Cool animation showing how a supressor works

"You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much" (youcantellafinn) 03/06/2015 at 11:16 • Filed to: gunlopnik, suppressors

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It's been a long while since I've seen a gunlopnik post. I just got an email newsletter that had some cool info in it, so have a cool gif courtesy of SilencerCo showing how a suppressor works.

They also have a cutaway photo so you can see how things look IRL.

And finally here is a marketing video with slo-mo footage of guns being shot with their suppressors mounted.

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E. Julius > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 03/06/2015 at 11:23

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I'm someone who is interested in guns, wants to own some one day, and has gone shooting probably a dozen times. I think they're an awesome tool for a hobby, but I'm somewhat less convinced on the self defense front. Can you explain to me why someone with no intention of committing a crime would need to own a silencer? I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just genuinely curious, as I'm having trouble thinking of legitimate reasons for owning one on my own.

Sam > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:26

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You can shoot it without hearing protection. So it's useful for that, plus it makes the firearm a bit easier to handle.

BigBlock440 > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:26

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So you don't damage your hearing. Guns are loud. Also, if you have neighbors, some people don't like hearing it. Same reason you have mufflers on your car. They also reduce recoil. And finally, because they're cool. You don't need a reason to own anything.

E. Julius > Sam 03/06/2015 at 11:29

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Thanks.

OPPOsaurus WRX > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:29

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u can shoot the intruder without waking the kids or wife

E. Julius > BigBlock440 03/06/2015 at 11:29

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Thanks.

Party-vi > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:30

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Dad has an Osprey. It's a lot of fun to shot on either of his .45s. Silencers can reduce muzzle flip and increase accuracy, plus they're cool as hell. It's neat to shoot something that's barely audible with your ear protection on. I mean, there's really no legitimate reason to own any of this stuff since it's a hobby. Owning a silencer is a lot like go-fast parts for your car. There's really no reason for it except to make your experience more enjoyable.

E. Julius > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/06/2015 at 11:30

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"What's that red stain on the carpet dad?"

"I spilled some cranberry juice after you went to bed."

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:30

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What Sam Stoner said. Also, there are restrictions on suppressors above and beyond ordinary firearm ownership, so any professionally made items are limited by price and checks/etc. to being beyond the means of the criminal element. Considering how simple the principle is, anybody who "needs one" for a crime is best off making their own.

Party-vi > OPPOsaurus WRX 03/06/2015 at 11:34

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Unless your kids and wife can sleep through an ambulance siren I wouldn't try that.

crowmolly > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:36

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You can shoot without wearing ear protection. Might not seem like a big deal at the range, but if you are using it for home defense indoors a shot will be very loud- loud enough to mess with your hearing for a few moments that might matter. Forget about the neighbors and family waking up from the noise.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 03/06/2015 at 11:42

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Funny you should post this today... I'm heading over to the LGS after work today to start the paperwork process for a can. I'm trying to get my wife more involved with my hobby, but she has very sensitive hearing (she can hear anything, I swear) and she's recoil adverse. So I'm starting off with a .22 can (looking at the Spectre II), I think it will make shooting a lot more comfortable for her.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Party-vi 03/06/2015 at 11:49

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lol an ambulance isn;t any good at that point, cant leave the guy alive so he can sue you. i'm just....taking out the trash

OPPOsaurus WRX > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:49

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haha thay are 2, theyd buy it

Maddawg > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 11:54

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You can't just walk into a gun shop and purchase a supressor, you have to get a NFA Tax Stamp, to get this you must be a citizen, fill out a form disclosing any convictions along with other information, be fingerprinted, have recent passport style photos taken, get the permission of your local chief of police and pay $200, these all go to BATFE which then runs a background check and if everything checks out will issue you a tax stamp for the firearm or accessory. The process can take many months and afterwords the BATFE has knowledge of your possession of the supressor. This is the same process for SBRs SBSs and AOWs, so it's not like anyone can just pick up a supressor.

crowmolly > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/06/2015 at 11:54

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.22 subsonic might help too

E. Julius > Maddawg 03/06/2015 at 11:58

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Ok, I didn't know any of that. Good to know.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 12:01

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Just to echo the sentiments of Sam, et. al., they reduce the noise level to save your hearing. Between years of shooting and working in submarine engine rooms, I'm half deaf as it is, so I need to preserve what I have left. Also, as Party-vi mentioned, they reduce the noise but don't completely silence it (hence why we call them suppressors and not silencers).

