You might get a 30db reduction with the right combination of suppressor, subsonic ammo, and something other than a semi automatic action. But even then it will still be loud.
Instead of debating this, just do a TH-cam search for demonstrations and you will hear the difference between a gunshot with and without a silencer. The one thing you will be surprised about is that there is no silencer that just makes a little "pfft" sound like you see in the movies all the time and the ignorant person who made this video claims. The person who wrote above they take it from a BANG to a bang is 100% correct.
One more sound is the bullet hitting a target, and if it's semi-auto, the bolt racking takes the place of the hammer hitting the primer. A bullets' ballistic crack is extremely loud, so why use a suppressor? In military applications it's usually for location concealment. Not only does it distort the location-revealing sound, but it works as a muzzle flash suppressor. Great vid guys, and the perfect brain stuff character to explain it!
Well, one reason to use a suppressor is that you don´t have to use ear protection when you shoot. Also, if you don´t need the damage, sub sonic ammunition works fine. Well, sure they are not that accurate, but i don´t shoot that good anyway. Modern ammunition and guns are a lot more accurate than a average shooter. The firering pin is also a really unnecesary sound.. i´m thinking of building a electronic fiering system... would that be legal? Also use a fingerprint reader to stop any other person from using my gun.
matsv201 That's a very interesting idea. I was in the Marine Corps for 6 years as an Abrams Tank crewman and I can tell you that the main gun is fired electronically. However, I have concerns about its reliability because often times the gun will not fire and you have to manually crank, what we call, the "master blaster." It's a hand-twisted generator like you'd see in old movies when they're blowing up TNT with that plunger thing. That's a very plausible idea if it can be made reliable though.
it doesn't drop the sound TO 20dB, it drops it BY 20dB. Generally from the 160s to the 140s. Suppressors generally are used to drop the sound to a "hearing-safe" level and are absolutely nothing like in the movies. Yes, significantly quieter, but definitely not anywhere near 20dB
45acp starts out at around 165dB, and with one of the more advanced(expensive) suppressors, you could theoretically get it down close to 130dB which is safe enough to not need ear protection as long as you are outside. As for 9mm, if it's a subsonic round(usually the 147gr projectile) then it should have a similar sound pressure signature. If it is a hypersonic round(suppressed), it would be significantly louder than the subsonic(suppressed) to the tune of 10dB(I think) louder than its slower counterpart.
It doesn't affect bullet power or accuracy unless you're playing Battlefield, the downside of using a suppressor is the back pressure caused damaging the weapons internals.
Riley Nash The chambers cause the back pressure to build up in the barrel. We're talking minor damage that builds up over time, they even designed a special rotating suppressor that spins to absorb the pressure rather than allowing it to build up inside the barrel, its pretty genius, look it up, its somewhere on Funker 530 youtube channel.
+X Maneuver Back pressure is an event that happens at low pressure after the bullet has left and pressure is fairly low. It can increase bolt velocity which can cause faster wear, but your rifle has to be pretty borderline to have a problem. It really just means more gas in the face.
+X Maneuver I think you are referring to blowback. Blowback is the release of the pressure in the baffles directed backwards into the barrel of the gun. It significantly increases the buildup of burnt powder in the chamber and ejection port. Firearms manufacturers are redesigning systems to compensate for this.
He sounds just like, a really excited kid, who keeps running, out of breath, every few words. Which doesn't, do much to help, his intellectual, hufff puff puff... credibility.
+Joseph Tan Reading it and coming across that many commas forces your mind to partially reset at each comma. Unfortunately, it also affects the breathing cycle, locking it for a short amount of time. Well-paced sentences with more punctual punctuation may take about one breath to read, making reading them feel more natural and near-intuitive. Check the writing styles of comments in general made by general people. Sentence length is usually about the same.
you don't know fully what you are talking about. suppressors lower the sound by 20 or 30 decibels not to 20 or 30 decibels. there's no loss of power or accuracy whatsoever. actually a slight increase in both is the norm. I prefer suppressors but there's nothing wrong with calling it a silencer or a can. the most accurate thing to call it is a muffler.
Tested some the other day on 22lr and the quietest reading we had from multiple brands was 112. P.s. the sound equipment we used was about 10k so this wasn't a backyard operation. You are absolutely correct.
@@khayrobs It works exactly the same way a muffler on a car works. Your right...it should be called a muffler. The word suppressor also applies because it does suppress the sound of the gas exiting the barrel. But since in many cases "suppressors" are not always legal... I'll call mine a muffler.
Tim Hallas the patent filed for the first silencer in 1921 is titeled ”silencer for guns” and filed by Hiram P Maxim. Same guy filed a patent in 1925 wich bassically describes the same type of silencer but used for anything with an exhaust or air outlet. It’s called a muffler in the description in that patent but the correct term for the gun-silencer is just that: silencer.
Shit you got wrong; 1.) The original Maxim patent called them silencers. Suppressor is a modern term. 2.) Can is common parlance, because it is monosyllabic. Almost everyone calls them cans, including professional retailers. 3.) The speed of sound is just under 1100fps. 4.) They still make well over 115db, usually.
Advertising in itself doesn't bother me, but I would suggest a different approach. Why have Josh say "This is boring"? You spite your own content for product placement? Just include a sponsor message at the beginning or end of the video and be done with it. The actual content about suppressors is interesting still. Except that Josh kept referring to them as silencers after saying that they are actually suppressors.
+pvtsnoballz especially for apparently knowing how stuff works...forgetting to rehearse in front of a mirror was the smallest but the most painful to watch lol
Yea, and "Explosion"? Smokeless powders are not an explosive, they're a propellant. Black powder is an explosive but who ever heard of anyone trying to suppress a black powder firearm? IDK, but maybe a potato gun is 3,000 psi.
Believe it or not, the Mosin 1895 revolver is able to be used with a suppressor. Through a complex mechanism, the chamber is pushed forwards, pressing the cartridge against the barrel, thus creating a seal, forcing almost ALL the gas down the barrel instead of letting it out between the frame and the cylinder.
+Liam C. I'm waiting for you to realize I was talking about the graphic in the video, which clearly has no visible hammer. I'm fully aware of how a wheelgun looks, and operates. Also, calm your shit. None of those insults were necessary.
A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and the recoil, when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, by modulating the speed and pressure of the propellant gas from the muzzle
For the record, .45 ACP is very common with suppressors because that is a sub-sonic round naturally. Most .45 ammo is sub-sonic. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP
"Some people, who you probably don't want to associate with, call cans." I'm not sure if this was a joke or something, but it was kind of ridiculous. The vast majority of suppressor owners are lawful people who have thousands of dollars to throw around to make their guns quieter. I would know - I'm one of them :P
+RaderizDorret the guy in the video doesn't have a clue to what he's saying. at the beginning there is a pic of a revolver with a suppressor, 99.999% of revolvers can't be suppressed, only them mosin nagants can.
"Marky Mark" Markus Gaming/LurkingFan4 yeah, it was late when i posted that, it's the revolver with the cylinder that locks up to the barrel before each shot. unlike standard revolvers that have a space between the cylinder and forcing cone.
This video has several errors. 1. It's called a silencer not a suppressor. The official naming rights of an invention go to the inventor, not to keyboard cammandos. When Hiram Maxim invented it, he wrote "silencer" on the patent, therefore it is called a silencer regardless of its inability to completely silence the sound. 2. 20db is inaccurate. The vast majority of silencers reduce gun shots to to 95-110db range. Which is still louder than a person yelling, but at least you won't bleed from the ears without hearing protection. 3. Criminals don't use silencers. To get a silencer, you must first fill out lots of paperwork, go through extra background checks, pay extra taxes, wait 9 months for the ATF to return your letters, then IF you are approved you get to shovel out 900+ dollars to buy a single silencer. High wait times, high cost, and ATF approval are not very conducive to a life of crime. There definitely hasn't been a recorded crime committed with one in the past decade, and I would be surprised if you could find any crime committed with one since the National Firearms Act was passed in 1934.
That and what the ATF hasn't figured out quite is with a tiny bit of ingenuity, silencers can be made cheaply with things from home improvement stores. We have to pay $200 tax. But criminals can do whatever they want. I never understood gun control...
True, however if I am not mistaken breaking NFA laws carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison along with being permanently stripped of 2A rights... So you better not let the ATF find out!
3. criminals arent suposed to have guns on the first place and on this one im not making a statement but raather a question¿is the 45 acp still over 95 decibels?
ak47modwarfare the answer to your question is "it depends"... As a general rule, the larger a silencer is, the more it reduces the sound of a gunshot. So in theory, with a big enough silencer, you could reduce the noise level to zero
+Josh Callejas Yeah, like the "people you dont want to associate with" like people that use common terms for things like "can" instead of "suppressor". Can you spot the anti-gun sentiment in this video?
Kevin D. 1. the pressure is a lot higher than 3000 psi, it's more like 30,000 psi, 2. the decibel levels were way off, as already pointed out in the annotation, 3. suppressors can actually increase bullet velocity, they do however not decrease it and do not affect accuracy, 4. the "zipping" sound is caused by tumbling ricochets, not bullets coming your way.
preference I guess, "silencers" while said feels easier to say, while "suppressors" is a little mouthy, but than again how many people grew up hearing silencers being said all the time in Movies, Games, Media, etc. Although there is no way for sure to determine why he is saying it that way, but I chalk it up to just hearing the word silencers, sounds cooler, but being correct is also nice.
