Light, small, effective Moderator F&D Ultimate?

[Hales Smut]

Up to now, we are not allowed to have moderators. This will now change soon.
I look a bit around to get some information. New Zealand brands and Wildcat seem not becoming available here.
I have most interest in the F&D Ultimate. You reed a lot about F&D. Does anybody have personal experience with failure in the Ultimate model?
The Ultimate seems better, than their older model.
Vanward looks interesting also.
I try to limit the weight around 250gr. Certainly not more than 300.
ASE seem small, but very heavy.
Any info is welcome.

 

[WildBoarHunter]

Svemko Hunter Short. 10 cm length increase and weights 245 g. Excellent build quality. It does not get any better than this.

 

[Emilio]

I thought the reg change in Belgium had allready gone thru, but that was a bit too optimistich I understand. From when will mods be allowed, is an exact date known?

Svemko are also worth a look, very good, QD, not too heavy, but expensive.

 

[wytonpjs]

I've written a lot about F&D mods on here over the years, this is one of the latest:

Post in thread 'If Mods come "off ticket"'

Mar 27, 2026

I for one will be glad when common sense finally prevails!



And this excludes my air rifle mods!

• wytonpjs

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I had erosion issues with a F&D FW196 (manufacture replaced at a sizeable discount) but I still have a similar aged FW149 that shows no signs of wear, period I do home load and always try to ensure 100% powder burn in barrel and have been meticulous in drying them out after use, bore-snaking and then spraying with Napier SilenSave.

Back to the OP's question: I run a UTS131 on a Tikka T3X 20" .270 and a UTS231 on my Sako S20 20" .308 - I have had absolutely no issues or concerns with them now over several years of regular use following the above cleaning regime. However, as the UTS mods cannot be disassembled, I have absolutely no idea of what's happening internally but to date, no adverse indications or any signs that anything's amiss. Frankly, I think they are great and the UTS131 on the .270 certainly lives a hard life but it delivers

 

[Hales Smut]

I thought the reg change in Belgium had allready gone thru, but that was a bit too optimistich I understand. From when will mods be allowed, is an exact date known?

Svemko are also worth a look, very good, QD, not too heavy, but expensive.

The change is voted last year 17 July. It still has to be published before it's "law".
Some bureaucratic employees, wich are anti, seem to slow it down, as much as they can.
Hard to believe, but reality.
We live in hope.

 

[suburban bushwacker]

if it’s light you want Oceanana Defence 185g

personally i’m excited to try a Svemko a member of the swedish PRS team told me they were the best she’d heard. some of them are north of a grand!

 

[Emilio]

The change is voted last year 17 July. It still has to be published before it's "law".
Some bureaucratic employees, wich are anti, seem to slow it down, as much as they can.
Hard to believe, but reality.
We live in hope.

Ah well, at least you are way ahead of us Dutchies. All the paperwork and research in Holland done and available, but politicians refuse to put it on the agenda.
I hope that, with all other EU countries having mods available, Holland will also jump on the wagon, but I am not holding my breath.....

 

[wytonpjs]

if it’s light you want Oceanana Defence 185g

personally i’m excited to try a Svemko a member of the swedish PRS team told me they were the best she’d heard. some of them are north of a grand!

Fourth mod from the left in my post above but the OP does say it’s not easy to get NZ mods in Belgium

 

[suburban bushwacker]

Fourth mod from the left in my post above but the OP does say it’s not easy to get NZ mods in Belgium

View attachment 477768

maybe the adapter is the other 18g? lol

 

[wytonpjs]

maybe the adapter is the other 18g? lol

You can just see it at the RH side of the mod, it’s fitted - it is titanium and very light having removed one



And the scale are accurate

 

[muddy42]

Mods were essentially a trade off between heavy/long lasting/good noise reduction and recoil reduction and light/short lived and slightly less effective noise and recoil reduction. That said the light ones have improved a lot in recent years. But I still have some heavy 20+ year old Ase ultra Jetzs that work fine and balance well on short barrels. A light mod wont survive range work or lots of repeat shots for long. My F&D 269 has been amazing for stalking only.

Whatever mod you get, I think it helps to dry them out after use on a radiator. Firing a shot produces moisture that rots or seizes any moderator over time wehatever it is made of.

 

[suburban bushwacker]

You can just see it at the RH side of the mod, it’s fitted - it is titanium and very light having removed one

View attachment 477789View attachment 477788

And the scale are accurate

I remember your rather neat removal tool, I was going to make one but managed to worry my adapter out. did you use copper slip or something else's ?

 

[wytonpjs]

I remember your rather neat removal tool, I was going to make one but managed to worry my adapter out. did you use copper slip or something else's ?

Brute force - 1m torque wrench and impact socket to get it out, a medium strength blue Loctite on reassembly.