Griffon Industries HMMS: A Brief Review

I have been shooting a suppressed SBR for some time now.  I like using a SureFire SOCOM MINI-556 on a 10.3" SBR 556 AR15 variant.

If you've shot with or have experience shooting with suppressors you already know one thing about them that is universal: they get extremely HOT!  As in, burn the skin right off of you, hot after long strings of fire.

For recreational shooters at a square range, this really isn't much of a hazard outside of remembering to let the suppressor cool before trying to bag a gun or remove a quick attach suppressor.

For anyone who might have to use a suppressor and then transition or go hands-on in close quarters that skin-searing suppressor suddenly becomes a concern.

A few companies exist out there, and since this is a specific review, I'll talk about one I decided to try out for the suppressor on my SBR:  the Griffon Industries HMMS.

HMMS stands for Heat & Mirage Mitigation System and can be found at their webpage. It retails for around $129.95 USD and comes in a variety of colors.  Since my weapon is subject to certain restrictions I chose Black in the Mini length.

According to their webpage:

This System was designed and created by a former special forces operator to help avoid contact burns in CQB environments as well as mitigate mirage for Sniper/DMR applications. The system has been tested extensively by different organizations in both military and law enforcement. Their reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, as this is the first product of its type to be able to handle both Rapid Semi-Auto fire and sustained Full Auto fire. We are offering four lengths that should cover the majority of suppressors on the market today. 
*To prevent the HMMS from sliding forward during rapid-fire, simply tighten the shock cord & tie a new knot.
Features and uses: Safety device for urban and vehicle operationsInner Core rated and tested at 3000 deg/F Can be used to remove suppressors after sustained use - Hand Safe External Heat Fire Retardant thread MSDS Compliant Reduce mirage & dissipates heat NON-ASBESTOS *Full Auto Rated - Tested to 9 mags full auto continuous by members of NSW
Available Lengths:Mini – 5” (ex. Surefire Mini, AAC Mini-4)
SOCOM – 6” (ex. KAC QDSS-NT4, GemTech Halo)
Middy – 7.5” (ex. AAC 762-SDN-6)
DMR – 9” (Surefire FA762K)

Upon opening the box are I discovered a neat PVC Griffon Industries patch, which has found its way onto my plate carrier.  Also, the HMMS.

My first impressions were that the item is nicely crafted and that the interior material is some sort of heat resistant material.  It uses a nylon bungie cord to adjust for diameter fit on the suppressor which can be tightened as needed (more on this later).

I mounted it to my suppressor and off to the indoor range I went.  I posted a video of the HMMS on my YouTube account.

You can see in the video that I needed to adjust the tightness of the HMMS.  It shot loose and actually I I burnt the interior of the insulating material. That's my fault, not any fault of the HMMS.

I didn't film all my shooting with the HMMS, but I put quite a few rounds through it.  It performed quite well, actually.  After a short string of fire, or even a magazine, the HMMS would not be hot enough to burn.  Even after several strings of fire the HMMS got hot, too hot to comfortably handle, but not hot enough to burn skin on contact, which would be perfect for close quarters, vehicle, or hands-on applications.

Here are some photos of the HMMS taken after the above posted video.

I recommend this piece of gear.  However, $130 is no small chunk of change for such a specialized piece of gear (not really knowing to what market and specialization it's intended for), but for the average shooter this is not a cheap piece of gear, but worth every penny.

I will be picking one up for my AAC Cyclone perhaps in one of the Kryptek offerings.  And that will be going on a bolt-gun (which I eventually do a write up on).

Train hard. Train often.