Silencer Saturday #363: YHM Victra 12 Shotgun Suppressor

Welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new YHM R45 Multi-Host Suppressor. SHOT Show is fast approaching and new product announcements are flooding in. This week we have a new silencer reveal from YHM!

Silencer Saturday #363 @ TFB:

Silencer Saturday #362: Liberty Suppressors 10/22 IDF Clone Silencer Saturday #361: Hunting With Suppressors Silencer Saturday #360: Suppressing The Beretta Cheetah Silencer Saturday #359: A Primer On Subsonic Ammunition Silencer Saturday #358: A Holiday Suppressed Gift Guide

Disclaimer: Silencers are highly regulated items in the United States. Be sure you understand the law before you try to buy one. If you make a mistake you could face serious prison time.

Background

Shotgun silencers have moved from being an oddity to a rarity to an increasingly common item. This makes sense because there are something like 65 million shotguns in the United States. Most of those guns feature threaded barrels (of sorts) thanks to interchangeable choke tubes. Also, many common shotgun loads have velocities right around the speed of sound.

But thanks to the nature of shotgun projectiles there are some obvious issues with putting an enclosed tube on the end. Shotgun shells contain a wad, generally made of plastic, that holds the shot pellets. When the wad exits the barrel the petals open up, slowing it down and allowing the pellets to spread. If that wad opens up inside the suppressor and those pellets fly free it would wreak havoc inside a traditional pistol or rifle silencer baffle stack. Silencer suppressors keep the wad and shot together until both have exited the suppressor.

The Product

YHM’s new VICTRA-12 shotgun suppressor is the latest product to tackle the challenge of suppressing a shotgun. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

“Yankee Hill Machine, leaders in the U.S. fireams-suppressor category, have announced

the debut of the exciting VICTRA-12, a new modular sound suppressor designed

specifically for 12-gauge shotguns.

“Our research showed that shotgunners were demanding a major upgrade in

suppressors, and the VICTRA-12 delivers across the board. It is lighter than the

competitors, user-configurable to shorter sizes, durable, and offers outstanding dB

reduction, all at a price that blows away everything else on the market.” said YHM

president Chris Graham.

VICTRA T -12 production models will be available in late Q1 2025. Demo models will be

on display at YHM’s SHOT Show booth #20521.

One of the strongest features of the VICTRA-12 is its modular design. Its robust, yet

lightweight construction allows the user to easily configure it as a 12”, 10”, 8” or 6”

suppressor, depending on the user’s needs and preferences.”

Specs & Features

The VICTRA-12 has an eccentric design, meaning that the bore is not in the exact center of the suppressor body. The shot and wad move through the top portion of the silencer while the gasses expand and cool in the volume below the bore line. Putting the bulk of the suppressor under the bore keeps the sights visible. If the suppressor was not eccentric it would block the shooter’s view down the barrel and make it very hard to line up on a bird, winged or clay.

But eccentric suppressors need to be “timed” to the barrel. The benefits of keeping the silencer below the sights don’t really work if it winds up upside down. Yankee Hill address this by using a jam nut to hold the VICTRA-12 in the appropriate position.

Shotgun choke threads are usually proprietary rather than the standardized threads found on most suppressor host firearms. YHM will offer a wide range of mount options for common choke tube patterns, including:

RemingtonBrowning Invector (also Winchester, Mossberg 500)Browning Invector PlusBeretta Crio PlusBeretta Optima HPBeretta/Benelli Mobil

These mounts are not chokes though. Rather than needing mounts that also include choke construction, YHM broke it those functions out into separate parts. The barrel mount is just a mount, and the choke fits in the muzzle end of the silencer. The VICTRA-12 includes an improved choke. Yankee Hill will also sell modified and full choke options.

In addition to customizing the chokes and mounts, the length is modular. Two threaded rods run the length of the silencer and hold the baffle stack together. Swapping out the rods for shorter models shortens the overall length from the 12” included set. Options for 10, 8, and 6 inches are available individually, or in a bundle pack of all three. The longest configuration weighs 25 ounces and has a listed decibel level of 135 at the shooter’s ear. The shortest weighs 13.5 ounces and produces 141 decibels at the shooter’s ear.

There are some limitations and restrictions:

7 ½” + barrel – 2 ¾” shell max.

10” + barrel – 3” shell max.

16” + barrel – 3 ½” shell

It also works with slugs or loads with cupped wads only, and is not for extra heavy ammo like tungsten or bismuth loads.