Content deleted Content added
m →Characteristics: Copy edit ▸ Grammar ▸ Singular/plural. Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit |
decramp images |
||
| (30 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown) | |||
Line 11:
A typical silencer is a metallic (usually [[stainless steel]] or [[titanium]]) [[cylinder (firearms)|cylinder]] containing numerous internal [[sound baffle]]s, with a hollow bore to allow the [[bullet]] to exit normally. During firing, the bullet passes through the bore with little hindrance, but most of the expanding gas [[ejecta]] behind it is redirected through a longer and convoluted escape path created by the baffles, prolonging the release time. This slows down the gas and dissipates its [[kinetic energy]] into a larger surface area, reducing the blast [[intensity (physics)|intensity]], thus lowering the [[loudness]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Firearms - Gun Control Act Definition - Silencer|url=https://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearms-guides-importation-verification-firearms-gun-control-act-definition-silencer|website=atf.gov |access-date=6 February 2017}}</ref>
Silencers can also reduce the recoil during shooting, but unlike a [[muzzle brake]] or a recoil compensator, which reduce recoil by [[vector (mathematics and physics)|vector]]ing the muzzle blast sideways, silencers release almost all the gases towards the front. However, the internal baffles significantly prolong the time of the gas release and thereby decrease the rearward [[thrust]] generated
Because the internal baffles will slow and cool the released gas and contain gunpowder that is still burning upon exit from the muzzle, silencers also reduce or even eliminate the [[muzzle flash]]. This is different from a [[flash suppressor]], which reduces the amount of flash by dispersing burning gases that are already released ''outside'' the muzzle, without necessarily reducing sound or recoil. A flash hider, or [[muzzle shroud]], in contrast, conceals visible flashes by screening them from the direct line of sight, rather than reducing the intensity of the flash.
Line 28:
==Terminology==
[[File:Silencers Suppressors different types vertical CC BY-SA 4.0 by Grasyl.svg|thumb|Different Silencer designs]]Gun rights advocates and gun media generally claim that the word "silencer" is defined as meaning ''total'' silence, while "suppressor"
The US [[National Firearms Act]] (NFA) of 1934 defined silencers and established regulations limiting their sale and ownership.<ref>Section 1(a), Public Law No. 474, Ch. 757, 48 Stat. 1236 (June 26, 1934).</ref> Both the [[United States Department of Justice|US Department of Justice]] and the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives]] (ATF) use the term ''silencer''.<ref name="atf34"/> Hiram Percy Maxim, the original inventor of the device, marketed them as "Maxim Silencers".<ref name="Greener2002"/>
The earliest use of the technical term ''suppressor'' to refer to firearm noise reduction is in US Patent 4530417, July 23, 1985, "A suppressor for reducing the muzzle blast of firearms or the like".<ref>{{patent|US|4530417}}</ref>{{or|date=August 2023}} In [[UK English]], ''
The [[Oxford English Dictionary|Oxford]], [[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|American Heritage]], and other dictionaries apply the term ''suppressor'' to such contexts as [[electromagnetic shielding]] devices, [[Suppressor mutation|genetics]], and [[censorship]], but not firearms.<ref name="OEDsilencer">{{Cite OED|silencer}}</ref><ref name="OEDsuppressor">{{Cite OED|suppressor}}</ref><ref name="AHDsuppressor">{{
In 2011, the [[National Rifle Association of America]] began a campaign to increase the civilian use of silencers for hunting and sport shooting in the US, setting the goals of easing the restrictions in the [[National Firearms Act of 1934|Federal NFA of 1934]], and in various state laws, regulating the sale and ownership of firearm silencers. In the same year, the American Silencer Association (ASA) was founded by US manufacturers of silencers, with the same goals of moving silencers into the mainstream.<ref name="LaSorte2011" /><ref name="Devaney2017">{{Citation |url=https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/335348-gun-lobby-seeks-to-calm-fears-about-silencers/ |title=Gun lobby seeks to calm fears about silencers |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |first=Tim |last=Devaney |date=May 5, 2017 }}</ref> Along with state and federal legislative lobbying efforts, the NRA and ASA began public information campaigns designed to change the perception of silencers from their association with espionage, assassination, crime or military special operation use, to instead show that silencers can have health and safety benefits, primarily protecting the hearing of shooters and people in the vicinity, and to debunk the perceived myth in popular television, film and video game media that silencers are so effective that gunshot sounds can go totally unnoticed, such as by people in the next room of a building.