Thoughts on suppressors

[ckaberna]

I agree with some of the above post. Don’t get caught up in the 2 db difference, AND what nobody seems to want to talk about….do not concentrate on specific calibers., trust me I went down this $$$ road. I have .358 cans that shoot over .224 projectiles with the SAME Sound as .224 cans & Multiple brands/designs. Buy a .22 rimfire that you can take apart and clean (modular) and everything else in .45 caliber

 

[acloco]

Anybody have some chronograph numbers to provide? FPS with 24/26" barrel, versus after shortening and adding the muffler?

 

[C.E.Smith043]

Anybody have some chronograph numbers to provide? FPS with 24/26" barrel, versus after shortening and adding the muffler?

The numbers will be no different with or without the suppressor. The loss of velocity by shortening a barrel is just that. The suppressor has nothing to do with it.

 

[acloco]

The numbers will be no different with or without the suppressor. The loss of velocity by shortening a barrel is just that. The suppressor has nothing to do with it.

Anybody have some chronograph numbers to provide? FPS with 24/26" barrel, versus after shortening and adding the muffler?

 

[Joseph Jones ctsr]

Anybody have some chronograph numbers to provide? FPS with 24/26" barrel, versus after shortening and adding the muffler?

I have a lot of chrono data suppressed / unsuppressed with many calibers and barrel lengths. The amount of freebore boost you will get from a suppressor is very dependent on the caliber and suppressor being used. Most of the time you will pick up 20-50 fps adding a suppressor. A great example of this is a 308win with 185gr juggernauts, with a 26" barrel and no suppressor will run right around 2800fps, my 20" suppressed with the same load runs 2650fps. The more overbore/magnum rounds with slow powder will suffer much more from shortening than something like 300blk with fast burning powder. Hope this helped some.
I run all of my rifles suppressed. For hunting rifles I really prefer integrally suppressed, you can keep them shorter overall by a few inches. All of my match/comp rifles still run brake mounted cans, I even shoot Tac class 1000yds and 1 mile BR as well as ELR suppressed. I build cans and rifles for a living so naturally I would run everything suppressed lol.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

Anybody have some chronograph numbers to provide? FPS with 24/26" barrel, versus after shortening and adding the muffler?

My 16" barrel 223 loads are 2700 fps. with a 70gr bullet w/o suppressor.

Shortened barrel at 10.5" with a 6.5" added suppressor is 2440 fps with same load.

 

[boltfluter]

On my .22BR I gain 20 fps with the suppressor on compared to no suppressor. Barrel is 21" long. Suppressors are the best thing since sliced bread! In my opinion. I have plans to make a few more as time permits. They are a very cool project. With tax stamps of course. If you build your own, wait times are pretty short. If you hunt with one, you will be very shocked at the bullet impact sound. Shockingly loud!
Paul

 

[drop_point]

Most guns lose about 20 fps per inch. A 6" can adds about 20-30 fps total. You will lose velocity. If 80-100 fps net loss is a deal breaker to you, look elsewhere. Also, why aren't you shooting an even bigger round already?

Some cartridges tend to take to shorter barrels better such as the .308 Winchester. 16"-18" .308s are great for running suppressed.

Also, I don't see it mentioned much but powder selection also matters on suppression. Some powders are louder. Ball powders seem to produce more pop and flash, and typically slower powders are still burning coming out of the muzzle in really short guns. Varget in my .308 Winchester behaves much differently than TAC or H4895. For some reason the "Reloader" series of powders is also loud to my ear.

 

[JTEX]

My thoughts are......

A whole lot of expense.

I have several and I really wish I didnt. They make the rifle too cumbersome, they add weight and they are terribly overpriced. They make a rifle quieter yes but not "that" quiet. It is very hard to get your money out of them due to the pain in the ass the feds make us go through to transfer them.....hardly possible to resell them.

Now the .22 Romford suppressors, those I like! They really are quiet.

 

[dantiff2]

Also, in 12 years of owning and shoot matches with suppressors, I've never once had anyone ask for my paperwork. Never heard of anyone being asked. I've been pulled over for speeding and never had anyone question them.

ATF agent is the only one legally allowed to ask for documentation and you have 15 days to produce it from what I was told by silencer central.

 

[jpx2rk]

Depends on what you will use it for. At the range, not much of an issue from the bench, if you will carry it in the woods and such, get one that will do what you need and what. I've got a Harvester 30 cal that I can/do use on everything I shoot (20 cal up to 6mm), just get the barrel threaded for the same threading, and screw it on, I've got 2 RF can's, one 10/22 set up with can, you can hear the action cycling and that's it, perfect for those times when stealth is needed to avoid unwanted attention from the neighbors.

I shoot from a bench, even out in the fields at rats and pdogs, so I've got 24-26" barrels, and the Harvester can is long, it doesn't bother me since the rifle is on a portable bench.

 

[alf]

You won't regret it, I picked up a Dead Air Nomad Ti and it's just over 6" and weighs about 9 ounces but I can shoot just about any of my centerfire rifle without ear protection.

Finally picking up my Ti today, 10 days short of 9 months for approval.....

