suppressor question (this one's different)

rha600 · March 17, 2006, 08:23 AM

I've seen photos of the military using them on the M4's and I've read a few articles with them on .223 varmint guns. How do they work? I didn't think you could silence a super sonic bullet. or is it just helping to suppress the gun itself and therefore your position? If they are just a flash suppressor then I understand but but you're not allowed to hunt with them so I assume it's sound and not flash.

gunslinger555 · March 17, 2006, 09:20 AM

their are several sounds coming from a firearm what a suppresor does is get rid of muzzle blast you can still har the crack of the bullet going faster than the speed of sound which is why they dont fully silence the firearm unless you use subsonic ammo

i think this thread belongs with the the full auto threads

gunmoney · March 17, 2006, 09:36 AM

You are correct that you cannot completly supress a supersonic round. They do greatly reduce the bang of a fired round but the sonic boom still exists. If subsonic ammo is used it is very quiet but you do lose some of the effectivness of the rounds fired. Suppresors effectivly allow the pressurized gas behind the bullet expand and cool before exiting the end of the gun. This eliminates the bang or crack heard when the gas is released when the bullet exits the barrel. They do also eliminate muzzle flash and greatly reduce recoil. They are used in a military role to help reduce hearing loss in enclosed areas, to help with stealth, to help identify friendly fire from enemy fire, helps with useing night vision by eliminating flash, and a host of other reasons.(I am no expert). IMHO supressors in general are a fantastic tool for all shooters and one of the greatest developments ever devised for firearms. Now if we could only get rid of all the NFA nonsense.

Chris Phelps · March 17, 2006, 09:37 AM

Quote:

I've seen photos of the military using them on the M4's and I've read a few articles with them on .223 varmint guns. How do they work? I didn't think you could silence a super sonic bullet. or is it just helping to suppress the gun itself and therefore your position? If they are just a flash suppressor then I understand but but you're not allowed to hunt with them so I assume it's sound and not flash.

Suppressors act just like your car muffler... it suppresses the sound of the muzzle report. They will not get rid of the super-sonic "crack" without subsonic ammo. Since subsonic ammo doesnt exist for a .223, that is why many military units have adopted the H&K MP5. This firearm shoots 9MM bullets, which can be purchased in subsonic form.

an AR with a suppressor is just slightly quieter than a .22LR.

Not all states have completely banned hunting with sound suppressors, although most have.

Quote:

i think this thread belongs with the the full auto threads

Why would you possibly think that? As far as I know, a suppressor is not a fully automatic firearm.

EDIT: What gunmoney said. Well put.

gunmoney · March 17, 2006, 09:47 AM

Subsonic 5.56 does exist. Do a search for West Mountain Ammo they have many different calibers in subsonic. I have never ordered from them and they probably will not cycle in semi-auto or fully automatic rifles. I did not think it that type of ammo existed either.

smince · March 17, 2006, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Why would you possibly think that? As far as I know, a suppressor is not a fully automatic firearm.

Most threads about any type of NFA device usually are posted or end up there.

For what it's worth, I think the "Full Auto" forum needs to be changed to "NFA Forum".

shaggy · March 17, 2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Why would you possibly think that? As far as I know, a suppressor is not a fully automatic firearm.

No, but they are regulated under the internal revenue code as are machineguns, and they are also considered "firearms" as per the IRC.

rha600 · March 17, 2006, 01:23 PM

thanks for the explaination guys. as for the subsonic ammo I guess the military roll would be ok but in sniper or varmint shooting you would lose a great deal of range and energy with that reduction of velocity. But at least you all answered my actual question. also as far as giving away the location of the shooter I guess it would be hard for someone that heard the sonic boom/crack from the bullet to really tell where the shooter was. specially if the shootee was a woodchuck. haha.

Hkmp5sd · March 17, 2006, 07:23 PM

Not only the military likes suppressed M4s. Here's my suppressed M16A1. It does a good job of suppressing the .223 muzzle noise. You would be very surprised how much noise the bolt slamming back and forth generates. If you are using one on a full auto, it needs to be able to handle a lot of heat. Unloading a 30-round magazine through a suppressor turns it into a pretty good branding iron.

gunslinger555 · March 18, 2006, 02:40 AM

Chris Phelps no it isnt full auto but what was said

Quote:

Most threads about any type of NFA device usually are posted or end up there.

