Diameter choice

[Morgan]

About to buy tubing for a 30 caliber to be used on bolt rifles and ARs. I'm going simple - stainless with the first baffle or two machined. Considering stamping the rest, but haven't decided for sure.

Seems like everyone sticks to 1.5 inch diameter. Why not bigger? Considering 1 5/8 or 1 3/4 tops. Is it worth the extra weight?

[Historian]

About to buy tubing for a 30 caliber to be used on bolt rifles and ARs. I'm going simple - stainless with the first baffle or two machined. Considering stamping the rest, but haven't decided for sure.

Seems like everyone sticks to 1.5 inch diameter. Why not bigger? Considering 1 5/8 or 1 3/4 tops. Is it worth the extra weight?

Though 'bigger is better' ( ask any dancer at a strip club ) the empirical results of determining the optimum
mini-max of length/width/weight/internal baffling/ material/final Db/
can be seen in the best commercial cans. They should serve you as a good figure of merit to start from.

Then there are the rare exotic and amazingly desirable extremes that
warrant the extra effort.

E.g. what I never cease to admire nor tire of
<< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GbjXvH7xJA >>

[Capt. Link.]

A 2.00 x10 can sounds better in many cases than a 1.5x10 suppressor.The cone style baffle will take maximum advantage of the diameter.Width dose not trump length but the added volume is welcome.

[twodollarbill]

I think the only 2" suppressor design that made good use of that width was the MK9 series.
Where the blast chamber stretched the entire length of the tube and the inner core handled the baffles.