Silencer Review: Q jumbo SHRIMP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT2lW-N34X0

Made entirely of titanium, the lightweight Q jumbo SHRIMP is one of the few 6.5mm-specific suppressors on the market. It’s targeted toward PRS and other precision rifle style shooters plus hunters looking for a compact, lightweight can that will protect their hearing while not getting in the way.

I feel like a bit of a broken record saying this again, but as shooters become more and more experienced using suppressors they tend to gravitate away from chasing dB numbers and toward finding the least obtrusive suppressor that’s still quiet enough to be “hearing safe” (under 140 dB at the ear). Likewise, as the market matures we see manufacturers filling this niche.

Such is the case with Q’s new jumbo SHRIMP. New enough, in fact, that it isn’t even yet on Silencer Shop’s website. Keep an eye there, though, as they make the suppressor purchasing process as easy as it can possibly be, including finding a dealer near you to complete the transfer. [EDIT: it’s on there now! We updated the link]

At only 5.69 inches in length and 9.2 ounces in weight (plus 2 ounces for the Q Cherry Bomb muzzle device), the jumbo SHRIMP is one of the shortest and lightest centerfire rifle silencers available.

If maximum sound suppression is your goal, Q makes the Full Nelson (direct thread) and the Thunder Chicken (quick attach like the jumbo SHRIMP) to scratch that itch. If you want to stay hearing safe on your 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, 6mm Creedmoor (or BR, etc.), .260 Rem, .243 Win, or .223 rifle (etc. etc. — anything under 6.5mm / .264 caliber in diameter) without adding any more length or weight to it than necessary, the jumbo SHRIMP just may be your huckleberry.

Q’s engineering and design experience definitely help achieve significant sound suppression in such a small package. Some notable features are the jumbo SHRIMP’s larger-than-standard 1.75-inch outer diameter, the tubeless design to maximize internal air volume, and a baffle design honed over decades of testing and refining by the Q team.

Accuracy, too, is very important for the jumbo SHRIMP’s intended application and Q ensures good results by wire EDM cutting the bore (meaning it’s perfectly concentric and consistent), which is also sized fairly generously for the caliber (the bullet doesn’t pass to closely to the baffles).

As you’re probably aware, Q loves them some tapers and they sure do use them to good effect. On the Cherry Bomb muzzle device, for instance, a taper section in front of the thread provides a complete gas seal on a matching taper inside the jumbo SHRIMP.

Not only does this keep the threads clean, but it keeps the suppressor from coming loose during use as the additional surface area and “squeeze” provided by the two interacting tapers locks up far more securely than two flat shoulders do. Even with much less torque applied to the suppressor during installation.

One warning: when installing the Cherry Bomb onto your barrel, in particular with a standard, square-shouldered barrel, make sure to use thread locker and torque the Cherry Bomb down its full spec. Because the suppressor-to-Cherry Bomb tapers seal up and grip so well, it’s easy to get into a situation where unscrewing the jumbo SHRIMP unscrews both it and the Cherry Bomb, leaving the Cherry Bomb stuck inside the can.

Without external wrench flats or any other tool interface, and designed as it is to barely protrude from the base of the suppressor, it becomes very tricky to remove. So . . . make sure it’s gripping your barrel harder than it’s gripping your suppressor.

Out on the range with a 20-inch 6.5 Creedmoor from Black Collar Arms and a 24-inch 6.5 Grendel from Precision Firearms, the jumbo SHRIMP’s performance was spot-on. It was completely comfortable to the shooter’s ears, yet is so lightweight that it doesn’t affect the balance of the firearm.

On the semi-auto there was no noticeable blowback to my face or eyes. I think the generous bore combined with the shorter length are both good things for use on a semi-auto, helping excess gas and pressure leave through the muzzle rather than the upper receiver.

Without a doubt, the jumbo SHRIMP is a fantastic choice for a precision rifle or hunting rifle firing a 6.5mm / .264 caliber or smaller projectile. However, it should be a rifle with a rifle-length barrel.

On a later range trip I installed the jumbo SHRIMP on this 12-inch 6.5 Grendel bolt action pistol and it was much too loud. Painful to the ears and I wished I hadn’t pulled the trigger. My fault for simply assuming that, as nice as it sounded on a 20-inch 6.5 Creedmoor, it would be able to handle a 12-inch barrel on the less powerful 6.5 Grendel. But, alas, it isn’t enough suppressor for a short barrel. Naturally, it wasn’t designed for that use so it’s clearly on me here, not Q.

While I think the jumbo SHRIMP is a great suppressor, I wouldn’t purchase it over Q’s other cans unless I was dedicating it to a specific rifle. It’s just too niche with its smaller bore and shorter length. For instance, a trash PANDA would be far less restrictive if I wanted to use it on multiple guns, but still wanted something pretty dang short and lightweight compared to the norm.

That said, if I were outfitting my PRS rifle or a lightweight hunting gun, the jumbo SHRIMP would be on my list of potential suppressor suitors for sure.

Specifications: Q jumbo SHRIMP

Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Diameter: 1.75 inches
Length: 5.69 inches
Weight: 9.2 ounces silencer, 2 ounces muzzle device
Mount Type: “Quickie” Fast-Attach
Materials: 100% Titanium
Finish: PVD
Decibel Rating: under 140 dB on rifles
MSRP: $1,049 (retails for less through Silencer Shop)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Utility  * * * 
A relatively niche silencer due to the 6.5mm projectile bore and the as-small-as-possible size, which means it’s only hearing safe on rifle-length barrels.

Form Factor  * * * * 
Amazingly compact and lightweight. Won’t get in the way or weigh you down at matches or on hunts. I’m docking it a star here, because I think it’s a mistake not to design a tool interface on the Cherry Bomb that’s accessible when it’s installed in the suppressor.

Suppression  * * * *
For its size, the jumbo SHRIMP’s sound suppression chops are quite impressive. I don’t think there are a lot of suppressors on the market that could be chopped down to this length and perform this well. That said, it requires a rifle-length barrel to stay just this side of hearing safe. That, of course, is the design intention of the jumbo SHRIMP so in that they’ve succeeded.

Overall  * * * 
The jumbo SHRIMP by Q is a great suppressor for the user looking for the lightest, shortest silencer they can get for their 6.5 Creedmoor while still just coming in this side of the established hearing safe threshold. However, this makes it a narrow niche can that’s also one of the more expensive suppressors on the market at over a thousand dollars. At an appreciably lower price point I’d give the jumbo SHRIMP four stars without hesitation. It suits its focused purpose extremely well. I might give the jumbo SHRIMP five stars if, in addition to a lower price, its mount end were threaded in the 1.375×24 standard, which would give owners a huge breadth of mounting solutions from which to choose. Overall the jumbo SHRIMP is a great suppressor, I just can’t quite see purchasing it over some of Q’s other offerings.

 

All images by Jeremy S. for TTAG.