<ref name="Hollywood"/><ref name="LaSorte2011">{{Citation |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2011/12/22/suppressors-for-hearing-and-the-shooting-sports/ |title= Suppressors: For Hearing and the Shooting Sports |first=Darren |last=LaSorte |date=December 22, 2011 |magazine=[[American Rifleman]] |publisher=[[National Rifle Association of America]] }}</ref><ref name="Rosenwald2017">{{Citation |title= Gun silencers are hard to buy. Donald Trump Jr. and silencer makers want to change that |first=Michael S. |last=Rosenwald |date=January 9, 2017 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/gun-silencers-are-hard-to-buy-donald-trump-jr-and-silencer-makers-want-to-change-that/2017/01/07/0764ab4c-d2d2-11e6-9cb0-54ab630851e8_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>
Line 50:
[[File:Service revolver firing with French silencer.jpg|thumb|left|Revolver with suppressor. Gas can be seen escaping between barrel and cylinder]]
While using [[subsonic ammunition]]
Muzzle blast generated by firearm discharge is directly proportional to the amount of [[propellant]] to be combusted within the [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]]. Therefore, the greater the case capacity (i.e. a [[magnum cartridge]]), the louder the muzzle blast, and consequently a more efficient or larger silencer system is required. A gunshot (the combination of the sonic boom, the vacuum release, and hot gases) will almost always be louder than the sound of the action cycling of an [[semi-automatic firearm|autoloading firearm]]. Alan C. Paulson, a renowned firearms specialist, claimed to have encountered an integrally suppressed .22 LR gun that had such a quiet report.<ref name="Paulson"/>
==Design and construction==
[[File:ReflexSuppressor-WP-Drwg.png|thumb|Cross-section drawing of a centerfire rifle suppressor, showing expansion chamber "reflexed" (going back around) the rifle barrel, and four sound baffles. The diffractor and baffles are carefully shaped to deflect gas.|alt=]]▼
[[File: Patent DE1553874 07-Oct-1971 Handfeuerwaffe mit Schalldaempfer Heckler und Koch.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Cross-section of a suppressor integral to the firearm]]▼
[[File:Vaime-Suppressor-22-WP-Drwg.png|thumb|Cross-section drawing of a rimfire rifle suppressor, showing short expansion chamber and thirteen plastic baffles. These baffles use alternating angled flat surfaces to repeatedly deflect gas expanding through the suppressor. In the actual suppressor, baffles are orientated at 90 degrees to one another about the axis of bullet travel. (The illustration does not demonstrate this well.)]]▼
[[File:Navy-HushPuppy-WP-Drwg.png|thumb|Cross-section drawing of a pistol suppressor, showing expansion chamber wrapped around inner suppressor assembly, and four wipes. The bullet pushes a bullet-diameter hole through the wipes, trapping propellant gas behind it entirely until the bullet has passed through the wipe completely]]▼
▲[[File: Patent DE1553874 07-Oct-1971 Handfeuerwaffe mit Schalldaempfer Heckler und Koch.png|thumb|Cross-section of a suppressor integral to the firearm]]
[[File: Huntertown Kestrel 5.56 disassembled.JPG|thumb|left|Firearm suppressor disassembled to show blast chamber, baffles, and sections of the outer tube]]▼
A silencer is typically a hollow metal tube made from [[steel]], [[aluminum]], or [[titanium]] and contains expansion chambers. It is usually cylindrical in shape, and attaches to the [[muzzle (firearm)|muzzle]] of a [[pistol]], [[submachine gun]], or [[rifle]]. Some can-type silencers, named for their resemblance to beverage cans, are detachable, and can be attached to a different firearm. In contrast, integral silencers consist of an expansion chamber or chambers surrounding the barrel. The barrel has openings or ports that bleed off-gases into the chambers. This type of silencer is part of the firearm, and maintenance of the suppressor requires that the firearm be at least partially disassembled.<ref name="Heard2011"/>
Line 68 ⟶ 65:
Two ancillary advantages of the silencer are recoil reduction and flash suppression. Muzzle flash is reduced both by being contained in the suppressor and by the arresting of unburned powder that would ordinarily burn in the air and intensify the flash. Recoil reduction results from the slowing of propellant gases that contribute 30–50% of recoil velocity. However, some suppressors can increase the backpressure produced by the propellant gases. This can cause them to function somewhat like a [[muzzle booster]] and thus increase the felt recoil. The weight of the silencer and the location of that additional weight at the muzzle reduces recoil through the basic mass as well as muzzle flip because of the location of this mass.
