I just got back from testing my new Dead Air Odessa-9 at the range, and the tests were a bit more exciting than anticipated.

Before testing the suppressor, I fully disassembled it, cleaned and lubricated it as recommended by the manual, and put some anti-seize compound on all the threads.

I was testing with a Sig Sauer P320 RXP XFull-Size with a Griffin Armament threaded barrel loaded with Speer Lawman 147gr ammunition. Testing was going well until the 15th round (of a 21 round magazine): the firearm had FTE (failure to eject) issues for each of the remaining rounds. After the magazine was empty, I gave the firearm a quick cleaning and checked lubrication. (I also ran a full magazine through my Sig Sauer MODX-9 to verify that the issues were not due to a fault in the host firearm.) I put a fresh magazine in, and the first shot cycled normally. The second shot, however…

I was quite concerned when I noticed my pistol was suddenly much lighter. All that was left on the barrel was most of the piston. The rest of the suppressor was about 15 feet downrange. The range had to call a cease fire and the owner went downrange to retrieve my suppressor.

When I got home, I disassembled the suppressor and verified that there had not been a baffle strike. I did find that the head of the piston was still in the booster cylinder (and would not come out).

It looks like I get to test Dead Air’s customer service again. (When I first received my suppressor, I found that the box was missing the required end cap tool. I contacted Dead Air, and they promised they would send me one. I still haven’t received it.)