The Sound of Silence

October 17, 2009 4:02 PM

Long a mainstay prop of thrillers, the silencer (more correctly called a suppressor or moderator) presents a unique engineering challenge to the gunsmith: lower the audibility of a shot without adversely affecting performance or ballistics. Many variations have been attempted over the years, ranging from gas-seal revolvers used in NKVD assassinations (as well as more modern interpretations) to shotgun suppressors (memorably used in No Country For Old Men). Suppressors are legal in some countries that allow private firearm ownership, as well as a majority of US states, and range in size from the small to the impressive to the absolutely ridiculous.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul (40 comments total)

If anyone can find video of that tank suppressor gets thirty finding points. I really want to see how well that works, it's silly but really fascinating.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 4:10 PM on October 17, 2009

2 liter soda bottles.... Maybe Mythbusters should cover them next?
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 4:14 PM on October 17, 2009

SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!
posted by evilmidnightbomberwhatbombsatmidnight at 4:31 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

I appreciate the fetishtic zoom-in on the smoking hole of the suppressor at the end of the "impressive" link. I wasn't particularly impressed with the noise reduction, though.
posted by Decimask at 4:31 PM on October 17, 2009

I cannot help but imagine some irreverent youths sneaking onto the artillery range and spraypainting that tank suppressor to look like a comically huge cock and balls (or, rather, to look more like one than it already does).
posted by idiopath at 4:33 PM on October 17, 2009 [3 favorites]

That last link is awesome.
posted by Artw at 4:35 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

idiopath: "I cannot help but imagine some irreverent youths sneaking onto the artillery range and spraypainting that tank suppressor to look like a comically huge cock and balls (or, rather, to look more like one than it already does)."

yeah, when I saw it, I thought "There's no better sign that that is fake than the fact that it looks like a cock."
posted by ArgentCorvid at 4:38 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

I just use a potato. Which makes sense, because it's a potato gun.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:45 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

The MP5 SD (H & K Mp5 with integeral silencer) is pretty cool oloking, as is the 9mm Micro Tavor.
posted by Artw at 4:47 PM on October 17, 2009

It's a tiny stretch to say they're legal in the States. They're treated like full automatic weapons (like machine guns and sub-machine guns) and require an expensive license and detailed registration. (per unit)
posted by shnarg at 4:49 PM on October 17, 2009 [2 favorites]

'An armed society is a polite society'?

I'm surprised that these are legal in the states, but I guess it is consistent with allowing handgun ownership at all.

On edit, shnarg's comment makes sense.
posted by sebastienbailard at 4:51 PM on October 17, 2009

The simplest suppressor of them all is to have the muzzle in contact with the target.
posted by Tube at 4:53 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

The simplest suppressor of them all is to have the muzzle in contact with the target.

Well, sure, except that the gains made my stifling the retort are undermined by the screams of terror and the loud begging.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:57 PM on October 17, 2009

Crossbow!
posted by Artw at 4:57 PM on October 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

metafilter : undermined by the screams of terror and the loud begging
posted by mannequito at 5:06 PM on October 17, 2009 [9 favorites]

So the think in No Country was a silenced shotgun? I thought it was some kind of pneumatic device to kill cattle or something. I had no idea what it was other than scary.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:54 PM on October 17, 2009

cjorgensen, there were both. remember the scene where he chased the protagonist (name is failing me right now) from the hotel and around town? he was shooting out windows of trucks he was hiding behind. at that point it was a silenced shotgun being used.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:01 PM on October 17, 2009

Also a Tec 9 or something similar.
posted by Artw at 6:05 PM on October 17, 2009

Fetishistic is one word for it. All I could think of, on watching the video, is that for someone, somewhere (maybe more than one person) watching someone fire a large gun, explaining in meticulous detail about the gun, the parts, and the ammunition could only satisfactorily end with a long, unedited scene of smoke drifting out of the barrel. The moneyshot, if you will.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:22 PM on October 17, 2009

So the think in No Country was a silenced shotgun?

This was confusing because they sounded similar. I thought it was the same weapon until I saw the movie for a second time.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:34 PM on October 17, 2009

If you watch the whole .50 Cal video, you'll notice that the speed of the bullet makes a huge difference. In the first ones that are very very quiet, he's actually using a subsonic round. If you listen to the later bullet with a normal load, it's quite a bit louder.
posted by !Jim at 6:35 PM on October 17, 2009

Bah, you and your silencers, I prefer the loudener!
posted by Vindaloo at 7:13 PM on October 17, 2009

If the last link is real and that thing is used to suppress noise only as a courtesy to neighbors, how come it's camouflaged?
posted by Camofrog at 7:32 PM on October 17, 2009

how come it's camouflaged?

