Suppressors

Centurion

Liberty Suppressors builds a leaner 9mm can

As a consumer, we want to have a voice in the types of products that are available. The firearms industry is full of opinions and wants. Some products make it to market promising certain performance levels, quality and ease of use; then, in the hands of various users, design flaws begin to appear. When this happens, companies can choose to simply ignore what the customer wants or needs, which is bad, especially when there is a real, functional issue. The other option is to listen to customer feedback and make an effort to respond. Liberty Suppressors abides by the latter.

Centurion Specs

Cartridge: 9mm, .300 BLK, .22LR
Weight: 7.9 oz.
Length: 5.3 in.
Diameter: 1.375 in.
Materials: Titanium tube/SS core
Noise Rating: 24-32 dB
Attachment Type: Thread/tri-lug
Finish: Type C Cerakote
MRSP: $835
Manufacturer: Liberty Suppressors

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Last year, we reviewed Liberty’s line of products, and they impressed us with their performance, excellent build quality and a decent price point. This year, we had the opportunity to look at Liberty’s new Centurion, a leaner, meaner 9mm suppressor. It is essentially a smaller version of their popular Mystic and is a direct response to customer requests.

Build

Shorter, lighter 9mm suppressors are trending. Everyone wants the smallest suppressor possible, but we give up performance in the way of sound attenuation. While suppressor companies put money into research and development to reach the ultimate goal for customers, the laws of physics remain in place. If you want better sound reduction, you’ll need a larger suppressor. If you want an extremely durable suppressor, it will be heavier.

Liberty’s Mystic X was hugely successful. Its monocore baffle design is sleek and effective, making maintenance easy. It can be used with 9mm, .300 Blackout (BLK) and .22LR, making this a versatile can. This design has a bright future, so what do you do next? Shorten it, make improvements, give it a new name and get it out to the masses.

The front end cap stays in place, and the Centurion disassembles from the rear by unscrewing the rear adaptor. (Photo courtesy of “Shooting Times”)

The challenge with calibers such as 9mm, .300 BLK and .22LR is that they are dirty, especially when suppressed. The Centurion remains user-maintainable and disassembles easily with the three main pieces: the wavelok-cut end cap, the titanium outer tube with a wavelok cut and the stainless-steel baffle core. The stainless-steel construction of the core allows the baffles to be cleaned with harsh chemicals. The wavelock design ensures that the user reassembles the Centurion properly, and there is no O-ring seal on the front end cap. There are, of course, rear adapters. These can vary and your total added length comes to roughly 6 inches.

In all fairness, the Centurion is not simply a shorter Mystic, though they are very similar. The Centurion has a baffle design that is made specifically for optimal performance in its 3-inch-shorter configuration. At 5.3 inches, the Centurion is first and foremost a pistol suppressor meant for 9mm firearms, but because it can be disassembled, you can also shoot .22LR. It is also tough enough to handle .300 BLK, although it’s not the ideal configuration.

The Centurion is backward compatible with the Mystic X mounting and end cap options. So it is possible to split your time between your Mystic X and the Centurion.

Liberty has you covered with a variety of adaptors from direct thread to piston type. (Photo courtesy of “Shooting Times”)

Styling

Suppressors are tools. There was a time when that’s all that they were seen as, and that mentality was apparent in their external design. A suppressor, for the most part, is a metal tube. How nice can it look? How different can it be? As suppressors morph into must-have firearm accessories, we’re finding out. It’s surprising how small styling cues can affect attraction to a suppressor. Liberty cans are attractive even though they are simple in appearance. But all the parts come together well, boosting the quality feel.

The test-bed for the Centurion was a B&T APC9 short-barreled rifle (SBR). This is a go-anywhere, do-anything firearm. It’s at home in the smallest of backpacks with extra mags and a rapidly deployable suppressor using the standard tri-lug mount of the APC9 and the tri-lug adapter available from Liberty.

The established tri-lug-barrel design allows for easy installation and removal with the Centurion tri-lug rear adapter. (Photo courtesy of “Shooting Times”)

The shorter length of the Centurion keeps the handling characteristics of the APC9 on point. You’d be amazed by how quickly a short, maneuverable firearm can become awkward and cumbersome with a suppressor attached.

Testing

We tested the B&T/Liberty combination at 50 yards and shot HPR EMCON 147-grain jacketed hollow-point (JHP) suppressor-specific ammunition. This was the farthest we had tested a pistol-caliber suppressor. There was no significant change in group sizes: Unsuppressed averaged 1.7 inches while suppressed averaged 1.6 inches. But there was a significant change in the point of impact (POI) to the tune of more than 6 inches in elevation. There was no left or right deviation.

Centurion Performance

POI Shift: 6.14 in. up
POI Shift Repeatable: 87 degrees, 64 percent relative humidity, 869
Accuracy is the average of three, five-shot groups at 100 yards.

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In this case, the host firearm is a backpack rifle, meant for personal defense in a catastrophic situation. A POI change of this level is significant and could mean the difference between hitting your intended target and hitting an innocent bystander. That doesn’t mean the Centurion isn’t a good suppressor, it simply reinforces the need to look beyond decibel reduction and weight. It’s a case by-case observation. As a shooter, you need to be aware of all the possible changes in performance characteristic with the addition of a suppressor.

Lasting Impressions

The Centurion was extremely quiet with subsonic ammo and served as a reminder of why we like suppression so much. We have no complaints about the Centurion, and performance on other firearms will be different. We don’t know how much the tri-lug attachment changed performance, and it would be interesting to see the results if we used a direct-thread attachment on the same rifle.