Tier-One Spartan Monolyth Sound Moderator - tried & tested

This solid Tier One Spartan mod lives up to its name, with a monolithic internal structure and a seemingly unbreakable build, despite Chris Parkin doing his best to prove otherwise

Tier-One’s new Monolyth sound moderator has been designed with the sporting shooter in mind. Its 47mm diameter external tube is machined in one piece from 7000 series heat-treated aluminium, with a taper at the crown end to signify the direction of fitting.

This taper surrounds the internal threads, which accommodate what you might call the ‘monolithic’ part of the design, where the whole internal baffle structure of the mod is machined from a solid billet, instead of individual baffles, with spacers to divert the hot high-speed gasses exiting the barrel.

Unlike the old Spartan 3, the internals insert from the front of the mod and screw rearward into the external shell; so, even though all threads are in the regular clockwise direction, you effectively tighten the moderator as you screw it onto the gun. Should anything come loose, the internal monolithic structure is revealed, and you can at least remove it with a tommy bar or gloved hand – there is no chance of getting caught out, as is possible on moderators with pinched internals that can come apart in your hand, leaving you scratching your head if specific re-assembly tools aren’t handy. I like the fact that even though it can be disassembled, should you want to clean it, you won’t have the problem of errant harmonics destroying the unit’s consistency and accuracy.

Like all mods, it never hurts to nip it tight when it is warm, as it will shrink back to an even tighter fit. A specific tool is supplied for initial assembly but I haven’t needed it since, and the 6.5mm unit has run very happily on both of my own .223 and .260 Remington rifles with good sound suppression.

Even though it is intended for the stalker, its moderate weight at 370g is a good technical balance of moderation and heat dispersion, with the physical weight and balance avoiding disturbing the rifle or making things too ungainly.

Part of the praise for the effectiveness of the sound moderation has to be laid at the feet of the predominantly ‘end of barrel’ proportions as only 47mm of the 215mm overall length is reflexed backwards over the barrel. As I have always said, baffles ahead of the gasses are always better than those behind it with their alleged expansion volume.

As is to be expected from Tier-One’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, all machine work is first rate with precise tolerances on thread specifications, perfect finishing to the intricate internal profiles, and a rich matt hard-anodised coating to finish everything off.

I’m usually very careful with test kit but I managed to drop this twice on a concrete floor in my armoury and although it’s taken a mark in terms of a few scratches both here and in use, there is no significant damage or denting of the hollow structure.

So, I have accidentally (perhaps on purpose) been left assured of the longevity of the unit. It is soundly priced for the R&D that has gone into the internal structure design, which is replaceable separately in the long term – all moderators will gas cut and wear out in the end! We have long ignored the fact that moderators are consumable items and it must not be forgotten that, like barrels, they will not last forever in their harsh gaseous and mechanically damaging environments.

This one is staying on my .223 for good now. Given the number of rounds I shoot a week, I’m very careful to wear ear protection but, regardless, I still hunt occasionally without them and found the Monolyth to my liking – it made a great compromise between the triple point moderator test: longevity, weight and sound moderation.

Price: £295

Contact: www.tier-one.eu 01924 404312