What is the *real* appeal of supressors?

[ATM]

ATM you were reading my mind! I was going to draw that analogy when caught up reading this thread but you beat me to it.

You became distracted in this thread. FOCUS.

<gong sounds>

 

[Psode27]

Its just a more enjoyable experience.
For me, its also making something that (in my head) shouldnt happen, happen. When you discharge a firearm, there SHOULD be a loud report. When you can make "magic" (or physics) change such a basic cause and effect thing, its really cool. I don't have a lot of money, but to me its not a money thing at all. It just makes everything I like just a little bit better.

Helping newer shooters, or as a range "conversation piece" is fun too. Now that I've started reloading I look forward to tailored loads, and experimenting a bit more.

 

[maansmit]

I would go buy 3 suppressors in short order if the $200 tax stamp and wait times were removed.

I find shooting suppressed to be exceptionally enjoyable.

 

[lazarus0213]

the appeals are many. I would like to hunt things and not spook all the other things! I would like to shhot on my farm and not annoy my neighbors or wake my two young daughters. The added performance is a bonus too! The biggest reason I would go hog wild is that someday they are going to restrict again ownership and possesion of these. maybe not inb my lifetime but maybe in my girls , I would consider them to be a tool that also counts as investments

 

[rvb]

CF pistol silencers I'm kinda 'meh' on. they can introduce reliability issues. they are quieter, but not so much to be amazing. my one CF pistol silencer mostly lives on a PCC (where it really shines). Usually have to either learn to shoot with an occluded view both eyes open, go to taller sights, and/or add a dot.

RF pistol/rifle silencers are awesome. can shoot all day with your friends, not need/want ear pro, make almost no noise, recoil reduced to air gun levels... just a lot of fun, especially with kids, who don't like to have on ear pro or be shouted at, etc. Just a wonderful youth and teaching tool. And just a LOT of fun, especially with reactive targets and steel. RF silencers don't add a lot of weight or length or block sights, it's almost like they aren't there. I eventually can envision cheap/disposable $60-75 RF silencers if deregulated.

CF rifle silencers really shine. I don't take it off my 12.5" AR. Shoots just amazing. Only 1" longer than most 16" guns. Ear pro not required, unless maybe extended practices. My wife won't shoot the AR w/o it due to the noise. The 308 with the can and ear pro is just flat enjoyable to shoot. Can shoot it all day w/o the fatigue/flinching that creeps in after a while.

Lots of other benefits, too. e.g. hunting.



-rvb

 

[rvb]

They are ... highly over priced. I can buy a pretty nice rifle/pistol for the cost of a suppressor.

They are overpriced, because of the regulations. People tend to buy a silencer "for life." The silencers use ridiculously expensive metals to prevent/prolong baffle wear, have lots of engineering to be able to be used on multiple firearms as well as disassembled for cleaning, and otherwise "unnecessary" manufacturing steps involved towards those ends. If the regulations were lifted and you didn't have the "til death do us part" relationship with the silencer, they could be quite inexpensive. A simple sealed/welded baffle tube you toss after 5k rounds and buy another would be an option for most folks (for .22LR due to lead build up, CF rifle/pistol would last much longer). Most folks wouldn't put that many rounds through their gun anyway. There would still be a high-end market (accuracy shooters, etc), but we'd see a whole new dirt cheap market open up, imo.

but they also reduce the performance of the firearm (or so I have been told).

did you read that on the internet? 'cause...

ok, to be more helpful than sarcastic. They CAN hurt performance. that comes down to how well they are made, how well they mate to the host gun, and even ammo to some degree. But what is "performance?" Is it being able to shoot a great group? There are cans tailored towards that which actually can help your groups. But even then you have to watch out for thermal effects (both on the barrel and visual). Maybe "performance" equals military or LE applications? There are silencers tailored towards that use, also. Do you want the most accuracy, or the most sound reduction, those may not be the same silencer designs... That could be a whole thread in itself, and silencers can hurt performance, but not always.

-rvb

 

[rbhargan]

Interesting discussion. I have never owned or used a suppressor, so my knowledge of them is only theoretical. I did not realize that they could also reduce recoil (thanks rvb!). Depending on how the legislation fares, there may be a suppressor in my future - particularly for our .308 AR10. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread.

 

[rvb]

I did not realize that they could also reduce recoil (thanks rvb!). Depending on how the legislation fares, there may be a suppressor in my future - particularly for our .308 AR10.

if you picture how they are made... a bunch of baffles inside a tube... then remove the tube, you're left with a really long muzzle break. only gas gets redirected internally because of the tube instead of out. Combine that with the weight and they do make a noticeable difference in recoil. Now on a gas gun, they can make recoil a little harsher due to the increased gas pressure from the backpressure, but that's easily fixed with some kind of adjustable gas system.

My 308...

 

[patience0830]

Hey, I apologize, but I didn't start this fiasco.

No, but you've kept on poking, IN THE THREAD, when this could have and should have been taken to pm's so the rest of us could enjoy the topic.

Personally, I have no knowledge of liquor drinking red necks by those names, so I don't get the butt-hurt over hillbilly.

Please guys. I prefer to read all of a thread. Really don't want to ignore anyone.

Sorry for bringing it back up. That's just the point where I got fed up.

Guess I shoulda gone to a PM, huh?

I currently have 2 suppressors and am seriously considering an Omega for my 6.5 CM and .308.

I love the "tick. . . WOP!" when a starling bites the dust at the far end of the yard using my Sako.

 

[ATM]

. . . WOP!

. . . HILLBILLY!



J/K, I'm not even Italian.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

Folks that have suppressors are just cooler than folks that dont. Nuf said.

