*Click to expand images
TL;DR:
The Universe 36 is a flexible, low backpressure suppressor with strong performance on 9mm PCCs and excellent robustness for use on 5.56 and 7.62 rifles.
Transparency Note:
The Universe 36 was sent to us by Otter Creek Labs at no cost. As of the time of getting the suppressor and when we started writing this review, we had no business or financial relationship. However, based on more recent discussions, they'll be carrying some of our mounting parts in the near future. Regardless, we did our best to express our experiences as accurately and neutrally as possible.
We have a full disclosure page here with our relationships with all of the companies mentioned in our reviews.
Test Method:
We went out to the range and shot a bunch of rounds through the Universe 36, Rico 309, Mojave 9, Infinity 556k, Rhodie 6, CAT WB, Rhino X, and Polo K back to back multiple times. We stood in the same spots and took notes after each one for gassiness and sound. Considering I don’t have Jay’s fancy sound metering equipment, I think this is a decent way to compare them.
All of this was done outdoors with a light breeze. From the shooting position, the dirt berm was about 30 yards away. You may have different results in other environments.
Hosts:
5.56 AR15:
12.5” mid-length barrel
Aero AGB
Down vent BCG
A5H1 buffer with flatwire spring
Warcorp 9 (AR9):
4.5” Ballistic Advantage EPC barrel
Factory Warscorp bolt
A5 GRS
Kynshot RB5000HP
2 spacer weights
Flatwire spring
We shot PMC X-TAC 55gr in the 12.5” and AAC 147gr through the Warscorp.
All of the suppressors had a HUB LPA installed, except for the Mojave which uses the P-Series LPA TI.
Suppressors Overview - 5.56:
*Dead Air doesn't officially give the weight of the Mojave without any mounting parts, so this figure is the listed weight minus the piston assembly (4.1 oz).
The Universe 36 is similar in length to the other PCC suppressors, but significantly heavier. This is likely due to the construction and use of Inconel rather than titanium.
The robust design is reflected in its caliber rating, with the Universe 36 being the only of these suppressors rated for full auto use with rifle cartridges. The Mojave 9 is ok to use on rifles, but semi auto only, and the Rico 309 is strictly for handgun rounds and subsonic 300BLK.
Swappable End Caps:
The Universe 36 has six end caps available:
9mm closed
9mm vented
7.62 closed
7.62 vented
5.56 closed
5.56 vented
The Universe 36 comes with the 9mm vented end cap. The other five are available separately.
In most suppressors, changing out end caps only affects the sound and backpressure by a small amount. The Universe 36 design is based on the Infinity design, and the end cap options more meaningfully change how the suppressor functions and behaves. This makes it flexible to be better optimized for various hosts.
The 7.62 and 9mm end caps are pretty similar. I generally wouldn’t bother getting both since the difference in bore size isn’t that big. I actually had a hard time telling them apart on the table sometimes.
Backpressure - 5.56:
With the vented 9mm end cap, the Universe 36 has very low backpressure. Like the Rhodie 6, there’s minimal perceptible gas or blowback as the shooter. It held open on AGB setting 11 which suggests it has the lowest backpressure of the tested suppressors. See our post yesterday for more details on that.
Swapping over to the closed 5.56 end cap, backpressure increases to be moderate and holds open on setting 8. It’s similar or a little higher than suppressors like the CAT WB, Rhino X, and Infinity 556K with the medium backpressure end cap. It’s still much better than traditionally baffled cans like the Polo K though.
Backpressure - 9mm:
Same as on the rifle, the Universe 36 with the vented end cap has low backpressure. It’s not uncommon to get a small amount of blowback with any straight blowback gun (the Warscorp is no exception), but this configuration seems to only increase it by a mild amount compared to without a suppressor.
For reference, this is slightly more blowback/backpressure than the Rico 309, but better than the Mojave 9 in long configuration.
With the closed 9mm end cap, backpressure increases somewhat. It’s not bad, but ends up being gassier.
Sound Comparison - 5.56:
We started out with the vented 9mm end cap for our shooting. With this, the Universe 36 had the worst sound performance of the tested rifle suppressors, and by a noticeable margin. It’s still a huge improvement over no suppressor, but next to the rest, I can’t really describe it as anything other than just... loud.
Changing over to the closed 5.56 end cap makes it quieter, but still louder than the rest.
