I'm interested in learning more about suppressors/silencers. I really don't know anything about them.

Whats the difference between a wet-can and a dry-can?

What are some links to other infomation on suppressors?

What are most reputable manufactuers?

Can someone please explain the basics to suppressors, and maybe also add some commonly asked questions and answers?


Thanks in advance.

Go here: www.silencertests.com/

Quoted: Go here: www.silencertests.com/

ahh, looks like I can find lots of useful imformation there.

thanks

In all honesty, you need to just start reading the threads here and there.   Lots of good information, and also some bad.  Silencertests.com has a lot of good info, but I stay away from it since the guy that runs it go banned from here. Once you have an idea of what you want to buy, contact the manufacturer, or a reputable dealer to ask your final questions before purchase.  Dont make a $1000 investment and jump through the ATF hoops without filling your mind with all the inforation you can find first.  You will be happier with your final purchase that way.

I reccommend  

www.adcofirearms.com

and

http://globaltactical.com

There are other great dealers that know what they are selling, but I havent used any others.  Both the above dealers have good prices.  Are you looking for rifle, or pistol">?

Quoted: You don't stay away from it, you post there too, but the other info you said is correct. Really try to actually hear one before you post. You might have some unreasonable expectations. I suggest a 22lr suppressor for your first time.

i agree i bought a 22 can first and all i can say it is the most fun especially when you are letting kids or people that have never seen one before shoot it. they are quiet but dont get your hope up about them bieng as quiet as one in the movies.

a few more dealers i have used/reccomend

henrey at title2.com  SWR dealer
lee minor at lrmfirearms.com


i hope you enjoy your first one if you decide to go ahead with a purchase.

also to answer a few of your Q's

a wet can can be shot with water oil or grease "depending on mfg's specs" to controll the burning of oxygen in a it not only on the first round but a few others after it. i have used my 22lr can wet a few times and all i can say is that it is way quieter than normal , almost like a intergrated one!

some reptuable manufacturers are SWR, LRM firearms ,OPS INC, bowers,                  tactical innovations, aac, laurer custom weaponry, sound technology, knights armament, srt, surefire...there are a few more but this is off the top of my head...


basically a tube with baffles inside of it ..kinda like a car muffler you also have a expansion chamber in a some . it just takes the gas and all and muffles the sound to  below a hearing safe level..

hope this helps..

Silencertests.com has a lot of good info, but I stay away from it since the guy that runs it go banned from here.

I don't think that's really a good reason.  He promotes a product and sometimes rips on competition without what some feel are the best reasons, but the site is still a good resource.     There isn't a lot of action there, however, so I think the site is more exciting to the first time user who comes and reads the old posts, than for the current user who returns to find one or two new threads every couple days to a week.

Silencer tests creeps at a snail pace compared to Ar15.com and I think some of that may have to do with the security conscerns- the site doesn't allow a prospective new user to take a look at the board, but instead requires instant membership.  That kept me away for probably over a year.


Even going there and looking at the pictures of the internals could help you to some extent understand something of how a suppressor works if that was one of your goals.

As far as reputable, I would say

Gemtech, SWR, AAC are good companies to work with-  I think they all have good product support.  I've heard both negative and positive about Tac solutions, so it sounds like they are becomming more reputable or have become reputable- initially I heard a few horror stories about people's products taking forever to get fixed.

Why was rsilvers banned?  The whole everybody-but-AAC sucks thing?

I think AAC makes good products.

Quoted: Quoted: Why was rsilvers banned?  The whole everybody-but-AAC sucks thing? I think AAC makes good products. This has been rehashed many times, please lets not start it all over again.

So IM me a link and I'll keep my trap shut.

Quoted: I'm interested in learning more about suppressors/silencers. I really don't know anything about them. Whats the difference between a wet-can and a dry-can? What are some links to other infomation on suppressors? What are most reputable manufactuers? Can someone please explain the basics to suppressors, and maybe also add some commonly asked questions and answers? Thanks in advance.

I think you might do well to buy Alan Paulson's books.  Paladin press sells them.  They are a pretty good start.  There is so much garbage tossed out online by dealers, that a book would be a better place to start.  

I will take a shot at your questions:

A wet can is a can that has a certain amount of liquid placed within it to help the suppressor cool the hot gases faster.  It generally makes the suppressor quieter.  A dry can is one that is fired without any liquid being added.  Some cans are supposed to be shot wet and some are supposed to be shot dry.  It depends on the caliber and a lot of other factors.

The most reputable manufactures vary based on who your asking.  Some manufacturers excel at certain niche markets and some cover everything.  Most suppressor shop owners get along with other competitors and some hate each other with a passion.  

The basics premise behind a suppressor is to conceal gunshot noise or to cloak gunshots for a variety of reasons.  There is really no such thing as a "silencer" there is always SOME noise.  One idea behind some suppressors is to make bystanders not associate the shot as a gunshot.  Suppression is accomplished in many ways, but mostly with a metal tube filled with baffles that bounce gas around until it cools enough to escape without going BANG.  

Here is a LINK that you can learn a lot from.  

Quoted:  Dont make a $1000 investment and jump through the ATF hoops without filling your mind with all the inforation you can find first.  You will be happier with your final purchase that way.

That is exactly what I was thinking,

I plan on a suppressed 10/22, for a starter.

I read a thread over at silencertest.com that was basically bashing ARFCOM suppressor fourms, because they claimed it was open to spaming from a sponsored suppessor, dealer or manufacturer. It was late I didn't finish the thread.

