CMMG Banshee shoot without cleaning

[John from MD]

I have had my 9mm Banshee for a few years now and it has about 4000 rounds through it. In the beginning, I was shooting it without a can using mostly Powder Coated bullets. It always seemed really clean since there was no gas to dirty things up.

2000 rounds ago, I got a Rugged Obsidian 9 suppressor. When I started using it, I noticed how dirty the gun would get. At some point I decided to run it a couple thousand rounds and see if it would malfunction. I US cleaned the can every 500 rounds as I was shooting mostly cast bullets with Lee Alox lube. I didn't clean the gun until tonight when I hit 2000 rounds. MY GOD THIS GUN IS DIRTY!

It never malfunctioned at all and the accuracy was the same as when I started the test. But I will never let it get that dirty again. It took me an hour to get all the carbon, unburned powder and gunk out of all the nooks and crannies. The RISE Rave 140 trigger was covered in crap but never missed a beat. It even had gunk and unburned powder all the way down the buffer tube.

For a five inch barrel, this pistol is really accurate and has no problem holding 2 inch groups at 50 yards from the bench with unculled ammo. I load my 9mm rounds using 135gn cast bullets and WW231 powder to about 1100 FPS. The Obsidian 9 does a nice job of keeping the noise down so you don't get fatigued at all. Today I shot it with a foam sleeve instead of a brace and found it will still keep double and triple taps on an 8 inch paper plate with the sleeve just resting on my cheek. I even shot one round single handed with the sleeve on my nose and did not feel any discomfort. The CMMG delayed blowback system really makes a difference compared to pure blow back actions.

I highly recommend the Banshee. It it well worth the money.

 

[inkd]

I have one and really like it too. I sent it out to have it converted into an integrally suppressed "rifle" kinda like the Spikes Brown Recluse.

 

[teratos]

I have one and really like it too. I sent it out to have it converted into an integrally suppressed "rifle" kinda like the Spikes Brown Recluse.

Yours will be better than the brown recluse because of the action.

 

[blipper]

I love mine (in 5.7).

 

[Bikebreath]

Nice review, thanks.

 

[hosspower]

I love mine too especially supressed!

 

[lazarus]

I appreciate the recommend. I've been strongly considering one of the rifle length uppers from them. The radial delay just seems like a good way to go. Mag insert and an upper, and I am good to go. Maybe some day get one of their 45 uppers too. Just out of curiosity, what about going with a different powder. I know the claim is WW231 burns clean, but nothing seems to burn all that clean if much below max charge. Though it is considered dirty, BE burns pretty clean for me if I load it at max, plus with a radial delay, a faster burning powder like BE or tightgroup might also mean you get more of the gas/carbon down the barrel before it unlocks and evacuates some of it back in to the action.

Though slower than WW231, I also find CFE pistol to burn extremely cleanly if kept in its ideal range (warm to hot). Powder coated is also going to gum everything up WAY less than lubed lead. A lot of that carbon is probably lube on the bullet base as well as actually lead vapor deposited on everything.

Oh, and my wife also doesn't like guns and the last one I bought put me in the dog house for quite awhile. So buying "not a gun" to have more stuff to shoot is a perk for me. A Keltec sub2000 or the new Winchester 9mm PCC folder are high on my list of a "dedicated" 9mm, even though they aren't delayed action. A CMMG radial delay upper to slap on one of my existing AR lowers is high on my list of suppressed PCCs desires.

 

[Scottysan]

Great info, thanks John!

 

[John from MD]

I appreciate the recommend. I've been strongly considering one of the rifle length uppers from them. The radial delay just seems like a good way to go. Mag insert and an upper, and I am good to go. Maybe some day get one of their 45 uppers too. Just out of curiosity, what about going with a different powder. I know the claim is WW231 burns clean, but nothing seems to burn all that clean if much below max charge. Though it is considered dirty, BE burns pretty clean for me if I load it at max, plus with a radial delay, a faster burning powder like BE or tightgroup might also mean you get more of the gas/carbon down the barrel before it unlocks and evacuates some of it back in to the action.

Though slower than WW231, I also find CFE pistol to burn extremely cleanly if kept in its ideal range (warm to hot). Powder coated is also going to gum everything up WAY less than lubed lead. A lot of that carbon is probably lube on the bullet base as well as actually lead vapor deposited on everything.

Oh, and my wife also doesn't like guns and the last one I bought put me in the dog house for quite awhile. So buying "not a gun" to have more stuff to shoot is a perk for me. A Keltec sub2000 or the new Winchester 9mm PCC folder are high on my list of a "dedicated" 9mm, even though they aren't delayed action. A CMMG radial delay upper to slap on one of my existing AR lowers is high on my list of suppressed PCCs desires.

I only use the 231 because a relative gave me ----lbs of it.
It takes a long time to use it up when each charge is just 4.3 gns.

Good luck in finding an CMMG upper. It seems like they can't keep up production enough to have spares in stock.

 

[lazarus]

I only use the 231 because a relative gave me ----lbs of it.
It takes a long time to use it up when each charge is just 4.3 gns.

Good luck in finding an CMMG upper. It seems like they can't keep up production enough to have spares in stock.

Yeah, they mostly seem to be out of stock, but their barrel and bolt kits aren't too expensive for me to assemble my own. Though I think they are out of stock right now.

Yeah, I can understand that hardship. Oh no, I have too much of something and now I am only using it up, 4.3gr at a time. Try loading 32acp to use up even a pound of powder! My 100gr loads are 1.7 grains of Bullseye. That's about 4000 rounds to a pound!!! American Reloading was selling FPRNFMJ 100gr .312 bullets for a SONG awhile back. So, I bought way too many, because I have a load that functions fine in my 32s, and my M57 Yugo is also barreled with a .312 barrel, not a .308. And 100gr works suitably well out of it (not that it is accurate with anything, but it is no worse with 100gr bullets than with anything else).

 

[John from MD]

I'm glad I gave up loading .32 ACP. My fingers have lost too much sensitivity for holding those little bullets.

 

[inkd]

Yours will be better than the brown recluse because of the action.

I never shot a Brown Recluse so I won't have anything to compare it to. I heard the roller delayed blow back operation was a bit gassy for a lefty shooter, which I am. I didn't shoot the Banshee all that much before I shipped it away for the conversion. Hopefully I like it.