April 4th, 2023
5minute read
Some families just have exceptional genes.
The three Manning boys have done fairly well at football.
His brother Ed was also instrumental in the design of the iconic M1 Carbine.
As this from about 100 years ago shows sound suppressors for firearms use similar technology employed for quieting cars.
In a similar vein, the Maxim family had an outsized influence on the world of firearms.
Maxims basic mechanism drove the eponymous German MG08 Maxim gun as well as the British Vickers.
The sheer volume of blood spilled by Maxims remarkable invention during the First World War boggles the mind.
This Ordnance Department photo from December 1918 shows aM1903 Springfield rifleequipped with a Maxim silencer and telescopic sight. Image: NARA
Maxim moved from the U.S. to the U.K. at age 41 and became a naturalized British subject in 1899.
He was knighted in 1901.
Hiram Stevens son Percy was a pretty quick kid in his own right.
This is an undated photo of Hiram Percy Maxim, the inventor of the modern sound suppressor. Image: LoC
A pioneer in the field of radio, the younger Maxim was co-founder of the American Radio Relay League.
He also developed and marketed the worlds first successful sound suppressor for a firearm.
He used these same skill sets to design mufflers for internal combustion engines.
While the Maxim Silencer may have been the best Christmas present of the year, we don’t recommend shooting .22 rounds inside your home as this from 1910 suggests.
As I said, a pretty quick kid.
President Theodore Roosevelt was said to be an enthusiastic early adopter.
Maxim sold his devices through the pages of sporting goods magazines in the early 20thcentury.
This is an illustration of the first Maxim Silencer design from the inventor’s 1909 U.S. patent. H. P. Maxim would be issued several more patents for suppressor designs in subsequent years.
At least, thats the way the media described it.
In the 1930s, politicians still infrequently read the Constitution they were sworn to support and defend.
They appreciated that this holy document did not allow them to ban anything outright.
This early 20th century shows a baffle system used by the Maxim Silencer Company.
However, they did freely exercise their capacity to levy taxes.
The inclusion of sound suppressors underneath the NFA is itself a fascinating tale.
There has never been any significant crime committed with these devices.
Other benefits of a sound suppressor can include the reduction of felt recoil and muzzle rise. This from 1915 suggests recoil reduction of more than 75%.
About the most malevolence you could foment with one would be to hit somebody over the head with it.
However, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, Americans were legitimately hungry.
One of the primary driving forces behind regulating sound suppressors was to help control poaching.
As a result, these innocuous little tubes got lumped into the NFA alongside Browning Automatic Rifles.
There are currently around one million sound suppressors registered in the National Firearms Registry and Transfer Record.
Cinematic depictions notwithstanding, there is no crime worthy of the term committed with suppressed weapons in America.
However, that doesnt stop Uncle Sam from regulating the heck out of the things.
Alas, however, this is our lot.
The good folks shooting alongside you at the range will appreciate it.
Go to forum thread
Silencer Central
