How well do silencers work

I was was debating on a silencer for my ar and was wondering if you shoot into a group of hogs do they scatter or hang around

well since nobody is going to grab this one i will. First its not a silencer, they are illegal. I believe what u are going for is a suppressor. if u shoot a hog with a sup. the others may not hear the shot but when it squeals they will most likely scatter. so depending on if u want meat or just to plow down some hogs it may or may not work.

A suppressor and a silencer are the samething. I have one for my AR and it isnt "hollywood quiet" they typically drop a 223 down to around the sound of a .22 or less. Some of the times the hogs cant tell where the shot came from and they will run straight at you giving you more shot oppurtunities. It does seem to make them not run as far after you shoot. I shot one out of a big group and they ran off but only 50 yards and then I stalked up and got two more out of the same group. I think it is worth it personally. Check out Advanced Armarment that is the brand I went with.

I am aware that they are the same thing but wording is the key. mainly because silencers are illegal

now where did you get that from? Nothing is illegal... with some wait and alot of money you can have anything you want

I stalk unsuppressed. Very close to 100% of my successful stalks result in hanging ONE pig. My game warden stalks with a suppressed 5.56 carbine length. Granted, he does some spray n' pray and doesn't worry much about harvesting the pigs, but he often kills ALL the adults out of a sounder. It will not let you pick 'em off one by one without disturbing the pigs, but the rifle report gives the pigs something to run away from. The bullet crack doesn't seem to do that to the same extent.

I think Hiram Maxim was the first to patent a dry, baffle style suppressor, intended for use with his machine gun. He called it a silencer. They are exactly the same and the terminology can be used interchangeably; neither is more correct (or more legal) than the other.

http://www.aaccanu.com/

Look at what one of the largest company calls their product.

That is incorrect, because, as you stated, they are the same thing. The reason they are not called "silencers", is because they do not silence the shot, they only suppress it...hence the name "suppressor". You can call it whatever you want. The legality of it isn't in it's name.
I bought mine from a cop who owns a gunshop and he calls them silencers all day long.

No need to get all technical. We know what he means. People call it a "can" too. Are "cans" illegal to own as well???

Not yet, but then again the liberals haven't targeted them yet either. lol

I was being sarcastic by the way, not literal.

ok let me restate my original, silencers arent illegal but are a pain in the [censored] to get and req. a signature from a chief officer, also in depth background check, fingerprint and a four month waiting period. I didnt know my post was going to be scrutinized so harshly. In conclusion if you havent been through all the proper channels and you are caought with one it is federal time you will be doing, otherwise legal MY BAD.

It quiets my 308 down to unsuppressed 22lr levels, but the sonic crack is still pretty loud. When I use this same can with subsonic 300 blk rounds its as quiet as my pellet gun! Does this mean when I shoot the animals don't notice? NO!!! The impact of the bullet striking it's target is actually fairly loud and disturbs most of the nearby animals. Also, it seems like pigs can't tell where the shot is coming from and sometimes run towards my location instead of away.

Suppressors are not really difficult to own, despite what others may say. If you can own a firearm, you can legally own a suppressor. Of course you can go the traditional law enforcement route and do the fingerprinting etc to acquire your suppressor. If you don't want to go that way you can also go the trust route, which is virtually painless. True it does take anywhere from 4-6 months and a $200 tax stamp before you can take possession of your new toy, but it's really not that bad. Just remember that a suppressor is a lifetime purchase, buy what you can afford (not necessarily the most expensive, but I would tend to stay away from some of the cheaper ones as well).

I went the trust route and paid $50 for the trust paperwork. The key is to not find a lawyer to do it, but find a gun dealer who has the computer program and let them do the trust. It saved me $450, a lawyer would have been $500. And contrary to popular belief, you can use it on any gun of the same caliber. I have 3 guns I use mine on and interchange it quite often.

so you cant legally resale a suppressor to an individual like a you can a gun? or buy a used one from an individual? has anybody used one on a 22-250? how much quiet is it?

Yes, you can buy a used one from an individual, but you must go through the exact same ATFE paperwork process and cannot take possession of it until you get the stamp back.

