The suppressor wave has finally crashed upon the shores of waterfowl, upland, and turkey hunting with the introduction of the Banish 12 shotgun suppressor, being billed as the first can specifically designed for hunters.
Several shotgun suppressors have been brought to market in recent years, with the Salvo 12 from SilencerCo arguably being the most successful, but the niche has been outpaced by rifle suppressor options in the hunting world. Banish Suppressors is looking to bring wingshooters into the fold.
The new Banish 12 is built to keep sightlines as clear as they would be if it wasn’t on the muzzle, and it’s made to work with the vast majority of sporting shotguns people already own, while also remaining as lightweight as possible at 17.6 ounces.
It will mount on most any 12-gauge shotgun that takes interchangeable choke tubes via a proprietary choke mount that threads right into the barrel, so a hunter can install the Banish 12 without any modification to their shotgun barrel. Three chokes are included for the mount: Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full, with additional chokes in a variety of constrictions also available for purchase.
“I am excited to finally unveil the Banish 12 shotgun suppressor,” said Brandon Maddox, Banish Suppressors founder and CEO, in a release. “Our engineering team has been working on this project for a long time, going through more than 50 design iterations to make sure they got it right.
"They challenged themselves to develop the first true hunting shotgun suppressor, and they nailed it. The Banish 12 is a game-changer, and I’m excited to see it in waterfowl blinds, upland fields, and turkey woods this season.”
Hunters and Suppressors
Some hunters will certainly balk at the idea of putting a “contraption” like this on their field gun, but there are also a heck of a lot of hunters who know folks from the Baby Boomer generation and younger who are rocking twin hearing aids and still need you to shout at them, largely the result of years spent behind a 12 gauge and other firearms in the field without ear pro.
Hearing protection is important, but no matter how small and technologically advanced ear pro gets, it has yet to see widespread acceptance among hunters, even high-volume wingshooters. The Banish 12 promises the same advantages that target shooters and, more recently, many rifle hunters have been afforded, to upland, waterfowl, and turkey hunters.
But there’s something else to consider: People who live near public hunting grounds, and sometimes private land, are always a variable, and nothing riles them up more than volleys of shotgun blasts at dawn. Before you know it, they want hunting banned or restricted in this place or that. More suppressed hunting shotguns would help more hunters stay under the radar and keep the peace with the neighbors, while also keeping access.
Additionally, a suppressed firearm offers many of the advantages of bowhunting, namely, hunters aren’t disturbing any game they can’t see with every shot fired. That results in animals feeling less pressured, the ability to pull more animals from a given area, and a greater potential for second chances, in some cases.
Look, hunters using suppressors is not a new thing by a long shot. Before the devices were restricted by the National Firearms Act (NFA) in the 1930s, the earliest suppressors had gained favor with even high-profile hunters like Teddy Roosevelt, who used the OG Maxim Silencer patented in 1909 by Hiram Percy Maxim, son of the more famous inventor of the Maxim machine gun, Hiram Stevens Maxim.
Roosevelt understood the benefits of hunting suppressed. He had two Maxims on his packing list for his famous African safari. One was fitted for a Springfield Model 1903 bolt-action rifle in .30-06 and another for a Winchester Model 1895 in .405 Winchester, the rifle and cartridge combo Roosevelt called his “Big Medicine.”
Then, the hammer came down in 1934 and suppressors were heavily restricted, requiring a $200 tax stamp for ownership, which was extremely prohibitive for most people; $200 in 1934 is about $4,800 in 2025 dollars. Demand vanished, and along with it, suppressor innovation.
However, in recent years, as suppressor use and ownership has dramatically grown along with the suppressor market — in 2019, the ATF processed 342,860 NFA applications for suppressors, in 2022, that number was 709,508 — they’ve steadily increased in popularity among hunters.
How Does the Banish 12 Hunting Shotgun Suppressor Work?
Banish says the key to the 12-gauge hunting suppressor’s construction is “the use of additive manufacturing and its all-titanium construction. Blending premium materials with a cutting-edge process allowed engineers to design and produce a suppressor with a sophisticated internal structure but no excess bulk or weight. The Banish 12’s distinct exterior was thoughtfully rendered to ensure the suppressor would not obstruct the shooter’s sight line, from the barrel to the bead to the bird.”
“The Banish 12 uses a specialized mount that matches your shotgun’s choke tube design, and additional mounts are available for swapping the suppressor between different shotgun makes and models.”
The Banish 12 is currently available from Silencer Central and participating dealers.
Banish 12 Ammo Compatibility
- All 12-gauge shotshell ammo from #8 shot through #2 shot, BB, BBB, 00 buck and slugs are compatible
- Lead, steel, bismuth and tungsten shot is compatible
- Non-Compatible: Shotgun shells with non-typical wad types - Slugs without wads / rifled slugs
- No steel shot when using full chokes
- MSRP: $1,199 - Price includes suppressor, three chokes (Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full) and mount of choice
Shotgun-Specific Mount Options for the Banish 12 Suppressor
- Benelli Crio
- Benelli Mobil
- Beretta Optima
- Browning Invector Plus • Mossberg
- Remington Pro Bore
- Remington 870
Banish 12 Suppressor Specs
Length: 8.55 inches
Width: 3.1 inches
Height: 2.4 inches
Caliber: 12 gauge
Weight: 17.6 ounces - with choke and mount installed - 14.4 ounces without
Lifetime Warranty: Yes
Material: 100% titanium
User Serviceable: No
What’s In The Box
- Banish 12 suppressor
- 1x mount (dependent on shotgun model)
- 3x chokes (Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full)
- Takedown Wrench (for mount/suppressor/chokes)
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