<gallery heights=140 widths=240>
▲
▲
▲
</gallery>
===Components===
===Baffles and spacers===
▲[[File: Huntertown Kestrel 5.56 disassembled.JPG|thumb
Baffles are usually circular metal dividers that separate the expansion chambers. Each baffle has a hole in its center to permit the passage of the bullet through the silencer and toward the target. The hole is typically at least 1mm larger than the bullet caliber to minimize the risk of the bullet hitting the baffle, called a baffle strike. Baffles are typically made of stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or alloys such as [[Inconel]], and are either [[machining|machined]] out of solid metal or [[stamping (metalworking)|stamped]] out of sheet metal. A few silencers for low-powered cartridges such as the [[.22 Long Rifle]] have successfully used plastic baffles (certain models by Vaime and others).<ref name="Paulson"/>{{rp|186–187}}
Line 90 ⟶ 94:
===Attachment===
[[File:
Apart from integral silencers that are integrated as a part of the firearm's barrel, most suppressors have a female threaded end, which attaches to male threads cut into the exterior of the barrel. These types of silencers are mostly used on handguns and rifles chambered in .22LR. More powerful rifles may use this type of attachment, but harsh recoil may cause the suppressor to over-tighten to the barrel and the suppressor can become difficult to remove.<ref name="Walker"/> [[SilencerCo]]'s Salvo silencer for shotguns attaches via internal barrel threading normally used to mount removable [[Choke (firearms)|chokes]].<ref>Waldron, Len. "SilencerCo Salvo 12 Gauge Suppressor Review." ''Guns &''
Ammo''. March 7, 2016. [http://www.gunsandammo.com/gear-accessories/suppressors/silencerco-salvo-12-suppressor-review/]''</ref>
Line 114 ⟶ 118:
===Improvised silencers===
Improvised silencers have been made from a variety of materials. In 2015, [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department|Los Angeles County sheriff deputies]] recovered a [[Sa vz. 23|Sa vz. 26]] [[submachine gun]] with an automobile [[oil filter]] attached.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Weingarten |first1=Dean |title=Homeless Man's Black Market Submachine Guns and Improvised Silencer|url=http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/11/dean-weingarten/homeless-mans-black-market-submachine-guns-improvised-silencer/ |access-date=12 October 2016|work=thetruthaboutguns.com |date=November 27, 2015}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2024}} [[Polyvinyl chloride#Pipes|PVC pipes]], plastic water bottles, and foam-filled pillows are also used.<ref name="Hollenbach"/><ref name="Emerson">{{cite book|last1=Emerson |first1=Clint |title=100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation |date=Oct 13, 2015 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1476796055 |page=70|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi-rCgAAQBAJ |access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter=Injuries Due to Firearms and Other Missile-Launching Devices |title=Forensic Neuropathology: A Practical Review of the Fundamentals |first1=Hideo H. |last1=Itabashi |page=223 |publisher=Academic Press |date=2011 |isbn=978-0080549842}}</ref> In the United States, improvised silencers are governed by the same laws as manufactured ones.<ref name="Hollenbach">{{cite book|last1=Hollenbach |first1=George M. |title=Workbench Silencers: The Art Of Improvised Designs |date=1996 |publisher=Paladin Press |isbn=1610046773|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fX_KAwAAQBAJ |access-date=12 October 2016}}</ref>
==Characteristics==
Line 146 ⟶ 150:
Special cartridges have been developed for use with a silencer. These cartridges use very heavy bullets to make up for the energy lost by keeping the bullet subsonic. A good example of this is the [[.300 Whisper]] cartridge, which is formed from a necked-up [[.221 Remington Fireball]] cartridge case. The subsonic .300 Whisper fires up to a {{convert|250|gr}}, .30 caliber bullet at about {{convert|980|ft/s}}, generating about {{convert|533|ftlbf}} of energy at the muzzle. While this is similar to the energy available from the .45 ACP pistol cartridge, the reduced diameter, and streamlined shape of the heavy .30 caliber bullet provides far better [[external ballistics|external ballistic]] performance, improving range substantially.
[[
[[File:AS Val & VSS Vintorez - RaceofHeroes-part2-34 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Integral suppressor on [[VSS Vintorez]] sniper rifle and [[AS Val]] assault rifle]]
The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]/Russian [[Armor-piercing shot and shell#Small arms|armor-piercing]] [[9×39mm]] ammunition used in rifles such as the [[AS Val]] has a high subsonic [[ballistic coefficient]], high retained downrange energy, high [[sectional density]], and moderate recoil.<ref name="Tilstra2014"/>
Line 159 ⟶ 163:
Comparatively, ear protection commonly used while shooting provides 18 to 32 dB of sound reduction at the ear.<ref name="Hearing"/> For additional comparison, chainsaws, rock concerts, rocket engines, pneumatic drills, small firecrackers, and ambulance sirens are rated between 100 and 140 dB.<ref name="Murray"/>
While some consider the noise reduction of a suppressor significant enough to permit safe shooting without hearing protection ("hearing safe"), [[noise-induced hearing loss]] may occur at 85 time-weighted-average decibels or above if exposed for a prolonged period,<ref name="NIHL"/> and suppressed gunshots regularly meter above 130 dB. However, the U.S. [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration]] uses 140 dB as the safety cutoff for [[impulse noise (audio)|impulsive noise]], which has led most U.S. manufacturers to advertise sub-140dB silencers as hearing safe. Current OSHA standards would allow
The [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]] has stated that the most prominent disability in former servicemen is reduced and damaged hearing
Traditional measures of suppressor noise reduction have focused on the change in the peak sound pressure level between suppressed and unsuppressed conditions. Because of the MIL-STD 1474D, the ability to reduce the suppressed level to below 140 dB peak sound pressure level (dB pSPL) was the goal for firearm suppressor manufacturers.