It'd hardly be military equipment if it wasn't camouflaged, now would it? Could be any random person's giant suppressor, and the neighbors would get confused - "Hang on, is that my howitzer suppressor? Did you borrow it again without asking, German army?"
posted by sysinfo at 7:58 PM on October 17, 2009 [4 favorites]

Suppressors are legal in some countries that allow private firearm ownership, as well as a majority of US states,

It should be clarified (not least so people don't commit a felony with a firearm and a soda bottle) that silencers in the U.S. must be registered with the BATF and are closely regulated and heavily taxed.
posted by Jahaza at 8:13 PM on October 17, 2009

Yo, what's really good?
posted by box at 8:15 PM on October 17, 2009

An armed society is a polite society, and what's more polite than not disturbing the neighbors when you're drilling someone through the back of the skull? That's where the silencer comes in. It's not just covering your mouth when you cough, it's having a hanky to do it into — damn, you just one-upped me on the politeness!
posted by adipocere at 8:26 PM on October 17, 2009

Gentlemen, you are about to witness for approx 61 cents of ordinary household materials, the perfect home-made silencer.
posted by griphus at 8:33 PM on October 17, 2009 [4 favorites]

as well as a majority of US states

Yeah, here in Washington you can legally own one (if you go through the paperwork hurdles) but it's illegal to use it.
posted by Tenuki at 9:19 PM on October 17, 2009

Camofrog: If the last link is real and that thing is used to suppress noise only as a courtesy to neighbors, how come it's camouflaged?

Secret invasion of Poland. Duh.
posted by paisley henosis at 9:49 PM on October 17, 2009

Its camo so you can't see it coming.
posted by freebird at 11:15 PM on October 17, 2009

Yeah, here in Washington you can legally own one (if you go through the paperwork hurdles) but it's illegal to use it.

What, illegal to use it on the range, or just illegal to use at your local Obamacare Town Hall meeting?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:55 AM on October 18, 2009

'An armed society is a polite society'?

I prefer:

"An armed society is a feared society, especially by itself." - me
posted by secret about box at 3:23 AM on October 18, 2009

That last link is awesome.

Well it is the first time I've seen gun pr0n with actual balls before....
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:22 AM on October 18, 2009

I remember on a documentary about the SOE (Special Operations Executive) where they had some amazing silenced weapons like the Welrod where you could basically walk past to someone in a crowded public place and shoot them without anyone nearby hearing.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:30 AM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Welrod! Now, that's an unteaseable name.
posted by box at 7:50 AM on October 18, 2009

Count me as impressed with the "impressive" link. I wonder if maybe when the designers are not too busy they could take a pass at quieting jake brakes.
posted by vapidave at 8:36 AM on October 18, 2009

I've fired an H&K MP5SD and technically, they are really quite clever; normally you need to use subsonic rounds to really get the best results out of a suppressor, otherwise the supersonic crack of the bullet traveling through the air reveals that gunfire is happening, even if it does help to reduce awareness as to where it is coming from. The SD is ported so that you can use normal, easily found ammunition, and prior to it leaving the gun, enough velocity is bled off to make it subsonic and thus very, very quiet.

The problem is that the 9mm cartridge derives its value from the fact that it is a light weight, high speed round, and slowing it down greatly reduces its overall effectiveness. As such, when the owner of the SD offered it to me to shoot and referred to it as "The world's most expensive .380" I smiled, because I'm a gun nerd and I knew exactly what that meant.

I've been toying with the idea of jumping through the hoops to legally get a suppressor for a couple of years now. I really like the idea of being able to go to the range by myself and wear minimal ear protection. It would be neat.
posted by quin at 2:48 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Farm boys, raise your hand if you made or tried to make one of these for your .22 as a youth - everyone? good.
posted by thedaniel at 1:26 AM on October 19, 2009 [1 favorite]

Here in Norway, suppressors for firearms are freely available. I guess the reasons are excactly the same that justify silencers on cars. I can't really recall any crimes being linked with supressor use anyway. Mostly the tight controls on suppressors in the US is because they get a bad rap from Hollywood, I guess. Here's the selection from a local manufacturer.
posted by Harald74 at 2:16 AM on October 20, 2009 [1 favorite]