equipped with a suppressor – but his passion for firearms with military heritage has never waned. Over the last five years, Nathan has written about a variety of firearms topics, including Second Amendment politics and gun and gear reviews. When he isn’t shooting or writing, Nathan nerds out over computers, 3D printing, and Star Wars.
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