They are called both silencers and suppressors. When you fill out your form 4 (or form 1 if you're making your own) they are listed as "silencer". Pressure in a 9mm chamber is ~35,000 psi, not 3,000, and around 55,000 in a 5.56 chamber. They DO NOT make your gun whisper quiet. Not even close. You are still looking at ~125 db for most non-magnum rounds. That is as loud as a concert. Silencers also INCREASE velocity and have no effect on a rifles accuracy. Almost everything you said in this video was flat out wrong. You also acted like anyone who owns a silencer is probably an assassin, which is Hollywood nonsense.
Or the fact that you don’t lose power or accuracy with a suppressor. The suppressor actually increases velocity. The “losing power and accuracy” part is complete myth. Shooting a rifle suppressed stretches the max effective range of a round. Not by a massive amount. It depends on the caliber, rifle, particular load, and the specific suppressor. But around 50-100 yards is a reasonable generalization. More velocity should also, in theory, mean better accuracy. There are many factors that play into all of this, so it’s hard to be so absolute about it. But it is absolutely incorrect to say suppressors cause firearms to have less power and accuracy.
With the best suppressors and subsonic ammo the quietest it can get is around 115 decibels which is perfectly safe with no ear protection but saying you can quiet a gun down to 20 decibels is a fantasy no where near reality
The tone is what matters. Maybe he means that what we can hear is 20 decibels and the rest is inaudible. Or maybe he's a dickhead with a mosquitos asshair for a brain.
TheMixmastamike1000 really? I've shot a .308 Remington 700 with a suppressor and subsonic handloads. Shooting at a steel.plate 100 yards away. Pretty much "0" muzzle report and you could actually hear the firing pin strike the primer and the steel riding like a bell. I'd honestly say you could have shot an Airworthiness rifle next to it and the Airworthiness would be loud in comparison. Also my buddy has a 9" ar15 sbr in 300 blk and with an sac 7.62 suppressor. Its not completely silent but running subsonic ammo it sounds like a small child's sneeze. The buffer and spring on the other hand is loud. I'd say its easilly under 100db
1.) There's only one fairly rare revolver (the gun at the beginning) that can be suppressed due to the cylinder gap of revolvers. 2.) Try more like 120db for subsonic rounds other than .22LR. Hearing loss can occur at around 85db. 3.) the Official term by the FBI is "silencer" and yes the FBI knows what they're talking about. 4.) Some actions, hammers (or strikers, since apparently this channel doesn't know they exist), or other mechanical party make far more than 20db
+William Lee Several people have suppressed Nagant revolvers because the cylinder moves forward to close the gap. A suppressed custom Dan Wesson was used in an assassination attempt on Idi Amin. It had an adjustable cylinder gap.
+The Chopping Block The nagant was the one I was referring to, and I meant production pistol. The point is that almost all silenced or silencable weapons are automatics
Peter Dvornik In addition to the Nagant mentioned above, a customized Dan Wesson revolver was used in an assassination attempt on Idi Amin. The Dan Wesson was used because it had a quick change barrel that was easily modified to adjust the cylinder gap to nearly nothing.
I've been in the firearm world for quite some time now and I own a number of silencers and a common nomenclature for a silencer is calling it a "Can" and there's nothing wrong with it...just easier to say versus silencer. As someone who is a manufacturer, and has also been actively in the industry for the past 4 years and growing, I will tell you guys that there are a few other inconsistencies with this video. The big thing, is that while suppressor is another common term in the nomenclature for a silencer, suppressor is in fact the wrong term due to original copywrite and the fact that the NFA branch of the BATFE sees any kind of gun muffler as a silencer and that's the correct term as such. Accuracy and power are not decreased with silencers. Any time you thread on a silencer or attach it to a firearm you are lessening the felt recoil and muzzle flip. Also silencers do not slow down the gasses behind the bullet. Once the bullet clears the barrel, and starts to enter the blast chamber and baffle system, then the gasses begin to expand, cool down, and slow down. Saami spec pressure which is the standard that ammunition for a factory load is aimed at achieving is much greater than 3000 psi. The common 9mm handgun round will have a chamber pressure of over 35,000 psi. Exiting the silencer for subsonic ammunition I couldn't tell you as I don't have a way to measure that pressure. Silencers also with the correct host and depending on the caliber will perform much much better than 130 db's. Some .22 rimfire silencers will reduce the sound signature down to 115 db's. which is not whisper quiet, but it's extremely quiet. 140 db's is the threshold of hearing damage as noted from OSHA, and the best 5.56 rifle cans will bring you down to just below that, and that's due to the super sonic loads breaking the sound barrier. An okay representation of silencers, but there is quite a bit of misinformation in the video. Cheers.
OrignalRecipe92 Pressure data, as well as spectrum analysis of some somewhat dated designs (except for one German WWII design that actually looks like K-baffles) can be found in Frankford Arsenal's 1968 "Silencers: Principles and Evaluations". It was one of my references back when I did form 1 cans.
Even better than calling them suppressors, we should start calling them "Hearing Safety Attachments", or HSA. After all, the Salvo 12 6" suppressor on my buddy's KSG only reduces the volume to 140dB, which per OSHA is the limit to where permanent hearing damage occurs. In other words, its still VERY loud, but at least you won't cause lifelong permanent damage to your hearing. So in self-defense, it makes sense for absolutely everyone (especially in home defense if firing indoors which makes it even louder by reflecting off walls) to use a suppressor, or HSA. Otherwise, you run the risk of being quite disoriented especially in the dark from the bright flash of the gun and the huge pressure wave that can leave you partially deaf for a while with ringing in your ears. Yet the government has regulated a gun safety device to protect the shooter as some kind of nonsensical assassin tool that no one would need, thanks to the movies.
Fun Fact #1, within a suppressor there are loads of foam rings space out to allow to sound of the bullet passing through the gun to be chambered within the suppressor. #2 Americans have actually made silencers for tanks and artillery vehicles. They look like water towers mounted on an angle. The tank can stick its battle through the end of it and fire at long range targets!
+artardFTW Yeah, the company we were working for at the time was really keen on us doing ads in our videos. We're glad that our current company doesn't ask us to do that.
What the heck is up with this comment section? You're taking this *WAY* too seriously for a simple introduction to sound suppressors. He's basically right in what sound suppressors are and what they do, and sure he messed up a bit of the terminology and a few of his jokes missed - but that doesn't mean he's under-intelligent. Sounds to me like people are more upset because he sounds and acts a bit off - instead of actually listening to what he's talking about...
This guy is obsessed with putting ads in the middle of his content. I listen to him on a podcast called stuff you should know and they take tons of ad breaks. It's annoying. I don't like being pandered to and he should know that since he did a whole 2 part podcast on ads. The man does everything he knows viewers hate. I unsubscribed bc I can't stand someone who lies in order to make money. I have Harry's razors and they suck. They tear my face up. I have a Casper mattress and it's not comfortable and doesn't stay cool. I've tried blue apron and it ok at best but expensive. Your ads are false representation of the product bc you get stuff for free and get paid to lie. Do NOT contribute to them on patreon.
The choice to put ads in shows like this, and Stuff You Should Know, comes from the people who run the company that we work for -- HowStuffWorks. (When we created this video in particular, we were owned by Discovery Communications, and the sales team there dictated that we include this ad. We weren't happy about it.) Because we offer all of our video and audio shows completely free of charge to our viewers and listeners, we use ads to make the money we need to continue making shows. Our hosts do not decide how many ad breaks go in their shows, nor what products and services are advertised, nor even the language that they use in their ads. I can't speak for Josh, but we've been in meetings together about our company's ad policies and I can say that he's consistently been a strong advocate for keeping what ads are necessary minimal, honest, and straightforward. But all of that is clarification. Of course, we know that there are lots of great shows out there, and we respect your choice to tune in to whatever you like. Thanks for the feedback. (As far as I know, neither SYSK nor Josh himself have Patreon accounts.)
can you explain why it reduces accuracy ? I heard it was lengthening the barrel so a standard bullet would go faster and more accurate than one without a suppressor because it there's more pressure in the silencer than in air. Or maybe you meant that it reduces accuracy and impact because you have to use slower bullets ?
+SE B not exactly. If your uses subsonic loads just know your transonic ballistics and same going for a "normal" or hot load. Accuracy is achieved via good load data, knowing what ammo runs smooth and consistency. That's it
Depends on if you are talking about the original silencers, or modern suppressors. Modern ones don't reduce accuracy, they increase it. Putting a suppressor on the end of the barrel dampens the oscillation in the barrel when the round is fired, this will tighten your groups because there is less movement in the barrel when the bullet exits the muzzle. It also increases gas pressure which will increase velocity, decreasing bullet drop over a given distance. The original silencers did decrease velocity and accuracy because instead of using metal baffles that don't touch the bullet, they used wipes that the bullet squeezed through. Squeezing through the wipes slowed the bullets down via friction, and knocked them off course making them less accurate. You don't have to use subsonic rounds just because you put a suppressor on the gun. At a given distance, subsonic rounds require more holdover and are more effected by wind than supersonic rounds, so its harder for the shooter to be as accurate with subsonic rounds, but they aren't inherently less accurate within their useful range.
"I'm so jaded, I have to listen 4:00 minutes of uninterupted information, and have the option to close the video while there's advertisement. Woe is me" Get over it..."If you're good at something never do it for free" and yet here these videos are, for us, well produced, well informed, often funny, and for free and all we have to put up with is a 1 minute ad at the END that we can ignore. Way to support them...
