How does a gun silencer work?

[Judgement]

I was just wondering and I really don't have much of a clue how it works. I guess it absorbs vibrations or sounds waves or something. Maybe if I had experience using or at least holding one before I'd have a better idea but I've never seen one in real life.

Someone feel free to enlighten me.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Feel free to enlighten yourself

 

[KingNothing]

This thread is now over. Nothing more to see here. Move along.

 

[Judgement]

Ok, I get it... simple enough.

Thats not what I would have guessed. Why does the sound seem like its a higher pitch as opposed to just being softer... or is that just how its done in movies and on tv but not in real life?

 

[LOLyourFace]

the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

 

[Koing]

Good read.

Koing

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Yow, simple explanation.

Yeah basically baffles the gasses. You get a reduction in velocity, but not quite like CS

There is sub-sonic ammo which helps make things a bit quieter.

 

[LOLyourFace]

you're telling me a silenced bullter is weak as the 60 to 30000 ratio?

500 times weaker? i don't think so..

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

Why would that slow the bullet down any more than when the bullet leaves the gun normally, though? I can't imagine the friction sustained during the split second the bullet is in the silencer would have that big of an effect.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
you're telling me a silenced bullter is weak as the 60 to 30000 ratio?

500 times weaker? i don't think so..

English? Do you speak it?

And no, the vast majority of the force on the bullet has already happened by the time it reaches the suppressor. So it's not that big of a drop.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

Why would that slow the bullet down any more than when the bullet leaves the gun normally, though? I can't imagine the friction sustained during the split second the bullet is in the silencer would have that big of an effect.

It wouldn't. The bullet is hardly any more weak than without the silencer. Might the question be accuracy instead?

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

For reference, here's a video of regular supersonic ammo and subsonic ammo through an OGC Raptor.

Link

 

[Caanon]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

Not exactly.....the bullet can have the same exact same as normal pressure behind it as it travels down the barrel...then it passes thru the silencer and the gases pushing it expand into the silencer's greater volume, and slow down...so that when the gases come out the end of the silencer there is much less pressure and speed. (of the gases, not the always the bullet)

The reason silenced guns ussually have less power is that to be silent(or in reality just alot quieter) is that they need to use sub sonic ammo, otherwise you have the crack(mini sonic boom) from the bullet.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

Why would that slow the bullet down any more than when the bullet leaves the gun normally, though? I can't imagine the friction sustained during the split second the bullet is in the silencer would have that big of an effect.

It wouldn't. The bullet is hardly any more weak than without the silencer. Might the question be accuracy instead?

If anything you'd think the bullet would be more accurate since it would be in the barrel longer. Longer barrel = more accurate shot. Although, now that I think about it, the inside of the silencer probably isn't, for lack of a better word, corkscrewed like the inside of the barrel is. So I can see how that would reduce accuracy.

 

[Monel Funkawitz]

<--- Voice of experience

A gun silencer muffles the blast of gases comming out of the barrel by directing them into a larger chamber that is divided. Silencers reduce the muzzle blast, but to not reduce the supersonic crack of the bullet.

The use of subsonic ammo and a silencer makes for a super quiet gun. On a semi auto, the action of the gun cycling is louder than the report of the bullet if you use a good silencer and good subsonic ammo.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
For reference, here's a video of regular supersonic ammo and subsonic ammo through an OGC Raptor.

Link

Crazy.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Monel Funkawitz
<--- Voice of experience

A gun silencer muffles the blast of gases comming out of the barrel by directing them into a larger chamber that is divided. Silencers reduce the muzzle blast, but to not reduce the supersonic crack of the bullet.

The use of subsonic ammo and a silencer makes for a super quiet gun. On a semi auto, the action of the gun cycling is louder than the report of the bullet if you use a good silencer and good subsonic ammo.

All hail the voice of experience! Monel's armory is something we can all aspire to.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

The "corkscrew" you are talking about is technically called rifling.

