Suppressor Effects

*Requires compatible firearm for optimal performance. Flux capacitor not needed.

Last week, Gun Digest regurgitated an article by David Bahde from the Fall 2014 Modern Shooter Magazine. It's about suppressors, and unlike many other articles/forums/blogs that I've seen on this subject, this article actually contains accurate information. Therefore, I'd like to share it here. It's worth reading.
 

Many perceptions surrounding suppressor effects come from marketing, blogs or the media making them suspect at best. Here’s the reality of how suppressors are used and what they can do.

Suppressors Are Not Silent
Long suppressors are fantastic for precision rifles—the larger the caliber, the longer the suppressor.

Perpetuated most often by movies, there is the idea that suppressors eliminate sound. This, however, is not entirely true, as they only suppress it. How much depends on many factors: the length of the suppressor, its construction, and the type of weapon and ammunition used. Pistol-caliber firearms are pretty quiet, as are rimfires with low-velocity ammunition. Centerfire rifles with subsonic rounds are similarly quiet, but are never completely silent. Most supersonic ammunition makes noise that is louder than you think. Suppressors may reduce the report to safe levels, but they still make noise and often require hearing protection.

Affects on the Action
Suppressors trap, redirect or alter gas expended from a discharged cartridge, both in front of and behind the expended bullet. This will effect your weapon’s operation, and to which extent depends on the weapon and ammunition used, as well as the suppressor’s design. Suppressors cause back pressure, although newer designs cause much less than what they once did. How and when it occurs is critical.

Most have little effect on bolt guns beyond heat transfer and a sticky bolt that is hard to lift. Gas guns are a different story. Increased back pressure causes increased bolt speed and can wreak havoc on function. Piston-driven systems are less susceptible, but can still be problematic. As a general rule, the shorter the barrel, the greater the effect on the gun’s performance. Adjustable gas blocks help but remain an issue. Excess gas in the action can also affect reliability as the action can get fouled quickly. Rapid fire produces significant heat transfer to the weapon and can have an adverse effect on operation.

Pistols suffer the opposite effect. Suppressors lessen the recoil impulse required to make your pistol cycle. Some require recoil boosters to ensure proper operation. Low-powered ammunition can turn your semi-auto into a single shot. Suppressors can be attached to revolvers, but much of the trapped gas just goes out the cylinder gap, lessening efficiency. I have not seen one mounted to a revolver, other than in old movies.

Subguns are the perfect firearms for suppressors. A can seldom affects the subgun’s reliability, is quiet and has little adverse effect on overall operation. Rifles specifically tuned for subsonic ammunition (such as the 300 Blackout) are similar. Excess gas is minimal with recoil, all but nonexistent. There is very little downside to suppressing a subgun.

Suppressors Enhance Accuracy
Unless improperly installed or attached, suppressors do make shooting more accurate. Velocity change is low to nonexistent and generally increases. Modern designs have no adverse affect on the bullet. Standard deviation decreases, as a rule, providing consistency, and significant recoil reduction allows you to be more accurate.

Less muzzle rise, less sound and less concussive effect also help a shooter improve accuracy. As long as they do not come loose and are installed properly, modern suppressors will do nothing less than enhance a shooter’s accuracy.

Carbines under sustained fully automatic fire, or rapid fire, can be more problematic. Significant heat transfer may show a decrease in accuracy while hot. Shooting a suppressor until it is red- or white-hot is going to definitely cause issues.

Since most people do not shoot this way, accuracy is seldom an issue. With tens of thousands of rounds through suppressed subguns, a quality suppressor has no effect on accuracy even when hot. Pistol ammunition just does not provide enough excess gas or heat to cause a problem. You are not going to see any real increase in accuracy, but neither will it degrade.

More Suppressor Effects
Suppressors should neither be revered, nor feared. They are simply useful tools.

Suppressors can cause impact shift when attached to the barrel of a gun. How much again depends on suppressor design, ammunition and weapon choice. Heavy suppressors have a greater effect, especially on precision rifles. Suppressors constructed with titanium and high-quality designs minimize change. True of both precision rifles and carbines, several recent designs have almost no detectable impact shift. Match-grade rifles and ammunition see the least changes.

