Is a silencer worth the having?

F

ftballgod

New member
i stopped by my local class 3 dealer today and spent sometime looking at silencers. one of the guns i was looking at buying in the near future has a threaded barrel, and i was thinking about spending the $ to put a silencer on it. but as cool as it would be, i started to really think about if i really need it.

does anyone have one? what do you do with it? where do you use it. etc.
 
I do not have one.
Seems like it is nice to have on a HD gun where firing the pistol indoors without ear protection is possible.
Otherwise, I do not have a use for it.
I mostly shoot at a public outdoor range - there is always somebody else shooting. So, ear protection is necessary.
 
I plan on getting one next year. They are a lot of fun and offer the ability to target shoot in a much wider range of locales depending on local laws of course.
 
If you intend to use a silencer on a self-defense pistol, I would recommend planning the entire system starting from the ground up. It's certainly true that some pistol designs are much better suited for use with silencers than others.
 
Suppressors...

So, the benefits... like owning a firearm are varied and diverse.

If you need reasons then...

The most common one I can give you is the appreciation of "silence."

Really... I just held a suppressor shoot in honor of Washington State's recent change in law making shooting suppressor legal. It was always legal to own a suppressor but illegal to shoot it in Washington State... But as of July 23, 2011 all that changed.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=453384

The biggest thing I can tell you was that on the firing line it was truly nice to walk around and be able to talk and chat with folks on the line... With folks shooting.

Many gals commented that with the noise reduction it helped them shoot better because the percussion was less and the "fear" of the noise and blast was minimized.

Even though I put the shoot on... I still have yet to get one for my own personal inventory. This doesn't mean I won't get one... just need to save as I have been busy with other purchases. It is in my future but it's not the priority right now.

As for shooting it... It's legal in Washington State and most ranges except one is all set for you to use it now.
 
the gun i was looking at putting it on is a H&K USP45 from what i can gather this is a good base for a silencer.
 
I have that very gun with a suppressor. It is a whole new experience shooting with a can. I liked it so much, I bought a threaded barrel for my USPc 45 and shoot that suppressed too. With two suppressors, my sons and I can go shooting withouit hearing protection. We can talk in normal tones without sweaty hearing protection. Here's one of mine.

suppressordetail013.jpg
 
So, I assume there are some regulatory issues to deal with when buying one of these. Right? I mean I couldn’t just walk in to the local gun store and pick one up. Could I?
 
depends on your local laws. they are ok to have here. following a atf backround check and a tax stamp or something.
 
I'd definitely get one. Firing in doors could cause permanent hearing damage. If you have to use a gun to defend yourself in doors, why make a really bad situation even worse for yourself with permanent hearing damage?
 
Picked the USP up for $800.00, the Insight M6x illuminator/laser for $75.00 (Killer deal from gunbroker...) and the Knight's Armament OHG suppressor for the not-so-great price of 1400.00. In my defense, the KAC suppressor is all stainless steel and tuned specifically to the USP Tactical.

The grand total comes to 2475.00 tax stamp included; a little more for some shipping and ffl transfer fees. (don't even ask what my Mark 23, Insight 1450 and KAC OHG suppressor cost. :eek::eek::eek:)

If you want a suppressor, find a class III dealer with suppressors IN STOCK. If you find a good dealer, they'll help you with your forms, finger prints, passport pics and documentation. You have to have a serial number to even start the paper work. That is why you want a stocking dealer. Otherwise, you have to wait until he gets the suppressor from the manufacturer to even start the form 4. That can add as much as two months to the wait.

After your paperwork is filled out and you have attached your passport photos to both copies of the form 4, take both copies to your CLEO (chief law enforcement officer). He/she will need to sign them. After the CLEO signoff, send the form 4s, the finger prints (both cards) and the two hundred dollar check written to the BATF to the addy your class III dealer gives you and wait 90-ish days for the tax stamped form 4 to be returned.

If you are like me, you will have forgotten all about the suppressor by the time you get the call from your dealer. Now drive over and pick up your new suppressor, screw it onto your host (gun) and begin a whole new shooting experience.