This is more or less what we expected. After all, this is a 9mm bored suppressor being compared to dedicated 5.56/6mm rifle cans.
Sound Comparison - 9mm:
The Universe 36 really shines on a 9mm PCC. It wasn’t quite as quiet as the Rico 309, but it was a reasonably close second. With subs, it’s very comfortable and probably “hearing safe” for some people. Of course, it's still best to use earpro anyway.
The closed end cap can be used to improve suppression by a small amount, at the cost of a little higher backpressure. On this platform, going between 9mm vented and 9mm closed end caps don’t seem to make as much of a difference as on a 5.56 rifle.
Overall Opinion and Suggested Use Cases:
The Universe 36 fills a weird role for me. I’ve always been a proponent of having dedicated suppressors to maximize performance for each host, and this is basically the opposite of that. Based on the results of our shooting, I think if it’s in your budget it still makes sense to get dedicated suppressors. In a lot of ways the Universe 36 feels like a very robust, overbuilt PCC suppressor which is tough enough to be run hard on a 5.56, 7.62, etc. But you would be better off overall with a dedicated cans like a Milkman and an Infinity 556K.
Since swapping end caps is mildly inconvenient (not actually that big of a deal, but still something), I’ll probably just leave the Universe 36 with the vented 9mm end cap installed. It’s pretty quiet on a PCC and fairly loud on a rifle with either type of end cap, and this way it has least backpressure. This is just my opinion though; I’m sure people with different applications will end up with different setups.
The Universe 36 is advertised as being usable on 9mm handguns. While technically true, this doesn't seem to be practical. A standard HUB piston assembly adds around 4 oz and puts your total system weight over 18 oz. I tried this on a handgun and it was very uncomfortable and awkward. The gun was almost comically front heavy. For reference, a full length Mojave with piston assembly is around 9 oz, or half the weight, and it balances near the base of the can since the main body is titanium. The OD of 1.5” means it’ll block most sights, including some raised sights. Although I’m assuming most people these days are running an optic anyway so this isn’t as big of a deal.
There’s a lot of very thoughtful design elements in the Universe 36 that I really appreciate. The end caps have a standard 3/4" hex on the end which makes it very easy to swap out with common tools. There’s also very generous wrench flats at the base of the suppressor which is super convenient for installing adapters. I wish more companies would put wrench flats on their cans. It’s also HUB threaded so you can use pretty much any mounting system.
The Universe 36 is in our fitment tool. On our model, the blast baffle is a comfortable 1.67” deep which will easily accommodate standard muzzle device and adapter combinations.
As mentioned yesterday in the Infinity 556K review, I really like the styling of these suppressors. It’s a clean look and lets you get a little extra grip without getting too crazy. Also a little more surface area which probably helps with cooling.
Being printed from Inconel and using Infinity style geometry, the Universe 36 is no doubt a very tough suppressor. It’s full auto rated for 5.56, 7.62, and 9mm with no barrel restrictions, and can also be used on magnum rifles.
I know some of the above comments come across as negative. I don’t think that’s a result of the Universe being a “bad” suppressor as much as just not fitting into my collection and how I like to run things. For someone who just wants a single suppressor to cover their 5.56, 300BLK, 308, 9mm PCCs, and whatever else you can fit in there, this is probably the best implementation of a universal suppressor that I’ve seen up to this point. The low backpressure in particular is notable and sets it apart from cans like the Omega 36M and others that use a traditional baffle stack.
Future Testing and Reviews:
We have some more suppressors which will be tested and reviewed at some point here. The 7.62 ones will probably be whenever I get the chance to fix my Bear Creek 300BLK bolt action upper.
We also intend on doing more comprehensive flash testing, and made a couple changes from our first test to improve the repeatability of our testing and measurements. We’ll include a couple new cans like the Infinity 556K with the different end caps to see how they do.
Have a great weekend!
- Nathan Comstock
*Click to expand chart
All weights are given with no mount. The Universe 36 has swappable end caps and was weighed with the 9mm vented end cap installed.
The Universe 36 is longer than the rifle suppressors, but similar in weight.
*The Rhodie 6 was originally listed as 15 oz, but has since been updated to 15.5 - 16.0 oz.
**The CAT WB was originally listed as up to 13.9 oz, but has since been updated to 14.6 oz.
Suppressors Overview - 9mm:
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