The U.S. Special Operations Command awarded a $23.3 million contract on Sept. 27 for suppressors, blank firing adapters and muzzle brakes to the Insider’s alma mater, SureFire. The contract is for an indefinite period.

The Insider rarely has the pleasure of quite literally being on the inside of a major development in the industry, but I can truthfully say I was there when SureFire founder and president Dr. John Matthews made a bold—some would say audacious—decision to start manufacturing sound suppressors for military small arms.

Previously, the California-based company had only made flashlights, weapon-mounted lights and targeting lasers. Barry Dueck, then working as the Military Sales Manger at SureFire, is a natural talent at things mechanical. A self-taught gunsmith, Barry had conceived of a new suppressor design while working as a sale rep for the late Phil Seberger of Ops Inc. Barry showed his design to Seberger, but he wasn’t interested because the Ops Inc. patent he relied on would obviously not apply to Dueck’s new design.

Dr. Matthews stepped up to the plate. Barry was thoroughly debriefed by attorneys to make certain he had not inadvertently “borrowed” any trade secrets from Ops Inc. A goodwill offer was made to Seberger to buy Ops Inc., but he refused not once but three times.

Conscious clear, SureFire went into the suppressor business. The manufacturing process was set up from the start on a “lean” basis with the help of Joel Smith, then a consultant and now COO of SureFire. No expense was spared in getting the very best manufacturing equipment, including some state-of-the-art machines that even to this day are tightly held in secrecy. Even I can’t talk about them.

The going was rough at first. One of the biggest suppressor manufacturers sneered at SureFire, remarking that we had no business “playing in my market.” After all, what does a flashlight maker know about cans? A lot, as it turns out. Nibbling away at small-unit purchases in the military and expanding with exports to NATO units in Europe, the Suppressor Division grew.

The calling card was not just that SureFire suppressors are quiet—all cans are quiet—but that the point-of-impact did not shift from suppressed to unsuppressed, a huge break through. Also, the point-of-impact did not shift from removing and reattaching a SureFire suppressor. Designs for 7.62 mm followed the initial 5.56 mm for the M4 (the contract that SureFire just won). Beefed up versions for machingeguns and even a prototype for a never-to-be new U.S. Army pistol came along.

Today, SureFire’s Suppressor Division manufactures a full line of suppressors and muzzle brakes, plus a blank firing adapter than can capture up to three bullets in the rare event that live ammo gets mixed in with the military’s blanks. The contract SureFire won is directly for the SOCOM so all Special Forces will be issued a SureFire suppressor for their M4. Also included is a .308 (7.62 mm) suppressor for sniper rifles. The award is part of the Family of Muzzle Brakes & Suppressors” program.

According to a press release from SureFire, “The FMBS solicitation was the most comprehensive modern suppressor evaluation conducted by the U.S. military to date. [Suppressor systems were] subjected to prolonged testing on a variety of firearms platforms. SureFire suppressors were chosen based on test criteria such as: Reliability, Sound Reduction, Accuracy, Point of Impact Shift, Endurance/Durability, and Operational Suitability. While these requirements reflect the suppression needs for firearms including the MK13 sniper rifle, the United States Marine Corps is already employing SureFire’s FA762SS suppressor system on every M40A5 sniper rifle.”

So a long overdue tip of the Insider’s hat to Barry and Dr. Matthews. I knew it wasn't so audacious.