***** A Suppressor on a revolver is USELESS. Unless you get an AIR tight fit between the drum and the barrel, you won't suppress a large amount of the sound anyway. From memory I can only think of one revolver doing it,(the Nagant)
Nukedk The Nagant M1895 Revolver uses a unique, proprietary cartridge where the case goes over the bullet, which creates a gas seal upon firing. Other suppressed revolvers (I can think of three others!) are also exceptional highly exotic designs very different from what people know as revolvers, and none fire the common revolver cartridges. Also the silhouette in the video is not a Nagant.
Mista Koops But, it is in fact Vitiligo. Don't believe me just do a Google Images search for the word "Vitiligo" and you can see that most of the images are of skin decoloration of the hands. Also I already had a teacher who had the same thing as the guy in the video, so trust me IT IS Vitiligo...
In case the joke went over your head, someone who refers to a suppressor as a "can" or "suppressor can" more than likely has enough experience using them to have a casual name for them. As in he could potentially be a hitman or an assassin.
That's completely untrue. I've owned suppressors for years. Actually being in the firearms industry myself, can is the more commonly used term. I would stray away from making jokes that have no real basis.
For those who would like some more info: The hammer dropping is really not a sound that anybody concerned with sound suppression considers. First off, many modern firearms don't have hammers, but strikers. The gun shown with the hammer was a revolver, which has a gap between the chamber and the barrel that will allow the high pressure gasses to escape, thus diminishing efficacy of a suppressor. Semi-Automatics, when fired, generally have only one place for the gas to escape, which is through the barrel. The striking of the primer by a striker or firing pin is rarely louder than the report of a firearms, even when suppressed. However, the recoil has to cycle the action, which usually means the slide moving rearward at a high velocity, disengaging with barrel lugs, ejecting the spent case, then returning to battery while stripping another round from the magazine and chamberiing the round. This makes a sound that is, by far, louder than engaging the sear alone. I have met people who actually have slide stops that can be engaged so that the gun will not cycle, thus eliminating the noise from the cycling. But in any case, the "first sound" that can't be helped is not really the hammer, but the cycling of the action. Also, 100-130 dB is quite loud, just not likely to damage hearing in small amounts. To give you an idea, a gas powered mower tends to produce about 100 dB, and live rock music is up between 120 and 130 dB. Many people who shoot suppressed will still use ear protection, especially if shooting suppressed rifles. And, if you have read this far, here is a fun fact: suppressors can be more effective by running them "wet." This means putting a small amount liquid (often wire pulling lube or just water) into the suppressor, which absorbs heat from the gasses, cooling them off and lowing the pressure.
***** oh its not about being used to them. We don't like them. But we are used to the bad sound. "it is realistic" I never heard gun sounds like these in a shooter like cod and rainbow six siege.
I think the actual reduction is 20db not down to 20db. Remember the Decibel scale is logarithmic so each 10 increment is 10 times. A 120db sound is therefore 100 times as loud as a 100db. Size matters and you can't fool physics. An un muffled truck engine is in the 160db range, and it takes a very large muffler to reduce it to an acceptable 60-80db range. To equivalently suppress (muffle) a 160db gun shot takes an approximately same size device. But, James Bond putting essentially a truck muffler on the end of his PPK, does not fit into director's concept, so the little thimble sized prop on end of his pistol conveniently has shot noise altered by the sound editor.
I was actually pretty engrossed until the Razor talk. I ALMOST subscribed until I realized I didnt want to CONSTANTLY hear about useless razors! I"m Hairy. FUCK Razors......
Two questions. 1) The integrated advertisement was clear and obvious, how could we not see what they did, how was it "slipped in"? 2) Why the hell do you think it's shameful? Ok, third question 3) Do you know what shame means? :P 4) Do you understand that it's not 10,000 years ago right? That we've discovered agriculture and we no longer live in small groups? 5) Please pleasantly surprise me,dumbass :D
*Says it's called a suppressor not a silencer* *Proceeds to call it a silencer* He also stated that people who called them silencers don't know what they're talking about, but he still calls the suppressors, silencers.
Aye , hence he was informing you that he was wholly uneducated in this venue . Translation = he was telling you he was a dumbass with no knowledge of what he was talking about - aka - ignorant
I'd like to know what kind of suppressor you're talking about that reduced 160 Db to 20... Some of the best-rated suppressors on market advertize a reduction in sound of 120-130 Db, ie you're still going to want hearing protection.
130 dB is the maximum safe threshold for sound impulses. A continuous 125 dB sound will very quickly cause hearing damage, but a suppressed firearm shot at 125 dB is considered safe. You will see certain suppressors advertised as being "hearing-safe" -- what this means is that they will drop the sound level down below 130 dB with the appropriate ammunition recommended by the manufacturer, allowing you to safely shoot without hearing protection. You still of course need proper eye protection when firing a gun with a "hearing-safe" suppressor, you just don't need hearing protection.
***** I said "want". Just because it doesn't cause permanent damage doesn't mean its not bloody annoying. Many people still choose to wear ears despite having a suppressor on their rifle/ handgun. Reference 'Silencerco' - /watch?v=T3dK6lcsEog
Silencer is a legal term. Suppressors don't affect accuracy so much as they may slightly shift the point of impact. But once a weapon is zeroed with the suppressor mounted, impact shift is moot as precision can still be consistently achieved. In fact a suppressor may actually increase accuracy as a side effect of increased velocity. Firing a subsonic round that isnt tuned to a given suppressor may actually give a bullet a slight velocity boost over the sonic threshold and the crack will be heard.
note, it does not explode like he says gun powder is non explosive, what it actually does is burn rapidly causing pressure that forces the bullet out and the bang is from the pressure hitting the outside air and expanding rapidly
Liam Teetzel Um, what do you mean gun powder is a non-explosive? Gun powder is considered a chemical explosive. However, it's considered a low explosive, meaning that gun powder burns at subsonic speeds. Additionally, what you described is literally the definition of an explosion.
Okay video, some comments though. 1. They are actually called silencers, the word is a noun and a legal term used in the US Code. 2. Cartridge pressure is much more than 3000 psi, as high as 60,000 for the 5.56. 3. Nothing wrong with calling a silencer a can. 4. Some guns will produce noise at 160 decibels, many are much louder. 5. The claim is made that a silencer will reduce a 160 dB noise to 20 dB; Actually it will reduce noise by 20-30 decibels. Even a 22lr with subsonic ammo will still be about 110 dB. 6. Power is not given up with a silencer as they work just as well with standard ammo and some standard ammo is normally subsonic.
Its not the ad thats annoying, its how they put the ad in. See, youtube puts ads before the whole video starts. BrainStuff randomly sneaks in an ad as the video is going on. Completely obnoxious. This is the second time, it only gets worse. I'm unsubscribing. :)
D4DDYFTS K that’s because the average person is unaware that they are called suppressors. If you know that they are called suppressors then you most likely already know how it works therefore you won’t search for a video like this. The average person will type “How a silencer works” if they want to find out how suppressors work thus giving him more views....
0:38 or you're a hunter who wants to track an animal without ruining their hearing Pretty much everyone who has actually used a suppressor calls them "cans." Including military veterans..... so.... Look up "Demolition Ranch Suppressors" if you actually want to learn about this.
So many problems, but i will address the most glaring - You forgot about the action of the gun cycling (he shows a suppressor on a revolver, which is just liberal retardation) on a semi-auto. the action cycling is metal slamming on metal, and is loud on some guns. On a .22 or other very light gun, this sound is very quiet. So a .22 being shot with a suppressor, on a bolt action, using sub-sonic ammo will be virtually silent.
***** yup. The reason why the Nagants could be suppressed is that the cartridge uses a recessed bullet design. The bullet is actually INSIDE the casing with the lips of the casing extending well forward.. The cylinder also actuate forward towards the chamber when the trigger is pulled. This forward actuation actually allows the lip of the shell casing to move into the chamber, causing a seal similar to that of an auto-pistol eliminating the gap that revolvers typically have.
i was also wondering why they used a revolver animation lol when only the 1895 Nagant is able to , its called how stuff works i figured they would also say why a revolver couldnt be suppressed besides that one.
Umm.... Kind of? The pillow would somewhat muffle the sound, but remember the bang of a gun is pretty loud. So, it wouldn't do much. Additionally, a suppressor contains specific engineering that allows the bullet to pass through it as if it were just part of the gun. Not to mention, there would be no real seal with your pillow, so the gas expanding would still make that loud bang anyways.
The pressure is MUCH greater than 3000 psi, relatively hot loads of 9mm push around 30,000 psi. And suppressors usually bring the sound down to around 120-130 decibels. If you've ever been around one, you'd know it's still exceptionally loud. With most suppressed cartridges, you're still on the border of having to wear ear protection.
Interesting question. I don't think it would take all the noise away, but by giving the gas more room to expand it might help a little. Maybe we can research this for a future episode.
+Ravener96 suppressors dont slow the bullet down but you have to use subsonic rounds for the suppressor to actually do its job. The subsonic ammo is slower than the normal bullets... Just wanted to point that out.
BF3VsBlackOpsII the supressor does it's job fine with supersonic ammo, people just dont understand what it's job actually is. it only limits the sound from the actual gasses. it doesent limit the sonic boom from the bullet. that is really useful in firefights as your position is harder to identify.
0:40 "they're actually not called silencers, that's what people who don't know what they're talking about calls them" Proceeds to call them silencers the rest of the video.
