So you’re thinking of buying a can (silencer).

I found an interesting article in the “Airforce Times” newspaper. Sales of cans have increased from 3,020 in 2001 to 22,862 in 2011.

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Silencer boom: Why more shooters are going over to cans

Story and photo by Rob Curtis - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Aug 5, 2012 15:05:45 EDT

Recreational suppressor use is blowing up for some of the same reasons the Defense Department has made signature reduction on the battlefield a top priority: Aside from the tactical advantages of higher bullet velocity, suppressors make shooting safer by allowing better communication and shooter comfort.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tracks these and other NFA devices — ATF calls them silencers; I prefer “suppressors” for accuracy — including short-barreled rifles and shotguns, machine guns, explosives and other destructive devices. ATF figures show that sales of new suppressors alone went up from about 3,000 in 2001 to nearly 23,000 in 2011.

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Silencer boom: Why more shooters are going over to cans - Off Duty, Technology - Air Force Times

Maybe I would call it a light pop instead of a boom.

I understand these can be made from anything from a 2lt pop bottle to oil / fuel filters. What I don't understand is the need for one. Well me anyway. Why would I want to possibly mar the finish on my rifle or risk loosing my license when a $50.00 headset addresses the sound issue when I am shooting. Now if I am shooting where I shouldn't, this may well "hide" my activities but if I am shooting illegaly, I would be taking a chance at something I am not willing to do nor should I.

Just my take.

Best regards,

I can legally and safely shoot in my back yard (it's a big back yard), but I don't because I don't want to freak out the neighbors.

More than once I've thought about getting a threaded barrel for the G19, but I always stop short of justifying paying more for a silencer than I did for the firearm.

'That was a fun read, msgt/ret; "The .22 can is like the gateway drug of the suppressor world." LOL

Crowding population and lawsuit-happy neighbors have made the $200 stamp seem an increasingly good bargain. After all, the NFA (1934) cost of a suppressor stamp when adjusted to today's dollars is ~$3500, so actually they're getting much cheaper to own. Plus, if you've ever had the misfortune of an indoor centerfire discharge without hearing protection then you know it puts you at an immediate, decisive tactical DISadvantage. It's tough to stay awake & aware when...you're deaf! They're desirable, they're available & they're relatively inexpensive. What's not to like?

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Originally Posted by Diddle

I understand these can be made from anything from a 2lt pop bottle to oil / fuel filters. What I don't understand is the need for one. Well me anyway. Why would I want to possibly mar the finish on my rifle or risk loosing my license when a $50.00 headset addresses the sound issue when I am shooting. Now if I am shooting where I shouldn't, this may well "hide" my activities but if I am shooting illegaly, I would be taking a chance at something I am not willing to do nor should I.

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Just my take.


Um, companies do manufacture suppressors made to fit a wide variety of guns. Gun manufacturers make guns with threaded barrels and other devices for fitting suppressors. Suppressors are legal to buy, at least in my state. Sure some people improvise suppressors but there are legit suppressors out there. It takes several hundred dollars for the license and several months to get approved but if you have the patience and money you can get them. I have neither but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to have one some day.

There is no downside to owning a can..other than the wait for approval and the 200 tax stamp.

I sell them everyday.

Reasons?

Hunting,urban sprawl,cool to shoot, hearing conservation.

We have come a long way in technology. They are qetting lighter,smaller and quieter. I've got a suppressed .22 that people argue about whether the dry fire is louder than the shot itself.

There are practical applications for them... here's a scenario that's just a few weeks old:

It's 3:15am and we're awakened by a ruckus in the duck pen (mmmm.. duck eggs!). Open the 2nd floor bedroom window to see a huge raccoon on duck pen roof, chewing away on the duck he just killed and dragged up there. The raccoon is not concerned at all about the swearing or bright light we're shining on him as he just sits there eating the duck.

Time to slap a magazine into an AR...

Now I can do one of the following:

1) Twist a can onto the end of the barrel, light that raccoon up with the laser and hope he enjoyed his last meal. I then go back to bed with the understanding that I've got some clean-up work when the sun comes up.... or....

2) Forget about the can, wake up some neighbors, deal with the police after they respond to half a dozen calls reporting a gun shot, get no more sleep... and STILL have to clean up the deceased critters.

I'll take option #1 please.

I own two.....love them!

A .22 rifle and pistol are on my wishlist down the road as are suppressors for each. I do not currently have a practical need for one but if I should ever move to a more rural area where I can shoot on my property, it would provide me the chance to do so frequently without bothering anyone. Legal area to shoot or not I dont want to be un-neighborly every day.

Additionaly, if there ever comes a SHTF with a complete breakdown of scociety, the ability to hunt small game without announcing, "hey come find me I have guns and supplies for the taking" is a comfort. Though this scenario hopefully never happens, I would much rather have a suppressor now than hope to find one or have to improvise. Unfortunatley since our rights to own such items have been infringed, that means paying a little extra but as mentioned by ghost tracker, they are becoming cheaper to own.