Weight and length of a suppressor can certainly affect the balance of the firearm. Long suppressors are quiet and heavy, while short ones are lighter and louder. Short suppressors affect balance and weigh less. You have to decide what is most important, as it is a trade-off. Thread-on suppressors typically weigh less since attachment systems add weight. Short and fat suppressors are fantastic for defensive tactics where handling is important and sound suppression is secondary. Long suppressors are fantastic for precision rifles—the larger the caliber, the longer the suppressor.

Suppressors will lessen flash, some almost as well as a flash suppressor, and quality low-flash ammunition also helps a great deal. Rimfire suppressors get really dirty compared to other designs; fortunately, most can be disassembled for cleaning. The same can be true for pistol and some subgun suppressors. Modern rifle suppressors seldom require maintenance, or even cleaning, and most cannot be disassembled.

Bottom Line
Modern-day suppressors clearly have more advantages to them than disadvantages. Above all, they enhance the shooting experience and usability of your firearm. Given proper choices, they make your weapon better at its job, make the firearm easier to use and ultimately more fun to shoot. However, they are not magical mystical devices, nor are they for everyone.

The cost remains substantial, and the BATF and state laws still control availability. They should never be purchased without considerable forethought based on your planned use and firearms you want to use one. Suppressors should neither be revered, nor feared. They are what they are, and used properly, they are fantastic tools. Take the time to get the right one, and you will get years of enjoyment. Trust me, once you go suppressed, it is really hard to go back.

Well said, Mr. Bahde.

You heard the man, he said that once you go suppressed, it is really hard to go back. Seems that you can trust him about that. I sure do. If you're ready to make that jump over to our side - the WWOS (wonderful world of suppressors) -  head over to NC SILENCER and pick up one for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

North Carolina HB 562 signed into law

Yeah, if you could go ahead and sign this bill.... that'd be great.

In case you haven't heard the news, a few weeks ago North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 562 into law. This is a landmark piece of legislation for residents of NC, and especially for those North Carolinians who are interested in owning NFA items such as silencers. The passing of HB 562 brings about a requirement for NC CLEOs (Chief Law Enforcement Officer – typically the county sheriff) to sign NFA applications for individuals – provided the individual applying for ownership of said NFA item is not a criminal. In essence, NC has become a "shall certify" state now. This means that your local sheriff should no longer be a road block to you owning a suppressor.

I say "should" because as most of us know, the law itself does not guarantee that reality will change. It may take a challenge to the law by someone - or some group - that will result in a judicial interpretation of the law being handed down. Once that precedence has been established, we'll know what the true implications of the law will really be. I suspect that there will still be some hold-out CLEOs who might still try to maintain their perceived jurisdiction on the matter and continue to refuse to cooperate with the signing requirement. And if this happens, I can easily envision a few fed-up individuals rallying together to bring about a lawsuit. It will be interesting to see what becomes of all this, to say the least.

That being said, going the trust route will still remain the easiest option... at least for all you residents of North Carolina. A trust takes much less time and does not require a Sheriff signature. NFA gun trusts have been legal since 1934 and they are still legal to this day, so do not be hesitant to take advantage of this awesome tool that you have at your disposal. For more information on using trusts to obtain NFA items, see this article I wrote on the subject way back in 2011.

Consider the differences if you choose to go the individual route where you are required to get your sheriff’s signature: After he - or IF he -  signs your NFA application, you still will have to get fingerprinted in duplicate, and submit those fingerprint cards and passport photos to ATF. These additional requirements make the process of purchasing a silencer with an application signed by your sheriff much more laborious.

There's some icing on the cake. House Bill 562 also removes the prohibition on using a lawfully possessed short-barreled rifle for hunting purposes, so this is great news for Class 3 enthusiasts here in NC. All of you hog hunters and deer hunters… and heck, even squirrel hunters out there can now legally take game using your SBRs.

Good luck to everyone if/when you try to utilize your new freedoms with the passage of HB 562 by asking your sheriff to sign your Form 4 for an NFA transfer. I'd actually like to hear from you about your experience. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have first hand experience to share about this.

Thanks!