There's also a shit-ton of paperwork involved for purchasing NFA items (suppressors, short barred rifle, etc.) - I'm going through the process right now for my first suppressor. First, you need to either get with a lawyer and setup a trust (a legal instrument similar to a will). You can do it without a trust, but its more complicated (need to get fingerprinted, get a letter from your local law enforcement chief). Then you fill out a Form 4 and write a check for the $200 stamp tax and submit everything (Form 4, $200, Trust or Fingerprints and Letter) to the ATF and wait about 4 months while they do a comprehensive background check. You have to go through this process each and every time you buy an NFA item.

And once you do have it, it has to be stored in a locked container at all times when you're not using it. Anyone who may have reasonable access to it has to be listed on your trust. Also, You can take it anywhere in your state of residence you want for any legal purpose (hunting if your state allows, to the gun range, to a gunsmiths to get it fixed, etc.) but if you want to go out of state you have to apply for permission from the ATF. You have to file a separate form for each state you want to go to and list each place within that state where you might want to take it. And you have to renew these applications once a year.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > crowmolly 03/06/2015 at 12:03

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I've tried those, but most of my 22s are semi auto, and its hit and miss which ones will cycle with subs.

crowmolly > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/06/2015 at 12:09

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Yeah, I had heard that. I guess you might be able to tune the gun to work with the lower power round but then it might not even be worth it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > crowmolly 03/06/2015 at 12:14

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You can, by changing out the recoil spring to a weaker one. The problems are that the parts may not be available for every gun, and once you do that, you'd have to take the gun apart and change it out if you want to go back to full power rounds. If you don't it's going to beat the poor slide/bolt up.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > E. Julius 03/06/2015 at 14:56

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A suppressor would be awesome to have for target shooting. Guns are loud, and anything you can do to quiet them makes it nicer to shoot for yourself and your neighbors / neighbors of the shooting range.

For home defense it would be nice to reduce the muzzle blast and flash. If you shoot a gun in an enclosed space without hearing protection you will lose your hearing, at least temporarily. If it is dark a pistol has a huge muzzle flash that suppressors also do a good job of mitigating. In the event of a home invader you aren't going to take time to put in earplugs or muffs, you are going to deal with the threat as quickly as possible. A suppressor is essentially always on hearing protection. As for needing a weapon for home defense, when I was in middle school one of the teachers was killed in the night in their own home by an intruder. Chances of having a home intruder are low, but there is a chance and being prepared for that is a wise choice.

For hunting it would be a huge benefit since you generally don't wear earplugs. You want to be able to hear things moving when you're hunting, but at the same time the muzzle blast will damage hearing. At least with hunting you are generally only taking a single shot, or at least very few shots which mitigates the damage done. Given the option I would love to use a suppressor for hunting as some reduce noise to hearing safe levels meaning you completely eliminate any hearing damage.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/06/2015 at 15:01

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I keep contemplating setting up an NFA trust, but I think that would just get expensive. Between the tax stamp and suppressor it would be around $1k/can, which turns it into an expensive collection fast. Someday maybe I will, it would just be cool to have a suppressor and an SBR. The problem is that I would put a can on a pistol and then want one on my rifle. Then I would need another one for each caliber and pretty soon I'd have $10k in toys.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 03/06/2015 at 21:20

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I didn't make it to the shop today, so I'm going to try tomorrow, but I'm looking at a Spectre II, which is, by all accounts, one of the best 22 cans on the market, and it's one of the cheapest at a tick over $300.

If you want to put cans on all your guns, you can do just fine with a few calibers. A good rimfire can (like the Spectre II) will do 17, 22LR, 22WMR, and 5.7mm. Unless you're shooting some monster rifles, a .30 cal can is a good choice for all rifles, and a .45 can for handguns 9mm and up. I talked to one of the AAC engineers last year at GAOS, and they said most cans will still give good performance on calibers smaller than they are designed for.

Also, depending on how mechanically inclined you are, and what tools you have, you could always do a Form 1 and build you own. SG Tactical (I think) has some kits that use Maglite bodies and freeze plugs. I have a buddy that has one, I thought it sounded kind of ghetto, but it works very well and he built it for around $100.

The only other NFA stuff I'm interest in besides my .22 can is doing a .300BLK SBR, and I'm working on some CAD models for a reflex style can that slips over the barrel that I'd like to build on a Form 1.

Mattbob > E. Julius 03/13/2015 at 14:03

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for going to the range and not needing as much ear protection, or shooting in the back yard. Generally just having a quieter gun is nice.