I love ARFCOM, I'm not going anywhere. I will get information from mulitple sources as I always have.

Thanks for the information, if anyone has anything else to add please do.

I'm surprised you went over there and weren't able to learn what the difference between wet and dry cans was.  

Most suppressors can be shot wet, but generally when they are specifically sold as "wet" or "artificial environment" suppressors, the reason is because they are a combination of too small to produce suppression considered adequate for their end users, or also not advanced enough to produce it.  


I just recently heard that the AAC SCAR-SD's manual specifies warranted use of coolant for times when the user wants to eliminate or mitigate flash, so apparently that is another reason for coolant use.  

Most of the time you will find "wet cans" are built for pistols, or for added performance for most of the first magazine from pistol caliber submachine guns. The reason I would assume is that .22lr caliber suppressors are allready easy to manufacture at a small size that provide good suppression, and rifle suppressors are often too loud for the coolant to be worth the effort.  Also the rifle suppressors coolant should last less far less than pistol coolant simply because the greater heat and pressure generated in the centerfire rifle application will probably use the coolant very fast - like 5-10 rounds as opposed to sometimes 40 in a pistol caliber.

I would stay away from coolant with the .22lr unless the suppressor is very very small (IE high-pressure) because the coolant will probably exagerate the hell out of .22lr suppressor fouling.

I would personally recommend and own products from Gemtech, SWR, American Manufacture, & SRT.  They have all been great cans and have had no problems at all.

I have only had one bad experience with a major suppressor manufacture (no it was not AAC) but am not into publically bashing folks on the internet.

James
Austin, Texas

Quoted: I'm surprised you went over there and weren't able to learn what the difference between wet and dry cans was.   Most suppressors can be shot wet, but generally when they are specifically sold as "wet" or "artificial environment" suppressors, the reason is because they are a combination of too small to produce suppression considered adequate for their end users, or also not advanced enough to produce it.   I just recently heard that the AAC SCAR-SD's manual specifies warranted use of coolant for times when the user wants to eliminate or mitigate flash, so apparently that is another reason for coolant use.   Most of the time you will find "wet cans" are built for pistols, or for added performance for most of the first magazine from pistol caliber submachine guns. The reason I would assume is that .22lr caliber suppressors are allready easy to manufacture at a small size that provide good suppression, and rifle suppressors are often too loud for the coolant to be worth the effort.  Also the rifle suppressors coolant should last less far less than pistol coolant simply because the greater heat and pressure generated in the centerfire rifle application will probably use the coolant very fast - like 5-10 rounds as opposed to sometimes 40 in a pistol caliber. I would stay away from coolant with the .22lr unless the suppressor is very very small (IE high-pressure) because the coolant will probably exagerate the hell out of .22lr suppressor fouling.

I haven't had a chance to read much there, it was very late last night when I discovered silencertest.com and I have been very busy today.

Silencertest.com looks to be a great source for information, in addition to this forum, and the other sources mentioned.

What is suppressor fouling?

Let me throw in my 2-cents worth for a first suppressor. I would suggest a .22LR muzzle suppressor for a number of reasons.

1. It is physically small and lightweight
2. It has the Hollywood size and appearance and performance.
3. Because of the pressures, powder load, etc of the cartridge, it is by far the easiest to suppress.
4. Modern muzzle .22 suppressors are amazingly efficient and best approach the public impression of a "silencer."
5. In the case of a .22 rifle, you will be looking at Daisy BB gun sound levels, and on a .22 pistol, it will be similar to a CO2 pellet pistol.
6. They give the best performance/enjoyment for the dollar invested.
7. Target .22LR ammo is subsonic in most weapons.
8 They are relatively low cost.

Integral .22 suppressors (those built around the barrel) are generally the quietest, but a muzzle suppressor can be moved from weapon to weapon (all, of course, .22LR). It is for this reason I prefer a muzzle can.

There are a number of quality .22 muzzle suppressors available by a wide variety of manufacturers. Check with your local class-3 dealer

Philip H. Dater/GEMTECH

I agree that a .22 can is the best first purchase.  I have a couple of different calibers but I shoot the 22 the most.
Also, a screw on can works good since you can switch it between multiple guns
without difficulty.
My only ther suggestion is to look for a suppressor you can take apart.
I shoot almost exclusively subsonic ammo.
That has the very real tendency to foul/lead up a suppressor quickly, especially if you shoot semiauto or full auto.
I have a sealed .22 suppressor and I have tried everything under the sun to try to get it out, including a subsonic bath overnight, and the only thing that works is to smack it against a piece of wood to break it loose and then shake out the chunks.
Adding water or anything else increases the rate of fowling dramatically.
Before everyone freaks out my can is made of titanium so DO NOT TRY THIS WITH AN ALUMINUM CAN!
I do this at my own risk and take full responsibility.
I have shot other integrally suppressed .22's and they may be a little more quiet than a screw on can but I have found this difference to be marginal at the most.
Remember that any suppressor will cause a semi/full auto gun to get dirty fast because of the back pressure through the barrel/action.
I have found that remington subsonics will cycle very reliably in my 10/22, all others have routine cycle problems.
Hope this is helpful.

If you are concerned at all with fouling, I would reccomend not using water with a .22lr can.

I don't think the material and corrosion properties are important, but rather, the fact that your can doesn't come apart and coolant contributes to fouling, which in .22lr is pretty bad.