June 26th, 2022
5minute read
The entire universe is physics.
These same immutable dicta govern what happens on the noisy end when we discharge a firearm.
The Chinese blessed the world with gunpowder in the 9thcentury AD during the Tang Dynasty.
The Banish 46 from Silencer Central is designed to work with a wide range of chamberings, from 10mm up to .338 Lapua. Image: Silencer Central
The earliest documented chemical explosive, black powder is a mystical amalgam of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate.
The sulfur and charcoal serve as fuels.
The potassium nitrate supplies the oxygen.
It’s easy to get carried away with this stuff. Once you get accustomed to shooting quiet guns you’ll never want to go back.
The subsequent mischief this marvelous concoction wrought shaped the human experience.
The smallest examples would hide in a watch pocket.
The largest cannon throw Volkswagen-sized explosive projectiles into the next county.
Some guns like this 9mm MAC-10 submachine gun were designed from the outset to be used with a sound suppressor.
In every single case, however, there results some degree of noise and flash at the muzzle.
So how to address that?
That historical tale is fascinating in its own right.
The Mission
As I mentioned, it all goes back to physics.
No mechanical contrivance is truly silent, and the term firearm silencer is overly hopeful at best.
The more realistic terms are sound suppressor or sound moderator.
Sound suppressors for airguns like this monster .50-caliber Texan from Airforce Airguns are much simpler to own.
note: Read vs. silencer here.]
Sound suppressors simply diminish the cacophonous racket from your gun, not turn it off.
Regardless of the nature of the projectile, the expanding gases pushing it will be moving fast.
This cutaway of a Banish 30 suppressor from Silencer Central shows the intricate internal design of a modern suppressor. Image: Silencer Central
This yields a troublesome racket the effects of which span the spectrum from annoying to painful.
This spills energy and subsequently slows everything down.
Ideally, by the time the gas sees the light of day it is subsonic, lethargic and inoffensive.
The baffle stack on this Gemtech Lunar 9 suppressor is easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance.
This same forced and controlled expansion tends to cool muzzle gases as well.
An adiabatic process is a thermodynamic exchange wherein no heat is transferred to the surrounding environment.
The physicist would take umbrage at this unrealistic assumption.
There are significant legal restrictions placed on these hearing protection devices. Be sure to follow all state, local and federal laws regarding their possession.
The engineer would view it as a rounding error.
That only works in the movies.
It will also help preserve your capacity to communicate should you ever touch off your gun for real indoors.
In the grand scheme, the benefits far outweigh the liabilities.
Sound suppressors make recreational shooting more convenient and fun.
They also make tactical operations safer and more readily controlled.
Go to forum thread
Silencer Central
GemtechLunar 9