For what it's worth, I think the "Full Auto" forum needs to be changed to "NFA Forum".

i strongly agree smince but how do we get the name changed?

and Hkmp5sd thats a huge surpressor but hey its kind of kool

Johnny Guest · March 18, 2006, 05:41 PM

- -And the other members who have made similar suggestions:

The name change has been approved and Tech Staff is working on the details. I don't have the know-how to do it myownself. You will see a change.

Best,
Johnny

gunslinger555 · March 19, 2006, 01:06 PM

sweet glad to se they changed the name to nfa guns and gear now their wont be this kind of confusion again

smince · March 19, 2006, 03:00 PM

"NFA Guns and Gear". I like this name. Thanks guys.

March 17, 2006, 08:23 AM	#1
rha600 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2006 Posts: 338	suppressor question (this one's different) I've seen photos of the military using them on the M4's and I've read a few articles with them on .223 varmint guns. How do they work? I didn't think you could silence a super sonic bullet. or is it just helping to suppress the gun itself and therefore your position? If they are just a flash suppressor then I understand but but you're not allowed to hunt with them so I assume it's sound and not flash.

March 17, 2006, 09:20 AM	#2
gunslinger555 Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Lima, ohio Posts: 580	their are several sounds coming from a firearm what a suppresor does is get rid of muzzle blast you can still har the crack of the bullet going faster than the speed of sound which is why they dont fully silence the firearm unless you use subsonic ammo i think this thread belongs with the the full auto threads __________________ (")_(") OMG!!! I think I shot bunny in the face!

March 17, 2006, 07:23 PM	#9
Hkmp5sd Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2001 Location: Winter Haven, Florida Posts: 4,303	How about a civilian one..... Not only the military likes suppressed M4s. Here's my suppressed M16A1. It does a good job of suppressing the .223 muzzle noise. You would be very surprised how much noise the bolt slamming back and forth generates. If you are using one on a full auto, it needs to be able to handle a lot of heat. Unloading a 30-round magazine through a suppressor turns it into a pretty good branding iron.

March 18, 2006, 05:41 PM	#11
Johnny Guest Moderator in Memoriam Join Date: August 28, 1999 Location: North Texas Posts: 4,123	gunslinger555 - - - - -And the other members who have made similar suggestions: The name change has been approved and Tech Staff is working on the details. I don't have the know-how to do it myownself. You will see a change. Best, Johnny

March 19, 2006, 01:06 PM	#12
gunslinger555 Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: Lima, ohio Posts: 580	sweet glad to se they changed the name to nfa guns and gear now their wont be this kind of confusion again __________________ (")_(") OMG!!! I think I shot bunny in the face!

March 17, 2006, 09:36 AM	#3
gunmoney Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2005 Posts: 381	You are correct that you cannot completly supress a supersonic round. They do greatly reduce the bang of a fired round but the sonic boom still exists. If subsonic ammo is used it is very quiet but you do lose some of the effectivness of the rounds fired. Suppresors effectivly allow the pressurized gas behind the bullet expand and cool before exiting the end of the gun. This eliminates the bang or crack heard when the gas is released when the bullet exits the barrel. They do also eliminate muzzle flash and greatly reduce recoil. They are used in a military role to help reduce hearing loss in enclosed areas, to help with stealth, to help identify friendly fire from enemy fire, helps with useing night vision by eliminating flash, and a host of other reasons.(I am no expert). IMHO supressors in general are a fantastic tool for all shooters and one of the greatest developments ever devised for firearms. Now if we could only get rid of all the NFA nonsense.

March 17, 2006, 09:47 AM	#5
gunmoney Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2005 Posts: 381	Subsonic 5.56 does exist. Do a search for West Mountain Ammo they have many different calibers in subsonic. I have never ordered from them and they probably will not cycle in semi-auto or fully automatic rifles. I did not think it that type of ammo existed either.

March 17, 2006, 01:23 PM	#8
rha600 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2006 Posts: 338	thanks for the explaination guys. as for the subsonic ammo I guess the military roll would be ok but in sniper or varmint shooting you would lose a great deal of range and energy with that reduction of velocity. But at least you all answered my actual question. also as far as giving away the location of the shooter I guess it would be hard for someone that heard the sonic boom/crack from the bullet to really tell where the shooter was. specially if the shootee was a woodchuck. haha.

March 19, 2006, 03:00 PM	#13
smince Junior member Join Date: October 9, 2004 Location: Northeast Alabama Posts: 2,580	"NFA Guns and Gear". I like this name. Thanks guys.