silencers

[Mateo]

i am aware that they are illegal in california but what the hell spudguns arnt that far away from being illegal either. but i was wondering a good way to make a silencer

[gwoloshyn]

Just use more PVC and maybe some insulation of some sort. If you ask me, I wouldn't want to use a silencer because the noise is half the fun! ..Unless you have close neighbors that don't want to hear it.

[Bman8]

one easy was is to use steel wool and put in a pvc tube. then drill holes in a a smaller pipe that will fit over your barrel. you can use a soda bottle with a gun or air rifle.

[windshrike]

My advice: Don't do it.
Here in America, a silencer is considered a firearm on its own, so making this will have California(which has some of the toughest firearms regs) on your ass for possession of an illegal firearm, possession of a silencer w/o a permit, and illegal construction of a firearm. A spudgun you can get away with; a silenced spudgun ou cannot.

EDIT: Try an extension of your barrel with slits perpendicular to the projectile cut into it, and a larger piece of pipe around it, the intervening space stuffed with a material such as cotton.

[Novacastrian]

one easy was is to use steel wool and put in a pvc tube. then drill holes in a a smaller pipe that will fit over your barrel. you can use a soda bottle with a gun or air rifle.

I think someone has been watching too many movies (shooter maybe)
I'll dismantle my silencer after work and post pics.
To be effective it should be made at least as big as you chamber (bigger=better) and should also have a number of baffles installed to slow the gases even further.
Bman8 was right about one thing, filling the unit with stainless is a good idea with combustions but not so with pneumatics (it helps to cool the air in the former).
After you see pics of mine i'm sure you will think of a way to make one

This shows the rear of the unit. More pics later.

Edit: Don't use slits in your barrel (allows gas to by-pass) instead use lots of wittle holes

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

This is an oft discussed topic, if you enter the word "silencer" into the forum's lovely search feature you'll get lots of relevant results.

[Novacastrian]

Here is a exploded pic of my silencer. It shows everything except the staino wool. The clear Acrylic is the barrel support, the black rings are the baffel spacers and below are the baffels I know that not everyone has the facilities to make one like this but it should give you a good idea of the basic construction techniques used

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Interesting how you have holes in your baffles - I have an English friend who makes them for airguns and swears they work better with holes in them. My theory is that the air from the first chamber bleeds into the next one through the baffles, then mixes with the air coming through the barrel ports and therefore creates more turbulence, slowing it down more and giving a quieter shot.

To be effective it should be made at least as big as you chamber (bigger=better) and should also have a number of baffles installed to slow the gases even further.

The theoretical ideal volume is [(working chamber pressure/14.7psi) x chamber volume] - barrel volume or thereabouts, but this number is usually so big that it's completely impractical to use so just make it as big as possible.

[ALIHISGREAT]

The theoretical ideal volume is [(working chamber pressure/14.7psi) x chamber volume] - barrel volume or thereabouts, but this number is usually so big that it's completely impractical to use so just make it as big as possible.

where did you get the formula from?

and i can get 477cc when i need 572cc but thats assuming my copper barrel shroud is blocked off 20cm from the end of the barrel so if i block it off further back then with my silencer and the extra space provided by that should give me a respectably quiet shot. another point is that baffles will reduce this volume further, however in my silencer design with the barrel with slits horozontal across the top, then copper pipe which will look like a colander, then silencer body, would the copper act as a baffle? and how much would filling the silencer body with something like cotton wool or a similar material affect the performance of the silencer.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

where did you get the formula from?

easy, the volume that all the air compressed in the chamber would occupy if it was at atmospheric pressure.

baffles will reduce this volume further

Only by a small amount, the benefits of baffles far outweigh the minor loss of volume

would the copper act as a baffle

Yeah, kinda, though perpendicular baffles that divide the silencer into chambers along the barrel (as illustrated by Novacastrian's example above) tend to be more effective.

how much would filling the silencer body with something like cotton wool or a similar material affect the performance of the silencer

Try it with and without the packing and find out it's hard to say, I know people who removed the packing from commercial silencers and got a quieter shot, and vice versa.

[Necrosis]

where did you get the formula from?

It's simple really.

Chamber volume * (working pressure/14.6) (ish) = the total volume of air.
And because you do not have to make the chamber a vacuum you substract that amount from the result.

8)

And he beat me.

[ALIHISGREAT]

hmm, i will see if i can find something thin to make the baffles out of then and i will also figure out a way to make the silencer removable so i can test the wadding.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Try getting some balsa wood sheet from your local model shop - cheap, strong, light and easy to cut with a craft knife. 1/8" thickness will do nicely.

[ALIHISGREAT]

sounds like a good idea, i will have a look in the garage first of course, i may find something suitable.

[Hailfire753]

I have made a silencer for my spuddy w/o baffles, just with cotton stuffing. Worked well.

One question though. Are they legal or not in U.S. America? Some people say they are, hile others do not. I live in Pennsylvania suberbs if that helps...