It's a hassle. Worth it.
 
Thousands of Dollars and about 3 years off my life i have the following to say about Suppressors:-

I would not suppress anything larger than a 32acp
Stick to 22lr for best noise reduction
Choose a pistol with a fixed barrel ie. Walther PPK, Ruger MKII etc
Wet cans are messy
Be prepared for lots and lots of hours to perfect reliabilty if not a fixed barrel pistol.

I have suppressed 9mm, 45acp and 22lr. I am completely satisfied with the 22. The others cost me too much time, effort and money and i will not do it again.

With all the money it cost me, i could have probably bought many nice handguns.
 
Too bad this is in the pistol/revolver section.

Personally I don't see the need for suppressors on pistols (for me) except maybe to disturb my wife less when shooting in my back yard. But then, since I'm more into competition, and they aren't allowed in the types I shoot, it wouldn't be practical to practice with something I can't use.

If I may drift a bit, I use to say the same thing about suppressors on rifles until I shot one of Zak Smiths 3 gun matches. Watching those guys using suppressors on their ARs gave me a whole new out look. I mean there is no wiggle on those guns, makes getting back on target in rapid fire a non-issue.

I went to a "Fun Gun" shoot in Wall SD where people shot suppressed pistols, got to admit it was fun to watch. Standing up there with a hi-cap mag on full auto, just going "fuuuuuuut" and the gun was empty. I didn't notice people shooting better with suppressed pistols but rifles were different.

I don't know that I'm ready for one on either rifles or pistols though. They would allow me to shoot my rifles while the Misses is napping maybe.
 
Millions if not billions of dollars a year are spent on stuff for fun and the cool factor. Cars, boats, electronics, guns etc etc. If you want to spend money on something for that reason than go for it. It might have benifits at the range (as long as you and you silencer are the only one shooting) and would definetly be cool. Is it worth the cost and paper work to me? Not a chance in hell.

LK
 
Suppresors

I am all about the cool factor. These are the reasons I would own a suppressor beyond I just think it would be cool to have one, which is a good enough reason IMO.
1. hunting Hogs at night.
2. If doing dynamic entries where I would be firing in close proximity to team members (This I will not be doing).
3. Target practice with out stirring up the neighbors.
4. Urban pest control.

There are legitimate reasons for owning one of these tools and as stated earlier "Because I want one" is as legitimate as any.
 
Amin Parker said:
Be prepared for lots and lots of hours to perfect reliabilty if not a fixed barrel pistol.
Click to expand...

Sometimes there are reliability issues. That is another reason I spent the extra coin to get that KAC suppressor. HK and KAC collaborated to create a military grade reliable system. The boosters are specifically tuned to the slides of the USP Tactical and Mark 23. The trial and error of tuning/tweeking happened in the design stage at the shop with engineers. All I had to do was plug and play.

There is the matter of point of impact shift. The turbulence created by the baffles or core of a suppressor can cause the projectile to shift it's point of impact. The KAC suppressor can be adjusted/indexed to compensate for that and return the POI to it's original place.
 
Big, clumsy, and of little use except for shooting indoors at practice. I guess if you are an assassin, but I see no real use of it.
I would not accept it if given to me. Otherwise, I guess it is OK.:D
Jerry
 
Honestly I would not mind one at all. Never know when you may need one for whatever reason. I also say go for it.

SA 1911 - XD45 - G21sf - G22 - G27 - Hk USP 40 - SIG P226 E2 - Browning High-Power - S&W M19-3 - CZ-82 - Remington 870
 
I've had one for a few years - it's never really served any practical purpose. I could name of a few instances where it was better to have than not, but 99% of the time, it's just cool factor. That said, it's one of the coolest things I've ever owned, and it's one of those things that virtually no one else has or is willing to go through the hoops to get. If you have the cash, I do not think you'll regret it one bit.

For HD application, I've since taken it off my nightstand gun. All that weight on the barrel detracts from reliability - sometimes it runs 100%, other range trips I have issues. If you're going to use it for HD, test it extensively first (duh).
 
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