Q Thunder Chicken questions

C Walley

C Walley

Amateur
Hello. I have a Q Thunder Chicken in jail. It is my first suppressor. I bought it to use on my hunting rifles as well as my AR-15's.

Should I expect any reliability issues when running it on my AR-15's? What about gas blowback?

Didn't realize the Cherry Bomb mount didn't have wrench flats when I got the suppressor, so I got a Reardon FH mount to use instead.
Has anyone had any trouble with the CB coming unscrewed with the suppressor? Is the CB a reliable mount when rocksett?

Thanks.
 
A

Arete

Regular Member
No experience with the particular can, however I have several cans that use Plan Bs that mount to CBs.

I put 3 drops of Rocksett on the muzzle threads when I mount a CB, torque to 25 in/lbs, and have never had one come loose going on 3 yrs now.

From what I've been reading, people who get a CB stuck in the Plan B or the can didn't use Rocksett at all, or they only used a drop.

If you were to have a CB get stuck in the can or the Plan B, clean and degrease the threads, apply those 3 drops and a bit more, put the CB/stuck in the Plan B/can back on the muzzle decently tight and let the Rocksett cure for about 24-48 hrs, then use the wrench flats on the Plan B/can to remove it from the CB.

The TC is a pretty low backpressure can, probably won't need to do much to tune the gun. Depending on your gas port size and distance from the port to the muzzle. Maybe a heavier buffer.
 
C Walley

C Walley

Amateur
Thanks for the great info & help Arete.

It'll be used on a BCM 16" mid-length.

On Q's website it says to tighten the Cherry Bomb to a square shouldered barrel at 40 foot pounds? Should it be inch pounds instead?

Just hand tighten the suppressor when installing it?
 
A

Arete

Regular Member
My bad. Meant to say FT/LBS. ***USE 30 FT/LBS***

Barry Dueck from Surefire recommends not exceeding 30 ft/lbs for their muzzle devices to prevent compressing the barrel (he describes it better that I can) and negatively affecting accuracy, so I don't go over 30.

Be sure to use a reaction rod or similar so you can get sufficient torque on the muzzle device and not damage your receiver, etc.

Ensure that the 1/2" socket you are going to use fits the CB. Some will not. Usually needs to be a 1/4" drive. So you'll need some adapters to get that 1/4" drive socket to mate up with your 1/2" drive torque wrench.

Notes on Rocksett:

-Prior to using it and especially opening it, dry fit the parts to check for problems.

-If you let it get on your hands or gloves, it can be hard to get off.

-Have everything you need ready to go, before you open the Rocksett up, bc Rocksett starts firming up really fast once you apply it. Check and check again.

-For self-loading rifle applications I use 3 good size drops and push them into the threads and spread the Rocksett evenly, using a piece of scrap plastic or wood, NOT NOT NOT a Q tip. Q tip fibers tend to get trapped in the threads by the Rocksett and hard to remove.

-If you ever have to remove a Rocksett'd item, put boiling water into a container that you can throw away when you're done with it. Let the item sit in the hot water for 30-60 minutes. The more Rocksett you used, the longer the soak.

Since you are using 16" middy with a high flow 30 cal can, you aren't going to see a lot of negative effects when it comes to gasface, etc.

The taper used by the CB and compatible mounts and cans is such that once you tighten the item on the CB, it is supposed to take about 40% more force to break it loose than it did to tighten it. That's when it's cold.

What you need to do is (assuming the CB is on a muzzle with enough Rocksett, and it's had 24+ hrs to cure), make the can snug on the CB, then loosen it. Do that a few times, going tighter each time (BUT NOT GORILLA STRENGTH TIGHT).

Get used to how much force it takes to tighten it and how much force it takes to loosen it. You'll find out pretty quick how tight you want it to be.

Err on the side of a little tighter than you think it needs to be, so it doesn't loosen on you. I had it loosen on me once early on when I was merely making it snug. Caught it before anything bad happened. So I make it tight, not snug.

Do not use oil, etc. on the taper or the threads.

*Do* use a alignment rod to check alignment, to protect your investment. The Griffin Armament one is less expensive than the Surefire/Geissele. The TC is a longer can, so if you bore isn't concentric to the threads, etc. you can have a negative outcome such as end cap strike, so be sure to check this. *** DO NOT USE MCMASTER RODS***.

If you look here, you can find some muzzle flash testing with a CB and also with a Whistle Tip added, and also I put info regarding alignment rods.

https://www.youtube DOT com/channel/UCeGE8v19SVV9VEVkjUQYaaQ/videos

Hope that helps
 
C Walley

C Walley

Amateur
You don't know how much all of this has helped me!! I really appreciate your explaining everything, because I am brand new to the world of suppressors. I also appreciate all the info on Rocksett as I have never used it.

I ordered a Surefire rod from Midway as it was only $6 more than the Griffin Armament.

I've got the Rocksett too. Made sure to get it from Brownells as I read some were not getting the real deal through Amazon. Go figure.

I have a Geissele reaction rod, but thanks for the tip on usiing one.

My AR-15 has a square shouldered barrel (factory BCM). I know on Q's website they say it doesn't matter. Do you have any opinion on it not being tapered?
 
A

Arete

Regular Member
Glad to help.

Another correction: the force to loosen might only be 30% more, not 40% more than the force used when tightening. Not that you can determine this by feel. With a Morse taper, it just takes somewhat more force to loosen it than it did to tighten it.

Regardless, I don't make the can super tight on a CB.

IIRC from a podcast that Kevin Brittingham did (owner of Q), you do need to use somewhat more torque when putting a CB on a square shoulder than a taped shoulder.

ALl my barrels that have CBs have square shoulders. I use Rocksett and torque to 30 ft/lbs and have had only good results, to include going through multiple carbine classes with a Omega and a Nomad on them.

YMMV, I'm just a dude, and all that.
 
A

Arete

Regular Member
Acetone, brake cleaner, or carb cleaner.
Nylon or bronze brush.
Clean rags that don't come apart and leave fibers in the threads.
Be sure to remove any built up carbon, lead, etc. on the shoulder in particular.
 
C Walley

C Walley

Amateur
Regarding the alignment rod, I see that it goes in from the muzzle of the suppressor, but how far down do I need to push it in?

Should the alignment rod be 100% centered to be considered safe?

Hope you have a great Father's Day!
 
A

Arete

Regular Member
Wipe some oil onto the rod so when you insert it into the muzzle it's not completely steel to steel. Wipe it on and then wipe it off so it's just a very thin layer.

I prefer to have the rod protruding from the aperture of the front cap of the can by about an inch or so, no real purpose to having it protrude more.

The rod doesn't have to be in the center of the center of the center. Some slight misalignment is OK. Touching the sides of the aperture is a no-go. Getting really close to touching the side of the aperture is probably going to be a no-go.

Hope that helps!
 
C Walley

C Walley

Amateur
That makes sense. I hadn't thought about the oil. :)

When I do this, do I want the mount/CB Rocksett on or just have the mount/CB threaded on, then Rocksett the mount/CB if everything checks out ok?
 
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