Errors- 1. "silencer" was actually the term first coined for this contraption by the first developer. while suppressor is a linguistically more accurate term for what it actually does, silencer is still an acceptable term. one could call it either/or and be correct. 2. correct that a gunshot is about 160 dB, but most suppressors commonly available cannot take a gunshot all the way down to 20 dB. the suppressor I own is rated by the manufacturer to reduce a gunshot by 30 dB, down to about 130 dB. 130 DB is much safer to shoot without wearing hearing protection, but it's still loud enough that you could not get away with firing a gun without being noticed, as is commonly depicted in movies. 3. modern gunpowder doesn't explode, it burns, much like gasoline in the cylinder of an engine. exploding, or "detonation", would damage the cylinder of the engine, or the chamber of the firearm. when the primer ignites the powder in a cartridge, it burns evenly, albeit very rapidly, from back to front, producing the expanding gases that propel the bullet.
+Team6OWG They can be called either. The guy that invented them dubbed his creation the silencer, and it was called that for years until tacticool mall ninjas went around correcting everyone's terminology on every goddamn thing.... Its not as definitive as the clip vs magazine meaning where theres a clear difference.
+Team6OWG Suppressors silencers cans iv heard them all and got the idea...people that actually use or deal with them, Spec ops, CIA, FBI, ETC.... call them cans so yea..
+Team6OWG The inventor, Hiram Percy Maxim, actually called them silencers. He also invented the automobile muffler, which is exactly the same technology. In fact, I find the best way to describe how firearms suppressors/silencers work is to just explain them as mufflers for guns. While "suppressor" is a more technically accurate description of what a "silencer" actually does, both terms are acceptable. It's not nearly as much of a fopaux in the gun community as using the terms "clip" and "magazine" interchangeably. At least when someone says "silencer", gun enthusiasts know for certain what you're talking about.
Calm down bro, your wild enthusiasm is crazy.
We'll try to restrain him next time.
@@BrainStuffShow LOL
"It's not actually called a silencer, it's called a suppressor" Continues to call it silencer. Great job
Both terms work.
exactly. it only matters to those that nitpick shit.
MrSquidMonsterm continues to be a idiot GREAT JOB'-'
But he said only people who don't know what they are talking about call it silencers
also names the title of the video. "silencer"
I haven't seen one of these super chill dudes since like 2004. Glad they're back, hopefully a few hit the stand up comedy scene.
Joe Pera
I have to give props to this person for actively trying to be as emotionless and dull as he.could
xXxXxXxdedliqingxXxXxXxXx oke
You misspelled my name.
XxXDeadlykingdxXxX shit
XxXDeadlykingdxXxX le dank mamay dedleykenq
XxXDeadlykingdxXxX I've learnt new words that may define me.
Another question: why is this guy suppressed
Get Out.
+Clorox Bleach, i see u in a lot of videos in the comment section
+Smifficus Are you stupid or something?
Gregory Sturgeon why am i depressed
most exiting person ever
karam jnah exciting*
Great exiting scene and conclusion it was! HAHAHA
soulless he didnt mean this, you dont get a joke
Laugh so hard
Zorro97 his name is “soulless” of course he won’t get the joke lol 😂
he just wants to see his family again...
-_- why did the little gun graphic show a silencer on a revolver.
Ikr lmao
+Creepy Cooter Yea cooter why you coming out of Matt's cage?
Daniel Symonenko He doesn't know im out...he doesn't like me running around on the ranch
Creepy... Better not tell Matt
+Creepy Cooter I miss your scent.
they dont make a gun sound like 'pew' they take it from a BANG to a Bang.
More like PLINK
No it goes from BANG to pew
its called sub sonic ammunition
You might get a 30db reduction with the right combination of suppressor, subsonic ammo, and something other than a semi automatic action. But even then it will still be loud.
Instead of debating this, just do a TH-cam search for demonstrations and you will hear the difference between a gunshot with and without a silencer. The one thing you will be surprised about is that there is no silencer that just makes a little "pfft" sound like you see in the movies all the time and the ignorant person who made this video claims. The person who wrote above they take it from a BANG to a bang is 100% correct.
One more sound is the bullet hitting a target, and if it's semi-auto, the bolt racking takes the place of the hammer hitting the primer. A bullets' ballistic crack is extremely loud, so why use a suppressor? In military applications it's usually for location concealment. Not only does it distort the location-revealing sound, but it works as a muzzle flash suppressor.
Great vid guys, and the perfect brain stuff character to explain it!
someone who knows what they are talking about :) love it. haha.
Sean Dunn Yaaa. 6 years in the Marine Corps gave me the skills and knowledge to shoot but not much else lol
Great additional facts to the video
Well, one reason to use a suppressor is that you don´t have to use ear protection when you shoot. Also, if you don´t need the damage, sub sonic ammunition works fine. Well, sure they are not that accurate, but i don´t shoot that good anyway. Modern ammunition and guns are a lot more accurate than a average shooter.
The firering pin is also a really unnecesary sound.. i´m thinking of building a electronic fiering system... would that be legal? Also use a fingerprint reader to stop any other person from using my gun.
matsv201 That's a very interesting idea. I was in the Marine Corps for 6 years as an Abrams Tank crewman and I can tell you that the main gun is fired electronically. However, I have concerns about its reliability because often times the gun will not fire and you have to manually crank, what we call, the "master blaster." It's a hand-twisted generator like you'd see in old movies when they're blowing up TNT with that plunger thing. That's a very plausible idea if it can be made reliable though.
it doesn't drop the sound TO 20dB, it drops it BY 20dB. Generally from the 160s to the 140s. Suppressors generally are used to drop the sound to a "hearing-safe" level and are absolutely nothing like in the movies. Yes, significantly quieter, but definitely not anywhere near 20dB
Yep that was a mistake on our part. We went back in and added an annotation to the video to try to make the facts more clear. Thanks!
***** You sound really assmad.
I defer to your expertise in all things ass
Jeremy972 for 9mm Right? Actually Hitman(Agent47) using 45.Acp and ı think ıt must be louder.
45acp starts out at around 165dB, and with one of the more advanced(expensive) suppressors, you could theoretically get it down close to 130dB which is safe enough to not need ear protection as long as you are outside. As for 9mm, if it's a subsonic round(usually the 147gr projectile) then it should have a similar sound pressure signature. If it is a hypersonic round(suppressed), it would be significantly louder than the subsonic(suppressed) to the tune of 10dB(I think) louder than its slower counterpart.
3:47 man that sure was a smooth transition
Cant see it
That’s a transition?
@@lijhay2889 yes
It doesn't affect bullet power or accuracy unless you're playing Battlefield, the downside of using a suppressor is the back pressure caused damaging the weapons internals.
Riley Nash The chambers cause the back pressure to build up in the barrel. We're talking minor damage that builds up over time, they even designed a special rotating suppressor that spins to absorb the pressure rather than allowing it to build up inside the barrel, its pretty genius, look it up, its somewhere on Funker 530 youtube channel.
+X Maneuver Back pressure is an event that happens at low pressure after the bullet has left and pressure is fairly low. It can increase bolt velocity which can cause faster wear, but your rifle has to be pretty borderline to have a problem. It really just means more gas in the face.
+X Maneuver I think you are referring to blowback. Blowback is the release of the pressure in the baffles directed backwards into the barrel of the gun. It significantly increases the buildup of burnt powder in the chamber and ejection port. Firearms manufacturers are redesigning systems to compensate for this.
If you actually want to be quiet your going to be using sub sonic ammo which could hurt (kinda, sorta, not really) the overall damage.
+william kirby Subsonic ammo is far less refectory than full power rifle ammo.
He sounds just like, a really excited kid, who keeps running, out of breath, every few words. Which doesn't, do much to help, his intellectual, hufff puff puff... credibility.
+SBwingman goddamn reading your comment makes me feel like breathing rapidly and it's exhausting to just read wadafaq dam you
+Joseph Tan
Reading it and coming across that many commas forces your mind to partially reset at each comma. Unfortunately, it also affects the breathing cycle, locking it for a short amount of time. Well-paced sentences with more punctual punctuation may take about one breath to read, making reading them feel more natural and near-intuitive.
Check the writing styles of comments in general made by general people. Sentence length is usually about the same.
Your use of commas disturbs me greatly.
Olibara Hosasa
The rapid variance of font height is wildly disorienting.
+SBwingman yes, because intellectually credible individuals never get excited about odd things, and certainly are always in good shape.
you don't know fully what you are talking about. suppressors lower the sound by 20 or 30 decibels not to 20 or 30 decibels.
there's no loss of power or accuracy whatsoever. actually a slight increase in both is the norm.
I prefer suppressors but there's nothing wrong with calling it a silencer or a can. the most accurate thing to call it is a muffler.
Tested some the other day on 22lr and the quietest reading we had from multiple brands was 112.
P.s. the sound equipment we used was about 10k so this wasn't a backyard operation.
You are absolutely correct.
@@khayrobs It works exactly the same way a muffler on a car works. Your right...it should be called a muffler. The word suppressor also applies because it does suppress the sound of the gas exiting the barrel. But since in many cases "suppressors" are not always legal... I'll call mine a muffler.
Tim Hallas the patent filed for the first silencer in 1921 is titeled ”silencer for guns” and filed by Hiram P Maxim. Same guy filed a patent in 1925 wich bassically describes the same type of silencer but used for anything with an exhaust or air outlet. It’s called a muffler in the description in that patent but the correct term for the gun-silencer is just that: silencer.