 

[antiwheeze]

Would love to hunt and not use heating ptotection

 

[AngryRooster]

No, but you've kept on poking, IN THE THREAD, when this could have and should have been taken to pm's so the rest of us could enjoy the topic.

Personally, I have no knowledge of liquor drinking red necks by those names, so I don't get the butt-hurt over hillbilly.

Please guys. I prefer to read all of a thread. Really don't want to ignore anyone.

Sorry for bringing it back up. That's just the point where I got fed up.

Guess I shoulda gone to a PM, huh?

I currently have 2 suppressors and am seriously considering an Omega for my 6.5 CM and .308.

I love the "tick. . . WOP!" when a starling bites the dust at the far end of the yard using my Sako.

This was my solution...
https://www.silencerforum.com/
SilencerTalk - Index page


I despise having to go to outside sources besides INGO, I've learned who to trust & who knows their stuff here. That being said, I've done just that several times in the last 6 months. Every single time it was due to like what took place here. I'm sick of it.


To keep on topic: Suppressors, yes, I'll have one someday.

 

[shootersix]

to touch on a few points in this thread
reasons for a suppressor are well known, the biggest points to me are shooting on the range without having my ear muffs get in the way, ie when I try to get on target, and they bump the stock, dislodge and then I start cussing, and to me I don't like ear plugs, and when I take my daughter shooting, even tho she wears muffs, she still flinches, I cant get her to stop, and lastly, home defense, my 870 is the first thing to come out of the safe!, but if who ever is still coming then they'll meet "betty blue" (my ar15, named after Charles Gray's code name from the tv show, the unit), at that point, I don't want my daughters/girlfriend/dogs/cats ears ringing for the rest of their lives!

as for using them when you hunt, I don't hunt! but I do want hunters to be able to hear after they've taken the shot at the 10 point buck! so that's an important point to me!

as for the cost and availability issues, when(IF) this happens, I see demand going thru the roof! everybody will rush out and start buying threaded barrels, thread adaptors and suppressors, and that my friends is why prices will go up....at first!

remember right now, there's only 3 big gun manufacture's making suppressors ,sig sauer (they make a full line from .22 up) ruger (they only make a 22) and aac (Remington owns them, and they make a full line), now I know surefire,yhm,radical,gemtech and countless others make cans, but but I don't consider them "big companys" in the same league with smith,fn,steyer,beretta...all companies that have the operations to manufacture on a larger scale.

and when they see the market demand, and start flooding the market, suppressors will be a dime a dozen, prices will drop, availability will go up, and you'll be able to buy "blister pack" suppressors!, I mean come on, who's seen the "Maglite solvent trap kits".....how difficult would it be, for Maglite to step into the suppressor game themselves!, do you think it's cheaper for Maglite to make a flashlight or add some baffles to a aluminum tube?

as for the cost someone brought up Europe and 22 cans costing 71.00, I found a New Zealand based website Silencers & suppressors | Firearm parts | Trade Me that sold .22 cal cans for 39.99 (nz) and that's 28.82 (American dollar)

now, is a 29.00 can going to be the best, lightest 22 cal suppressor on the market....I doubt it, but compared to 200.00 for the cheapest 22 can now.... it will be a starting point to buy good quality in expensive cans

 

[Thegeek]

I've seen a lot of "I have something you don't" in the attitudes of all NFA items, not just silencers. There's certainly a cool factor in having one.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I wouldn't mind owning a suppressor or an SBR or a combination of the two. It's not the money that's kept me out of it, it's the hassle. I don't want to chase stamps, learn about trusts, fill out paperwork to cross state lines, and try to get signatures and stamps in order to pay extra taxes.

I'd probably end up with a .22 range in the basement if I had a suppressed .22 SR22 or the like. Allegedly. Hypothetically. If you could so such a thing.

 

[eldirector]

I'm with BBI. I'd have at LEAST a .22 can if I didn't have to deal with the $$$, paperwork, and months of wait time. Annoying, for something that is really only worth a hundred bucks or so, and I should be able to grab off the shelf at Cabela's.

It is more the annoyance than (strictly) the cost.

 

[Yamadog35]

Go to the 10:50 minute mark in this video and then watch Mac's reaction after he shoots suppressed. I've had suppressors for awhile now and I get that same feeling when I shoot mine.

[video=youtube;XXmEEigbRSs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXmEEigbRSs[/video]

 

[Dean C.]

I think sales of suppressors would actually go up if the Hearing Protection Act was signed into law (please contact your legislators!). I myself do not own any due to the hassle of setting up a trust (a must have in a family that shoots), paying the $200 Tax and then waiting about 9-12 months for a background check.

As many have said up-thread if the law were to be passed tonight, tomorrow morning I would be at my LGS with a stack of cash buying suppressors as I enjoy immensely shooting suppressed firearms when I can. My Operator 1911 is a dedicated HD gun and running it suppressed would make my life easier as hearing damage is a concern.

 

[rvb]

I wouldn't mind owning a suppressor or an SBR or a combination of the two. It's not the money that's kept me out of it, it's the hassle. I don't want to chase stamps,[STRIKE] learn about trusts, fill out paperwork to cross state lines, and try to get signatures and stamps [/STRIKE]in order to pay extra taxes.

I'd probably end up with a .22 range in the basement if I had a suppressed .22 SR22 or the like. Allegedly. Hypothetically. If you could so such a thing.

trusts are an option (none of mine are on trusts), papers to cross state lines aren't required for silencers, and now CLEO signatures not required, and you said stamps twice. It's easier than ever! Jump in, water's fine!

-rvb