 

[Carl S]

On my .22BR I gain 20 fps with the suppressor on compared to no suppressor. Barrel is 21" long. Suppressors are the best thing since sliced bread! In my opinion. I have plans to make a few more as time permits. They are a very cool project. With tax stamps of course. If you build your own, wait times are pretty short. If you hunt with one, you will be very shocked at the bullet impact sound. Shockingly loud!
Paul

Yes Paul i agree.they are the best thing since sliced bread.ive been using them for 25+years.ive made quite a few.aluminum,stainless.forward mounted and ones that sleeve back down the barrel.i supply and fit quite a few for deer stalkers and fox shooters.they tame recoil and if anything they improve accuracy.ive shortened lot's of 223s down to 16" for game keeper's and fox shooters who shoot from vehicles.ive shot multiple deer one after another when culling.without one you probably wouldn't get off as many shots without disturbing them.ive followed up on missed foxes at night time.without the suppressor it would have been highly unlikely for another shot.you may lose some fps shortening the barrel but as I've said before what's on the receiving end won't no the difference and yes that significant 'thud' his heard when the bullet connects..also ricochet's can be heard aswell.i wouldn't be without one.

 

[boltfluter]

Yes Paul i agree.they are the best thing since sliced bread.ive been using them for 25+years.ive made quite a few.aluminum,stainless.forward mounted and ones that sleeve back down the barrel.i supply and fit quite a few for deer stalkers and fox shooters.they tame recoil and if anything they improve accuracy.ive shortened lot's of 223s down to 16" for game keeper's and fox shooters who shoot from vehicles.ive shot multiple deer one after another when culling.without one you probably wouldn't get off as many shots without disturbing them.ive followed up on missed foxes at night time.without the suppressor it would have been highly unlikely for another shot.you may lose some fps shortening the barrel but as I've said before what's on the receiving end won't no the difference and yes that significant 'thud' his heard when the bullet connects..also ricochet's can be heard aswell.i wouldn't be without one.

Carl,
Well said. I see no down side to a suppressor. Just way more fun!! Carry on.
Paul

 

[JSH]

I am not chopping anything off because of length. Some barrels I paid a fair bit of a premium for the extra!
If I am worried about length, I will build to suit my need/wants.

I have seen some gains in FPS with a suppressor, not mine but my chrono. Also have had folks I know and trust report the same. Not with every cartridge though.

I already see some poor info and hearsay on suppressors on this thread. Go to the source! Call or email one of the major distributors and ASK them. They deal with it EVERY day and know the real story. Uncle Jimbobs interpretation is usually far from the truth.
One gent that owns a half dozen suppressors decided to school me on the do’s and dont’s and can’ts, he was so far off base it was ridiculous.

 

[David Milisock]

Thinking of trying one for my deer/elk rifles (30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag.

Well this is a discussion that covers alot of ground. PURELY from a technical standpoint unless you're shooting subsonic cartridges I find them of little value. With an 06 or 7MM Mag I wouldn't bother.

When shooting subsonic cartridges they are very nice, indoors with loads designed to not work the action you hear the hammer drop, the bullet hit, you feel pressure in your ears and you smell the powder/grease in the case of some suppressors. Outdoors you limit your effective range but again with the right loads all you hear is the hammer drop and the bullet hit. Working the action manually is louder, working bolt rifle actions can be quieter.

With supersonic cartridges I find them much less useful, night shooting the muzzle flash points directly at the shooter. The sonic boom allows you to be located anyway. If you're going to make that much noise in my opinions you're better served at night with a good flash suppressor.

In gas guns you need to think about an adjustable gas port. However some gas guns shoot better with a suppressor.

 

[TimS]

I have an AAC M4-2000. Little to no difference in velocity on or off with a 24” Krieger in 204 ruger, the same with a 16” Krieger. Gained maybe 50 FPS with a 11.5” Bartlien.
BUT, with the factory barrel on my Colt 6940 I would gain up to 150 FPS with the suppressor attached.

 

[Tesoro]

The barrel length is not an issue if you want to be 'silent deadly' because range is short and bullet is intentionally shot slow. As mentioned.
For hunting I dont see the need to muffle the occasional shot out in the open. In many cases you dont even notice it in the height of the action. The Euros use them alot more for courtesy as they varmint hunt in more populated areas and at night.
SO what are they really good for that makes them worth the extra length and loss of balance? Subsonic!! It appears many are following others in the trend without really thinking it through?

 

[Dgd6mm]

If I could afford a suppressor I could afford a silver membership on here. Just saying.

 

[STS]

The barrel length is not an issue if you want to be 'silent deadly' because range is short and bullet is intentionally shot slow. As mentioned.
For hunting I dont see the need to muffle the occasional shot out in the open. In many cases you dont even notice it in the height of the action. The Euros use them alot more for courtesy as they varmint hunt in more populated areas and at night.
SO what are they really good for that makes them worth the extra length and loss of balance? Subsonic!! It appears many are following others in the trend without really thinking it through?

??? What does this have to do with my post? I'm afraid I don't see the connection.