Suppressor same with silencer?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Suppressor same with silencer?

Posted: 11/30/2006 5:06:21 PM EDT

Sorry for such a noob question.. Im still learning but is a suppressor the same thing as a silencer? I grew up calling it silencer but why do people call it suppressor? I thought they were the same until my friend last week brought his gun out and when he fired it with a suppressor, It wasnt quiet..... Am I missing something?

Posted: 11/30/2006 5:39:00 PM EDT

[#1]

Flash suppressor, recoil suppressor, sound suppressor all different things.

Silencer and sound suppressor term can be used.

Nutjobs who worry about precise definition terminology will cry about the word silencer.

What you heard depends upon the gun and ammo. A silencer can not quiet the sonic boom from a bullet going faster than 1100 fps.

Posted: 11/30/2006 6:39:30 PM EDT

[#2]

There is no such thing as a "silencer" in the literal sense of the word. It is a legal term that is used to signify "sound suppressor." Nothing can silence completely the report of a gun. Suppressors work to slow and cool the exploding gases exiting the barrel, and they are very effective provided the bullet is sub-sonic. In this case, the gun typically sounds like a nail gun or loud air rifle. If the bullet is supersonic, the explosive gases will still be suppressed, but the bullet will create a sonic crack as it travels through the air, producing a sound not unlike a .22 lr or .22 short.

Posted: 11/30/2006 10:00:02 PM EDT

[#3]

I like to think of "silencer" as the word used by people who don't know what they're talking about, "suppressor" as that used by people who *think* they know what they're talking about, and "silencer" as the word used by people who really know what they're talking about.

Federal law says nothing about suppressors, they're consistently referred to as "silencers" or "mufflers." I use the term silencer because I enjoy having the gun store commandos correct me and tell me they're actually "suppressors."

Posted: 11/30/2006 10:13:28 PM EDT

[#4]

Webster dictionary says it is silencer, end of story no question about definition.

silencer
One entry found for silencer.

Main Entry: si·lenc·er
Pronunciation: 'sI-l&n(t)-s&r
Function: noun
: one that silences : as a chiefly British : the muffler of an internal combustion engine b : a silencing device for small arms

Posted: 12/1/2006 4:35:39 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
I like to think of "silencer" as the word used by people who don't know what they're talking about, "suppressor" as that used by people who *think* they know what they're talking about, and "silencer" as the word used by people who really know what they're talking about.

Federal law says nothing about suppressors, they're consistently referred to as "silencers" or "mufflers." I use the term silencer because I enjoy having the gun store commandos correct me and tell me they're actually "suppressors."

uh...

Posted: 12/1/2006 6:20:51 AM EDT

[#6]

FWIW, Wikipedia has both:
Silencer (refers to suppressor)
Suppressor

Posted: 12/1/2006 6:51:00 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I like to think of "silencer" as the word used by people who don't know what they're talking about, "suppressor" as that used by people who *think* they know what they're talking about, and "silencer" as the word used by people who really know what they're talking about.

Federal law says nothing about suppressors, they're consistently referred to as "silencers" or "mufflers." I use the term silencer because I enjoy having the gun store commandos correct me and tell me they're actually "suppressors."

uh...

Made sense to me.

Posted: 12/1/2006 6:57:26 AM EDT

[#8]

Some also call suppressor/silencer/muffler/sound suppressor....a can.

Posted: 12/1/2006 6:59:25 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I like to think of "silencer" as the word used by people who don't know what they're talking about, "suppressor" as that used by people who *think* they know what they're talking about, and "silencer" as the word used by people who really know what they're talking about.

uh...

Made sense to me.

Describes me perfectly.

Posted: 12/2/2006 10:13:29 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Some also call suppressor/silencer/muffler/sound suppressor....a can.

I like to call them sound moderators. really throws some folks off. I also go back and forth between silencers and suppresors ,sometimes in the same sentance.