Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturer of the new Victra 20-gauge shotgun suppressor. This week we are taking a first look at a new silencer for review: the PTR Vent 1. The silencer made quite a splash when it was first announced, so let's take a tour through its features and specifications and talk about some testing plans. Silencer Saturday @ TFB:Silencer Saturday #456: Savage Accu-Can 30 BOBSilencer Saturday #455: Can We Have Captive Piston Ammo Now?Silencer Saturday #454: 375 Raptor Silencer Saturday #453: NFA Sea Change In Wake Of ATF Guidance LetterSilencer Saturday #452: Silent But Deadly Subsonic Rifle Match Externally, the Vent 1 looks a lot like most other silencers. It is a black metallic tube. On closer inspection, we can tell it was created through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, as many people call it. We have covered that technology previously, but the way that it is implemented in the Vent is very unique.The biggest headline with PTR's Vent series of silencers is the unique internal structure. These cans are 3D printed using a technology known as purposely induced porosity, or PIP. As its name suggests PIP uses varying levels of porosity throughout the innards of the silencer to control the flow rate of gases. Imagine having layers of sponge, steel wool, or pumice stone, each of which allows a different level or rate of permeation. That is a crude example, but it explains how the technology works.PIP would not be possible in a traditional manufacturing paradigm, but like so many other things in the world of silencers, additive manufacturing is a game changer. The necessary structures, with pores and air spaces through them, can be produced essentially as easily as a solid item by the printer. Imagine trying to do this with a lathe or a mill: putting in millions of tiny channels and passages through the surfaces, rather than defined channels or flow routes, would be a machining nightmare if it were even possible at all. One trade-off of this system is an increased need for cleaning. Just like the face of a pimply teenager, clogged pores do not work well. For the system to function, those passages must be clear enough for the gases to flow through. PTR's manual recommends light cleaning after 1,500 rounds and a deep cleaning every 5,000 rounds. Preferred cleaning methods include an ultrasonic cleaner and CAT 206 solution. This being a first look article, I do not have comprehensive performance information to share about the Vent 1 just yet. My only shooting experience with the silencer, apart from a few rounds fired at a shot show, was a few rounds fired in the dark (don't worry, that was in a safe range setting) to verify functionality. It seemed fitting to first test the silencer on a PTR91. I purchased that rifle some years ago, back when I was working at a gun store, and it has been a frequent participant in my optics reviews here at TFB.Unlike original German guns, PTR threads the barrel 5/8 x 24, which means it is compatible with a whole host of common American muzzle devices and silencers. There were no issues threading the Vent 1 onto this PTR91, and it looked pretty good on the gun as well. Suppressing a roller-delayed gun is not as easy as some other operating systems. The timing of the roller unlocking is controlled by both the diameter of the rollers and the angle of the locking piece, which holds them in position. From the factory, these are calibrated for unsuppressed use with standard 147-grain ball ammo of the NATO spec. I have tinkered with suppressing this rifle previously and installed the appropriate locking piece for use with a suppressor. That locking piece also tends to be the correct modification for shooting heavier bullets in the 168- to 175-grain weight class. Much of my .308 shooting with other guns features those bullet weights, and I wanted to have that option in the PTR as well. The first silencer I ever used on this gun was a SilencerCo Spec War 762. That silencer came into my possession at a dramatically reduced price as new old stock after SilencerCo discontinued it. It is typical of silencers of that era, with a plain tube exterior, heavy steel construction, numerous baffles, and absolutely no design features that reduce back pressure.I fired two shots and unloaded the gun. The poor bolt in this PTR was cycling so hard that I was sure either the bolt or the rifle would break. These roller-delayed guns often show dents in the receiver from the rollers when fired with high-back-pressure suppressors or improperly heavy ammunition. I didn't want that fate to befall this gun. The Vent 1 offers a new chance to try a silencer on this gun. Test conditions were suboptimal. It was late at night, cold, and rainy. I fired a few rounds of Fiocchi 308, which seemed to function fine. The bolt did not feel like it was cycling abnormally hard, so I felt safe to continue. However, a round became stuck in the chamber after firing and did not extract or eject. This is not ammunition I have tested in the gun previously. It was also very dirty, and the gun was wet from the rain, so there are several factors that may have been at play in that malfunction. As would be expected with a newly manufactured titanium can, there was some sparking, but it was markedly less than we observed with another brand-new titanium silencer tested at the same time. That one looked like a flamethrower.My plan moving forward is to clean the gun thoroughly and get back out there with a range of ammunition that I know has worked well in this gun previously. It may also see some appearances on interesting but difficult-to-suppress guns like my Brownells BRN10.SpecificationsWeight: 12.3 ouncesMaterial: TitaniumLength: 8.7”Diameter: 1.75”MSRP: $1499 SILENCER SHOP – HANSOHN BROTHERS – DEADEYE GUNSMAC TACTICALALL YHM PRODUCTS AT BROWNELLSDEALERS: If you want your link to buy YHM suppressors included in future Silencer Saturday posts, email: silencers@thefirearmblog.com