Dead Air Mojave 9: Swiss Army Knife Suppressor

Photos by Kenda Lenseigne

Pistol cans, for the most part, suck, but if you’ve got to have one, you might as well get something that can be used on rifles as well, to balance out some of the suckiness. 

Dead Air’s Mojave 9 sucks less than most, because not only can you use it on handguns by swapping out the Nielsen device for a fixed mount, but it also can be employed on most small-frame AR calibers as well.

Announced at SHOT Show 2023, it took a while to bring to production due to the manufacturing method employed in its construction. 

Direct metal laser sintering is used to create baffle shapes that would otherwise be impossible to machine using traditional, chip-making technology — think 3D printing for titanium. Once you unscrew the endcaps, you get a good idea of the intricacies of the baffle design, and we recommend not staring at it if you’ve recently taken psilocybin. 

This baffle design is supposed to produce low back pressure while creating a low tone at the shooter’s ear, something we can attest to. In keeping with the manufacturer’s theme of versatility, we tried out the Mojave 9 on both pistols and PCCs in its long and short configurations — it arrives with a modular forward section which can be removed, shaving 1.4 ounces of weight and 1.7 inches from its overall length. In all cases, it performed well, according to our finely calibrated MK1 eardrum. 

Lacking the sophisticated sound monitoring equipment necessary to do a definitive test, we could only compare it to other suppressors in the collection and can say that it is indeed quiet in relation to them, particularly in handguns running 147-grain subs. 

Dead Air claims it’s good to go on .300 BLK subs and supers, as well as the .350 Legend, so naturally we had to try it on those calibers also by swapping the Nielsen device for a 1/2-28 fixed adapter, which dropped the all-up weight to just 6 ounces. Using a Brownells BRN-180 piston upper in .350 Legend, we ran 180-grain supersonic ammo through it and were rewarded with what felt like hearing-safe sound levels, while .300 BLK subs were movie quiet. 

Not content with that, we screwed it onto a 16-inch 5.56 upper to assess the low back pressure claim. While we probably wouldn’t use the Mojave 9 as a dedicated 5.56 can — especially on SBRs — due to its titanium construction, it worked just fine on our test carbine, with brass being ejected at the 3 o’clock position. 

Note; Dead Air doesn't recommend you use the Mojave 9 on a 5.56 carbine, but we're assholes and decided to go against their advice. You'll void your warranty and possibly damage your can if you do, so don't. 

Bottom line: If you want a lightweight, versatile, and effective suppressor to do duty on 9mm handguns and carbines, with an occasional foray into the hunting field on a small-frame AR, then the Dead Air Mojave 9 is worth your time to investigate. 

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