Thanks for the post msgt, great read. What a drastic increase of owners in ten years, hopefully numbers like that can help our cause and defense against the antis. Afterall how many murders have occurred with silencers in that period?

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Afterall how many murders have occurred with silencers in that period?

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Lots and lots... all from government employees.

Suppressors are fantastic for many things. One of them being the ability to shoot without disturbing people around you. If you're shooting or hunting on property next to someone who calls the police every time you let off a round, a suppressor can muffle the noise enough to keep them from hearing it. They should be off the shelf legal because they save your hearing. Even good muffs don't totally protect you from damage from long term gunfire exposure. Especially if they're not worn correctly.

My neighbors hunt on their property and I would like to shoot during season on my range. A suppressed .22 would be nice.

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Originally Posted by Diddle

I understand these can be made from anything from a 2lt pop bottle to oil / fuel filters. What I don't understand is the need for one. Well me anyway. Why would I want to possibly mar the finish on my rifle or risk loosing my license when a $50.00 headset addresses the sound issue when I am shooting. Now if I am shooting where I shouldn't, this may well "hide" my activities but if I am shooting illegaly, I would be taking a chance at something I am not willing to do nor should I.

Just my take.

Best regards,

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Would I be safe to assume that you do not own anything that you do not really have a need for? TV, stereo or a basketball maybe? I'm hoping to take delivery on my new suppressor that I have no real need for,in the next couple of months. I will then mount it on my CZ American 22, that I have no need for, or possibly my Ruger 22/45 and do me some shootin that I don't really need to do.

Michael

My primary home defense gun is a 9mm AR with a suppressor, both to preserve my hearing (and my family's) and conceal my position if I should ever be required to use it. Once I can afford another, my primary home defense handgun will be suppressed as well.

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Originally Posted by Diddle

I understand these can be made from anything from a 2lt pop bottle to oil / fuel filters. What I don't understand is the need for one. Well me anyway. Why would I want to possibly mar the finish on my rifle or risk loosing my license when a $50.00 headset addresses the sound issue when I am shooting. Now if I am shooting where I shouldn't, this may well "hide" my activities but if I am shooting illegaly, I would be taking a chance at something I am not willing to do nor should I.

Just my take.

Best regards,

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Spoken like someone who has never fired a suppressed weapon.

Heres a story for you doubters out there...

a few weeks ago I showed up at the range with a several suppressed items. An AK, an AR, a couple of .22's. Fact of the matter is, I've got to where I don't like shooting without a can. Its just me and this one guy that I had an acquaintance with. I knew who he was, he knew who I was but that was about it.

We've got the whole range to ourselves and he is at the other end of the tables. So I bust out my stuff and begin shooting. After several minutes, I notice that he is watching me pretty intently.At that time I wa shooting and integrally suppressed bolt action rifle and he asked me if I was shooting a pellet gun. No, I said, its a suppressed .22.

That got his attention. He walks over and he gives me the what for...why would anyone need a suppressor unless they just wanted to go poaching? He had never seen one, never shot one, and everything he knew about them he got from the movies when a bad guy would whack somebody.

So, this guy is pretty skeptical about the whole thing. He's about 75 years old and he spends alot of his time at the range. As we talked, I told him about the hunting advantages and all about the upside to owning one. As it turns out, he loves to squirrel hunt. I told him of several squirrel hunting adventures I have had when using suppressors and his eyes lit up. I could see that he was beginning to like the idea.

So, he asked me if he could try it. Of course I said, shoot to your hearts content. And he did. He shot and commented every time he made a shot. He started shooting some 4 inch spinners that are at the 100 yard line and he started grinning like a kid. He was having a blast. When he paused to reload, I let him shoot my suppressed Ruger MK3 and he was smiling the whole time. We were both enjoying it.

So we shot and we shot and we shot, until I needed to be somewhere and I had to pack up. He asked me about the process and I told him all about it. It appeared that he decided he wanted one.

So I tell him how much they cost, various options, talk about calibers and the such and he reaches into the top pocket of his overalls and pulls out 7 hundred dollars bills and a 50 and he hands them to me and he tells me that he wants to buy a rifle just like the one he has been shooting. I was a bit shocked, but he now has one on the way.

I often hear of comments like " why would I need one" or "who you gonna shoot with that?" and a host of other comments that are spoken by people that have had no exposure to them. Thats OK, I'll usually convince them to try one, and it totally changes their outlook, and in lots of cases, they actually end up buying one after they shoot.

It really does add to the shooting experience. Its quite a change to have a normal conversation with each other while shooting and kids especially love to shoot with them on. The way I see it, anything that keeps them interested in that is a plus.