The sound of a supressor might be more quiet but u can still hear the gunshot
Muffler for engine lol jk
Shit you got wrong;
1.) The original Maxim patent called them silencers. Suppressor is a modern term.
2.) Can is common parlance, because it is monosyllabic. Almost everyone calls them cans, including professional retailers.
3.) The speed of sound is just under 1100fps.
4.) They still make well over 115db, usually.
There's more, but fuck it.
+John Doe butt-fuck it?
+ajoh432 lol.......you have nothing better to do, do you
DIY king I'm at work, so yes.
you are so fun at parties.
Advertising in itself doesn't bother me, but I would suggest a different approach. Why have Josh say "This is boring"? You spite your own content for product placement? Just include a sponsor message at the beginning or end of the video and be done with it.
The actual content about suppressors is interesting still. Except that Josh kept referring to them as silencers after saying that they are actually suppressors.
at least it was creative....just saying.....
I just clicked to criticize the pathetic teacup grip in the thumbnail
3000 psi? more like 10-20k for shotguns, 20-40k for pistols and 30-60k for rifles.
+fusionstar916 he made a couple of major errors
+pvtsnoballz especially for apparently knowing how stuff works...forgetting to rehearse in front of a mirror was the smallest but the most painful to watch lol
+pvtsnoballz He does on every video, he is not qualified to be a host on a science channel.
Yea, and "Explosion"? Smokeless powders are not an explosive, they're a propellant. Black powder is an explosive but who ever heard of anyone trying to suppress a black powder firearm? IDK, but maybe a potato gun is 3,000 psi.
did he put a surpressor on a revolver?
Believe it or not, the Mosin 1895 revolver is able to be used with a suppressor. Through a complex mechanism, the chamber is pushed forwards, pressing the cartridge against the barrel, thus creating a seal, forcing almost ALL the gas down the barrel instead of letting it out between the frame and the cylinder.
wow, did not know that. thx
It still didn't have a hammer, lol.
+Liam C. I'm waiting for you to realize I was talking about the graphic in the video, which clearly has no visible hammer. I'm fully aware of how a wheelgun looks, and operates.
Also, calm your shit. None of those insults were necessary.
It does have a hammer, and it's called the Nagant 1895
A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and the recoil, when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, by modulating the speed and pressure of the propellant gas from the muzzle
I'm pretty sure that's called sub-sonic ammo
It is sub sonic.
For the record, .45 ACP is very common with suppressors because that is a sub-sonic round naturally. Most .45 ammo is sub-sonic.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP
You have no idea what the FUCK you are talking about. They are called sub pressure rounds. Fucking pleb.
Viccy Que
i don't know this kind of stuff, i just remember hearing that sub-sonic ammo travels slower than a normal round making it quieter
D.lake you're right. They're not "sub pressure rounds," that dude's stupid.
he looks like he hates his life..
Edit: thanks for the 2.7k likes
"I want to die"
"i'll put a suppressor in my gun so nobody listens how i shoot myself"
thats the joke
Randy Marsh coming from the person that named his Google account "randy marsh" fuck
Outta here
Randy Marsh (when a white person is losing an argument against a black person) 😂😂
"Some people, who you probably don't want to associate with, call cans."
I'm not sure if this was a joke or something, but it was kind of ridiculous. The vast majority of suppressor owners are lawful people who have thousands of dollars to throw around to make their guns quieter. I would know - I'm one of them :P
It was a joke.
i was just going to quote that out right now . haha
I like how you said that the only people who say silencer are those who don't know what they're talking about. Gunsmiths use the word all the time.
Most people who call them cans are Military as both of mine get called cans
He's not talking about civilians like you, hes talking about people like my dad who do stuff against the govts laws. It's called Delta force.
3000 psi? Try 18,500 psi to 35,000 psi for handguns (.45 ACP and 9mm Luger respectively).
+RaderizDorret Or Parabellum, if you want to call it that, I like to call 9MM Luger, Parabellum.
+RaderizDorret the guy in the video doesn't have a clue to what he's saying. at the beginning there is a pic of a revolver with a suppressor, 99.999% of revolvers can't be suppressed, only them mosin nagants can.
mr bad example Mosin Nagant?
You mean the Nagant 1895 revolver?
The Mosin Nagant is definetly not a revolver, it's a 5-shot bolt-action rifle.
"Marky Mark" Markus Gaming/LurkingFan4 yeah, it was late when i posted that, it's the revolver with the cylinder that locks up to the barrel before each shot. unlike standard revolvers that have a space between the cylinder and forcing cone.
mr bad example Yeah, I could guess it was something like that, I've heard that the trigger's a bit tough, at least in double action.
This video has several errors.
1. It's called a silencer not a suppressor. The official naming rights of an invention go to the inventor, not to keyboard cammandos. When Hiram Maxim invented it, he wrote "silencer" on the patent, therefore it is called a silencer regardless of its inability to completely silence the sound.
2. 20db is inaccurate. The vast majority of silencers reduce gun shots to to 95-110db range. Which is still louder than a person yelling, but at least you won't bleed from the ears without hearing protection.
3. Criminals don't use silencers. To get a silencer, you must first fill out lots of paperwork, go through extra background checks, pay extra taxes, wait 9 months for the ATF to return your letters, then IF you are approved you get to shovel out 900+ dollars to buy a single silencer. High wait times, high cost, and ATF approval are not very conducive to a life of crime. There definitely hasn't been a recorded crime committed with one in the past decade, and I would be surprised if you could find any crime committed with one since the National Firearms Act was passed in 1934.
That and what the ATF hasn't figured out quite is with a tiny bit of ingenuity, silencers can be made cheaply with things from home improvement stores. We have to pay $200 tax. But criminals can do whatever they want. I never understood gun control...
True, however if I am not mistaken breaking NFA laws carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison along with being permanently stripped of 2A rights... So you better not let the ATF find out!
3. criminals arent suposed to have guns on the first place
and on this one im not making a statement but raather a question¿is the 45 acp still over 95 decibels?
ak47modwarfare the answer to your question is "it depends"... As a general rule, the larger a silencer is, the more it reduces the sound of a gunshot. So in theory, with a big enough silencer, you could reduce the noise level to zero
Well that sucks.
20 decibels? I wish…
I think he meant reduce by 20 decibels.
@@rainnants he stats 'it drops it down to 20 decibles'
@@11Tits I know, I said I think thats his intent in his words.
Maybe with a .45 ACP in ideal conditions? 20dB still seems too quiet
The amount of mistakes in this video is pretty damn cringeworthy... and I'm not even a gun nut, I probably missed 90% of them.
+nj4ck Yeah, I AM a gun nut, this is a lot of misinformation.
+Josh Callejas Yeah, like the "people you dont want to associate with" like people that use common terms for things like "can" instead of "suppressor". Can you spot the anti-gun sentiment in this video?
***** to be fair, people who run around talking about nothing but guns all day are kind of annoying.
+United States of Embarrassment Could you point out the mistakes in the video?
Kevin D. 1. the pressure is a lot higher than 3000 psi, it's more like 30,000 psi, 2. the decibel levels were way off, as already pointed out in the annotation, 3. suppressors can actually increase bullet velocity, they do however not decrease it and do not affect accuracy, 4. the "zipping" sound is caused by tumbling ricochets, not bullets coming your way.
How many times did this fool say silencers after stating that people who say silencers are uneducated on the topic??
preference I guess, "silencers" while said feels easier to say, while "suppressors" is a little mouthy, but than again how many people grew up hearing silencers being said all the time in Movies, Games, Media, etc.
Although there is no way for sure to determine why he is saying it that way, but I chalk it up to just hearing the word silencers, sounds cooler, but being correct is also nice.
Tristan O You Sir, need a cookie for diplomacy :)
Well it's apt, because he got the main point about how effective they are at reducing volume wrong by several orders of magnitude.
silencer is the legal definition not suppressor fyi
john smith asked a question and no one answered.....well i saw the whole video for you...he said it 7 times after declaring it was suppressors.....
0:22 you don't put suppressors on revolvers XD
The escaping gas flows through behind the barrel as well
They are called both silencers and suppressors. When you fill out your form 4 (or form 1 if you're making your own) they are listed as "silencer". Pressure in a 9mm chamber is ~35,000 psi, not 3,000, and around 55,000 in a 5.56 chamber. They DO NOT make your gun whisper quiet. Not even close. You are still looking at ~125 db for most non-magnum rounds. That is as loud as a concert. Silencers also INCREASE velocity and have no effect on a rifles accuracy. Almost everything you said in this video was flat out wrong. You also acted like anyone who owns a silencer is probably an assassin, which is Hollywood nonsense.
Let's be honest... You people aren't interested in silencers. You're procrastinating!
Nonchalant Gamer there is truth in this statement
Nonchalant Gamer I have three tests in 6 hours none of which I studied for.
you are correct
Nonchalant Gamer how?
Got me!!!!! xDDD
There are so many things wrong with the information in this video.
InfuriatedHawk like what?
The fact he said it’s called a suppressor, when it really is called a silencer.
EVERYTIHING IS WRONG! SUPPRESSOR CONSTRUCTION, CHAMBER PRESSURE, AND DEFINITELY NOISE LEVELS!!!!!!!!!