Measurements relying upon sound level meters are often unable to capture the waveform details to accurately describe the impulse.
Line 193 ⟶ 197:
*Norway: not regulated and can be purchased by anyone for any firearm. No licence or permit is necessary.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2009-06-25-904 |title= Forskrift om skytevåpen, våpendeler og ammunisjon mv. (Våpenforskriften) - Lovdata}}</ref>
*Poland: In 2020, a new amendment to the ''Arms and Ammunition Act'' allowed police to issue permits for firearms with sound suppressors for hunting permits. Hunters are allowed to use them only for the sanitary shooting of animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/wydarzenia/art,1658,dwie-ustawy-z-podpisem-prezydenta.html |title=Dwie ustawy z podpisem Prezydenta |date=January 29, 2020}}</ref>
*Portugal: Silencers "Sound Moderators" are permitted for hunters and sport shooters since 22 September 2019. As they are only classified as accessories, prior authorization is not required for their acquisition, and they can be purchased by gun license holders upon presentation of the respective gun license. Moderators
*Russian Federation: firearm silencers use (legally defined as "devices for noiseless shooting") is prohibited, and dealers are prohibited from selling them, but there is no penalty for purchasing or possession of such devices.<ref name="Carter2002"/>
*Spain: firearms silencers are prohibited by the Decree regulating firearms (technically, the law just references the Decree). Airgun "moderators" are not explicitly mentioned, so they are tolerated. Ambiguous rulings by authorities are common.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BOE.es - Documento BOE-A-2020-9134|url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2020-9134|access-date=2021-03-01|website=www.boe.es| pages=63792–63842 }}</ref>
*Sweden: Since 1 July 2022, silencers are regulated the same way as ammunition. Anyone who has the right to possess a certain weapon for shooting may possess silencers that fit the weapon.<ref name="Suppressors Sweden">{{cite web |title=Ljuddämpare|url=https://polisen.se/tjanster-tillstand/vapen-regler-och-tillstand/ljuddampare|website=Swedish Police |access-date=1 September 2022|language=sv |trans-title=Suppressors (in Sweden)}}</ref>
*United Kingdom: Sound Moderators are regulated as controlled components and require an entry on the owner's [[firearm certificate]] (FAC)
===North America===
[[File:Legality of firearm suppressors by US jurisdiction.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|Legality of firearm suppressors by US jurisdiction{{legend|#008000|Legal}}
{{legend|#FFA500|Legal, but illegal to hunt with. It is now legal to hunt with
{{legend|#FF0000|Illegal}}]]
*In Canada, a device to muffle or stop the sound of a firearm is a "prohibited device" under the [[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]].<ref name="LOIS"/> A prohibited device is not inherently illegal in Canada but it does require an uncommon and very specific prohibited device license for its possession, use, and transport. Silencers cannot be imported into the country by civilians.<ref name="CBSA"/> ''See [[Gun politics in Canada]].''
Line 207 ⟶ 211:
=== Oceania ===
* In Australia, use, and ownership of silencers is generally limited to government, security, and law enforcement use only and
* In New Zealand, following firearm law changes in April 2019, suppressors could still be fitted to a standard firearm.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.police.govt.nz/advice/firearms-and-safety/changes-firearms-law-prohibited-firearms/firearms-changes-faqs |title=Firearms changes FAQs |website=New Zealand Police |date= 15 May 2019}}</ref>
Line 227 ⟶ 231:
* [[AAC Honey Badger]]
* [[ShAK-12]]
* [[QSW-06]]
{{div col end}}
Line 528 ⟶ 533:
|page= 10
|publisher=E. Garrett Bewkes IV {{subscription required|via=[[General OneFile]]}}
|quote=In the real world, 'silencers' are actually 'suppressors
}}
Line 540 ⟶ 545:
*{{howStuffWorks|question112|How does a gun silencer work?||people}}
{{Hunting topics}}
{{Firearms}}
{{Authority control}}
| |||