Area 419 Maverick Silencer Review: Purpose-Built Precision

Chances are that if you’re even casually interested in precision shooting, the name Area 419 won’t be new to you. At their Ohio facility, they make all manner of muzzle devices, adapters, reloading tools, and a whole lot of parts and pieces that go in and around precision rifles. And now, silencers. This last November, we were the first to show you some preproduction models of their new Maverick suppressor. As is the nature of many first iterations, there were some changes in the following months. What you see on these pages is their full production model, quieter and more modular than before.

DESIGN

Originally, the Maverick was a two-piece design, allowing the user to choose between a small suppressor with a large, effective brake attached and a longer more traditional silencer configuration — and you can still do that. What the folks at Area 419 did with their full production model was offer even more options to outfit the Maverick to your intended role.

Phase 1 is your base. It features a larger, .45-caliber bore and unclipped baffles. A brake or endcap can be fitted to the end of Phase 1 either to make a very short linear compensator or to reduce the sound signature when a brake is in use.

Phase 2 is caliber-specific, with .30 caliber and 6.5mm as initial offerings. This is where you’ll have some significant reduction in sound — but they’re not done yet.

While this was the original preproduction design, Area 419 thought they could eke out some more performance with a minor update: the Phase 3. This little modular .45-caliber baffle can be added to any stage to further reduce sound, while adding only a modest amount of length.

All told, there are six different configurations for the Maverick. Want something that just takes the edge off? You can roll with a mere 4-inch base module. If you want something less obnoxious, toss the Maverick brake on top.

Aside from the addition of the smallest phase, the engineers at Area 419 made some changes to the baffles themselves, not only quieting the entire unit down but also ensuring you won’t see any significant point-of-impact shift regardless of how you run the Maverick.

As expected, there are no low-end materials here, as the entire body is turned from a solid piece of titanium. The brake, mount, and blast baffle are made from stainless steel. In the absolute heaviest possible configuration, the entire Maverick weighs in at less than a pound. The lightest? Just over 7 ounces.

We’re told that eight configurations will be available for purchase: Your choice of a Hellfire or Sidewinder mounting system, either a 30-caliber or 6.5mm Phase 2, and with or without the additional small module. There’s around a 9-percent cost increase when you add the small module, but the flexibility it provides is worth it.

AT THE RANGE

Keep in mind that the Maverick (and indeed all Area 419 mounts) are threaded left-hand; therefore, you won’t inadvertently unscrew a muzzle device when removing the silencer or adapter. We strongly recommend the use of anti-seize on the threads between modules, lest they seize up.

We weren’t dissatisfied with the original Maverick silencer, but we did see some room for growth. With the first pull of the trigger on a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, we immediately noticed some sound reduction relative to the preproduction version. Area 419 claims the 9-inch setup meters 2 decibels less than the SilencerCo Omega. But it’s not all about the sound signature or the meter.

Though we can’t say there’s absolutely no shift, we can tell you that, within the realm of practical accuracy for PRS shooting, we couldn’t detect any differences when going the distance. But bear in mind, this is a precision silencer built for precision rifles. The barrels themselves are invariably thick and stiff, and the rifles they’re mounted on are stout all by themselves. If we hung a Maverick off of the end of a 2-inch pencil-barreled AR-15, it might be a different story, but that’s not what this silencer is designed for.

LOOSE ROUNDS

Anything that makes those godawful brakes precision shooters like to use less godawful is a welcome addition, and the fact it’s paired with an effective silencer is extra icing on the cake. Long range shooters are always looking for consistency, and Area 419 promises exactly that with the Maverick, as well as reducing sound. We’ll continue testing that statement; stay tuned.

Area 419 Maverick

Length: 4 inches (shortest) to 9 inches (longest)
Weight: 7.3 ounces (shortest) to 15.2 ounces (longest)
MSRP: $1,300 for the 2-piece configuration; $1,500 for the 3-piece
URL: www.area419.com

More on Precision and Suppressors:

• Long Range Shooting: Precision Marksmanship Fundamentals.
• How to Level Up your Precision Competition Difficulty.
• Precision Plinking.
• Stealth Project Suppressors: No More Need for an Adjustable Gas Block.
• Thunder Beast Arms releases the Dominus Suppressor.
• DIY Suppressor. Here's How.