Rugged Suppressors Obsidian9 Suppressor: Full Review

Suppressors don’t have to be expensive to be well-featured or modular. Expense occurs when a company tries to combine those aspects with lightweight and exotic materials. Offering tremendous value, Rugged Suppressors’ Obsidian9 is worth admiration. Introduced in 2019, it’s a pistol suppressor that also dabbles in centerfire rifle, excels at rimfire, and often sells for a little more than $600 despite the $822 manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP).

The key to the Obsidian9 is the rational design and material selection. Every consideration was made in favor of performance and value; it shows. The suppressor’s tube is made from hard-coat anodized aluminum, and the removable baffles are made from 17-4 stainless steel. These materials are not considered exotic, yet they offer 95 percent of the performance seen in suppressors made of Inconel, titanium, cobalt alloys, and others. For an ever-so-slight increase in weight, the price is almost half of the exotics of this type.

The ADAPT Module extends 3 inches for increased sound reduction, increasing weight by 4 ounces. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Most important is the performance that the Obsidian9 demonstrated during Guns & Ammo’s testing. Our ears suggested the Obsidian9 performs like every other 9mm pistol suppressor having similar external dimensions. Such a statement might get the decibel-chasers up in arms, but suppressed pistols are only so quiet. The Obsidian9 gets them as quiet as anything else. What impressed us the most about this suppressor is its versatility.

Rimfire suppressors typically sell for a couple of hundred bucks less than the Obsidian9, but those are only good for rimfire use. The Obsidian9 can thread on any rimfire host that has the barrel threaded 1/2×28. The suppressor comes with a 9mm internal piston for use on most semiautomatic 9mm pistols, however, the thread pitch for 9mm pistols and .22 rimfire rifles and pistols is usually the same. It is best to order and use the fixed-barrel spacer with the Obsidian9 when shooting it on a rimfire host, just to keep the can from bouncing around on the muzzle. Even with a rimfire pistol, using the piston spring and not the fixed-barrel spacer can result in a baffle strike.

gaad-sup-obsidian-9-03-1200x800 — Rugged Suppressors engraves the serial number into the thickest part of the mounting system, allowing for easier replacement of parts in the event of any significant damage to the can. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Once the spacer is in place, the Obsidian9 is an excellent rimfire suppressor. It has massive internal volume, is made from high-quality materials and disassembles for maintenance. That last part is important. Rimfire suppressors accumulate wax, powder and lead residue fairly quickly, and need to be cleaned regularly. The Obsidian9 simplifies maintenance.

The tube’s internals are comprised of 17-4 stainless steel baffles that have three locking tabs to ensure that incorrect assembly is impossible. I wouldn’t put a suppressor on any rimfire firearm unless it had removable baffles. Making baffles out of 17-4 is why they’re so durable, and it’s what gives the Obsidian9 its “belt-fed” rating. The belt-fed rating applies to all handgun calibers, meaning that there’s no way to shoot handgun cartridges through the Obsidian9 fast enough to damage it. Even when compared to more expensive exotic materials, 17-4 usually beats them on durability at the expense of being slightly heavier. The baffles slide out of the tube for maintenance and can be moved around in any order if the shooter feels that baffle erosion might become a future problem. The locking tabs guarantee proper assembly, but the baffles have to be clean to get them to fit back together.

gaad-sup-obsidian-9-04-1200x800 — Baffles are made from 17-4 stainless steel and are keyed with indexing tabs to let users align them properly. The baffles also interlock in a way that creates a gas seal, significantly reducing carbon buildup. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

In addition to carrying a belt-fed rating for pistol cartridges, the Obsidian9 is also capable of handling a few rifle cartridges under certain conditions. The .300 Blackout round loaded to subsonic velocity is fine when fired from an 8-inch barrel or longer, and the 9x39mm Soviet — a necked-up 7.62x39mm cartridge — is also approved when fired at subsonic velocity from an 8-inch barrel or longer. All .350 Legend loads are good-to-go as long as they’re fired from a 16-inch barrel or longer. Rifle ratings on a pistol suppressor are uncommon (even with subsonic cartridges), so green-lighting the .350 Legend in all its forms shows, again, how durable Rugged Suppressors made the Obsidian9.

gaad-sup-obsidian-9-05-1200x800 — Maintainence can be performed rather easily by removing all baffles and the piston from the tube. While carbon buildup is gradual within the Obsidian9, removing it is straightforward. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Multi-Purpose

The overall length is user-configurable with the Obsidian9. The full length is the quietest and measures 7.8 inches. Removing the module shortens it to 4.9 inches. Being able to tailor the length is useful for a suppressor of this type. The long version is best for use at the range or on pistol-caliber carbines (PCC). Maximizing the sound suppression makes shooting fun for the shooter and everyone around, but the extra length makes the firearm a little less handy. The short version is what would be on my home-defense pistol or carbine. Firing a gun inside a house is loud enough to be distracting, even when facing a life-threatening situation. Suppressor use is becoming more mainstream and easier than ever before, so I’d encourage using one for home defense.

gaad-sup-obsidian-9-06-1200x800 — ADAPT Modular Technology allows shooters to enjoy the benefits of a multi-configurable suppressor. Tools are not required. Simply remove the ADAPT module and move the end cap to the body. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Mounting the Obsidian9 has several options that make it a great choice for just about any appropriate firearm. Pistols using the classic Browning-type recoil operating system have barrels that initially move rearward while locked to the slide. After traveling a short distance, the barrel drops away from the slide and stops while the slide continues moving rearward to eject the empty case and load a fresh cartridge. A spring-loaded piston is essential to allow the suppressor to momentarily float while the barrel is moving. This makes sure the pistol’s timing remains unchanged and supports reliable operation. Rimfire firearms and firearms with fixed barrels should either use a direct-thread plate or the fixed spacer, both of which are options with the Obsidian9. Another option is the classic three-lug attachment method. This is the fastest way to attach the suppressor to a firearm because it only requires the shooter to slide the suppressor over the lug mount, compress the spring, and twist about 60 degrees before releasing the suppressor. The three-lug system only works with fixed-barrel firearms, though, and not on a rimfire.

gaad-sup-obsidian-9-07-1200x800 — The keyed cuts in the baffles ensure that they cannot be assembled incorrectly. The 17-4 stainless-steel baffles are belt-fed rated to 9mm, and it’s rated for subsonic .300 Blackout. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Parting Shot

The Obsidian9 is a great choice for a 9mm pistol suppressor because it isn’t limited to just pistol use. Anyone with a pistol is likely to have a few rimfires, and might even dabble in subsonic shooting or the .350 Legend. This is the one suppressor I’ve found that can fill all those roles at a great price.