Hiram Percy Maxim, an American inventor and the son of Maxim gun inventor, Hiram Stevens Maxim, is credited with inventing the first silencer in 1902. He received the patent in March, of 1909. I bring this up because on the patent, it says silencer. People will argue that it’s not a silencer, but it is. A good silencer will silence about 40 decibels of sound. A silencer is referred to as a can, suppressor, muffler or sound modulator. I will call it what it is, a silencer.
My first experience with a silencer was from a YouTube video by Twang n Bang. After a ton of research, I was on my way to purchase my first silencer. Over the ridiculously long 6 month wait, (that’s kind of a joke; as of this writing, the wait times are about 265 days) I was watching every video and reading everything I could about silencers. When I went to pick it up, I just sat in the car for about 30 minutes looking at it and messing with it. I felt like I was a part of some type of secret club because now I have a silencer. At the time, even with my years of experience and trips to many different gun ranges, I had never seen one. I immediately went home put it on my bolt action 22 and pulled the trigger. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. I laughed with the biggest smile on my face because the YouTube videos just did not do it justice. I could literally hear the bullet hit the ground. Chambering a new round was just as loud as the shot. This was on a .22LR bolt action using CCI Standard Velocity, which remained subsonic, so there was no crack of the bullet.
Purchasing A Silencer
Firearms are one of, if not the, most regulated commodity. Silencers are not that much different to buying a firearm. The main difference with buying a silencer is that it has to be registered to a person/trust. I used Silencer Shop. They made it very easy and did all the paper work. I was able to buy the silencer, trust and tax stamp all on line. Then the wait begins. For what ever reason, when you buy a firearm, they do an instant background check called NICS. It’s a phone call that takes maybe 3 minutes. You pass, pay, then walk out the door. Well, that makes sense. But, when you buy a silencer, it takes from 6 months to a year before you even get to physically have your product. The serial number of the silencer goes into a nationwide database along with your personal information. So, you can buy a firearm (a deadly weapon) in about 10 minutes (as it should be), but you can’t buy a silencer (not very easily or quickly) for said weapon because somehow protecting your hearing requires every government agency to know about it? Ridiculous. A silencer in no way changes any physical part of a firearm to make it more deadly to warrant such scrutiny. If anything, it seems backwards. Not that I agree in any way, but I could at least understand more regulations on a weapon than on a simple attachment. Imagine buying a knife but having to register the sheath. But, that’s part of the price you have to pay to own a silencer.
Silencer Ownership
Let’s first look at the negatives of silencers; that way we can at least end on a happy note. These are not in any specific order, but the biggest negative to owning a silencer is the fact that it has to be registered. This means every law enforcement agency knows that you own this item. The problem with that is there is a list, and your name is on it. It is only a matter time; not if but when, law enforcement agencies and military are sent door to door to collect such items. Guess who will be the first! I am 100% completely against any kind of firearm regulation, other than maybe commercial airplanes. I fully support our Second Amendment of the United States Constitution! This, in part, is why I write these blogs and have a website dedicated to teach long range shooting. It’s also why I teach the equations and how to be able to know your dope without special equipment like a ballistic calculator.
The next biggest negative, in my opinion, is the tax stamp. You have to pay $200 for every NFA (National Firearms Act) item. NFA items are silencers, machine guns, short barreled rifles and shotguns, explosives, or “any other weapon”(AOW). I’ll leave it at that, and won’t get into being over taxed and taxation without representation.
Aside from the two issues above, the first real problem with using a silencer is being the only person using one. I have to be honest; I’m a bit of a loner, and I like to be alone and quiet. I have been so spoiled with a silencer that when people don’t use one, I have some words for them in my head. When I go to the range and I’m the only one using a silencer, it defeats most of the purpose. I don’t like using the big bulky ear-pros because they rub on the stock of the rifle. So, I end up using the little orange ones you stuff in your ears, and I don’t feel like they’re as protective as the full size ear-pros.
