how does a silencer on a gun work?

Question

what is a silencer made up of? can every gun use silencers

Answer 1

I will only add to what mousehound says, since his answer is so good.

As to if silencers work on all guns - no.

Two reasons:

1) Gas operated automatics tend to channel some of the expanding gases to operate the rechambering of another round, the sound from these gases isn't suppressed, because it doesn't go thru the suppressor.

2) Some, BUT NOT ALL, guns fire rounds which are supersonic. Virtually all handguns fire rounds that are subsonic. Supersonic rounds will create a shock-wave after leaving the barrel. The suppressor only suppresses the sound made by the expanding gases of the exploding powder.


The mechanisms for suppressing sound is, like a previous answer said, act like a muffler - it forces differing portions of the expanding gases through differing length baffles, both slowing and causing the differing path's peak shock wave to escape at a slightly different time, thus widening the sharp crack (shock wave crest) made by the (exploding) expanding gases.

This is a form of harmonic sound suppression.

Answer 2

As said above, a silencer is a tube filled with baffles that divert the gas flow and make it turbulent. Caontaing the propellant gasses and cooling them off is how muzzle blast sound is lowered. Bullets moving faster than 1100 feet per second also make a sonic boom, it sounds like a whip cracking. A silencer will not affect this sound at all, but the muzzle blast of an unsilenced gun is much louder.

A silencer will work on any firearm that will mount one. However, they work less effective on rifles such as the ar15 that uses a gas tube from the barrel to blow back the bolt carrier and reload the chamber. They are even less effective on revolvers due to the gap between the cylinder and barrel. They work best on bolt action and single shot pistols and rifles.

I have a wepage that details how to legally build suppressors in the USA. Silencers for shotguns are available from Reflex in Finland, see the link below.

Ranb

Answer 3

It's just an extension put on the end of the gun that's usually made up of extra-thick metal, or other materials to suppress sound.

Any gun can use a silencer, because silencers can be made out of even common household items, like a 2-liter soda bottle, or even a potato!

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question112.htm

Answer 4

When a bullet leaves a gun, the speed of the bullet breaks the speed of sound. A silencer slows the bullet down under the speed barrier to keep the bullet from giving off that sonic crack. A silencer is made of medal. Not every gun has silencers made to attach to them. For example, you won't find a shotgun silencer. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 5

A silencer work in a simalar way to a muffler on a car giving a way to let air out and not have the sound of an explosion and yes all guns can be silenced.

Answer 6

A suppressor (popularly known as a silencer, although no suppressor "silences" a firearm completely), is a device attached to a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon. It generally takes the form of a cylindrically-shaped metallic tube that is fitted onto the barrel of the firearm, with various internal mechanisms to reduce the sound of firing by manipulating the escaping propellant gas, and sometimes by reducing the velocity of the bullet.

check the link below

Answer 7

First to my good Marine friend who responded, please don't say that again, you keep making us Army guys look better.

A silencer simply surpresses the "flash", it silences the "boom" but all the mechanics of the gun can still be heard loud and clear, it is not like the movies. My question to you is, why would you need one? Unless your Joe Pesi

Answer 8

All that happens is that the gunpowder exploding is muzzled. The sound is left behind, while a non silenced gun allows the sound to scatter following the bullet: sound moves quite faster than the bullet itself.

Answer 9

Bend over and point the gun up your big fat **** and pull the trigger. I reckon, if my mind serves me correctly that the noise will be a little less audible than usual....hence a silencer!!


Plus.....its Joe Pesci!