Or the fact that you don’t lose power or accuracy with a suppressor. The suppressor actually increases velocity. The “losing power and accuracy” part is complete myth. Shooting a rifle suppressed stretches the max effective range of a round. Not by a massive amount. It depends on the caliber, rifle, particular load, and the specific suppressor. But around 50-100 yards is a reasonable generalization. More velocity should also, in theory, mean better accuracy. There are many factors that play into all of this, so it’s hard to be so absolute about it. But it is absolutely incorrect to say suppressors cause firearms to have less power and accuracy.
bitch don't say your shitty opinion until you prove it.
With the best suppressors and subsonic ammo the quietest it can get is around 115 decibels which is perfectly safe with no ear protection but saying you can quiet a gun down to 20 decibels is a fantasy no where near reality
Agreed he has gotten a lot wrong
The tone is what matters. Maybe he means that what we can hear is 20 decibels and the rest is inaudible. Or maybe he's a dickhead with a mosquitos asshair for a brain.
TheMixmastamike1000 really? I've shot a .308 Remington 700 with a suppressor and subsonic handloads. Shooting at a steel.plate 100 yards away. Pretty much "0" muzzle report and you could actually hear the firing pin strike the primer and the steel riding like a bell. I'd honestly say you could have shot an Airworthiness rifle next to it and the Airworthiness would be loud in comparison. Also my buddy has a 9" ar15 sbr in 300 blk and with an sac 7.62 suppressor. Its not completely silent but running subsonic ammo it sounds like a small child's sneeze. The buffer and spring on the other hand is loud. I'd say its easilly under 100db
Maybe 20 decibels reduction lol
vin 950 i watched the same earlier today, lol, maybe if he got a new pillow or rotated the same it would have been with the same tone
1.) There's only one fairly rare revolver (the gun at the beginning) that can be suppressed due to the cylinder gap of revolvers. 2.) Try more like 120db for subsonic rounds other than .22LR. Hearing loss can occur at around 85db. 3.) the Official term by the FBI is "silencer" and yes the FBI knows what they're talking about. 4.) Some actions, hammers (or strikers, since apparently this channel doesn't know they exist), or other mechanical party make far more than 20db
+William Lee lmfao so true!
+William Lee Several people have suppressed Nagant revolvers because the cylinder moves forward to close the gap. A suppressed custom Dan Wesson was used in an assassination attempt on Idi Amin. It had an adjustable cylinder gap.
+The Chopping Block The nagant was the one I was referring to, and I meant production pistol. The point is that almost all silenced or silencable weapons are automatics
+William Lee True. Revolvers can be suppressed, but it is more complicated.
+The Chopping Block And expensive haha
I appreciated this guys demeanour, his chill character and humour is rad!
Also you can't use a silencer on a revolver. The gap between the cylinder and the barrel still allows gasses to escape at supersonic speeds
Peter Dvornik Awww...
Peter Dvornik Awww...
You can on the Nagant Revolver.
Right hahaha
Peter Dvornik In addition to the Nagant mentioned above, a customized Dan Wesson revolver was used in an assassination attempt on Idi Amin. The Dan Wesson was used because it had a quick change barrel that was easily modified to adjust the cylinder gap to nearly nothing.
I've been in the firearm world for quite some time now and I own a number of silencers and a common nomenclature for a silencer is calling it a "Can" and there's nothing wrong with it...just easier to say versus silencer. As someone who is a manufacturer, and has also been actively in the industry for the past 4 years and growing, I will tell you guys that there are a few other inconsistencies with this video. The big thing, is that while suppressor is another common term in the nomenclature for a silencer, suppressor is in fact the wrong term due to original copywrite and the fact that the NFA branch of the BATFE sees any kind of gun muffler as a silencer and that's the correct term as such. Accuracy and power are not decreased with silencers. Any time you thread on a silencer or attach it to a firearm you are lessening the felt recoil and muzzle flip. Also silencers do not slow down the gasses behind the bullet. Once the bullet clears the barrel, and starts to enter the blast chamber and baffle system, then the gasses begin to expand, cool down, and slow down. Saami spec pressure which is the standard that ammunition for a factory load is aimed at achieving is much greater than 3000 psi. The common 9mm handgun round will have a chamber pressure of over 35,000 psi. Exiting the silencer for subsonic ammunition I couldn't tell you as I don't have a way to measure that pressure. Silencers also with the correct host and depending on the caliber will perform much much better than 130 db's. Some .22 rimfire silencers will reduce the sound signature down to 115 db's. which is not whisper quiet, but it's extremely quiet. 140 db's is the threshold of hearing damage as noted from OSHA, and the best 5.56 rifle cans will bring you down to just below that, and that's due to the super sonic loads breaking the sound barrier. An okay representation of silencers, but there is quite a bit of misinformation in the video. Cheers.
OrignalRecipe92 Pressure data, as well as spectrum analysis of some somewhat dated designs (except for one German WWII design that actually looks like K-baffles) can be found in Frankford Arsenal's 1968 "Silencers: Principles and Evaluations". It was one of my references back when I did form 1 cans.
Joseph DiFusco Spot on man, I'll have to check it out.
I like how this channel just gives random facts that you would never really think about unless someone mentioned it 👊🏽💯
Even better than calling them suppressors, we should start calling them "Hearing Safety Attachments", or HSA. After all, the Salvo 12 6" suppressor on my buddy's KSG only reduces the volume to 140dB, which per OSHA is the limit to where permanent hearing damage occurs. In other words, its still VERY loud, but at least you won't cause lifelong permanent damage to your hearing.
So in self-defense, it makes sense for absolutely everyone (especially in home defense if firing indoors which makes it even louder by reflecting off walls) to use a suppressor, or HSA. Otherwise, you run the risk of being quite disoriented especially in the dark from the bright flash of the gun and the huge pressure wave that can leave you partially deaf for a while with ringing in your ears. Yet the government has regulated a gun safety device to protect the shooter as some kind of nonsensical assassin tool that no one would need, thanks to the movies.
You forgot to add the part that explains how gun silencers work
Nope. It explains what causes the noise but not how the supressor supresses it
+Ste Richards baffles in the can help dissipate the pressure
literally the entire video explained it
Fun Fact #1, within a suppressor there are loads of foam rings space out to allow to sound of the bullet passing through the gun to be chambered within the suppressor.
#2 Americans have actually made silencers for tanks and artillery vehicles. They look like water towers mounted on an angle. The tank can stick its battle through the end of it and fire at long range targets!
I'm not a professional but I'm pretty sure this dude is sponsored by a razor company
+artardFTW I actually think he did a really good job with the ad. I laughed at it.
spinseffing I'm not saying he didn't but (haven't seen the video since I commented) but isn't like a huge chunk of video time eatn by a razor ad? lol
+artardFTW Yeah, the company we were working for at the time was really keen on us doing ads in our videos. We're glad that our current company doesn't ask us to do that.
Yes I want to be associated with people who call suppressors CANS
Yeah, some gun people do call them cans
***** who, me?
I don't even get what he meant by that. Like what the hell do you mean?
I loved this and now I understand silencers better. Thanks Josh!
Bullshit. The title says "How Do Gun *Silencers* Work?" but later the guy says it's not a "silencer" but a "suppressor". Like honestly what the fuck.
That's you're complaint? Wow
+William Medrez My complaint is that you spell "your" as "you're".
+CapnTates I eat your people
+Ernest Chui™ (ernestcmh) its so that people who only know suppressors as being called silencers will watch the video
Rude Dog Better than you, you refer yourself as a dog.
What the heck is up with this comment section? You're taking this *WAY* too seriously for a simple introduction to sound suppressors. He's basically right in what sound suppressors are and what they do, and sure he messed up a bit of the terminology and a few of his jokes missed - but that doesn't mean he's under-intelligent.
Sounds to me like people are more upset because he sounds and acts a bit off - instead of actually listening to what he's talking about...
It’s 2:30 am and I was just like oh I wonder how silencers work
This guy is obsessed with putting ads in the middle of his content. I listen to him on a podcast called stuff you should know and they take tons of ad breaks. It's annoying. I don't like being pandered to and he should know that since he did a whole 2 part podcast on ads. The man does everything he knows viewers hate. I unsubscribed bc I can't stand someone who lies in order to make money. I have Harry's razors and they suck. They tear my face up. I have a Casper mattress and it's not comfortable and doesn't stay cool. I've tried blue apron and it ok at best but expensive. Your ads are false representation of the product bc you get stuff for free and get paid to lie. Do NOT contribute to them on patreon.
The choice to put ads in shows like this, and Stuff You Should Know, comes from the people who run the company that we work for -- HowStuffWorks. (When we created this video in particular, we were owned by Discovery Communications, and the sales team there dictated that we include this ad. We weren't happy about it.)
Because we offer all of our video and audio shows completely free of charge to our viewers and listeners, we use ads to make the money we need to continue making shows. Our hosts do not decide how many ad breaks go in their shows, nor what products and services are advertised, nor even the language that they use in their ads. I can't speak for Josh, but we've been in meetings together about our company's ad policies and I can say that he's consistently been a strong advocate for keeping what ads are necessary minimal, honest, and straightforward.
But all of that is clarification. Of course, we know that there are lots of great shows out there, and we respect your choice to tune in to whatever you like. Thanks for the feedback.
(As far as I know, neither SYSK nor Josh himself have Patreon accounts.)
You know a simple fix. ad fucking block
How about this then you make the video and don't put ads on it.
Well I must say that he didn't really put it in the middle of his video. It was at the end of the video.
