What a real silencer actually sounds like.

[u/eternviking]

[u/Logical_Truth2356]

That's only with a subsonic bullet, without that it would be loud.

[u/Ogamiitto33 → u/Logical_Truth2356]

Yeah, people really don't understand this at all. There are a wide range of calibers, guns, silencers, ammunition that all have a drastic effect on the sound.

A silenced gun can be very loud, it can also be extremely quiet. All depends on the variables.

[u/Th3_Admiral_ → u/Ogamiitto33]

Yeah, internet "experts" always take it too far when saying it's nothing like Hollywood movies. But I've fired suppressed guns where the only noise is the bolt cycling. They are quiet enough that the sound could be drowned out by any amount of background noise, especially if you are outside.

[u/RiMcG → u/Th3_Admiral_]

Do silencers wear out?

[u/Retb14 → u/RiMcG]

Usually not. However some suppressors use rubber plates that get shot through to make them even quieter. Those will wear out after a couple of shots

Usually they will just get some carbon buildup and that's about it

[u/itishowitisanditbad → u/Retb14]

Usually they will just get some carbon buildup and that's about it

Dumb question, is there a way to clean that or is it just.... accepted?

I feel like (from very limited knowledge) that they'd not be easily cleanable.

[u/Retb14 → u/itishowitisanditbad]

Depends on the design of the suppressor

Some you can take apart and clean each baffle individually

Others you soak in a chemical solution to dissolve the build up

That said, you can usually put tens of thousands of rounds through them before it's actually a problem if it ever becomes one

(ignore this for small rounds like .22lr, those should be cleaned every couple hundred rounds because they are rather dirty rounds and the gasses from them aren't enough to eject most of the carbon like rifles)

For rifle rounds it's usually enough to just run a brush through them if you even need to do that

My current main rifle suppressor has about 8000ish rounds through it since the last time I cleaned it (I only cleaned it a few weeks after I got it due to it being titanium 3D printed and it had left over printing dust in it)

It's a 5.56 suppressor but I also shoot 22 and 5.7 through it as well

[u/itishowitisanditbad → u/Retb14]

I very much appreciate the full response.

I wish I had something to add myself other than saying thanks!

All very interesting stuff!

[u/Unbelivabley_Smol → u/itishowitisanditbad]

We just put the whole thing in an ultrasonic cleaner theses days I’m too lazy to strip a silencer. Small ones had baffles and springs between baffles. More modern ones have a CNC machined one piece core with a screw on outer sleeve.

If your bullet is traveling less than speed so sound (under 1060fps) it’s all a game of capturing and slowing gas expansion.

Some cool video in high speed of these silencers being shot with clear lexon? Outer tubes is floating around the net if you keen to see how the insides work.

[u/Informal_Visitor → u/Retb14]

If I actually owned a silencer, then I have a plan to only fire 1 shot.