Eric Morton - Silencer Guru
NC SILENCER

A Review of the Gough Custom Resolute Knife

A lot of gun guys tend to also have an affinity for knives. Much like guns and silencers, not only are knives useful… most are just plain cool, too. I’m sure most of you can relate to this mode of thinking.

A few months ago, I happened across a channel on YouTube that I found interesting.  It is called Gough Custom, and is the video portal for Aaron Gough, a knife maker in Canada. After watching a few of his videos, it became obvious to me that Aaron has very good attention to quality and detail. His video productions are well thought out and informative. I assumed that if a guy takes this much pride in his YouTube videos, then his products must be nice too.  

Turns out, I was right.

On the way back from a recent trip to Italy, the returning flight had me staying in Toronto for a 24-hour layover. Because I knew I had time to kill in Toronto, I emailed Aaron ahead of time to ask if, by chance, his shop was located in the Toronto area. And if it was, would he be cool to let me swing by to meet him and check out his knife-making shop. Turns out, out of all 3.8 million square miles of Canada, Aaron’s shop DOES happen to be in the Toronto area, and he was gracious enough to invite me to stop by for a little while. So, that’s exactly what my wife and I did on Friday evening last week, shortly after settling into our hotel…. we went across town and found Gough Custom.

So I ended up meeting Aaron at his shop in Toronto, and we had a good discussion about his knives and his company. I figured I’d share some of what I learned with my NC SILENCER friends. So, here you go… NC SILENCER’s first blog post about knives – the other kind of silencer, you might say.

Aaron is a genuinely nice guy. A lot of people probably wouldn’t take the time to meet a total stranger to tour him around their shop and talk about knives… especially late on a Friday evening. But not only did Aaron do just that, he slipped out of a party he was attending next door to spend time with my wife and me. And it turns out that the party was for HIM… he was the guest of honor. He was hanging out with some of his buddies to celebrate his last day of work at his real job as a software engineer. That Friday was his first day as a full-time knife maker. So, it was kind of a big deal. I was very appreciative of his hospitality, and my wife and I enjoyed our time there.

If you were to check out the videos at the Gough Custom channel on YouTube, and visit his website, you should get a pretty good idea of what Aaron’s knives, which are named Resolute, are all about. But I’ll try to do it justice here:

Aaron told me that the premise behind Gough Custom is to make the best working knives available anywhere, at any price… but at the same time, to keep the price reasonable. The thinking behind this is that they’re not really working knives if they’re unreasonably expensive. So Aaron has worked hard to keep them reasonably priced. And they are indeed very reasonably priced, as you’ll discover in a moment.

The headline on Gough Custom’s website states: “Quality working knives. Designed & Made to Last”, and Aaron’s personal mantra is “I design things the way they should be: beautiful, strong, functional and timeless.” In short, I believe the Resolute knives meet this mantra perfectly. 

After testing many different metal types for his blades, Aaron settled on A2 tool steel, heat-treated to 62 HRC. As he explains on goughcustom.com, “A2 is a supremely tough tool steel, which in my testing has been shown to be able to take more abuse than any reasonable person would want to put it through. The tang of the blade is skeletonized to remove unnecessary weight and improve balance, while the blade geometry itself is designed to be tough without sacrificing cutting ability.” Check out THIS video for an eye-opening dissertation on the performance of several popular types of knife steel.

There is an integrated window-breaker on the butt of the handle which utilizes the full-tang hardened A2 steel. This adds to the knife's utility in a survival situation while still maintaining grip comfort. The handle material is G10, which is a high-pressure laminate made from fiberglass and phenolic resin. It is highly impact and UV resistant, is not affected by water exposure, provides great grip and cleans easily. Aaron offers a nice two-tone design with contrasting colors of G10 for the scales.

The sheath is thermoformed Kydex body (MOLLE compatible) with detachable ambidextrous nylon webbing belt loop. The Resolute knives that I examined were all very consistent and the fit and finish are very high-quality. Each knife sets solidly within its sheath and retention is perfect. All of Gough Custom’s products are guaranteed for life.  

