are silencers on guns really like in the movies, quiet or still loud?

Question

i always see them in all drama movies, and they always sound quiet, but are they really like that in real life, or they just a dud?

Answer 1

The impulse noise created by a gunshot is hard to reproduce accurately with a microphone and speaker. The noise is loud and of a very short duration. A good silencer will reduce muzzle blast by 20 to 30 decibels (100 to 1000 times less), but it is not a very noticeable difference when played back on DVD or video. Some microphones also have an automatic gain adjust to dampen loud noises. I used an ordinary mini-DV camcorder to record the difference between my suppressed and unsuppressed rifles and the difference was not much when played back on TV.

In real life silenced firearms are still going to create noise levels as high as 115 to 150 decibels. Any impulse noise greater than 140 dB is going to hurt your ears. Silencers do nothing to eliminate action noise (the bolt clacking back and forth), and revolvers have a gap between the cylinder and barrel which lets out lots of noise. The word silencer is a legal term (in the USA) and a marketing gimmick created by Maxim a hundred years ago.

35 states in the USA allow civilian silencer ownership. You might be able to hear them for yourself if you live in one of those states. Check the below links for information on silencer performance and the legalities of ownership.

Edited to add. To Pike942, nothing in my post is cut and paste. You need to take a look at the chart on the www.silencertests.com webpage again. There are several columns with decibel data. The ones that matter the most are unsuppressed and suppressed. It also lists net dB and first round pop. The ammo type is also listed for most of the results. Standard velocity 22lr is subsonic as well as the 9mm 147 grain ammo. .308 subsonic is also listed. Most of the rest is supersonic. The owner of the website is usually a helpful person; you can email him for more info or ask on the website. I design and make my own silencers using ATF from 1’s. I shoot 22lr, 9mm, 300 whisper, 338 whisper, 510 whisper, 7.62 nato, 338 RUM, 5.56 nato, and 458 socom in suppressed weapons. I am not a silencer expert, but I know what I am talking about on this website, I post no BS here. Please email me for more details if you like. I noticed that I am not able to contact you here, why is this? You should contact me and tell me what the correct answers are if you think I am wrong.

Ranb

Answer 2

I always get a laugh seeing a "silenced" revolver on TV :-) for the reasons Ranb so accurately pasted -- I mean stated.

@ Ranb: 115 to 150 decibels?!? You crassee mon :-) That's a whole rock concert! You're looking at the wrong column. Look up at the top for the abbreviation, "db". I think you'll find some significantly smaller numbers! They range from 0.0db - 14.6db depending on velocity of ammo, action-type, etc. But the guy that did those tests didn't record the velocity of the ammo he was using (!?). Yeah, that's pretty thorough and scientific considering how vital a part that plays in the whole matter! And lay off dat copy'n'paste key "foo" :-)

The sound made by a silenced weapon with an action that blows back to eject the round will be louder than one with a closed bolt but can still be "tuned" sufficiently (the right silencer, the right gun, the right ammo) so that the only noise heard is that of the mechanical (metal-on-metal) action of the slide moving back and forth. With a closed bolt (bolt-action rifle for instance), the sound can be virtually eliminated altogether! IF you use sub-sonic ammunition! If you use ammo that breaks the sound barrier, your gonna have a REALLY loud crack and thus totally defeat the purpose of having spent so much money on a silencer :-)

Answer 3

learn your physics they are quiet depending on the silencer some silencer are completely quiet some are like the sound of air or the movies those funny sounds.

how does sound work?
in easy to understand wording:
sound waves make sounds, by blocking/reducing/slowing down/redirecting these soundwaves etc the range of propogation/ the range the sound waves can travel is a lot weaker so someone 1-2 metres away wont be able to hear you.


its like... heat.. how come heat doesnt escape your house and becomes cold instantly? becuase of walls trapping the heat in and inusulation in the walls same thing with the supressor but in terms of sound

Answer 4

The rounds would have to be sub-sonic and of a smaller caliber. Super-sonic rounds (1129 fps @ sea level) make a very loud super-sonic "crack". Large caliber bullets, even if sub-sonic, still make a good bit air turbulence noise. Large calibers are also harder to suppress all of the sound from the explosion of the cartridge. And then there is the mechanical noise itself. The only "movie" super-quiet gun maybe a low powered sub-sonic 22.

Answer 5

They aren't nearly as efficient as the movies make them. A lot simply depends on the gun and ammo being used as well.

My favorite Hollywood screw up is the silencer attached to a revolver barrel.

Answer 6

Think of it like a muffler on a muscle car. It quiets down the noise but it's still there. You get a quieter bang, but you don't need the ear protection either.

Answer 7

Still fairly loud. It wouldnt wake up the whole neighborhood, but the guy in the next room will know you shot the guard. That answer it?

Answer 8

they can be made to sound differently than a gun shot. they can be made to sound louder or quieter. it is the design to make it do what is needed. the no. 1 thing is to sound different. no like a regular pistol popping.

a pillow will make it way quieter but still has the ppop. one kind sounds like a duck quak.

Answer 9

Even when used in conjunction with sub-sonic ammo they are far from silent. They wold wake the average sleeping person in the same home it was fired in. I've fired a few in my day.

Answer 10

well the sound is way diff and the noise is reduced for example someone in the next room wouldn't hear the shot and even if they did they whouldnt know what it was