I recently had the pleasure of getting to attend a media event hosted by AMTAC Suppressors. AMTAC Suppressors are based out of Salt Lake City, Utah and are a relatively new company in the suppressor Industry, getting their start four years ago. AMTAC Suppressors started out as a division of Advance Manufacturing Technology, which has been in business for over 40 years. Advance Manufacturing Technology does custom fabrication for the Aerospace, Defense, and Medical industries. The event was held at the beautiful Hendrikson PMAA Range, west of Salt Lake City, and featured AMTAC’s Fire Ant suppressor.

Key specifications of the AMTAC Fire Ant suppressor

Made for .17 HMR – 5.7×28
Length: 5.3″
Diameter: 1″
Weight: 5.75 oz
Thread: 1/2 x 28
Suppression: Up to 36dB
MSRP: $450

The AMTAC Fire Ant is a direct thread suppressor designed for rimfire rifles and pistols. The Fire Ant is made of stainless steel and can handle the following calibers: .22LR, .17 WSM, .17 HMR, .22 MAG, .22WMR, .22 Hornet, and 5.7 x 28. The Fire Ant is a split sleeve design, which makes it easy to clean. AMTAC has designed the suppressor so it can be easily disassembled with tools already in your toolbox. The Bore fits a 1/4″ Allen wrench, while the end cap has 7/8″ wrench flats.

For the event, AMTAC invited the general public. 5.7×28 Ar-15’s, .22LR bolt action rifles, .22 pistols and a full auto .22 LR MP5 clone were all equipped with Fire Ant suppressors and available for use. For this event, CiTTAC targets brought out a suite of steel targets for attendees to shoot. The event started at 10 AM, and right on schedule, people began pouring in. After signing a waiver, and listening to a safety brief attendees were allowed to shoot all of the rifles and pistols.

AMTAC Fire Ant suppressors attached to a 5.7 x 28 mm rifle, as well as a .17 HMR rifle.

.22 LR rifles. The fully automatic MP5 clone was the star of the event!

By noon, the event was packed. Greg Ballash, the General Manager of AMTAC, offered to give me a tour of the of Advance Manufacturing Technology/AMTAC facility. Advance Manufacturing Technology is AS 9100, ISO 9001 and ITAR Certified. The factory floor had rows of expensive machines typically found in plants that do precision fabrication and high technology. Expensive CNC machines are exciting, but the two areas of the shop I enjoyed the most were the quality control lab and the AMTAC Armory. The Armory was filled with a plethora of rifles as well as a host of prototypes. It was pretty awesome!

During the event, I was able to sneak away and tour the Advance Manufacturing Technology facility. Advance Manufacturing Technology is AMTAC’s patent company.

The AMTAC armory. AMTAC had some neat stuff.

A small corner of the Advance Manufacturing Technology quality control lab.

After we got back to the range, I grabbed a quick lunch at one of the food trucks that came out for the event, then headed back to the firing line to talk to attendees and observe the Shoot. I got ample trigger time with all of the firearms on the line. The Fire Ant made the range quieter, and I did not observe any mechanical issues with the guns nor the Fire Ant suppressors.

CiTTAC provided steel targets for the event. CiTTAC makes some really nice targets.

CiTTAC Solo Target Stand. The stand bundles up into one compact unit for ease of carry.

AMTAC is a new company that has its foundations rooted in over 40 years of aerospace, defense and medical manufacturing. Besides the Fire Ant, AMTAC manufactures suppressors for precision rifles, pistol caliber carbines, rimfire pistols and Ar-15’s. After shooting some AMTAC products, touring their manufacturing facility, and meeting key staff, I came away very impressed by AMTAC. AMTAC has a bright future ahead, and I look forward to seeing what this company does in the future!