The muffler becomes... a suppressor
Shot from the film "Va-bank" - a crime comedy directed by Juliusz Machulsky, 1981
– Do you know what it is?
- Silencer.
“Agree, or add a revolver to it?”
- Silencer.
“Agree, or add a revolver to it?”
Weapon and firms. Some time ago, a discussion arose at VO about what a weapon suppressor is and whether it should be called more traditionally, namely: “silent (and) flameless firing device (PBBS); as well as a silent firing device or a flameless firing device, PBS; colloquially "silencer"). In all cases, we are talking about a muzzle mechanical device for small arms, the purpose of which is to attenuate the sound of a shot. In addition, it also hides the muzzle flame, which is useful, since the latter unmasks the shooter and attracts the attention of the enemy. The PBBS is attached to the barrel of the weapon, but it can also be an integrated part of the weapon itself.
I don’t know how anyone, but both the abbreviation PBBS and the set of words “silent firing and flameless firing device” have no comparison in terms of information content with the word “suppressor”. And why write a lot of words when it's easier to write just one. The topic, however, turned out to be very, very interesting, so today we’ll talk about the suppressors of modern firearms.
Drawing from the article "Silent guns" ("Sytin's Military Encyclopedia"; 1911
We should start with the fact that devices that reduce the volume of a shot have been talked about for a very long time. For example, Sytin's Military Encyclopedia wrote about them in 1911. But then the concern for reducing the volume of the shot was considered excessive. Well, who then especially cared about the comfort of a soldier? You think it will go a little deaf, what's the matter? True, silencers for pistols and the Nagant revolver nevertheless spread. But they took root mainly among gangsters and secret agents.
Frame from the movie "All In" 1981. Where our Russian (as well as Polish) Nagant revolver with a silencer on the barrel is shown. It was impossible to put a silencer on all revolvers of a different design!
The muffler today is usually made of a hollow metal tube made of steel, aluminum or even titanium with expansion chambers. They are usually cylindrical and are attached to the muzzle of a pistol, rifle, or even a machine gun. Such an installation requires the barrel of the firearm to be threaded to accept a silencer.
Another type is the "integrated silencer", which usually consists of an expansion chamber or chambers surrounding the barrel, not bolted to it, as in a conventional silencer, but attached directly to it. The barrel has openings or "ports" through which gases are vented into these chambers. Since this type of silencer is part of the firearm, any maintenance or cleaning of the silencer requires the weapon to be at least partially disassembled.
A traditional pistol silencer looks like this...
Another type of silencer has inside special porous "wipe" liners made of light plastic, neoprene or other material, built into the inside of the cylinder, with which the bullet comes into contact as it passes through the silencer so that they essentially "wipe" the bullet as it passes through the silencer. passes through them. Each "napkin" slows down the expansion of hot gas and muzzle flash. These mufflers are very effective, but as you can imagine, they require regular maintenance and a large number of "spare parts".
And this is what it looks like from the inside!
Mufflers with baffles inside are structurally simpler. They are usually round metal partitions that separate the pipe into numerous expansion chambers. Each baffle has a hole in the center to allow the bullet to pass through the silencer, exit the barrel, and hit its intended target. The hole is usually 1 mm larger than the caliber of the bullet for which the suppressor is designed to minimize the risk of the bullet hitting the baffle in what is called a "baffle hit".
So complex in their profile "partitions" inside the muffler are needed in order to make the powder gases "interfer" with each other and dampen their speed. Less speed - quieter the sound of a shot!
The number, shape, and diameter of baffles can be quite complex with each manufacturer, with each manufacturer claiming to have "the quietest muffler". In any case, they are trying to equip all the latest models of small arms with suppressors, so that their production is becoming more and more profitable.
Radical Defense suppressor for M240 machine gun
Both of these types of silencers reduce the noise of the shot by slowing down the rapidly expanding gases ejecting the bullet, while cooling them in hollow chambers. Entrained gas exits the muffler over a much longer time compared to simply exiting the barrel, and exits at a much slower rate and produces less noise.
One of the company's workshops
Silencers vary in design, size and effectiveness, some have even been made disposable. For example, in the 80s, the US Navy developed such a disposable silencer for a 9mm pistol. It was rated for six rounds with standard ammunition, or 30 rounds with subsonic (less than the speed of sound) ammunition.
There is even a suppressor designed for use with the incredibly powerful .50 caliber cartridge. This is a truly amazing design at 20 inches long and 3 inches in diameter!
It is on such complex machines that parts for weapons are now being produced!
Today, devices that reduce the volume of a shot are at the same time a muzzle brake, and not only eliminate muzzle flash, but also reduce recoil when fired. And such and such a device is called a suppressor, while they are put not only on machine guns, but also on machine guns. And one of the problems with using silencers on machine guns is that they are much more prone to heat build-up than machine guns themselves.
In 2019, the United States put forward a requirement for a silencer that could withstand the firing of a belt of 600 rounds of an M240 machine gun. In response, the American company Radical Defense, which specializes in the development of such devices, has developed a silencer specially designed for use with this particular machine gun.
Radical Defense is a state-of-the-art CNC manufacturer using state-of-the-art technology
They took the concept of forced air cooling from the Lewis machine gun and integrated it into their silencer. Inside the cylinder there are partitions, but they are next to the hollow channels that run along its entire length. The muzzle blast from the shot pulls cold outside air through these channels from back to front and thus cools the entire device. Interestingly, as soon as the temperature of the suppressor cylinder reaches 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature difference between the internal and external environment creates the effect of forced air supply without any firing, which dramatically increases the cooling rate of the suppressor body.
During testing, it was found that a burst of 600 rounds heats it (specifically the 7,62mm version on the M240) to 1°F, but after 565 minutes its temperature drops to 10°F. After another 484 minutes, the temperature drops to ambient temperature.
Most of their people are employed in the warehouse, where finished products are packed for shipment to customers.
Radical Defense chose an exceptionally high temperature alloy for this suppressor. It contains more than 50% nickel with a significant proportion of cobalt. This allows its body to withstand the extremely high temperatures that occur during prolonged firing. The suppressor housing is fabricated using laser sintering, allowing all the complex geometries of silencer baffles and cooling passages to be formed without the insanely complex machining or welding fixtures that traditional manufacturing processes would require. This is a great example of using 3D printing technology to create the internal geometry of a device that would have been impossible just a few years ago.
One of the latest developments in this area: US Patent Curtis Proske US20140262604A1
The initial design was developed for the 7,62 mm caliber for the M240 machine gun. There is a 5,56mm version for the M249. A version for the 12,7mm M2 is still in development. The disadvantages of this suppressor include significant cost and weight (for example, the 5,56 mm version weighs about a kilogram). However, Radical is already developing a second generation of suppressor for both calibers.
The main thing here is to come up with a partition that is more pozakovyristee!
The company declares its commitment to putting the most advanced developments in this area into the hands of soldiers and law enforcement agencies. And what is interesting is that what began as an idea to eliminate sound effects dangerous to hearing, over time turned into innovative solutions to a whole range of problems of modern weapons. However, the main task is still to combat the excessive volume of the shot. Although weapon heat signatures, user-serviceability, durability and reliability are just some of the challenges that today's developments in the suppressor require.
PS
For the design of the material used photos from the site of the company Radical Defense.
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