The other problems are fairly minor because we can adjust for them with the scope, and that is impact shift. Hanging weight on the front of your rifle is going to change the barrel’s harmonics. The silencers will change the gas flow, and will have an effect on the bullet as well. Both of these will cause an impact shift from the rifle’s original zero without a silencer. No big deal. Just zero your rifle with the silencer on. Take a 5 shot group with it off and keep track of the impact shift. This will be your offset so you know what to adjust if you need to shoot with it off. The only time I shoot without my silencer is if I’m developing a new load and I’m worried about the bullet not being stable. You definitely don’t want a bullet tumbling inside your silencer and damaging it after everything you went through just to get it. That brings up another point, most companies will warranty damage to your silencer. But, make sure you take care of it, and don’t go cheap. A silencer should be looked at as an investment. Buy from a reputable dealer and a solid manufacturer. You definitely don’t want to buy a silencer, then have the company to go under in a few years and lose your warranty.
Benefits Of Owning A Silencer
Oh, the sweet joy of owning a silencer. Obviously, the best part is that you can shoot your firearms without damaging your hearing. I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to put on hearing protection. I have definitely had some hearing damage over the years from shooting guns. I have a video up on my YouTube channel where this exact thing happened. All of my rifles have threaded barrels, and I shoot them all suppressed. All except one. My .338 Lapua Magnum. I may have forgotten that I don’t own a silencer for .338, and when I changed rifles, I pulled the trigger on that bad boy with no hearing protection. This rifle is equipped with a very large muzzle break as well, making the sound louder to the shooter. (me). A .308 Winchester fired from a 24’’ barrel is about 156.2 db. The average rifle shot shooting .308 Winchester with a silencer is about 130 db. Of corse, this all depends on barrel length and the quality of the silencer.
Noise pollution is significantly reduced for the surrounding area and wildlife. Most shooters are going to be the outdoors type and enjoy being in nature. Shooting with a silencer will reduce the noise so much so that the birds and other not-so-skittish animals will not run off. Most silencers are hearing safe, so you are able to shoot without ear pros on. This means you can talk, and even whisper, to your buddies without having to risk blowing out hearing. You can’t whisper on a hunt with big bulky earmuffs on; you'll be constantly moving trying to take them on and off just to hear. (Yeah, I know they make electronic hearing protection, but they rub on the stock too.)
Silencers just look awesome, and If you have one on your rifle, then you're kind of a badass. I personally don’t care how I look to other people or what they think, but I do love that people gawk over my rifle. I spend good hard-earned money on my rifles, and I want to show for it. Not only in accuracy and performance, but I want them to look good too. I also love having a silencer because I like to let people shoot with them. I know a lot of people can’t afford them or just don’t shoot enough to justify the cost, so they never have the chance of shooting with one. When someone comes over to ask “what kind of rifle is that, and is that a silencer?”, I tell them “yes, have you ever shot one?” If their answer is no, I almost always offer them to shoot a few rounds. I definitely enjoy others’ happiness, and even more so if it’s because I can offer them something.
Silencers also have the benefit of helping you be a better shooter. They reduce the noise, but they also reduce recoil. How awesome is it that if you have a new shooter, you can teach them how to shoot without them being nervous because of the sound. And, you can give them instructions with out having to yell over the gun. They will also be less likely to flench because of the noise and recoil reduction. That’s a huge win for instructors. Not to mention that the instructors themselves can hear if there’s a safety issue, such as a squib load or malfunction.
A silencer may have the potential to increase a rifle’s accuracy by dampening the barrel harmonics, but It could also have the opposite effect. From my experience, I don’t see the silencer itself making my rifles more accurate. I have tested this by shooting a few groups with the silencer on, then off with no change in groups size. I think you may see more accuracy due to the benefits of noise and recoil reduction. It’s also a plus that you can buy a silencer for .30 cal and use it on smaller calibers such as 6.5, .243, .223, etc. Same goes for pistol silencers. If you buy a silencer in 45 cal you can shoot 45, 40, 9mm, 380, etc. This saves you money in the long run, because you will have one silencer for all your calibers.
All in all, I think buying a silencer is definitely worth it. I see no reason to shoot a rifle recreationally without a silencer. It’s definitely more fun and the cool factor is out of this world.
THE OVERWATCH
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