Gun Suppressor

Gun suppressor, or a silencer, catches the dB noise of a firearm straight from the barrel without intervening with the bullet trajectory by trapping the gases. Good suppressors can also reduce recoil. These are placed around the muzzle of the gun, or a different firearm, such as a rifle or an air rifle. Apart from explaining how the suppressors work, we will mention other useful facts, such as getting approval from the ATF before buying one at a shop or an eBay auction.

A gunshot is a localized explosion in which propellant gases push the bullet out of the barrel. You should definitely know that all explosions are quite loud. At some point, you may need to become silent. You should find a way to suppress the sound of a gunshot: the less noise you make, the harder it will be for the enemy to locate your position. There’s a whole lot of gun suppressors or gun silencers available on the market, but you should remember that none of them will completely remove the bang of a firearm. Don’t let the word “silencer” misguide you: the gunshot sound will be hearable as a discreet thump. Even the professional suppressors made by gun experts could not give you a 100% silent shot, but their efficiency rises with the distance. The known average speed of sound is about 335 meters per second, which means that the gunshot sound has to travel some distance to be heard. The further you are from your target, the harder it would be to notice you. Read the article, which is meant to enhance your browsing experience while looking for the right suppressor.

Gun Fear Factor

Use the fear factor when you’re close to your enemy: most people connected to guns think you know what you’re doing when you use a suppressor on your gun. You look like a professional silent killer even if you are filled with the best intentions because of the tool you use. We do not appreciate violence in this article, but we try to provide the information needed to survive the world’s end. The best way is to buy one if you are new to this topic and you want to make a firearm suppressor by yourself. You need to realize how this works before you start to take your chances with crafting one because this item’s quality is crucial for silencing the shot. Try to look up to the movies you know, like American Sniper, James Bond, and Die Hard movies.

Benefits to Using a Silencer

Improved Pistol Accuracy

The biggest problem with the accurate shot for most people is the flinch. The big caliber guns can be complicated to use because of this one: you may flinch your rifle or pistol if you are aware of its recoil and a loud burst in anticipation before a gunshot. A well-crafted suppressor can increase accuracy well and reduce recoil up to 40%.

Hearing Protection and Reduced Noise Complaints

When you use a firearm, you will definitely need protection for your ears. Most people don’t realize how loud a gunshot can be. It is straightforward to get your ears damaged: a loud sound can cause permanent hearing damage instantly. You may want to reduce the volume of the noise while training in a shooting range. Suppress the high dB sonic boom into a muzzle blast to make sure that your hearing is safe. Also, it is very convenient if you own a legal gun and train with it on your property: even your closest neighbors won’t know if you’re up for a shootout.

Buying a Suppressor

You know that in most countries in the world, it is illegal to either buy or own a firearm suppressor. It is also common for most states in the US. But there are some legal forms that allow you to own rifle suppressors if you, for example, own rifles. Try to check the American Suppressor Association website, National Firearms Act, and apply with your local government.

There are some rules which you should consider if you want to purchase a silencer:

• make sure that you’re in one of the states that allow you to purchase a firearm silencer
• you have to be a legal US resident of at least 18 years to own suppressors and 21 if you want to buy it from a silencer dealer
• you’ll have to pay 200$ as Transfer Tax and pass the BAFTA background check

Buy Silencer Online

Of course, if you make this legal and you have all the ATF paperwork done, you can buy a silencer in an online shop. Only a few have a decent amount of NFA items related to firearm suppressors and silencer caliber accessories of good quality in their cart. Amongst the others, we can recommend you Brownells, Silencer Central, and Gemtech. These sellers have a great selection of pistol suppressors for different pistol calibers, multi-caliber rifle silencers, other tools and accessories, convenient shipping, reviews, layaway option, and a great user-friendly support team.

History of Silencers

In 1909 a man named Hiram Percy Maxim patented the first suppressor. He called it Maxim Silencer. The advertising for it was made in many sports magazines all across the country. Theodore Roosevelt made it popular when he had put it on his Winchester 1894 carbine. Mister President was a big fan of hunting and used this suppressor from the time it first appeared. There’s an interesting story about silencers that took place during WWII when Franklin Roosevelt became a president. William Donovan, the director of OSS, came to the White House, marched into the Oval Office, and fired a gun with suppressor into a sandbag brought with him. Then he passed the gun to the amazed President. After that event, innovation soon became a regular tool for the American army.

