Silencer? That's a silencer?!

[s3779m]

Thanks for trying it out and sharing it with us. I have often wondered.

[Sharkbite]

I tell ya, based on this thread... As soon as i get my pistol can outta tax stamp jail. Im going to fire a cpl rounds in the house and see

Is the waterbed a good backstop?? JK

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Machineguntony

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert on the data side of firearms. Case in point: I thought, prior to what you guys said in this thread, that all .45 ACP ammo was subsonic due to the large bullet size and relatively small charge (as a comparison, some 40SW rounds have a similar charge to a 45 ACP charge).

I do not know if the round I shot was subsonic. I reload all my own ammo. But the recipe was this: 185 grain Berry's plated bullet. 7.7 Grains of Longshot. OAL of 1.13. Large pistol primer. Anyone know if this was a subsonic round?

Yes, that is almost certainly subsonic. Hodgdon data for Longshot under a 180-185gr bullets in 45acp goes from 788fps to 1044fps. That's with a 5" barrel. I believe the HK is about 4.5"? So, you're probably somewhere around 875fps or so, give or take. Almost certainly not super-sonic, in any case, which would be ~1,125fps atmospheric conditions depending.

There's still plenty of reasons for noise though, not the least of which is that ~130dB or so is still damn loud, particularly in a small, mostly closed room. You've also got the remaining pressure when the action opens.

[mavracer]

There's still plenty of reasons for noise though, not the least of which is that ~130dB or so is still damn loud, particularly in a small, mostly closed room. You've also got the remaining pressure when the action opens.

Longshot is a mighty slow powder for a 45. I'd be willing to bet that can would be a lot more efficient with a faster burning powder.

[Willie Lowman]

We both nearly went deaf from the blast, ears ringing.

My friend goes, "That's a silencer?! What the FFFF?"

Go back to your fiend's house and fire a round in the house without the can on the muzzle of that HK.

Check back in and tell us how good that suppressor works after you have a little compare and contrast experience.




I once fired my P226 with suppressor and subsonic ammo inside the house to see how loud it was. ...Yeah it's pretty loud.

[Garycw]

All loud noises have a accumulative damage effect on hearing. I know this from the permanent ringing in my ears.its from growing up on 60's shooting & hunting without any reguard for hearing protection. I now try to use plugs with muffs. Too little too late. I still have an occasional ops. Testing a C&B with just a cap was last ops. I didn't realize how loud that little cap was inside.

[rjrivero]

Originally Posted by Machineguntony

Its an Octane. Not a mystic. Both are liberty, and I have both.

I shot the .45

These things are new to me, so I don't get the name straight

Octane is made by SWR.

Mystic is made by Liberty.

[smee78]

I will say that my 22LR can(Quest) is movie quiet, its almost scarry. I'm thinking a 45 can will be my next can but if it cant be shot indoors in my bedroom then I may have to rethink my plans......

[johnwilliamson062]

I'm really surprised everyone went so light on the shooting into phone books in a bedroom aspect of this.

[Sharkbite]

Phone books, stacked newspapers. Both make fine backstops. Any defensive caliber will be stopped within short distance in dry paper packed tightly

[Machineguntony]

After shooting these new gadgets for a week, I think the main benefit of a silencer/suppressor is the recoil reduction, not the sound reduction.

As a poster pointed out, the reduction is only 30-40 decibels, leaving about 130 decibels. Since hearing loss is cumulative, 130 decibels is still enough to cause long term damage.

[johnwilliamson062]

I agree you can't always shoot without them.
In situations where you have to maintain hearing they do HELP though. I would probably feel comfortable hunting with some reasonable calibers with one. Any sort of defensive situation has obvious benefits.

I have shot into phone books many times. At a range with a backstop behind them. This was certainly not the most foolish firearms stunt I have read about on the web though.

[reticle]

Well for a more illustrative comparison, you could fire it with and without inside sans hearing pro..... I'd be willing to bet without will be louder.

[jimbob86]

Longshot is a mighty slow powder for a 45. I'd be willing to bet that can would be a lot more efficient with a faster burning powder.

+1.

Slower powders=more muzzle blast and noise.

Rifle or pistol, slow powders and light for caliber bullets make for more flash and bang.

Betcha if ya rolled up a 230gr titewad or clays load, it be much quieter.

[Machineguntony]

Very good point.

I know Longshot isn't an ideal powder, but I only shoot Longshot because it was the only powder available in bulk, due to the shortage. The Hodgdon site has load data for it, and it shoots and meters well, but yes, it's probably not the best in a suppressor enhanced gun.