Chris Lee thank god I have hacked you tube red
hey what up guys it's scarce
Hey what's up guys, it's scarce here
Hey what's up guys, scarce here
My name is kakakiller keeemstaaaar
Benny Forman ohhh fuck of you
ohhhh I get it.
because he's boring
dude.. very funny and well done. love the ad in the middle of your video. These guys just dont get your subtle humor. Well done.
I lost brain cells listining to this guy talk my god
FluFFy ToasterZ If your avatar is the after picture, you must have lost a ton of brain cells.
Al3x yeah ive turned a wee but retarded now i can hardly do basic math
FluFFy ToasterZ lol
FluFFy ToasterZ did you have any to begin with?
***** no not really
can you explain why it reduces accuracy ? I heard it was lengthening the barrel so a standard bullet would go faster and more accurate than one without a suppressor because it there's more pressure in the silencer than in air. Or maybe you meant that it reduces accuracy and impact because you have to use slower bullets ?
It is called subsonic ammunition. And yes this is why suppressors arent that accurate. Also, it is still loud mind you even with suppressor.
if you use superonic ammo it actually increases accuracy
+SE B not exactly. If your uses subsonic loads just know your transonic ballistics and same going for a "normal" or hot load. Accuracy is achieved via good load data, knowing what ammo runs smooth and consistency. That's it
Depends on if you are talking about the original silencers, or modern suppressors. Modern ones don't reduce accuracy, they increase it. Putting a suppressor on the end of the barrel dampens the oscillation in the barrel when the round is fired, this will tighten your groups because there is less movement in the barrel when the bullet exits the muzzle. It also increases gas pressure which will increase velocity, decreasing bullet drop over a given distance. The original silencers did decrease velocity and accuracy because instead of using metal baffles that don't touch the bullet, they used wipes that the bullet squeezed through. Squeezing through the wipes slowed the bullets down via friction, and knocked them off course making them less accurate.
You don't have to use subsonic rounds just because you put a suppressor on the gun. At a given distance, subsonic rounds require more holdover and are more effected by wind than supersonic rounds, so its harder for the shooter to be as accurate with subsonic rounds, but they aren't inherently less accurate within their useful range.
I think the back greenscreen was selected for editing... but it's left unedited until the upload
again with the commercials? screw you guys, I'll get my intelligent stuff from Scishow... at least I can be the president of space
"I'm so jaded, I have to listen 4:00 minutes of uninterupted information, and have the option to close the video while there's advertisement. Woe is me"
Get over it..."If you're good at something never do it for free" and yet here these videos are, for us, well produced, well informed, often funny, and for free and all we have to put up with is a 1 minute ad at the END that we can ignore. Way to support them...
Urb4n0Ninj4 I cannot said it better !
OH NO!!! they put an advertisement at the *end* of the video! What ever shall we do?
JellybellyWaffles Dude, stepping all over what I just said :P
I'll watch other youtube videos where my Ad-Block have an effect... you guys keep watching all the commercials you want
this guy's joke and acting skills are cringy af
But it's kind of good though. Like so cringy that it kind of becomes funny.
and the way he talks, its like a dumb guy talking about science youre really not sure if theres validity in what he is saying.
I'd rather watch him than an overly enthusiastic PewDiePie.
you didnt watch the whole video. he explained himself doing this... so stfu
I thought that was the funniest, most clever, transition to an ad...hey, he's gotta pay them bills too! Thanks for the video...
ya the firing pin lights the gun powder. No the firing pin ignights the primer that lights the gun powder.
Are you saying the the firing pin does or doesn't ignite the primer, it's hard to understand due to your grammar.
yes the firing pin ignights/starts the primer.
people don't use grammar on TH-cam comments there's no point in it.
GalaxyOutcast thank you
Cap'nwhoopanigga it really isn't
They think they know what they're talking about but they have a picture of a revolver on the thumbnail with a suppressor on it.
Yeah because you can put one on a revolver, so....
*****
A Suppressor on a revolver is USELESS. Unless you get an AIR tight fit between the drum and the barrel, you won't suppress a large amount of the sound anyway. From memory I can only think of one revolver doing it,(the Nagant)
it still can done
Nukedk The Nagant M1895 Revolver uses a unique, proprietary cartridge where the case goes over the bullet, which creates a gas seal upon firing. Other suppressed revolvers (I can think of three others!) are also exceptional highly exotic designs very different from what people know as revolvers, and none fire the common revolver cartridges. Also the silhouette in the video is not a Nagant.
OMG your product placement was HILARIOUS!
why are his hands so much lighter than his arms ?
Tanning marks
A lot of hair
infamous joker It's called Vitiligo
+Tha Botmon dude, both my grandma and my best friend have vitiligo and it sticks out more than it does on him.
Mista Koops But, it is in fact Vitiligo. Don't believe me just do a Google Images search for the word "Vitiligo" and you can see that most of the images are of skin decoloration of the hands. Also I already had a teacher who had the same thing as the guy in the video, so trust me IT IS Vitiligo...
Why did you say that you wouldn't want to associate with someone who refers to them as cans?
That was a joke.
In case the joke went over your head, someone who refers to a suppressor as a "can" or "suppressor can" more than likely has enough experience using them to have a casual name for them.
As in he could potentially be a hitman or an assassin.
*facepalms*
That's completely untrue. I've owned suppressors for years. Actually being in the firearms industry myself, can is the more commonly used term. I would stray away from making jokes that have no real basis.
kyler lunman Nobody said it was a particularly funny or accurate joke.
For those who would like some more info:
The hammer dropping is really not a sound that anybody concerned with sound suppression considers. First off, many modern firearms don't have hammers, but strikers. The gun shown with the hammer was a revolver, which has a gap between the chamber and the barrel that will allow the high pressure gasses to escape, thus diminishing efficacy of a suppressor. Semi-Automatics, when fired, generally have only one place for the gas to escape, which is through the barrel. The striking of the primer by a striker or firing pin is rarely louder than the report of a firearms, even when suppressed. However, the recoil has to cycle the action, which usually means the slide moving rearward at a high velocity, disengaging with barrel lugs, ejecting the spent case, then returning to battery while stripping another round from the magazine and chamberiing the round. This makes a sound that is, by far, louder than engaging the sear alone. I have met people who actually have slide stops that can be engaged so that the gun will not cycle, thus eliminating the noise from the cycling. But in any case, the "first sound" that can't be helped is not really the hammer, but the cycling of the action.
Also, 100-130 dB is quite loud, just not likely to damage hearing in small amounts. To give you an idea, a gas powered mower tends to produce about 100 dB, and live rock music is up between 120 and 130 dB. Many people who shoot suppressed will still use ear protection, especially if shooting suppressed rifles.
And, if you have read this far, here is a fun fact: suppressors can be more effective by running them "wet." This means putting a small amount liquid (often wire pulling lube or just water) into the suppressor, which absorbs heat from the gasses, cooling them off and lowing the pressure.
So, why did you keep calling it a silencer after explaining that it wasn't?
rip csgo usp sound
ripperino
Cyka blyat. Rush b
1 month later everyone forgets about it and used to the new sound and one one is complaining
***** oh its not about being used to them. We don't like them. But we are used to the bad sound. "it is realistic" I never heard gun sounds like these in a shooter like cod and rainbow six siege.
I think the actual reduction is 20db not down to 20db. Remember the Decibel scale is logarithmic so each 10 increment is 10 times. A 120db sound is therefore 100 times as loud as a 100db. Size matters and you can't fool physics. An un muffled truck engine is in the 160db range, and it takes a very large muffler to reduce it to an acceptable 60-80db range. To equivalently suppress (muffle) a 160db gun shot takes an approximately same size device. But, James Bond putting essentially a truck muffler on the end of his PPK, does not fit into director's concept, so the little thimble sized prop on end of his pistol conveniently has shot noise altered by the sound editor.
Why not associate with people who call them cans? We're normal people just like you
+Brian Madsen That was a joke.
+BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks... so was the rest of the video...
+pilchard moment boy you got him good there
Dank
Brian Madsen m
at 1:45min the projectile comes out WITH the damn shell!! logic fail
probably so it's easily recognized for the slower people watching
Robert Wood ass
:D
That sponsor portion was brilliant.
I'm more terrified of this guy's white ass hands, what's going on with those things?
LOL i didnt even notice
like a newborn
Seems extra white due to the contrast against the hair on his arms...but thanks for making me unable to stop staring.
wow, sorry Jay, I didn't realize that he had his hands so far up your lilly white ass.
Jay Zenitram I'm your 2nd sub yay!!!
I was actually pretty engrossed until the Razor talk. I ALMOST subscribed until I realized I didnt want to CONSTANTLY hear about useless razors! I"m Hairy. FUCK Razors......
If it helps, we stopped doing in-video ads about two years ago.
BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks
How come I still saw Razor crap?!?!?
This video was produced while our company was making us do ads in our videos. We don't put ads in our new videos, but we can't change the old ones.
The Guitar Whisperer
WHY!!!!!!!!!
Never thought I'd like a commercial.
Superbowl material for sure
This seemed a lot longer than 4 minutes...
Exactly 50 seconds longer...
They call them silencers on the official class III paperwork.
Supressors dont actually reduce power, they increase power and range due to the extended reach of the barrel, but accuracy does decrease.
I see what you did there. Slipping that ad in towards the end. Shame on you.
Two questions. 1) The integrated advertisement was clear and obvious, how could we not see what they did, how was it "slipped in"? 2) Why the hell do you think it's shameful? Ok, third question 3) Do you know what shame means? :P 4) Do you understand that it's not 10,000 years ago right? That we've discovered agriculture and we no longer live in small groups?