The Science of Silence

If you are reading this, then you definitely ready to learn about making a rifle suppressor process. To do so, you’ll need to learn the basics of noise physics. It moves around in waveform vibrations at the speed of 767 miles per hour, spreading in all directions. Stiff and smooth surfaces can reflect these vibrations while the soft ones adsorb these waves. The main objective of a silencer is to pass the bullet through and catch the vibrations made by the explosion.

There are three general categories depending on silencer type:

1. Mufflers are the easiest type of suppressors. It could be effective only in a short distance fight.
2. The second type goes with the screens or adsorbing materials on the inside.
3. The next one goes with baffles inside.

Make Your Own Improvised Suppressor

There’s a lot of ways to silence the shot depending on resources and time available. Some options are easy enough to achieve on-the-go. Other silencers take much more time to construct but keep the shots more accurate. In the sections below, we tried to describe the most practical of them in times of survival:

Oil Filter Suppressor

Oil filters are designed in a way that is pretty similar to the construction of firearm suppressors—the construction of the filter made with internal baffles and filter materials. To make your own silencer, you’ll need to find an oil filter of the right size and attach it to the barrel.

Pillow Suppressor

Even though this method has been made popular by movies, it muffles a real gunshot pretty well. But remember not to use it with a revolver where the noise comes from the back of the cylinder. To use a pillow suppressor, you just need to wrap it around the muzzle tightly.

A Pillow suppressor is suitable for cases when you’re limited in time, but it isn’t very good to use it in long-term practice. It is awkward to run around with a gun and a pillow attached to its barrel. Also, it will be almost impossible to aim.

Assorted Tubes

As for this method, you can use any pipe that suits the size of your gun. Just try to find the ones durable enough. You can even try to roll cardboard or use a PVC pipe. You can line PVC pipe with absorbing material and even make baffles if you have the time and tools needed.

Potato Suppressor

This the easiest and messiest way to suppress a gunshot. Just put the spud on the end of your gun and pull the trigger. Remember that this action will cause a potato salad all around the room.

Flashlight Suppressor

This method requires a special type of flashlight that has a metal body. Cheap plastic ones will not work. The video below contains a very detailed instruction to make one:

This one takes more labor and skills to make a silencer of the flashlight. If you plan to use one of these, you’ll need to make one beforehand. You can put it in your bug out bag easily and keep your silencer with you when it comes to survival.

Have a quick look at our extensive survival preparation guide to be totally ready for anything! On our site, find a lot about homestead or wilderness survival situations, the best survival gear there is, together with the most crucial survival skills a serious prepper, homesteader, and survivalist must have and keep building up!

Public Service Announcement

This final section of this text is set to remind you that suppressors are illegal for public use all over the world. This fact is pretty obvious because the only way to use a silencer is to make your gun more dangerous. The ATF checks every application to use for criminal records and rejects the suspicious ones. If you don’t want to do all this paperwork, just try to make one yourself. You can customize it in all sorts of ways and expand your creative boundaries.

FAQ

Are suppressors for guns illegal?

The answer to this question is reliable on the place you live. Some states and territories prohibit the use of suppressors because it’s relatively uncommon to use them for security or self-defense. Today many sellers provide items closely related to amateur gunsmiths that can be easily turned into a suppressor, like solvent filters, flashlight tubes, and barrel shrouds. The performance of these hand-made silencers is pretty much similar to professional ones as the experience of using them.

Are silencers and suppressors the same thing?

The most common answer for this question is: yes, today, this word refers to the same items and share the same description. Although, some people say that suppressors mostly avoid the muzzle flash and silencers reduce the sound more.

How much is a suppressor for a gun?

The politics of NFA Gun Trust made the purchase of rifle silencers pretty expensive. The starting point to buy a suppressor is about 450$. Even if you have all the paperwork done, you’ll have to wait for a year-long period to get one.

What states is it legal to have a suppressor?

The latest news on suppressors legislation in the US is that Alabama state legalized the use of silencers for hunting and joined 39 states where the law does not restrict the possession of silencer for a hunting rifle and allows the purchase of a suppressor from silencer dealer. Other states decided to banish suppressors where owning, for example, a rifle silencer for your sporting carbine contradicts the law: New Jersey, California, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Hawaii, Minnesota, Delaware, Iowa, and Illinois.