View Full Version : Extra suppression?

Pond, James Pond
January 18, 2013, 12:05 PM
Whe I bought my .22 suppressor I had a choice of some more expensive Swedish or Danish options, or a very reasonalby priced home-made option, sold by my shooting clubs owner.

It does a perfectly good job, but I'd be happy if it did it that bit more. So I'd like to know if this would make any difference or not.

My silencer is dismantleable. You need to unscrew the end that is threaded for the barrel.

Once removed, one can slide out about six cylindrical compartments.

Imagine a small cylinder, as wide as is the internal diameter of the suppressor body, hollow and having a .22 hole in the centre of the ends.

Now imagine that it is under an inch long, and totally open at one end with the .22 sized aperture only at the other.

These are stacked in the suppressor closed end to open end.

My idea is to loosely stuff the cavity formed by each of these clylinders with the scrunchy metal material that you can buy for scrubbing pots and pans. Needless to say the bullet path would be kept clear.

Would this stuffing muffle sound further or would escaping sound from the bolt/slide area make such a chnage futile?

January 18, 2013, 01:13 PM
I am guessing this should be in NFA, but I understand why you wouldn't realize that since NFA is a US law. You may get more/better info in that section.

I don't think that will help much. That metal is just going to take up volume in the suppressor and that will affect the ability of the gas to expand and reduce the effect. I don't think they will act as wipes. YOu could try adding a single wipe to the end. Has anyone tried that "self-healing" target material for wipes?
A wet suppressor will work better than a dry one. Of course, an obstructed suppressor will not work at all.

Pond, James Pond
January 18, 2013, 01:40 PM
I don't think that will help much.

That is a shame.

I had thought, in my highly scientific fashion, that it would work in the same way that if I stick a cardboard box on my head and scream, it is louder than if I do the same with a cardboard box full of cotton wool...

Clearly, there may be more to it.

January 18, 2013, 02:05 PM
Pond, I read up on it from a reliable scientific source, wikipedia, and there are some claims it will work.

Thinking about sound absorbtion, cotton acts much differently than steel. Steel wool takes you closer to cotton, but it seems to me like it would not absorb much sound at all. I was thinking paper from a shredder, but that has obvious problems.

Packing materials such as metal mesh, steel wool or metal washers may be used to fill the chambers and further dissipate and cool the gases. These are somewhat more effective than empty chambers, but less effective than wet designs.[2] Metal mesh, if properly used, may last for hundreds or thousands of shots of spaced semi-automatic fire, however steel wool usually degrades within ten shots with stainless wool lasting longer than regular steel wool. Like wipes, packing materials are rarely found in modern suppressors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor)

I would also worry about fibers getting in the path of the bullet and causing damage to the suppressor.

Brian Pfleuger
January 18, 2013, 02:22 PM
Let's take a ride to the NFA forum....

There we go! Landed so soft you never knew we were moving.:D

ohen cepel
January 18, 2013, 02:46 PM
I would try wire pulling gel or water before I put other material into the suppressor.

If I was going to put other stuff into it make sure it doesn't/can't move around. Maybe a thin layer of spray foam insulation. I would worry about some of the metal you're talking about moving around and possibly causing a bullet strike.

Sounds like you're in a place where it's easy to buy so I think I would do the gel and if that didn't work I would buy a better one :-)

A different host or ammo may also be quieter and worth thinking about.

January 18, 2013, 03:32 PM
I think adding any more material will not aid in suppression much at all. Using subsonic ammo and/or a bolt action rifle instead of a semi-auto would help much more.


January 18, 2013, 04:06 PM
Consider using subsonic .22s, it will make it about as quiet as a pellet gun.

If you are using a semi automatic, the action of the bolt and the bullets hitting the target will be the majority of what you are hearing.

If you want to go quieter, get a bolt action .22 with a threaded barrel and shoot subsonic long rifles out of it. You will hear the click of the firing pin being struck and the impact of bullet on target.

I know this because with subsonic .22s I can hear the hammer fall on my Henry .22 and the impact on the target. If this were any quieter it would be about as quiet as an air rifle.

Pond, James Pond
January 18, 2013, 04:21 PM
Thank you, Brian, for that smoothest of landings!!

For those who are interested, this is the stuff I was thinking of using:


Not the ballistic, tactical, super-duper space-age materials on the market, but it is stainless and tough, but still has decent air-spaces!


January 18, 2013, 04:55 PM
Have you considered using kevlar?

Its like fiberglass on steroids. It should be a noise insulator, handles heat well, relatively light. Its available in fabric, rope, and wick material.

I think a kevlar rope with an armid or fiberglass core would work rather well.

If you would like to be directed to where you can purchase this type of rope by the foot for $0.75-$4 a foot depending on the diameter from 1/4"-1" pm me.

Its sort of the space age material I would pick for trying something like this.

Willie Lowman
January 18, 2013, 07:52 PM
Pond, why don't you give it a try and tell us how it worked?

Are you allowed to make new baffles for your silencer? That would be your best bet.

Pond, James Pond
January 19, 2013, 04:03 AM


I suppose that would the surest way of getting results!! However, I don't see myself getting round to actually trying it out for a little while so you'll need to sit tight for results.

As for the baffles: I'm allowed to, but probably not able to!