So what does a top-shelf, imminently useful and functional custom knife and sheath like this cost? You’re probably thinking $600 - $800, right? That’s what I thought at first too, but nope, these knives are in the $300 range. I’m certainly not a knife expert, but from what I’ve seen first-hand… the behind-the-scenes efforts that goes into these knives and the attention to detail, I believe that $300 is a bargain. I think most of you would agree.

One note that I should mention: because of the demand for his knives, Aaron’s orders have reached a 50+ week backlog. I believe that could change soon though, because as I mentioned earlier, last Friday was Aaron’s first day as a full-time knife maker. With no “real job” in the way now, he tells me that he hopes to catch up with the back orders soon and focus on servicing those individuals on his mailing list who have expressed interest in ordering his knives. This will be on a first come, first served basis.   

I, for one, have my name on the list and I look forward to ordering my own Resolute when the opportunity arises. And I’m more than happy to help support a fellow entrepreneur… especially one who has a great vision for his products and company and the willingness to work hard to make that vision a reality. When I get my Resolute, I’ll probably do a follow up blog post as a further review of the knife. I can easily envision the Resolute to be the perfect camping / hiking knife for me, and I’m eager to put it through its paces.

Perhaps you’ll give these knives a closer look yourself (www.goughcustom.com) and let me know what you think. 

Thanks!

Eric Morton, Owner

NC SILENCER

News You Can Use from NC SILENCER - April 2015 Edition

If you've ever done business with NC SILENCER or have contacted us with silencer-related questions, you are probably already aware of our monthly News You Can Use newsletter. This is a "State of the Union" email (as a customer once called it) of NFA industry news and other tidbits of info from us that we think you'll find useful. This is our way of reaching out to all our customers with items of interest of which we want to share. Email just seems to be the best way to lay out a page or two worth of information to distribute across 1,000s of customers and friends.

I realize that many of you guys use Facebook to get your news on the companies and products you follow. However, I tend to gravitate more toward sitting down every now and then to collect my thoughts and write it all out in a newsletter or blog post. It just works better for me that way. I generally get on Facebook (personal FB page) once a year to say thanks for all the birthday wishes.

So I just sent out the April News You Can Use letter last night. It went out to directly to NC SILENCER customers and contacts via email - as I pointed out above. But I thought that this time, I would copy the newsletter into a blog post so it will be out there on the internet for everyone else to discover. I know a lot or you guys who subscribe and follow this blog aren't necessarily customers... so you probably aren't getting the newsletter.

Anyway, without further ado, here it is. Hope you find it helpful. Thanks!

********************************************************************************

It’s time for another News You Can Use from NC SILENCER.

Winner of the March Silencer Give-away: You may recall that in last month’s newsletter, we introduced our new Customer Loyalty Program. This is where we give away a Huntertown Arms B-22 suppressor (and pay for the tax stamp also) for one lucky customer each month. We randomly draw a name from all customers who purchased an NFA item during the prior month and give that person the free silencer and tax stamp. So the other day, we notified Bruce D. from Elizabeth City that he was the winner for the March drawing. So, congratulations Bruce! We hope you enjoy your new extra toy!

ATF 41-P News: I know this is something that everyone is concerned with, so I feel compelled to continue to update you guys on it. There have been no hard dates handed down from ATF regarding 41-P. My personal gut feeling about this however is that based on historical evidence, our infamous President will probably try to push his gun control agenda one way or another during the last 18 months of his term while he still has the power to do so. He has already demonstrated that he’s willing to circumvent his constitutional obligation to get congressional approval, when it comes to advancing some of his personal agendas, so that probably won’t stop him from enacting some kind of rule/law/ban/regulation/etc via Executive Action or otherwise that contradicts our 2nd Amendment rights.

Therefore I would suggest that we all NOT assume that “no news is good news” in regards to 41-P. Nothing would surprise me anymore from what I’ve seen come out of this administration during the past several years. If you’ve been thinking about getting the ball rolling on a silencer, SBR or Machine Gun, now may be the time, lest future laws forever prevent it from happening.

I really don’t mean to sound like a fear-monger about all this, but I’m just being practical. I believe that it’s good to look at the ATFs involvement in our NFA ownership with a healthy skepticism. Personally, I just feel that everything seems a little TOO quiet right now on the gun control front. It can’t hurt to try to be prepared in the event all hell breaks loose and our rights to buy NFA items take a turn for the worst.

