The New Guns & Secret Projects At Q

Introducing Q and the Southpaw 5.56 suppressor

The video opens with the Classic Firearms crew visiting Q and meeting Jay, who is handling design, engineering, and marketing while much of the team is away. He introduces the Southpaw, Q’s first dedicated 5.56 suppressor and the first of a new steel line that follows earlier steel models like the Pork Chop and Short Chop. Southpaw is described as a compact, lightweight 5.56 can intended to balance durability, sound performance, and size as a complete system. Jay explains that while there are many 5.56 suppressors on the market, Southpaw is meant to avoid tradeoffs between being quiet, durable, and compact, aiming for a configuration that feels unobtrusive on the end of the rifle.

Design, materials, and durability testing

Jay explains that the Southpaw’s design is relatively simple but backed by extensive testing. The suppressor uses four large step baffles and a fifth short step baffle, combined with two Inconel components: a cast Inconel end cap and blast baffle. The Inconel parts are heat treated to around 1,800 degrees to enhance durability, far beyond typical user-induced temperatures. The can is 1.75 inches in diameter, 6 inches long, and weighs about 13 ounces. Built from stainless steel, it avoids the visible sparking sometimes seen with titanium cans during night shooting. The thinner steel walls preserve internal volume while keeping weight down, contributing to both sound performance and handling. Jay notes that the real development time went into rigorous endurance and erosion testing, including heavy firing schedules and full-auto use, to push the can toward failure and validate its durability.

Sound, tone, gas management, and shooting impressions

The discussion shifts to how the Southpaw actually shoots on a 5.56 platform. Mounted on a Honey Badger 5.56 with a 9.69-inch barrel, the suppressor is described as very light at the muzzle and subjectively quiet, with a favorable tone rather than just a focus on decibel numbers. The hosts emphasize that tone and perceived recoil matter as much as raw sound measurements, and the Southpaw feels like it adds minimal weight or length to the gun. Jay explains Q’s approach to gas management, which Kevin at Q calls “captured flow through.” The baffles are vented internally so gas has somewhere to go while remaining contained, reducing the amount pushed back into the shooter’s face. On the Honey Badger 5.56, this results in a setup that is not overly gassy, even during extended strings of fire, unlike some 5.56 suppressor combinations that quickly become uncomfortable from gas blowback.

Weight, balance, and Honey Badger 5.56 preferences

They spend time on how weight placement affects handling, especially on lightweight rifles like the Honey Badger. The Southpaw’s low weight helps keep the front of the gun from feeling heavy, which is important during offhand shooting or long training classes. The hosts note that weight near the optic or stock is easier to manage than weight far out at the muzzle, where it creates more torque on the support hand. Over time, they have moved away from adding heavy accessories just because the base gun is light. On this Honey Badger 5.56, the Nightforce scope is actually the heaviest component, and the suppressor does not upset the balance. They stress that front-end weight significantly affects fatigue and control during extended firing schedules, and the Southpaw helps maintain a neutral, manageable feel.

Honey Badger 5.56 updates and recoil system changes

The conversation turns to caliber preferences and the Honey Badger platform. One of the hosts notes shooting more 5.56 than .300 Blackout simply because of ammunition availability, and initially questioned the need for a 5.56 Honey Badger. After using it, the slightly longer barrel and handguard made sense, creating what they now consider an ideal size. Both .300 Blackout and 5.56 Honey Badger variants are praised, but the 5.56 version has converted some skeptics after real use. Jay mentions an updated recoil system in the Honey Badger 5.56, referred to as the “boom box.” It uses a different spring setup and a two-piece bolt carrier, eliminating the traditional guide rod and making assembly easier while maintaining the same functional concept. He explains that achieving a truly light, well-balanced rifle requires removing weight from many individual parts rather than relying on cosmetic skeletonizing, which contributes to the overall cost and quality of Q’s guns.

Cherry Bomb, taper mount, and alignment considerations

Jay explains how the Southpaw mounts to Q’s existing muzzle devices, specifically the Cherry Bomb and the two-piece flash hider. The Cherry Bomb is lighter than a standard A2 flash hider and also serves as a sacrificial blast baffle, extending the life of the suppressor. The system uses a tapered muzzle and matching taper on the Cherry Bomb to improve concentricity and alignment. The mating tapers require about 20% more torque to remove than to install, helping prevent the can from loosening under fire. Jay contrasts this with shim-based systems that rely on adhesives and timing marks. He describes a test where stacking shims and aligning a marker line at 12 o’clock introduced roughly 0.030 inches of deviation at the muzzle, enough to cause a baffle strike. Adhesives that cure unevenly can also shift alignment. By using tapers, Q follows long-standing machining practices to maintain alignment without adhesives: the muzzle device is torqued to about 30 foot-pounds, and the suppressor is then hand-tightened onto a secure, concentric interface.