Isn't there a maintenance fee associated with the trust? In some ways it's better than getting the stamp (all of the trustees can use the gear whenever they want, the trust can be legally transferred without additional BATFE paperwork) and in some places (like Harris County and some other populous counties) that's the only way you will get your hands on one since all of the CLEO either ignore Form1/Form4 requests or have made it policy not to endorse them.

Building a suppressor actually isn't that difficult if you have good hands and are willing to research. The materials would be less than $100 in most cases for a simple 5.56 can.

If you build one yourself do you still have to file paperwork?

Curious about this, do you know any links?

Yes. This is why all the Bubba's running around with a Coke bottle taped to their muzzle are breaking the law. Unfortunately it is illegal to manufacture. Silly, in my opinion, but I don't write the law.

There are a number of walkthroughs at this forum: http://www.silencertalk.com/ Just use the search feature and look up "Freeze plug silencer" - should get plenty of relavent threads.

Just don't forget that you're in big, big, big, big, big trouble if you get caught with an unregistered NFA item. Big trouble.

EDIT: Check that, forget the search feature and just start poking around in the "Silencersmithing" sub-forum. There is a user "Sub Sonic" with a really quiet, really inexpensive design. The tricky part of building a can is finding a way to attach it to your rifle with the bore "true" to your bullet path.

2ND EDIT: Just go to this thread: http://www.silencertalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=81439&hilit=Freeze+Plug

I am unaware of any maintenance fees associated with the trust. None were ever mentioned and none have ever been asked for. I figure if it was something I had to renew, then it would be classified and treated more like a permit, as opposed to them giving me the stamp.

To the original poster's question, I meant to say that on an AR, I would definitely equate the noise to that of an unsuppressed .22 LR coming from a rifle.

I am more a fan of .22 LR suppressors than any. I keep one here in my office all the time for dispatching varmints just out of my patio door.

when i shoot into a group with a suppressed weapon, they all scatter... except one

I have a lawyer here in Fort Worth that will do a trust for $200 bucks. I sent in my form 1 and $200 dollar check Thursday. I plan to build a can for my .300blk. Any who, to answer the OP's question, a silencer on an AR-15 shooting supersonic ammo is still fairly loud. An AR-15 shooting subsonic ammo is stupid quite. Only draw back is it won't cycle. This is what the 300 blackout is for. It will cycle subsonic loads with a can and is amazingly quite. This is an AR-10 with subsonic .308 I hand loaded.

my 308 with subsonic is quieter than my 22 can with subsonic because i get a pop through the chamber. the way the animal reacts to the sound of bullet hitting or richoteching(spell) differs every time in my experience. thats with both coyote and hogs.

Actually owning a can is gonna get to be a more popular thing just like in europe and uk where you are pretty much required to have a can on a rifle to help control noise polution. They took maxims design and made the muffler for automobiles from the suppressor which was before cars came out. they are a great device and let you shoot without protection or bothering your neighbors. mine loved when i got a couple of cans for my big boomers.


we should also be getting to hunt big game starting this fall if all goes like my friend that is a tpwd commisioner says it is going too!! better get in line now!!LOL

I'll probably get bashed for this but seriously guys, look into the new air rifles. The 357 cal Benjamin Rogue sounds about like a 22lr & don't have to deal with all of the BS associated with a can. We're getting total pass through on big boars up to 100 yrds. Check it out if you get the chance......

i have been researching these big bore air rifles for a awhile. but from what ive been reading is you need an air compressor to "charge" them. i dont want to be carrying around an air compressor and have to use it on every shot. air compressors are loud and cumbersome especially in the still of the night.

One full charge on the rifle will give you 5 shots at full power. We charge either a scuba tank or an SCBA & it stays in the truck just in case you need a refill. No noise....nice & quiet.

skinnerback, when you say you are getting pass throughs on hogs, where are shooting them?

Testing different bullets......broadside double lung shots up to 100 yrds breaking ribs total pass through, hog runs 20 to 50 yrds & piles up. Head shots in the 50 to 75 yrd range getting exit wounds but with little to no bullet expansion or fragmentation but still puts them down. Only 800 to 900 ft per second, bullets are hard & makes a clean hole. Check out a couple of videos on L3 Outdoors, or search youtube. My friend and partner-in-crime has been doing all of the testing with the Rogue.

skinnerback, will you try a middle neck shot next time and let me know the outcome? i know a neck shot will drop them in their tracks with a .223, but curious on what this airgun load will do with a neck shot. i read somewhere that nosler makes a load for airguns?? sorry, i dont want to highjack the OP's thread.