Even though my personal feelings are that change may be quietly brewing at ATF, one thing that is NOT changing is our commitment to make sure that North Carolina residents can continue to buy silencers and other NFA items as easily as possible.  This brings me to my next point…

New NC SILENCER Website: So I need to start this section off with an apology. A couple years ago I made a promise to you, and now I have to go back on my word.

I told you guys in the April 2013 “News You Can Use” newsletter that we would never introduce a shopping cart to our website, because we truly enjoy having an opportunity to communicate with each of you individually. Well, because of the overwhelming amount of support that you guys have continued to show NC SILENCER, it just makes sense at this point for us to return the favor and make it even easier for you guys to buy silencers. So… yes, the NC SILENCER website now has a built-in shopping cart to even further streamline your NFA buying experience.

Now, I want to stop right here to make it as clear as I can that neither Hank nor myself are going anywhere. We’re still right here, ready and waiting to answer your silencer-related questions and help you with any issues that you might have. But now, those of you who have the process figured out and you know exactly what you want, you’ll be able to buy silencers, silencer accessories, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, and even machine guns directly from our website. We’ve had software made for us that now allows you to purchase these items even faster. Also, please remember that we are Authorized Dealers for every major suppressor brand on the market and most of the small brands too.  So if there is a particular make or model of silencer that you would like to purchase or you would like a price on but you don’t see it listed on our website, just fill out the contact form or e-mail us and ask. Like always, we will still personally respond to you with pricing and availability of that item.

The shopping cart feature on the new website is very easy to use, but to take the guesswork out of it for you, I even made a video tutorial about how to use the shopping cart. Click HERE to watch me buy a Silencerco Octane 9 on the new and improved www.ncsilencer.com. You’ll see firsthand how easy and quick the process is. We hope that you’ll find the new NC SILENCER website and shopping cart to be as user-friendly and rewarding as we intended it to be.

Please don’t forget to explore the added content on the site itself. For all of you existing customers, we hope you’ll find even more useful information on this new website to help you enjoy your NFA experience, and for all you new and/or undecided customers, we hope that you’ll find the answers to all your silencer-related questions with just a few clicks of your mouse and a few minutes of reading and watching. Between the “Silencer 101” page, the “FAQ” page, “How to Buy a Silencer” page, the informative Hickok45 videos featuring our NFA toys… and all the blog posts I’ve written over the years, I think you’ll discover a wealth of information. Have fun, enjoy the ride and please partake responsibly. And don’t drink and suppress… you might spill your beer.

The Next NC SILENCER “Demo Day”: We have been asked by many of you guys about our next scheduled demo day and fun shoot. Since we weren’t able to make it to the DPRC (Durham Pistol and Rifle Club) Fun Shoot and Demo Day last fall, you’ve been asking if we plan to be at the event this spring. For those of you who may not know, we have arranged these events in the past where our customers and their friends can come try out their toys that we have in quarantine… or bring your own guns to try out on our demo silencers. This has always proven to be very popular and you guys continue to tell us that you enjoy the experience.

Well, we had planned to participate in the DPRC’s semi-annual Fun Shoot and Demo Day at the end of April and I was going to announce that here in this newsletter… but we recently got word that the DPRC will not host the event this spring. That’s not to say that we may not be able to arrange another suppressor demo day somewhere else in the upcoming months… but at this point, we do not have any firm dates or details to give you. We will certainly let you guys know via another newsletter as soon as another opportunity arises. But for now, there’s nothing to mark on your calendar. Sorry to disappoint you guys, but it was out of our control.

Well, that’s it for the April, 2015 News You Can Use. Thanks again for your business and support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, and we look forward to continuing our relationship in this fun and rewarding place we call the NFA world.



Thanks!

Eric Morton, Manager

NC SILENCER

Suppressors for Home Defense?

The other day, I came across an article about using suppressors for home defense.

