The suppressor market has exploded over the last decade with everybody and their uncle joining the business. Some are good, some are not so good, and many are sold purely on price. In a market so diverse and ever changing, it is important to stick with names that have built a reputation on performance. Dead Air Silencers is one such company. While they have a large line up, one of their newest cans—the Wolfman—caught my eye at the recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Idaho.

The Dead Air Wolfman Cometh

This is one of my favorite events of the year as we gather a large number of companies to join the editorial team for some range and relaxation time. It gives us a chance to really visit with the companies and get serious time on their products. I spent quite a bit of time at the Dead Air booth and shot the Wolfman extensively. If I was pinned down to describe the new Dead Air Wolfman suppressor in one word, it would be versatile. It is the transformer of suppressors with the ability to fit a wide variety of applications. Dead Air was kind enough to send a Wolfman my way for additional testing and testing I did!

The Minutiae

Modularity with the ability to fit a variety of applications is the calling card for the Wolfman. This can is actually the advanced version of the Dead Air Wolf-9SD. Like its predecessor, it’s a modular, multi-caliber suppressor. It specializes in subgun, light-duty rifle and pistol use. It provides ultimate suppression in its full-length configuration while still providing exceptional performance when set up in the short configuration. The Wolfman also has an ace up its sleeve; the front cap contains a user-provided rubber wipe that can drop suppression levels even further. Construction is fully welded 17-4 PH stainless steel that brings ultimate strength while keeping the suppressor as light as possible. It’s the ultimate mix of toughness and lightweight. The suppressor is designed for maximum muzzle suppression while also maximizing at-ear performance for the shooter through the use of a large internal volume and generous blast chamber.

The package comes with the suppressor itself and a 1/2 x 28 direct thread mount. This will allow you to mount the can to a vast majority of your subguns or pistol-caliber carbines. There is also an end cap removal tool and a machined cup to hold the wipe in the back of the end cap. For those new to this term, a wipe is a small piece of rubber that is set in the front end of the suppressor.

Easy-Use Design

The goal is pretty straight forward—to make the can even quieter. For the Wolfman, Dead Air includes a threaded cap to hold the wipe in place. While this is not a new idea in the suppressor world, Dead Air has gone out of their way to make life easier on us. The wipes that Dead Air uses are common 1-inch diameter rubber sink washers. You can find them at your local hardware store or order them online.

The Wolfman in its full-size configuration measures 7.5 inches long and weighs in at 14.4 ounces. In the short configuration, it measures 5.13 inches long and weighs in at 9.8 ounces. All lengths and measurements are with no mount installed because all the various mounts can add various lengths and weights to the can. The Wolfman has a slightly wider diameter than some other 9mm suppressors at 1.618 inches. This greatly adds to the internal volume of the can, and ultimately one of the things that make it sound so amazing. While my focus was pretty much on the pistol-caliber application, the Wolfman is rated for 5.56mm, .300 BLK, 7.62×39, 9×39 and .350 Legend. The small catch is that if you are going to run supersonic ammo, you will need to use the Dead Air Key Micro Brake. Beyond these few supersonic rifle calibers, the Wolfman is full-auto rated.

Dancing With The Wolfman

It was soon time to hit the range and first up was running the Wolfman on a 9mm pistol. All I needed to do was add a pistol booster into the booster assembly and we were off to the races. The host gun was a Zev OZ9, and it was a match made in heaven. I will jump to the question that is on everybody’s mind right now. Yes, the can is quiet. In fact, it is the quietest 9mm suppressor I have ever run. It is Hollywood movie quiet to be more descriptive.

What is very interesting about the Wolfman is that you have the ability to rotate the suppressor to find the orientation that provides your best point-of-aim/point-of-impact combination. The booster assembly is spring loaded, so all I need to do is pull the can out firmly, rotate it to the next position and then release. The diameter of the Wolfman is fairly beefy compared to some more slender cans, but I honestly prefer it because of the benefits of the extra volume. I ran a Trijicon SRO on the OZ9, which worked fine. Cycling was no issue, and the gun ran perfectly. I also ran it in the short configuration out of curiosity and only noticed a slight increase in volume.

More Rounds Downrange

Next up, I moved to the Quarter Circle 10 YKMF-5. This gun comes with the Dead Air Key Micro Brake. With that, I made the easy swap of adapters on the suppressor and the two were quickly married together. One thing I specifically noticed with this configuration is the plentiful tool area. Many are the cans and adapters that only allow the most slender of proprietary tools to be used. This is not the case with the Wolfman. I could easily just drop a standard crescent wrench on the mix if need be. On the YKMY-5, the Wolfman once again shined. I noticed very little backpressure even after running several 30-round mags at pace. It was really a pleasure to shoot.

For comparison, I ran a variety of 9mm ammunition ranging from 9mm ball to 147-grain sub sonic. While the subs were the obvious winners in the quiet contest, even the 115-grain ball performed quietly. All the ammunition was hearing safe and then some. The question may rise about point-of-impact shift when using the Wolfman or any other can for that matter. Much of that depends on your application and caliber. I tested a group on the YKMF-5 both with and without the suppressor and only found a minute change in point-of-impact. So little that I could not consider it significant at all. If you are running a precision bolt gun, your results may vary, but for standard use I do not believe anyone will see any noticeable point-of-impact shifts.

Going Full Blast

Last blaster in the line up was my Heckler & Koch MP5A2. I used the Dead Air tri-lug adapter for this configuration, and it mounted smoothly. They said the Wolfman was full-auto rated, so I wanted to give it a spin. First impressions were less than professional and essentially sounded like, “Holy shit that’s quiet.” I have had the luxury of running the MP5SD and I can tell you that the Wolfman on this MP5A2 rivals that classic gun. The noticeable lack of backpressure was again perceptible and appreciated in full-auto moments. Nothing sucks the joy out of full-auto like cloud of gas forcing its way into your lungs. It was my time on the MP5 where I really made the decision to classify the Wolfman as a hard-use can.

This is not some can just to use on Sundays or when friends are over. I found no loosening in the mounting system, and even the finish endured the full-auto punishment. Like you, I have a couple suppressors in the safe that have seen substantial full-auto use and they look like it. The finish is half cooked off and they look like they have been to war. The Wolfman looked brand new even after being run so hot you could cook bacon on it. Of all three applications, it was the Wolfman’s performance on the MP5 that really sold me.

Final Shots

I believe you would be hard pressed to find another suppressor that provides the true versatility and performance like the Wolfman. This is the can I would suggest about 90 percent of new and existing suppressor owners go to especially if you planned on only having one can. The wide variety of mounts and ability to run it long or short make it tough to beat. Once again, Dead Air has hit it out of the park and brought us a suppressor worthy of their solid reputation. For more information, visit deadairsilencers.com.

SPECIFICATIONS: Dead Air Wolfman Suppressor

• Rating: 5.56mm, .300 BLK, 7.62x39mm, 9x39mm, .350 Legend, .380 ACP, .38 Spl, .357
• Magnum, 9mm
• Length: 5.13 or 7.5 inches (short, long)
• Weight: 9.8 or 14.4 ounce (short, long)
• Diameter: 1.618 inches
• Finish: Cerakote
• Mount: Ships with 1/2 x 28 direct thread and wipe compatible front cap (tool included)
• MSRP: $899

This article originally appeared in the April-May 2022 issue of Ballistic Magazine. Get your copy or digital subscription at OutdoorGroupStore.com.