I have 1 can, an AAC pilot I transferred on a form 4 maybe 15 years ago. Anyway, I'm itching for a 9mm can and probably a 5.56 can.  I do not have a machine shop, but have drill presses, and quite a few tools, and knowledge.  A simple kit is fine for me, a decent sounding suppressor, with minimal finishing work.  What's the legal process to get started? File an eform 1 first, then acquire a kit? I'm aware of quietbore, and mixed reviews. Any others to look at?  Please direct me to the proper FAQ, or forum for this basic get started knowledge.
Thanks,
MOW

Form1.org

What he said. ^^^^^

Thanks guys. I registered there, did some reading, and see almost nothing about using a kit. And if it's mentioned, they get the "not today mr. ATF man." Guess I gotta read a bunch more. Jeez

There are very few good kits.  It's almost always better to piece things together.

There is a vendor page with a list of venders thread. Try looking around there.

Form 1 people are a little snobby. They figure you can’t just be told the answer, but must learn what makes a good can. But form1.org is a good learning place and some of the kits are good, some are crap.

God forbid someone has to do their due diligence, right?

I'd explain the reasoning, but I'm sure you've heard about teaching a man to fish...

Telling some one there's a fish book at a library isn't really teaching them to fish.

The suppliers have to be obtuse owing to the dual-use nature of their products. Form 1 can suppliers are the equivalent of smoke shop “novelty products” under some states ambiguous “drug paraphernalia” laws.  The paranoia isn’t entirely unjustified.

Some Form 1 gurus think they hold secret sauce recipes.  Generally intelligent pointed questions get intelligent specific answers.  At the other end you can’t teach red tape processes, machining, material science, or product design in short sound bites to leading questions, or to satisfy a quixotic search for a magic kit that is cheap, light, strong, effective.  Anybody who says their answer is yours without delving into your use case and capabilities probably isn’t doing you any favors, but sometimes as with sex education, Hope is a method.

Form 1 silencer making isn't something new. There's a venerable treasure trove of silencer tech/making...on the internet. Silencer talk is ~15yrs old. A good amount of people, who design and make today's top performing cans, we're members there. Uzi and NFAtalk, too. Add in the heaps of archived builds, just on Arfcom, and there's no excuse for "not being able to fish".
   You don't even need to start a thread or post a single response on form1.org. What's going to be asked has already been answered. In under 8hrs of research,  a single "day's" work, you should not only be able to narrow down a design, but have enough time to understand the mechanics of filing, ordering, building, and finishing your plans. That's really not a lot to ask from someone who wishes you to hand over the keys to an already open vault of knowledge.
   Form1.org also has tacked repository threads. All full of the info needed. It's easily marked and most data is even in linked form.

But, I guess no one has the time to do all that work.

File a Form 1 with an outside estimate for length.  Since cans are over-bored you can always declare a 12” 22 cal can and send an amendment letter later updating physical description.  Don’t declare a model, that can put your application into a delayed Research status. You can engrave legally extraneous info like a fun model name if that appeals to you, but the minimum requirements are maker name, City, State, “caliber” and serial number.  SNs have to have at least one numeral and only letters and numbers.  So no need to declare a model even if you engrave one. You aren’t a manufacturer with a catalog of models.  No diagrams or schematics are needed or are desirable to confuse the form processors.  Don’t confuse the drudges. For most builders the biggest technical finishing task is engraving.  Laser engraving looks best, but there have been issues with laser engraving on thin titanium tubes inducing cracking. Tar Heel state Firearms can engrave your mount. Choosing a mount pedigree is important and your host and use cases dominate that decision.   I haven’t kept up with FAQs or kits as things evolve constantly.

With eForm 4s coming online you’d be hard pressed to beat a YHM or Rex or even some CGS ready-made, warrantied muzzle cans if the market producers and form-drudges can keep up. For integral, reflex, micro-rimfire, or cheap high volume sub-gun designs Form 1 might still have niche appeal.

Just finished 2 form1 applications

There are YouTube tutorials that I used to help me fill out the forms. They were very helpful

As far as building the suppressor. I do have a machine shop but for the actual design you need to do some reading.

I know the amount of information can be overwhelming

You have an advantage in that you will just need to drill some holes

The parts to make your own suppressor are just scrap metal.  They are not suppressor parts, or suppressors.  They are not regulated.
You do not need to get an approved stamp before buying a box of scrap metal.  If you really did require a stamp to order and possess those parts, then it would be a form4 and not a form1.

I believe the companies that do require an approved stamp before you can place an order have that policy in place as some sort of paranoid legal cover-their-ass thing.  But I think in court, that could backfire on them.  By requiring an approved stamp, they are admitting that the only purpose for any of their products is to be a suppressor part and the are making suppressor parts without a SOT and form4ing them.


They way I do my form1 cans, I order the parts and file the stamp at the same time.  It doesn't matter which one shows up first.
After the stamp is approved, I send my tube off to THSF to get it lasered.  Thats not a legal reason for waiting, its because if something comes back from the ATF and I have to alter my form, I dont want to have engraved the wrong information on my tube.
Once the tube comes back from engraving, I cut my spacers and drill&clip my baffles.

From personal experience, i would not suggest anything aluminum.  I have had multiple commercial aluminum form4 cans crap out.  Even an aluminum endcap blew out from just subsonic 9mm.  Have not had any aluminum or stainless steel issues.

I'm in the same boat.  Are there any hard technical references or should I just be patrolling the fora?

Depends on what you want to make, Let me say, I have never built a can all my knowledge comes from ready and asking questions. I am waiting for my first form 1 to be approved.


Whats is the suppressor for rifle or pistol caliber,  What cailiber

Subsconic or full power

what is the suppressor host (gun)