This is a topic that I've often thought about... I believe that using a suppressor indoors in a home defense scenario is a no-brainer in regards to preserving your hearing, awareness, and orientation, etc. The idea that gives me pause though, is the reckoning that might come if I found myself in front of a jury of my peers trying to explain why I shot that "nice young man" (who happened to be holding a crowbar with which he had used to break into my home in the middle of the night and was in my daughter's bedroom)... and the gun I used had a (gasp) silencer. Oh, the horror.

Would the jury be sympathetic to me (the right-wing extremist with a silenced gun who shot that poor defenseless young man) in light of the facts, or will the mere presence of a silencer in the equation somehow sway their opinion of me as a person? (Surely he must have SOME kind of nefarious intentions if he owns a silencer. What kind of sane person would want a silencer?) 

I'm well aware of the stigma of silencers, aka suppressors. Talk to just about anyone who is on the other side of the fence from us gun guys - even well-educated folks - about silencers, and they will almost always instinctively parrot the Hollywood and media talking points; "Why do you need a silencer? What, are you an assassin? Only criminals use silencers."

It's funny to me to think that in this era of instant 24/7 information, when everyone seems to be an expert on everything, most otherwise rational and logical people choose to be willingly and willfully ignorant when it comes to the subject of firearm silencers. Sometimes I feel that my mission to educate Americans on the facts about silencers and silencer-ownership is a losing battle. But I'm not ready to hang up my sword just yet.


That being said, this article does not delve into the political - and possible legal implications of using a silencer for home defense. It does, however speak to some very good points that I think would be good for you guys to know. The focus is actually on using rifles - and specifically SBRs as home defense weapons, and how equipping them with suppressors makes them so much more viable in this role.

Here you go:

Suppressors for Home Defense article from personaldefenseworld.com


Thank you,
Eric Morton, Manager
NC SILENCER

Review of the Silencerco Spectre II .22LR Suppressor

Silencerco, LCC in West Valley City, UT has quickly become a household name among suppressor enthusiasts. The company has proven its mettle by manufacturing quality products that work as advertised and by following up with great customer service for both their dealers and end users. I have spoken with many of the guys at Silencerco and they're all top-notch to deal with.

Today's lesson is on the Silencerco Spectre II (or Spectre 22 as the company now calls it per their website). This is a .22LR can which is very easy for me to recommend to customers. Silencerco bills the Spectre II as "super tough and durable and one of the quietest .22 suppressors known to man". I cannot argue with that statement, but I feel that in fairness I should point out that just about ANY .22LR suppressor with a halfway intelligent baffle design is going to be quiet. It doesn't take much to suppress .22LR, especially when shooting subsonic ammo.

However, it's the overall design of the suppressor that may make one particular .22LR can "better" than others. The Spectre II is one of the models on the market that really does have an intelligent design considering all the drawbacks you have to deal with when shooting dirty rim-fire ammo. As you'll see in the photos below, the baffles are designed in such a way where all the lead and other crud is compartmentalized within the baffle chambers and don't ever touch the outside suppressor tube (where the serial number is engraved). This is a very good thing. Also, being made from 100% stainless steel, it is truly a strong and durable suppressor, albeit slightly heavier than it were made from aluminum. After years of shooting... and cleaning... various models of .22LR suppressors made from various materials, I can say that I unequivocally prefer stainless steel construction for my .22LR cans.

The following photos depict the Spectre II in various states of disassembly and I've shared a few comments appropriate to the photo immediately following each photo. This approach should give you a good idea of the construction, fit, finish, size and weight of the suppressor. I'll also give you my personal opinions and feedback of its real-life performance as a conclusion. Enjoy!

Silencerco packages the Spectre II very nicely. The suppressor is shipped in a durable canvas carrying case which is sandwiched between layers of foam. A disassembly tool is also included. Underneath all of this is the user's manual and other random marketing paraphernalia. And all of this is in a box with a full apron lid with another another sleeve that the whole box slides into.
 

The suppressor in the canvas carrying case in the box. Notice the disassembly tool.

 

The tool has a couple different functions which will be explained later.

The manufacturer says 5.98" length and that's accurate according to my ruler. It might appear slightly longer than 5.98" in this photo, but that's because of the fish-eye look the camera lens created. At almost 6", the Spectre II is slightly longer than average for .22LR suppressors. The suppressor is 1.0" in diameter.