I recently got my hands on 40 pounds of Accurate no. 5 (five 8 pound containers), and when the Longshot is gone, I will switch to that. I have about 30 pounds of Longshot left. I go through powder fast.

Here is me shooting, at an indoor range, my 45 CT with the same load that I shot at my friends place.

https://dab.tht/2hOFNqhE

Hopefully the link works, as I've yet to figure out how to link video

[Brian Pfleuger]

The link doesn't work.

You should be able to post a link to a video just like any other link. The video would have to be publicly accessible.

Best to post to YouTube or similar free site and link to there.

[FAS1]

http://youtu.be/c2GchQ3orB0

This video shows a few suppressed handguns being fired from inside his house through an open window. He has quite a few suppressor videos on Youtube.

[Theohazard]

Videos are a pretty poor way to show how loud (or quiet) silencers are. It rarely ever sounds like it does in real life; most video cameras can't properly capture what a gunshot sounds like, and most playback devices (iPads, laptops) don't have speakers that can play the sounds back properly. I really noticed it when a friend shot a video of me shooting an M249; it just sounded like a full-auto cap gun.

[jimbob86]

FAS1's linked video .... the clatter of the brass on the hardwood floor and the smoke alarms were nearly as loud as the gun .....

[Sharkbite]

You aint having fun till the smoke alarms start goin off!!!

[jimbob86]

You aint having fun till the smoke alarms start goin off!!!

Depending upon whether the smoke alarms are tied in with monitored security, and whether the local FD bills for false alarms ..... it could be fun ..... or expensive ..... maybe both!

[Machineguntony]

So after tinkering with the 45 silencer a little bit, it is now my favorite silencer. It is now deathly quiet, especially with a minimum powered load and with about 5 ccs of water. All I hear is a "thump".

What I did, per some advice I received, took apart the baffles and then perfectly stagger them to create more resistance. Then I used a needleless syringe to inject 5 ccs of water. The downside is that the increased resistance means more backpressure, so the smoke and pressure coming out the back is very bad. You definitely need eye protection. Add in the water, and by the time I am done shooting, my face is and arms is black with gunpowder residue.

The upside is that it is really quiet now and, with the additional ear muff sound reduction, which is probably a total of 70 decibel reduction between the silencer and muff, in the ear muffs it sounds like a movie thump thump thump.

I am starting to enjoy these silencers.

[NavyVet1959]

Originally Posted by Sharkbite

Ok, that story probably stated with the words "hold my beer"

Don't *all* good stories start out with that line?

Back in my youth, we never wore hearing protection while shooting. I suspect that my hearing is not as good as it should be, but then again, it could be that I've just gone deaf to the frequencies associated with the voice of my wife.

I routinely carry foam ear plugs in the pocket of my vest though. I tend to use them when I go to a restaurant that is too noisy or when I'm riding a motorcycle without a full coverage helmet. I've also used them when I was drug to a "family dinner" at a restaurant with my wife and her family to muffle their conversation. They're not usually speaking English, so nothing that they say is important enough to listen to.

[Theohazard]

Originally Posted by Machineguntony

What I did, per some advice I received, took apart the baffles and then perfectly stagger them to create more resistance.

SilencerCo tells you to line up the notches on the Octane's baffles. I always assumed this decreases back-pressure and makes it quieter by better controlling the gas flow. But maybe it just reduces back-pressure. I've always shot my Octane 9 with the notches lined up, now I'm going to try it both ways to see which is louder.

Either way, the water is what makes the biggest difference. As quiet as the Octane is, it's noticeably quieter when shot wet. But I'm not as scientific as you are; I just dump some water in mine and then shake it out. That leaves just enough water in it to do the trick, and it's a lot faster.

[Machineguntony]

If you don't mind the mess, don't dump out the water. It's almost just like the movies if you add some ear muffs.

So I am guessing the movie phew phew phew sound can be achieved at a reduction rate of 75 decibels (35 from can, 35 from muffs, and 5 from water in can). I wonder if the technology will ever advance enough where they can reduce the sound by 75 decibels, with just the dry silencer? Then a silencer can really sound like how they sound in the movies.

I mean, in the last 20 years, from what I have seen the sound reduction advancement has been minimal. Most of the advancement has gone into materials for durability and break apart designs.

My Lexus is so dam quiet compared to a car from the 80s that sometimes I can't even tell if the car is running. That thing has a real silencer in it.