Reviewed: Ruger Dead Air RXD Suppressors

Frank Melloni

posted on October 20, 2025

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As they say, teamwork makes the dream work, with some of the best products in history coming from a pair of companies coming together. In these unions, each player brings their respective expertise to the table, making outcomes not only breathtaking but unique as well. Such is the case with the RXD line of suppressors, the brainchild of Sturm Ruger & Co. and Dead Air. By applying Dead Air’s sound-reduction experience with Ruger’s prowess for making capable and compact firearms, putting together a family-friendly shooting package is easier than ever.

At the time of this writing, the RXD line consists of two products: one for rimfire and one for centerfire. Although a pair of suppressors might not seem versatile, through their vast caliber and cartridge ratings, they cover a wide breadth of applications.

Both suppressors are constructed primarily from titanium, which minimizes the overall weight, making them less noticeable when they are hanging off the end of a firearm. Also, both include a muzzle-brake system, so not only do they tame the noise, but the kick, too. Doubling as the attachment arrangement, each brake is mounted to the firearm via its caliber-matched thread pattern, and then each suppressor mounts to the outer threads of the brake. This setup allows for easy transfer from firearm to firearm, and also provides the benefit of recoil reduction even when you’re not shooting with the can mounted. Lastly, either suppressor is available in either a black or burnt bronze finish, helping the end user match the can to their rifle for a pleasing aesthetic.

The rimfire offering is dubbed the RXD22Ti, denoting its caliber and its main material. Rated for cartridges as heavy as the FN 5.7 x 28, it is slightly overbuilt for a rimfire suppressor, but in that lies its utility. The main tube houses a 3D-printed mono-core design with a unique PVD coating. This finish makes cleaning easier and ensures more of the fouling is pushed out of the barrel, instead of back into the chamber.

This is aided by the Gas Management System, which certainly earns its keep in this application, given that cartridges like .22LR are particularly dirty. Mono-core designs tend to earn a bad rap as having poor first-round performance, as there is typically more of a “pop” by the ejection port, but Dead Air assures us that the sum of these components mitigates this to an almost unnoticeable level, leaving just the benefit of weight reduction and less-involved cleaning.

To test this can, I mounted it to a Ruger American .22LR rifle. Topped with one of Burris’ new Fullfield IV 2.5-10x scopes, I transformed the rifle into an exceptional small-game gun that is certainly going to spend a lot of time on the firing line as well during the offseason.

Moving over to the big boy, the RXD30Ti is the .30-caliber addition to the line and can handle cartridges as large as .300 PRC. As Ruger and Dead Air figured this had a good chance of being used to quiet down some of the thumpers out there, a second radial braking system was built into the muzzle end of the silencer. This further reduces recoil and vents more of the gas out of the gun instead of back toward the shooter and into the action.

I was thoroughly impressed with this suppressor, as when you compare its size and weight to similarly rated competitors, it comes in a fair bit less than either in both departments. Dead Air is able to do this through its Nomad baffle system, which trades the hefty full-auto rating for something more in tune with the needs of the hunter and target shooter. They do this through the use of 3D-printed titanium baffles, allowing for more intricate designs that deliver more sound reduction with less material. Neither company is shy about calling this a “hunting” suppressor, either, and given its field expedience, I think that is a prudent disposition.

I picked a second-generation Ruger American Ranch Rifle chambered in .308 Winchester to test this can. I topped the gun with Steiner’s equally compact H6Xi 2-12x42mm riflescope, creating a package that would be a menace in the deer woods and even fare well at moderate-distance shooting.

This gun comes from the factory with its own brake threaded onto the muzzle, so it needed to be spun off before mounting the RXD in its place. I chose this rifle for its 16.1” barrel, allowing for enough room to add a suppressor without making the gun too unwieldy. Also, as it’s a bolt-action, it’ll quiet down each round better than a semi-auto while inherently experiencing less blowback. Being threaded in the same 5/8-24 TPI pattern as the silencer alleviated the need for any other adapters.

For those using a gun threaded in something else, the RXD30i is HUB compatible, allowing you to change the thread pattern to suit your needs. Doing this swap will shed the rear brake too; you’ll also lighten the load a bit.

Settling in at the range, I hung a target at 50 yards to test the .22LR package and one at 100 for the .308 Win.. Beginning with the rimfire, I zeroed the rifle and established a baseline accuracy with CCI’s Suppressor Max ammunition. This new load boasts a 45-grain segmented hollow-point bullet loaded below the speed of sound. The results? Dead silence when it’s fired through the RXD22Ti.

As advertised, the first-round pop was negligible, especially in this bolt-action rifle, as was first-shot displacement from the group. Five-shot groups averaged about an inch and a half, and removal of the can only offset my point of impact (POI) by roughly 1.5” at this distance. Without the can, that was straight up from my suppressed zero, which I also found to be repeatable, meaning that you can predict and adjust for it when shooting without the suppressor.

I decided on Hornady’s 125-grain Custom Lite load for the .308 rifle, as shorter barrels are capable of pulling the full potential from lighter bullets. When fired from a rifle wearing two forms of recoil mitigation, they were downright pleasant. Now, this load is supersonic. That means that, no matter what, you can’t suppress the cracking of the sound barrier. Still, the boom from the burning gunpowder was exceptionally tamed. The flash-hider on the end of the RXD also worked as intended, which is really saying something when used on a carbine-length rifle. Accuracy remained unchanged, with five-shot groups hovering around the 1.5” mark, and only about 2.5” of POI shift, again straight north when the can was removed.

Ending my day after shooting more ammo than I intended, I was thoroughly impressed by this collaboration between Dead Air and Ruger. Creating two shooting packages around each was a rewarding experience, and I now have a pair of rifles that are perfect for introducing new shooters to the sport.

Adding a silencer, especially one built with specific recoil-taming features, to a compact rifle creates an exceptional training tool, as it puts the fun back into shooting and makes pressing the trigger far less intimidating for every member of the family. I give both of these suppressors my highest endorsement, and as the $200 tax stamp requirement sunsets in January, getting into these will soon be more affordable than ever. Visit DeadAirSilencers.com.

RXD22Ti Specifications

Materials: Suppressor - 6AL4V Titanium; Muzzle Device - Nitride 17-4 PH Stainless Steel

Finish: Black or Burnt Bronze high-temp Cerakote; Nitride adapter, PVD Triskelion Core

Caliber Rating: .22 LR, .22 Mag, .17 HMR, .17 WSM to 5.7x28mm

Muzzle Energy: 850 ft/lbs

Barrel Restrictions: none

Dimensions: 5.6” x 1.1”

Weight: 5.6 oz. (with mount)

Rated: .22 LR (full-auto*), .17 HMR, .22 WSM to 5.7x28mm (semi-auto)

MSRP: $499

*In accordance with ATF regulations

RXD30Ti Specifications