Manufacturer claims 6.8 ounces. According to my scale, it's 7.3 ounces. Don't ask me why the discrepancy... I'm just the messenger. And honestly, it's hard to tell the difference in real life anyway... like, when it's hanging off the end of a 10/22 rifle. 6.8oz or 7.3oz... either way, this is little heavier than average for .22 suppressors. But, the reason for that is justifiable in my book. It's because there's a lot of stainless steel in there.

This is a close up of the front cap. This part screws directly to the barrel of your gun. Thread pitch is 1/2"x 28TPI. This means the suppressor is made to screw on barrels threaded 1/2" outside diameter by 28 threads per inch, right-hand twist. This is the standard thread pitch for .22LR suppressors (important note: 5.56/.223 AR-15 rifle barrels have the same thread pitch, therefore it is possible to attach a .22LR suppressor to an AR-15. Please do not do this. Your .22LR suppressor was not designed to withstand the tremendous pressures generated by the 5.56 round. Your little suppressor will likely explode if you try this. Also 9mm pistol and carbine barrels are also commonly threaded 1/2-28. So again, you can attach a .22LR suppressor to your 9mm gun. Think about what will happen if you try to send a .38 caliber lead projectile through a .23 - .25 caliber hole at 1,200 fps. Yes, it won't be pretty. Moral of the story: be sure to use the appropriate suppressor with your guns). The O-ring may be hard to see, but it's on the inside of the threaded part of the cap.

To remove either front or rear end caps, you use the included disassembly tool to unscrew the cap. The front cap has an O-ring that helps snug it down tight and maintains a tight seal. The rear cap - the one that has the female threads that attaches to your barrel - has an O-ring also. But this seal is on the inside of the threaded portion, thereby helping keep your barrel and gun clean by minimizing blow by of the gasses. The tool can be used two ways. The way shown above and also using the U-shaped cut outs on the other side of the tool. This cut-out spans the diameter of the rear cap and hooks onto the scalloped perimeter (see photo of the front cap). Once engaged, you simply unscrew the cap.

The front cap removed. Notice the O-ring.

When the baffles are "clicked" together, they form a sturdy tube, This tube slides into the outer tube of the suppressor as shown here. The tube-within-a-tube is a great design consideration for any .22LR suppressors. I wish more manufacturers did this.This tube-within-a-tube thing is slicker than snot. What will they think of next?

The baffles of the Spectre II are 17-4 stainless steel. They stack on top of each other in the tube by nesting on the ridge that you can see at the base of each cone. The straight sides of the baffles help keep crud from building up on the inside of the suppressor tube. This is a tube-within-a-tube design and that's a good thing. For one thing, it makes disassembly easy, even after 100s or 1,000s of shots. Also, no crud ever touches the outside tube, i.e. where the serial number is engraved. It's always a good idea to treat the serial numbered part of your suppressor with extra care. With the Spectre II's design, you're golden.

The ridge at the base of the cone part of the baffle is more obvious on this close up photo. The baffles click together by resting one on top of the other, and "snapping" them together. They click together with a very satisfying sound.

One last parting shot of those pretty, shiny new baffles.




So, now you've seen the Silencerco Spectre II .22LR suppressor up close and personal. Now for the questions you're probably still wondering about; How does it shoot? Is it quiet? Does NC SILENCER recommend it? Will the Ebola virus ever find its way to Washington DC where it can actually be of some beneficial use? Depending on the order you asked them, the answers are Great, Yes, Yes, and I really hope that does not happen, actually. Here's some more detail:

How does it shoot? Great. It's slightly heavier than average for .22LR suppressors, and it's a tad on the long side, but it's entirely manageable. It feels substantial in the hand. You know it's durable the moment you pick it up.

Is it quiet? Yes. It is above average in terms of sound reduction. It's great on both pistols and rifles. With anything supersonic (.22LR, high-velocity), .22Mag, .17HMR, 5.7x28, you will hear the sonic crack, but that's because of physics. The suppressor reduces the muzzle blast sufficiently well to negate hearing protection even with the powerful stuff. With subsonic ammo, it's "Hollywood quiet".

