Range sound management

[M14AMU]

Going to try the square bale setup today.. For the test I will be using 2 saw horses spaced 8' apart along with some 2x4's to lay the bales across.

Will have bales along each side as well as spanning the top and be shooting through the opening in the center.

Main goal is to hopefully deaden some of the initial crack.

If results are dismal I am going to try the row of tires (again about 8' long) and see if it works. If it performs better than the straw bales I'll make a proper frame so I can just move the setup in front of the bench when needed with the tractor.

Many thanks again for all the ideas.

Put your fire department on notice!!

 

[savagedasher]

Simple! Drill HOLES IN THE BOTTOMS so won't hold water!

Code enforcement give you a warning and the dump charges $ 5.00 per tire . I think not. Larry

 

[Patch700]

Put your fire department on notice!!

Lol funny you mention that.. The straw bale tunnel 8' long DID take some of the crack out...
Rifle was a 26" 6.5x47l with stout charges of N-550. The bales in question were not good bales and had a lot of moisture to them , having said that I would concur that yes a series of dry hay bales within 10" on either side of a muzzle isn't optimum and I think if used for prolonged periods could very well be a fire hazard.

All in all somewhat pleased with the difference but plan on making a tube the same length with car tires fastened together and possibly filled with polyurethane insulation.

To add to this , the horses that normally spooked seemed to adjust rather quickly after the initial 2 or 3 rounds were fired.

 

[M14AMU]

Code enforcement give you a warning and the dump charges $ 5.00 per tire . I think not. Larry

You need to change environments!!

 

[jhord]

I constructed a 2' x 2' x 4' plywood box with a 1' hole in the middle. There's a chicken wire tube in the middle, wrapped in carpet. Then the whole box is stuffed with insulation material. The whole thing sits on its own support structure and I shoot off the bench through it, with the barrel just poking into the tube. Does a nice job muffling the rifle. Kind've a "whump!" and that's it.

 

[BenPerfected]

I constructed a 2' x 2' x 4' plywood box with a 1' hole in the middle. There's a chicken wire tube in the middle, wrapped in carpet. Then the whole box is stuffed with insulation material. The whole thing sits on its own support structure and I shoot off the bench through it, with the barrel just poking into the tube. Does a nice job muffling the rifle. Kind've a "whump!" and that's it.

Can you post a picture? How do you see the target thru the scope?

 

[Tozguy]

Lol funny you mention that.. The straw bale tunnel 8' long DID take some of the crack out...
Rifle was a 26" 6.5x47l with stout charges of N-550. The bales in question were not good bales and had a lot of moisture to them , having said that I would concur that yes a series of dry hay bales within 10" on either side of a muzzle isn't optimum and I think if used for prolonged periods could very well be a fire hazard.

All in all somewhat pleased with the difference but plan on making a tube the same length with car tires fastened together and possibly filled with polyurethane insulation.

To add to this , the horses that normally spooked seemed to adjust rather quickly after the initial 2 or 3 rounds were fired.

What if you kept the bales damp? Seems to me it would help prevent a fire (not that I have ever heard of a hunter setting dead leaves or dry grass ablaze). Moist straw/hay might even dampen sound better.
If it was me, I would get a bucket of water handy and shoot point blank into a dry bale to see if it is possible to light it.

 

[TominSWNY]

What if you kept the bales damp? Seems to me it would help prevent a fire (not that I have ever heard of a hunter setting dead leaves or dry grass ablaze). Moist straw/hay might even dampen sound better.
If it was me, I would get a bucket of water handy and shoot point blank into a dry bale to see if it is possible to light it.

 

[TominSWNY]

this works when used in a frame tunnel
tectum sound board

 

[madderg]

http://www.silencertalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72880
these type of barrels work well, they are lighter than steel and can be lined with old tires of the proper size wit some foam insulation where the tube would be.

 

[Tozguy]

Gary, Thanks for the link. I really like the sono tube, chicken wire and spray foam idea. For little money it would be portable and quite efficient for sound absorption.

One of the members at the local club has a large farm and has thoroughly pissed his neighbours with his shooting. The police are on his case. He could still be shooting at home with nobody knowing if only he shot through a tunnel muffler from the top floor of the barn.

To use a tunnel muffler to its best advantage, the muzzle must be as far into the tunnel as possible, the inside diameter must be as small as practical, and the tunnel as long as possible.

 

[DJB]

I built for different ones and for every action you get a reaction. If you go small you will get powder residue build up, and if you shoot with the wind blowing back at you you get the undesirable after effects. I went with a 8' by 8' by 14' long plywood baffle system with 2" pink lined Styrofoam and layers of carpet. Works great. Bales of straw or hay means a fire is inevitable, and wet bales means eventual mold problems. DJB