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Old March 20, 2013, 01:17 AM   #1
Garand101
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Range silencer

Anyone ever build a range silencer? My neighbor had one 55 gal barrel with 8" hole in each end stuffed with fiberglass insulation. I never heard it work but was told it really kept the noise down he lived in country and nobody knew when he was shooting. I live way out and its legal to shoot on my property only have one neighbor that might hear rifle but would like to eliminate noise for the wife and animals.
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Old March 20, 2013, 04:25 AM   #2
TAKtical
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I cant image how that would do anything to reduce noise. More info?
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Old March 20, 2013, 08:09 AM   #3
zukiphile
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I can see how this would reduce the amount of noise to be heard by neighbors. It would be something like firing from inside the building.

While it may make shooting quieter, it does not make it safer. These contraptions have the potential to reduce visibility for the shooter and to conceal from observers the behavior of the shooter.

Couple that reduced visibility with the less formal safety regulations one may see at private ranges, and you have a recipe for tragedy.
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Old March 20, 2013, 03:57 PM   #4
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I have used a shooting box or barrel before. They do not reduce noise at the shooter's position but do keep the noise down as heard by bystanders or those not near the shooter.

There is no substitute for a good silencer or indoor shooting area.

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Old March 20, 2013, 04:37 PM   #5
cvc944
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Never used or seen one, but read a bit about them. In some circles they are called mufflers, with the common feature being sound absorbing materials, usually fiberglass insulation. If one of these could be brought to market it might save a great many places to shoot, as it seems to me that noise - not safety concerns - is the most often cited reason ranges are closed.
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Old March 20, 2013, 05:59 PM   #6
HiBC
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I have heard of racking 10 or 15 tires together and shooting through them.

Never tried it
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Old March 21, 2013, 12:18 AM   #7
Garand101
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My thoughts were to build a plywood box maybe 3' long and say 2'x2' with ends on it that have holes say 6-8" in dia. stuff it full of fiberglass insulation and make a cylinder of fence wire to hold the fiberglass out of the path of bullets. put it on saw horses in front of bench with muzzle of rifle either just inside or just outside of it. I don't care about noise level at rifle because I always wear protection and where I'm shooting the field of vision is such that I can see anyone or thing approaching the firing line and I think with only a 2'x2' square in front of me i will be able to see around it. Only wondering if all the effort is worth it or not, was hoping someone had done something similar to tell me.
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Old March 24, 2013, 12:00 AM   #8
2amencw
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range silencer

the Swiss use a device like this on their ranges for Militia training. There are some videos of it on youtube
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Old March 24, 2013, 01:08 AM   #9
jimbob86
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Quote:
I never heard it work
It must have worked really well, then ..........
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Old March 24, 2013, 05:36 AM   #10
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Here is a write up on building a range silencer: http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar139.htm
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Old March 24, 2013, 01:39 PM   #11
Lost Sheep
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3 sound sources to consder

It will reduce the noise of the discharge, but can do nothing with the tiny sonic boom that bullets at supersonic velocities produce (I use the word "tiny" under advisement), nor the sound of impact downrange.

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Last edited by Lost Sheep; March 24, 2013 at 01:44 PM.
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Old March 27, 2013, 04:31 PM   #12
roklok
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That is correct, however, from experience with effective gun mounted suppressors, it is amazing how quiet standard .308 rounds are when effectively suppressed, even with the sonic crack.

If a range suppressor could be built that would be half as effective as a good gun mounted suppressor, I would think it would be well worth the effort if one had close neighbors.
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Old April 19, 2013, 01:25 PM   #13
JohnMoses
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Huh.
When I start shooting, my neighbors generally start shooting too.
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Old May 7, 2013, 11:09 AM   #14
Magnum Wheel Man
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^^^ hopefully not shooting back at you
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Old May 7, 2013, 08:01 PM   #15
444
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I have read threads in the past where guys shot through a number of tires fastened together.

I was recently thinking about trying to build something like this but that article posted earlier looks interesting. The problem I see with these things is that you have to remain in one position, and I was interested in practicing shooting a .22 rifle from prone/sitting/offhand. I thought about putting the thing on an ATV jack if I could find one cheap enough.

FWIW: I have 18 acres and could legally shoot on my property (I am not in any city limits), however I don't want to make it known (any more than it already is) that I am a gun owner. I also would like to avoid being known as that nut that is shooting all the time.
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