Does NC SILENCER recommend it? You bet. The design is great, the fit and finish are great, and it's one of the quietest .22LR suppressors on the market. It makes the MSRP price of $399 seem entirely reasonable.

That's it for today's assignment. Hope you learned something. Don't forget your homework, and I'll see you next time.


Thanks,

Prof. Eric Morton, SG (silencer guru)

NC SILENCER

10 Facts about Firearm Silencers / Suppressors

In related news, Iver Johnson Revolvers are Absolutely Safe. It's a Fact.

Here are ten quick facts about silencers that every silencer owner (or future silencer owner) should know:


1. Silencers, aka suppressors, are mufflers. They’re just like what's on your car. If your car was not equipped with suppressors, it would sound like a lot like a machine gun. Another interesting fact; in England, automobile mufflers are called silencers.

2. Suppressors do not completely silence firearms. Hollywood's depiction of silencers is laughably incorrect. The blast is still very evident, but the sound pressure is reduced to a safer level.

3. Firearm reports (blasts) are dangerous to human hearing. Hearing loss is progressive. It never restores itself. A suppressed firearm sounds roughly the same to the shooter as it would sound (and feel) if the shooter were wearing passive ear protection like earplugs or muffs. Therefore, no need for the shooter to wear hearing protection if he or she is using a suppressed firearm.

4. Suppressors also benefit those around the hunter (or recreational shooter). No need to wear ear protection, even if you're not the shooter. People living in neighborhoods close to hunting grounds will be much less annoyed/scared/upset/etc. if hunters and recreational shooters used suppressors. They will still hear some "noise", but it won't be a tremendous blast.

5. Suppressors were added to the NFA's list of weapons to be regulated in 1934 under the assumption that people would use them to poach their neighbor's livestock. There never has been any evidence to support that claim by the Congress of 1934, nor today. And there are still 100s of thousands of suppressors in use today in the USA… most in states that DO allow suppressed hunting, yet poaching with suppressors simply does not happen to a measurable degree.

6. Individuals who own suppressors are arguably in the top-tier of the law-abiding class of the population. They do not commit crimes.... especially with suppressors. Yes, this statement is more subjective than fact. However, here are three reasons for this claim:

   a) Concealed Carry permit holders are 13% times LESS likely to commit ANY crime than the  general population -- and this is not a comparison to stats of the criminal class, it is compared to members of the general population like you and I, who have no interest in breaking the law.

   b) 99% of suppressor owners also possess their Concealed Carry permit. Therefore, it can be said that suppressor owners are cleaner than your average babysitter.

   c) The only study I've ever seen on the criminal use of suppressors found that between 1995 and 2005, out of 40,000 homicides which were committed in the USA, only .001% of them involved suppressors. That is 4 out of 40,000. That is practically a non-consequential number. There are many more seemingly safe activities that we don’t ever consider regulating yet result in many more deaths. For example, many more people during that time-frame drowned in their bathtubs. In my opinion, any regulation of suppressors is unwarranted based on the available statistics.

7. England changed their laws to require that suppressors be used by hunters (in certain locales). Why? The HSE (Health Safety Executive, similar to our OSHA) conducted a study of suppressors,\ and discovered that their government would spend less money for restorative hearing procedures for their citizens if sportsmen would use suppressors. A suppressor costs a lot less than years of hearing aids, funded by tax dollars.

8. Because of many years the military gave no regard to hearing protection, the VA (Veterans Administration) spends billions of dollars every year for hearing aids for our veterans. Last year the VA bought over 600,000 hearing aids. Average cost per hearing aid is $4,000. You can do the math. Hearing damage is the number one disability claimed by veterans. The 2014 claims will total $2.26 billion.

9. Almost all branches of the US Military now use suppressors in training and combat to protect soldiers hearing. Because of the recent proliferation of suppressor use in the military, the VA will spend less money for hearing procedures over time.

10. Firearm and suppressor owners are very politically savvy. They keep track of who votes or does not vote to protect our 2nd amendment rights. To our state and federal representatives: Please continue to support legislation that reinforces the attitudes of the pro-2nd amendment constituents you represent. Thank you.


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