5) Please pleasantly surprise me,dumbass :D
I have an answer to all of your questions; your face is gay
Wow...the fail is epic with this video. It's like having a blind person describe Starry Night to you while it is behind protective glass.
Lmao
I forgot which company made them, but the first generation of suppressors were advertised as "silencers"
*Says it's called a suppressor not a silencer*
*Proceeds to call it a silencer*
He also stated that people who called them silencers don't know what they're talking about, but he still calls the suppressors, silencers.
Aye , hence he was informing you that he was wholly uneducated in this venue . Translation = he was telling you he was a dumbass with no knowledge of what he was talking about - aka - ignorant
I'd like to know what kind of suppressor you're talking about that reduced 160 Db to 20... Some of the best-rated suppressors on market advertize a reduction in sound of 120-130 Db, ie you're still going to want hearing protection.
130 dB is the maximum safe threshold for sound impulses. A continuous 125 dB sound will very quickly cause hearing damage, but a suppressed firearm shot at 125 dB is considered safe. You will see certain suppressors advertised as being "hearing-safe" -- what this means is that they will drop the sound level down below 130 dB with the appropriate ammunition recommended by the manufacturer, allowing you to safely shoot without hearing protection.
You still of course need proper eye protection when firing a gun with a "hearing-safe" suppressor, you just don't need hearing protection.
*****
I said "want". Just because it doesn't cause permanent damage doesn't mean its not bloody annoying. Many people still choose to wear ears despite having a suppressor on their rifle/ handgun. Reference 'Silencerco' - /watch?v=T3dK6lcsEog
Silencer is a legal term. Suppressors don't affect accuracy so much as they may slightly shift the point of impact. But once a weapon is zeroed with the suppressor mounted, impact shift is moot as precision can still be consistently achieved. In fact a suppressor may actually increase accuracy as a side effect of increased velocity.
Firing a subsonic round that isnt tuned to a given suppressor may actually give a bullet a slight velocity boost over the sonic threshold and the crack will be heard.
pretty hard to suppress the sound significantly and still have an effective weapon
note, it does not explode like he says gun powder is non explosive, what it actually does is burn rapidly causing pressure that forces the bullet out and the bang is from the pressure hitting the outside air and expanding rapidly
Liam Teetzel Um, what do you mean gun powder is a non-explosive? Gun powder is considered a chemical explosive. However, it's considered a low explosive, meaning that gun powder burns at subsonic speeds. Additionally, what you described is literally the definition of an explosion.
Propellant. Gunpowder is propellant. Also guns don't use gunpowder anymore they use various chemical compound propellant
Okay video, some comments though.
1. They are actually called silencers, the word is a noun and a legal term used in the US Code.
2. Cartridge pressure is much more than 3000 psi, as high as 60,000 for the 5.56.
3. Nothing wrong with calling a silencer a can.
4. Some guns will produce noise at 160 decibels, many are much louder.
5. The claim is made that a silencer will reduce a 160 dB noise to 20 dB; Actually it will reduce noise by 20-30 decibels. Even a 22lr with subsonic ammo will still be about 110 dB.
6. Power is not given up with a silencer as they work just as well with standard ammo and some standard ammo is normally subsonic.
Its not the ad thats annoying, its how they put the ad in. See, youtube puts ads before the whole video starts. BrainStuff randomly sneaks in an ad as the video is going on. Completely obnoxious. This is the second time, it only gets worse. I'm unsubscribing. :)
But the product placement gets them money from all the viewers and you could skip it anyways if you wanted to
called suppressors, but puts silencers in the title...
D4DDYFTS K that’s because the average person is unaware that they are called suppressors. If you know that they are called suppressors then you most likely already know how it works therefore you won’t search for a video like this. The average person will type “How a silencer works” if they want to find out how suppressors work thus giving him more views....
@@bagahbreadtm8857 they're called both since the first patient is for a Silencer not suppressor.
I'm a Hitman and this helped me a lot! Now I can keep my arms quieter!
😂
0:38 or you're a hunter who wants to track an animal without ruining their hearing
Pretty much everyone who has actually used a suppressor calls them "cans." Including military veterans..... so....
Look up "Demolition Ranch Suppressors" if you actually want to learn about this.
So many problems, but i will address the most glaring - You forgot about the action of the gun cycling (he shows a suppressor on a revolver, which is just liberal retardation) on a semi-auto. the action cycling is metal slamming on metal, and is loud on some guns. On a .22 or other very light gun, this sound is very quiet. So a .22 being shot with a suppressor, on a bolt action, using sub-sonic ammo will be virtually silent.
Funny how the original PATENT calls it a SILENCER...this guy is obviously well informed. *rolls eyes*
I was searching for how to play a Silencer (Dota). This is kind of accurately telling how it works.
I hope that the Hearing Protection Act passes.
Great video. Funny dry humor and educational science. I enjoyed it.
A revolver with a supressor? Ok...
***** yup. The reason why the Nagants could be suppressed is that the cartridge uses a recessed bullet design. The bullet is actually INSIDE the casing with the lips of the casing extending well forward.. The cylinder also actuate forward towards the chamber when the trigger is pulled. This forward actuation actually allows the lip of the shell casing to move into the chamber, causing a seal similar to that of an auto-pistol eliminating the gap that revolvers typically have.
i was also wondering why they used a revolver animation lol when only the 1895 Nagant is able to , its called how stuff works i figured they would also say why a revolver couldnt be suppressed besides that one.
nagant revolver
what if I hold pillow in front of gun barrel? will it work as silencer?
great.... is ur dick still safe
You absolutely could. Easy to find on the interwebs
I have tried it, yes it works
Umm.... Kind of? The pillow would somewhat muffle the sound, but remember the bang of a gun is pretty loud. So, it wouldn't do much. Additionally, a suppressor contains specific engineering that allows the bullet to pass through it as if it were just part of the gun. Not to mention, there would be no real seal with your pillow, so the gas expanding would still make that loud bang anyways.
no
The pressure is MUCH greater than 3000 psi, relatively hot loads of 9mm push around 30,000 psi. And suppressors usually bring the sound down to around 120-130 decibels. If you've ever been around one, you'd know it's still exceptionally loud. With most suppressed cartridges, you're still on the border of having to wear ear protection.
What if somebody made a 2 foot supressor? Would that take all of the noise away?
Interesting question. I don't think it would take all the noise away, but by giving the gas more room to expand it might help a little. Maybe we can research this for a future episode.
put a 2 foot supressor on a gun and watch your bullet just plop out
Derazik Rants the supressor does nothing to slow the bullet, if it is made within tolerances the bullet never contacts the supressor.
+Ravener96 suppressors dont slow the bullet down but you have to use subsonic rounds for the suppressor to actually do its job. The subsonic ammo is slower than the normal bullets... Just wanted to point that out.
BF3VsBlackOpsII the supressor does it's job fine with supersonic ammo, people just dont understand what it's job actually is. it only limits the sound from the actual gasses. it doesent limit the sonic boom from the bullet.
that is really useful in firefights as your position is harder to identify.
0:40 "they're actually not called silencers, that's what people who don't know what they're talking about calls them"
Proceeds to call them silencers the rest of the video.
sscswimmer1 fitting because he obviously didn’t know what he was talking about
Is this a good place to mention that 'silencer' is the patent name of the first suppressor. 😀
@@derekgargan5080 it doesn't matter, the correct term is suppressors, since they only suppress the sound a little bit.
Errors-
1. "silencer" was actually the term first coined for this contraption by the first developer. while suppressor is a linguistically more accurate term for what it actually does, silencer is still an acceptable term. one could call it either/or and be correct.
2. correct that a gunshot is about 160 dB, but most suppressors commonly available cannot take a gunshot all the way down to 20 dB. the suppressor I own is rated by the manufacturer to reduce a gunshot by 30 dB, down to about 130 dB. 130 DB is much safer to shoot without wearing hearing protection, but it's still loud enough that you could not get away with firing a gun without being noticed, as is commonly depicted in movies.
3. modern gunpowder doesn't explode, it burns, much like gasoline in the cylinder of an engine. exploding, or "detonation", would damage the cylinder of the engine, or the chamber of the firearm. when the primer ignites the powder in a cartridge, it burns evenly, albeit very rapidly, from back to front, producing the expanding gases that propel the bullet.
They are called suppressors.
+Team6OWG
They can be called either. The guy that invented them dubbed his creation the silencer, and it was called that for years until tacticool mall ninjas went around correcting everyone's terminology on every goddamn thing.... Its not as definitive as the clip vs magazine meaning where theres a clear difference.
+Team6OWG Suppressors silencers cans iv heard them all and got the idea...people that actually use or deal with them, Spec ops, CIA, FBI, ETC.... call them cans so yea..
+Team6OWG The FBI calls them silencers. This guy got EVERYTHING wrong.
I prefer suppressors since silencers sounds like it makes no sound like shooting in a vacuum with laser beams
+Team6OWG The inventor, Hiram Percy Maxim, actually called them silencers. He also invented the automobile muffler, which is exactly the same technology. In fact, I find the best way to describe how firearms suppressors/silencers work is to just explain them as mufflers for guns. While "suppressor" is a more technically accurate description of what a "silencer" actually does, both terms are acceptable. It's not nearly as much of a fopaux in the gun community as using the terms "clip" and "magazine" interchangeably. At least when someone says "silencer", gun enthusiasts know for certain what you're talking about.