Sure will Josh! Yes Nosler does make them too.

What's the difference between 308 and 300 blackout is the ammo interchangeable if not does the 308 cycle reliably shooting subsonic

Not interchangeable. The 300 blackout is similar to the 7.62 Russian in dimensions and ballistics whereas the .308 is essentially the .30-06 short. .308 is a cartridge with a fairly high recoil impulse, so it isn't likely to cycle normally with subsonic loads.

I've heard of people being harassed at a range by folks that thought silencers/suppressors were illegal....even calling the law.

I've never been harassed at the range. Most folks just have a huge smile and ask how they can obtain one and if they can shoot off a few rounds. If anyone were to ever call the law all I've gotta do is show them my LEGAL paperwork (ignorance is bliss I suppose).

For a while I researched big bore air guns and almost decided to go with 458cal instead of the 357, but I hear they are pretty loud when comparing them to subsonic 300blk. I've never witnessed one in person, so I guess that's not really a fair statement. Also, I know the price of the gun alone runs around $1200, scuba tanks and hook up equipment another couple hundred and fill ups vary on price IF you can find anyone locally to fill them up (which was ultimately my biggest problem) . All in all I figured pretty close to $2000 just to get all setup. Fortunately I was able to acquire a very nice suppressor for right around $900 including the stamp and I don't have to worry about filling or lugging around scuba tanks when I go hunting.

You can buy them from an individual, but from what I'm told it will take 2 transfers instead of one (I may be totally incorrect here so take this part for what you will). There has to be a transfer to a dealer from the original seller, which takes as much as 6 months, then the paperwork can be started to transfer the suppressor to the new buyer, taking as long as another 6 months. The wait time is what usually discourages people. Typically the cost of used suppressors aren't really going to be much different than new suppressors and not many owners will ever put them up for sale, so there is a VERY SMALL resale market. Using a can on a 22-250 will most likely not work too well. From what I've experienced the faster the round the louder the sound or the more difficult it is to suppress.

No maintenance fee associated with the trust in the state of Texas. I believe you are thinking of an LLC, which is like a company. There is a way an LLC can purchase a suppressor and technically the company owns the firearm. There are maintenance fees every year associated with an LLC

308 or 300blk bolt gun subsonic is quieter than any airgun i have ever been around. my long barreled 308 is hollywood quiet, just hear the firing pin drop and the bullet hitting. if you shop around you can find cans cheaper as well. seen a dealer selling aac cyclones for $600 and i paid $900 for mine, there are lots of deals and group buys on them.

im looking to hunting this fall without all the noise!!

That's exactly what I was thinking about, actually...

just for the record, it doesn't matter if it is shot from an airgun or a firearm, a bullet with the same velocity out of either will have the same energy and ballistics. now if said bullet is heavier and fired from an airgun, it will be more lethal(with identical shot placement) than a smaller bullet fired at same velocity from a firearm.

Um, that's not what we're talking about. There is a BIG difference in velocities between a 223 & the air rifle. Those velocities make a big difference especially when more kinetic energy & hydrostaic shock are needed for successful head & neck shots. Example: My bow & my rifle are both lethal, but I would never take a neck shot with my bow. Yes, you are correct about them both being equally lethal IF the velocities are the same, but the velocities are not the same......that's what we're talking about here

I think what he's trying to say is that a 220gr bullet fired at subsonic speeds (my preferred load in 300blk with a suppressor) from a rifle has the same energy as a 220gr bullet fired at the same speed from an airgun. Now of course if I were to switch to supersonic bullets in the 300blk pushing 2000 fps there would be no comparison.

Its pretty quite if you are using subsonic rounds. The 300 blackout video was shot in a parking lot. I don't reccomend that you do that.

These two videos show the difference between Supersonic 9mm and subsonic 9mm:

SUPERSONIC


SUBSONIC: