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At SHOT Show this year, JK Armament launched what I believe is the best shotgun silencer to hit the market yet. Available in two flavors, the JK 195 VERSAX and JK 195 SGX, the JK 195s are fully modular suppressors with a baffle and front cap design that makes so much sense it hurts. Specifically, it hurts that nobody has done it until now.
I suppose with a statement like that I have to dive right into the guts of the JK 195s first. Each 7075 aluminum baffle features a trumpet shape. That smooth cone catches and re-tightens the plastic wad that holds your shot or slug. Most notably, it does this without shaving off plastic like competitors’ cans.
This means a far cleaner silencer, better shot patterns, and no plastic pieces blowing back into the action of your shotgun.
In what I believe is another first, the JK 195s’ mount isn’t the choke. After all, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to shape your wad and shot pattern right before sending it down a silencer that disturbs it. Instead, the front cap of the 195 has a trumpet specifically designed to act like a shotgun choke.
Though information on the JK website (and over at Silencer Shop, the exclusive source for the 195s) is extremely sparse still, it’s my understanding that multiple front caps will be available with the industry-standard shotgun choke restriction levels.
Finally, if your keen eyes noticed that the baffle in the photo above appears well-lubed, you’re correct. The JK 195 VERSAX and SGX can be shot “wet,” further improving sound suppression performance. JK will be shipping 195s pre-treated with petroleum jelly to provide customers with a visual aid for how much is appropriate to use as well as to ensure customers experience the difference between shooting “dry” and shooting “wet.” Plus, it makes the suppressor easier to clean.
Out in the Nevada desert before SHOT Show, I was around while the Genesis Arms crew was shooting their GEN-12 SBM 7″ SBS with the JK 195 attached. Yes, that’s a semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun with a 7-inch barrel. Except this one was full-auto.
They even let me run it! And oh man, was that sucker insanely fun to shoot!
With the suppressor in mid-length configuration on a 7-inch barrel, it was quiet enough to be totally comfortable from only a few yards away (like over by the blue truck in the photo above), but was probably above the hearing-safe threshold at the shooter’s ears. An 18-inch or longer barrel would totally change that equation.
But, so does shooting the can “wet.” I don’t think it benefits the JK 195 more than it does other silencers or anything, it just happened to be the case that this configuration was straddling the not comfortable/comfortable line and running it wet made all the difference.
Here’s a video of that in action:
The difference between the JK 195 VERSAX and JK 195 SGX, as I understand it, is the number of baffles included with the silencer. The $599 VERSAX has eight baffles, the $899 SGX has 14. The end user can configure either suppressor with as few baffles as he or she wants, but the SGX has the edge when it comes to maximizing suppression capabilities.
Perhaps the VERSAX is more “tactical” and focused on keeping things short and light while just this side of the hearing-safe threshold, and the SGX gives you that capability but also the capability to truly quiet things down for a day of trap shooting or bird hunting.
JK’s “Bald Eagle” 12ga mounts are available for seven of the most popular choke tube thread sizes and are how you mount your JK 195 to your shotgun. One is included with each 195 suppressor.
Further details aren’t available quite yet, but I think you get the gist of it! In my experience this is the best shotgun silencer on the market and I’m extremely excited to get one here for full testing. Finally, this is a truly legitimate shotgun suppressor that you can use for everything from goose and turkey hunting to clearing buildings on a select-fire GEN-12 SBM. Very cool.
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