BANISH 45 Pistol Suppressor – Review

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- If you read my review of the BANISH 22 rimfire suppressor, then you’ll recall that I put off buying a suppressor for a long time before deciding that I had put it off long enough and bought not one – but three – suppressors.

I purchased cans in .22, .45, and .30 calibers to cover all of my bases in terms of calibers and guns that I already own and calibers and guns that I think I might seriously consider getting one day.

The three suppressors I went with were all from the BANISH line offered exclusively by Silencer Central. This review is of the BANISH 45 suppressor.

BANISH 45 Suppressor

Since this is a .45 caliber can and not a 9mm caliber can, it is, obviously, a bit bigger. As a trade-off, it’s modular. You can run it in the full-length configuration at 8.6” with 12 baffles or short at 6.7” with 8 baffles. It’s 1 ⅜” in diameter and weighs 9.6 or 11 ounces.

The BANISH 45 is a direct-thread suppressor made of titanium and aluminum (hence the super lightweight specs), has eight baffles inside of it, is user-serviceable from both ends, can be set up with a variety of different pistons for different thread pitches, and is even full-auto rated. It can be run with any caliber up to .45ACP, and that includes both 10mm and subsonic 300 Blackout.

If you’re new to silencers like I was, thread pitch on the piston (for barrel attachment purposes) is very important. I did not realize that, because the BANISH 45 is a .45 caliber suppressor, the default piston in it has a thread pitch of 5/8×24. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed after my protracted wait with the ATF when I got my suppressor and went to attach it to the Lone Wolf barrel I bought for my Glock 19 … and it didn’t fit.

Of course, those of you who are “in the know” are either snickering or nodding your head. So, instead of heading to the range, I headed back online and bought another piston in 1/2×28 so that I could use it on my 9mm pistol.

If you’re ordering this suppressor over the phone with Silencer Central (like I did), make sure you specify which piston you want the gun to ship with once it’s approved. If you’re ordering online, you can simply choose the right one on the drop-down menu.

Alright, enough with that. Let’s get to the range.

I was lucky enough to have the entire outdoor range to myself, so I was able to shoot the BANISH 45 the way I really wanted to: without any hearing protection aside from the suppressor itself.

Because of the can’s 1 ⅜” diameter, it blocked the standard height sights on my G19, but that was of little consequence. I simply “sighted through” the silencer and was still able to ring the steel with ease.

Due to the current ammo situation, I didn’t have any subsonic 9mm to run through my setup. I used standard velocity 115-grain FMJ ammo the entire time I was there. Even though I still had to contend with the sonic crack, the combo of Glock 19 and BANISH 45 was q-u-i-e-t. I’d actually say the steel impact sounds were the loudest part of the whole experience.

Needless to say, it was an absolute blast. The gun, the ammo, and the suppressor all performed wonderfully together. I wish I had brought more ammo with me, but, well, we all know how that’s going right now.

Back at home, it was time to start cleaning. Everyone tells you how much fun it is to shoot suppressed. Almost no one tells you how much of a pain in the ass it is to clean both your gun and your suppressor – especially when you don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner. So, I got to work with my solvents and an old toothbrush.

Many of you will contend that centerfire silencers don’t need to be taken apart; they can be “shot clean” or given a good soaking instead. This may well be true, but I do like the fact that the BANISH 45 is completely user-serviceable from both ends. I like to tinker, and being able to take it apart and reassemble it was fun.

A good scrubbing with the toothbrush and some Hoppe’s made quick work of the little bit of carbon build-up that I had accumulated. Really, it wasn’t even enough to merit a cleaning, but since it was brand new, I wanted to give it a whirl.

Once it was all clean, I put a light coat of oil on the baffles and lined them up for reinsertion into the tube. Like most suppressor baffles, the ones in the BANISH 45 are indexed so that they sort of clip/lock together to ensure proper alignment in the tube.

At $949 (before Uncle Sam’s $200 tax), it’s definitely not cheap, and there are certainly other quality options at lower price points. If you’re looking for a small, cost-conscious suppressor with QD mounting options, then this is not the suppressor you’re looking for. There are plenty of them out there, but this is not one.

If you’re looking for a very well-built, lightweight, modular pistol suppressor and both price and direct thread mounting aren’t of a concern to you, then I’d recommend you take a look at the BANISH 45.

Plus, Silencer Central made the process super easy. I was able to break up the cost into four monthly payments while I waited for my paperwork to clear, and then once the ATF gave their blessing, the suppressor was sent to one of Silencer Central’s FFL in my home state, and then it was mailed right to my door. Payment, paperwork, fingerprints, trust setup, etc. were all done from my home office. Pretty convenient.

 

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About Logan Metesh

Logan Metesh is a historian with a focus on firearms history and development. He runs High Caliber History LLC and has more than a decade of experience working for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, and the NRA Museums. His ability to present history and research in an engaging manner has made him a sought after consultant, writer, and museum professional. The ease with which he can recall obscure historical facts and figures makes him very good at Jeopardy!, but exceptionally bad at geometry.