Josh Wayner for TTAG

Today’s suppressor review is going hot with the OSS Helix HX-QD 762 Ti. This is a 300 Win Mag-rated can that’s lightweight and rugged. It’s suitable for long range and accuracy work. I was unfortunately not able to get to shoot at 1,000 yards with this model, but I tested it hard with some very accurate 6.5 Creedmoor rifles to demonstrate what you can expect to get for your cold, hard cash.

The initial unboxing is somewhat uneventful. There is the box with a suppressor inside. The first observation is that the OSS Helix has a nice, raw titanium look that pairs nicely with stainless guns or rifles with interesting accents, like the Q Side Chick chassis. Some people like their cans in matte black, but I think the cosmetic choice here looks cool as hell.

After removing it from the box, the next step is to unscrew the QD mount from the back of the can and install it on your rifle. The one I received came with a 5/8-24 mount that doesn’t require indexing. The ports along the mount are radial and it makes no difference how they line up in relation to the muzzle.

Once installed, the can threads on in a reverse direction. This can be a bit confusing at first and you can accidentally unthread the mount of you don’t tighten it down enough. This is important to note because if you tighten down the suppressor and also loosen your mount (the suppressor threads on left hand, and the threads of course are righty-tighty, lefty-loosey).

Make sure your mount is secured either with thread locker or at least a suitable crush washer if you don’t like glue in your threads. If the mount is loose, that can lead to big problems which you absolutely don’t want to risk.

The OSS Helix is easy on and easy off with very little fuss. Suppressors like this one are deceptively simple, and it’s easy to overlook the amount of technology hidden inside. The manufacturer OSS describes it thusly on their website:

A lightweight and durable multi-caliber suppressor with patented and proven Flow-Through® technology, the HX-QD 762 Ti is built with a combination of Grade 5 Titanium and heat treated 17-4 stainless steel. It delivers superior accuracy and repeatability, hearing safe 136-139 dB performance, is full-auto rated on 5.56, and cross-platform compatible on 5.56 up to .300 WM– the one to have when every ounce counts. 

Materials & Finish: Unlike traditional suppressors that manage trapped gas, intense heat and pressure with blast baffles, OSS’s Flow-Through technology redirects expanding gases forward allowing us to use 17-4 stainless steel deflectors and internal Grade 5 Titanium coils.  The result is a remarkably cooler and extremely durable suppressor. The HX-QD 762 has a fully-welded outer body made of Grade 5 Titanium coated with C-series high temperature gray Cerakote®.

I’ve done a fair amount of rifle suppressor shooting in my time, and what interested me the most about this one was the “flow-through technology.” The first time I really got to shoot some suppressors, I burned my hand thinking it would be easy to remove it. That’s not a mistake I’ve repeated.

The heat deflection with the OSS Helix is very noticeable and I think that translates to better accuracy down range. The most I fired in succession was 40 rounds of 6.5 Creedmoor and I was able to handle it the whole time while checking point of impact movement.

I tested the suppressor on two custom built 6.5 CM rifles, one in a Q Side Chick chassis you can read about here, and the other a heavy-duty Tuebor Precision custom build that weighs 22 lbs empty. The latter rifle is extremely accurate and features, among other accessories, a US Optics 5-25x52mm scope in a Sphur mount.

This rifle is so accurate and the action so precisely made that it produces groups in the half-inch range for five shots… at 200m. Oh, and that’s with factory ammo, too. I knew this rifle would be able to show me what sort of zero shift was happening with the can on and off.

To cut right to it and save some electronic ink, I was amazed to find that the Helix showed no discernible zero shift with either rifle. I’ve talked to some other guys who have used them and they have had a similar experience.

This may vary from gun to gun and can to can, but I can say that with two very different 6.5mm rifles weighing 12lbs apart that there was no real functional difference.

Accuracy measured was the average of five shots at 200 meters from a supported bench rest position.

6.5 Creedmoor ammunition from Black Hills Ammunition: 

6.5 CM Black Hills 143gr Gold ELD-X: 2725fps, .75” Zero shift: no

6.5 CM Black Hills 120gr GMX:2899fps, .75” Zero shift: no

6.5 CM Black Hills 147gr ELD-M: 2671fps, .5” Zero shift: .5 left, .5 high, but not enough to call it a real difference.

My theory is that it the lack of shift has more to do with barrel rigidity than total system weight. I didn’t use a light contour or carbine barrel in my testing of this suppressor; both tubes on my test guns were at least .900” at the muzzle. These are among the heaviest profile barrels in common use.

The rifles I used are likely inherently resistant to zero shift since the light suppressor didn’t add enough weight at the muzzle to induce pressure-related fluxes in group size and location. Down the road I may do more reviews of the OSS product line and I’d like to try it on lighter contours and carbine-length barrels to confirm this.

The suppressor was decidedly hearing safe on both my 6.5’s. While the report was loud, there was no pain or ringing in my ears. Recoil was also significantly reduced and my heavy USO-scoped rifle barely moved on the bipod. The lighter Side Chick chassis rifle bucked a bit more, but recoil was easily halved as opposed to a bare muzzle.

Because I take a consumer-minded approach to this testing, I don’t immediately try to scribble down decibels and instead look at it from the point of view of the person firing the gun. I don’t have equipment precise enough to register real data points for suppressors (it’s very expensive) , as there is more to it than just peak loudness. Duration of noise is something I can’t reliably measure, either. I tried with some standard noise meters and the results were not satisfactorily reliable.

In short, the OSS Helix is without a doubt hearing safe as advertised. I was completely comfortable while shootings it the entire time. The can allowed me to do all my initial testing without any ear protection.

Some of you among the TTAG armed intelligencia cay scoff at that. The point of suppressors to me is to make a gun hearing safe. Most guns are still very loud with suppressors attached, but loud doesn’t mean dangerous to your hearing. I was completely fine firing this can up until some other guy showed up at the range with a rifle and I needed to put my ears in.

The testing I performed here showed that the OSS can is capable of printing groups without any noticeable shift at 200 meters. The aforementioned temperature of the can was helpful in this as I was taking it on and off between shots to see if my groups fluctuated.

Bottom line, the OSS Helix QD-Ti is suitable for those of you that want a rugged, cool-running, and hearing safe upgrade to your rifle that will allow for performance in hunting and on the line at a match.

 

8 COMMENTS

  1. You liked the “raw titanium look” and indeed OSS says “The HX-QD 762 [Ti] has a fully-welded outer body made of Grade 5 Titanium…”

    But then they say it’s “…coated with C-series high temperature gray Cerakote®

    So is its finish raw Titanium, or is it finished in Cerakote® C-105 Titanium?

    (It doesn’t matter much to me, at $1299 MSRP)

  2. A few things about this suppressor that weren’t touched on here. Bolt velocity in semi autos sees a negligible increase using this can, so it’s far less harsh on your weapon in that regard. Far less fouling as well. The one drawback is if you’re firing subsonic ammo out of a weapon that won’t cycle without a traditional suppressor, it won’t cycle with this one.

  3. Where did you get that color of Magpul stock on the Tuebor Precision custom build? Is someone selling aftermarket skins for these now?

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