Suppressors don't normally extend the length of the barrel, they are of larger diameter, the bullet just passes through it, doesn't touch it.

On some like a suppressed 10/22 Ruger, it's an integrated part of the barrel.

 

[hellfreeze]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
For reference, here's a video of regular supersonic ammo and subsonic ammo through an OGC Raptor.

Link

/me cries

/me doesn't like subsonic

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Monel Funkawitz
<--- Voice of experience

A gun silencer muffles the blast of gases comming out of the barrel by directing them into a larger chamber that is divided. Silencers reduce the muzzle blast, but to not reduce the supersonic crack of the bullet.

The use of subsonic ammo and a silencer makes for a super quiet gun. On a semi auto, the action of the gun cycling is louder than the report of the bullet if you use a good silencer and good subsonic ammo.

All hail the voice of experience! Monel's armory is something we can all aspire to.

Ditto. The gun expert!

I'm no gun expert.

But the bullet is travelling slightly slower right?

Koing

 

[BatmanNate]

I would not think the power is decreased by much as the bullet still has the same amount of pressure behind it when it leaves the length of the normal barrel as without the silencer, so it would leave at the same velocity, however the gas that escapes behind it has room to expand in the silencer. So in effect the bullet is propelled to proper velocity before the gas has a chance to escape into the silencer and fall in pressure before leaving the barrel.

 

[Monel Funkawitz]

Silencers don't reduce the power or feet per second of the bullet as if shot without the silencer, but it does impart some strange characteristics on the bullet in flight sometimes. Your point of impact will change when you put a can on your barrel and you will have to resight your gun. Still has the same impact power with or without the silencer if you shoot the same ammo.

Silencers are really only effective with subsonic ammo though. Subsonic = reduced powder charge = reduced power = reduced noise.

On average, a good silencer will drop the blast about 30 decibels or so, and they sound NOTHING like they do in the movies.

 

[stonecold3169]

Originally posted by: Monel Funkawitz
Silencers don't reduce the power or feet per second of the bullet as if shot without the silencer, but it does impart some strange characteristics on the bullet in flight sometimes. Your point of impact will change when you put a can on your barrel and you will have to resight your gun. Still has the same impact power with or without the silencer if you shoot the same ammo.

Silencers are really only effective with subsonic ammo though. Subsonic = reduced powder charge = reduced power = reduced noise.

On average, a good silencer will drop the blast about 30 decibels or so, and they sound NOTHING like they do in the movies.

30 decibels less would be about 1/8 the volume of the original then? That would still have a decent pop to it on most firearms, although honestly my sidearm experiance is lacking compared to my rifle experiance. Not as quiet as in the movies, but a good deal lower... big advantage being maybe that being quieter it might be harder to ponpoint exactly where it came from? certainly not going to keep a crowd from noticing.

I could have sworn I had seen silencers for rifles before... on an already quiet weapon, like a 22, I bet this could be useful... although, if you are silencing a rifle, you are likely trying to be a sniper... and having the barrel of the silence bigger then the round would majorly kill accuracy, right? So is it more of a novalty sorta thing?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
the real question is does a silencer weaken the gun's power?

like counterstrike..

It is travelling slower. The force of *gas puls* from the gun powder is at 3000lbs psi normally (taken from the howstuffworks website article) and when it is silenced it is 60lbs psi. It will be weaker but it makes up for that by being quieter.

Koing

Why would that slow the bullet down any more than when the bullet leaves the gun normally, though? I can't imagine the friction sustained during the split second the bullet is in the silencer would have that big of an effect.

It wouldn't. The bullet is hardly any more weak than without the silencer. Might the question be accuracy instead?

If anything you'd think the bullet would be more accurate since it would be in the barrel longer. Longer barrel = more accurate shot. Although, now that I think about it, the inside of the silencer probably isn't, for lack of a better word, corkscrewed like the inside of the barrel is. So I can see how that would reduce accuracy.

Longer barrel = more vibration. Also, longer barrel increases the jumpiness of the tip.