I have heard of supressors that are specifically made for air rifle use.  Don't laugh, some of the modern PCP (re-charged pneumatics) that zing a .22 pellet out at 1200 fps can make quite a racket.  All of these are available, mostly in foreign countries.

In talking with a fellow air gunner, he stated that these are illegal in the US.  Is this true?

I thought silencers were only illegal on arms firing fixed ammo, ie, cartridges.

i think silencers in general, regardless of what type of gun its for is illegal without ATFs OK --its not worth it, dont do it

I believe air pistols do not fall under jurisdiction of the BATF, but I could be wrong.

However, State and local laws may regulate the use of anything they catogorize as destructive or harmful.

Paintball guns fall into the gray area of air guns and are not under control of the BATF. Getting back to the silencer question, I have seen and heard of silencers for paintball guns and they are legal.

Both paintball guns and air (BB) guns launch the projectile using air. The only difference is the caliber and speed of the projectile and the projectile composition.

BTW, I don't play with paintball guns, but I would if I was still a kid. Me myself am a veteran of the old one pump bb gun wars of yester year.

I can not comment on the legal side of the Air Gun Suppressor in the USA, but I can let you know that the suppressor for your Air Gun does exist.

They are EXTREMELY popular in the UK, they genereally refer to them as Moderators.  If you get a gun magazine from the UK ( I travel there often) 80% of it is AirGuns and Most come with the Moderator from the start.

Well just a side note
Dr64

alcohol, tobacco, and FIREarms,  no fire in an airgun, they would have to change their name to do that :P

yes but if permannetly attached then you woulnmdt have to worry about that now would you

My experience has been with paintball guns and is about 10 years old now, maybe things have changed since then. At that time, suppressors and silencers were regulated by the ATF as a type of destructive device. Regulation was based on design (if the device used a design classified as a suppressor, it was a suppressor), and on function (if the device reduced the report by some arbitrary amount, it was a suppressor). The paintball dealer I knew wouldn't carry silencers for .68 caliber airguns unless the ATF provided a letter saying they didn't consider the silencer a silencer. He sent several examples to the ATF with an explaination of the circumstances (paintball gun, really big caliber, etc.). In every case, the ATF decided the silencers were silencers, and therefore basically illegal. I remember one manufacturer was arrested for building paintball gun silencers, but he was also using the Maxim design, which may have been a factor.

I never saw a paintball suppressor that actually worked that wasn't classifed as a silencer by the ATF.

I found a good link at http://www.recguns.com/IIF1.html


    Note that the silencer definition applies only to devices
for firearms, i.e. powered by an "explosive".  An air gun
silencer is not covered.  But if it can be used on a firearm it
would be.  Thus an airgun silencer permanently attached to the
airgun, or too flimsy to be used on a firearm, should be exempt.
If you have an interest in pursuing  this line of thought submit
a sample or drawings to ATF Tech. Branch. I am not aware of any
airgun silencer currently made, or determined to be exempt from
this definition.   But clearly there is room under the definition
for such a gadget.   Likewise, since antique guns, as defined in
the GCA are not "firearms", a silencer for such a gun is not, or
should not be, covered. Perhaps one fitted permanently to a
pre-1899 gun?  The mind reels.    

one thing to note, if it is of design that MIGHT be able to supress a real gun it is ilegel. some supressors for paintball guns are illeagel, but thats BS

I am an engineer with considerable design experience.  My design (is that legal?, no prototype)would be for a pneumatic guns only, being constructed out of mostly Delrin (acetal), polyethylene and polypropylene.

All I have to show is a attempt to use it with a real firearm will destroy it or render it ineffective.

There is a difference in design between firearm and pneumatic suppressors/moderators.  No contact with the pellet is required where regular types have elastomeric wipers that deform to allow passage of the bullet.

Also, PCP and CO2 have endothermic expansion of the gas, the gas absorbs heat from the environment and spring-air can greatly heat the air although it cools substantially before the muzzle as the heat is from adiabatic compression of the air.  This heat energy is transfered to the pellet upon expansion and is greatest just as the pellet starts to move.
All firearms have incredibly high muzzle gas temperatures, far exceeding that of spring airs.

How does the ATF feel about "bloop tubes"?  These are used in several shooting sports to provide stability and longer sight radius.  On .22's, it pretty well covers the crack and IMHO "substantially" reduced the sound.

let me guess you need the supressor so the tin can cant hear it

My RWS mod 54 is very loud!
sounds like a .22.
cb caps are quieter,but thats firing a firearm.

Silencers on paintguns is also a big No-No.
The BATF established that if the paintgun silencer can be put onto a regular gun and if it lowers the sound by 1 decibel, it is considered a firearm silencer.
A certain company (BOA Barrels) was manufacturing paintball gun barrels with an intergrated silencer in them. The BATF got ahold of one and did their thing and almost drove the company out of business.
Any smart paintball retailer won't even touch the ones that are loose in the system out of fear.
You don't see them around much anymore.

If you apply the same logic that they used on paintball guns to your idea, it will be put to the same scutiny and will possibly also be considered a silencer. It doesn't matter if the device would be destroyed in the process or how accurate it would be, if it lowers the sound by 1 decibel, it is considered a silencer.