sound-muffling chamber for indoor range?

Attached to the firearm? If it quiets it at all, it's by (legal) definition a suppressor.

What might work well enough is a few baffles on the ceiling and/or walls of the range, and a muzzle brake like that on the 'Krinkov' SBR AK's that directs sound forward instead of back at you.

As long as it is not attached to the gun is it ok...just rather inefficiency. I take it you are talking about a box with baffles the the muzzle is in when you fire.

You could line the room with "egg crate" foam like recording studios and radio control rooms use. That would greatly lessen the noise. You don't need to shoot lead ammo indoors though.

Or this!

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/10/16/worlds-largest-gun-suppressor/

rc

i could have sworn ive seen something akin to a "bench mounted 'suppressor'"


if i recall it was something like a 55gal drum with the ends cut off, and baffeling or sound proofing inside......

and you have the muzzle of the barrel inside this contraption and you shoot through it like normal......

I have played around with a 3' piece of 3" PVC pipe with a cap on the near end. Drill a 1" hole in the cap for the muzzle and sandbag the whole thing to the bench when sighting in. I did it for a Browning BAR 300 win mag with a muzzle break. That SOB was the loudest thing I've ever shot, even with ear plugs. It made mule deer that were a long way off fall down quickly though.

I'd heard stories of a guy who lined up a bunch of old tires and shot through them being hassled by the BATFE for having a suppressor.

Probably just urban legend, as there are various test fire devices marketed to gunsmiths where you stick the muzzle in and shoot. I don't think these need the $200 stamp.

this isnt quite the example i was thinking of......but this is close enough


http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10240

I'd be careful with that and test it thoroughly - this is from a quick google search for "flammable foam":

What makes mattresses extremely flammable? Polyurethane foam for one. And a lot of it. Most contain this petroleum based material known by some fire experts as "solid gasoline". ... Polyurethane foam has some chemicals which share the same combustion rating as kerosene and gasoline

Click to expand...

chhodge69
I'd be careful with that and test it thoroughly - this is from a quick google search for "flammable foam":

Click to expand...

I recall a gun writer commenting about unburned powder building up in a baffle he built then one day a big flash. Even if it nonflammable be sure to clean any accumulations out on a regular basis.

Still, that is one sexy shooting shed. You could swap out the foam for fiberglass insulation.

Well, I have heard that grabbing a potato and sticking it over the muzzle of the gun will greatly reduce the noise. You will probably need a scope though. And it may be illegal.

I had some old pegboard a couple 58" peices of 1x8 nailed to gether in to a 7 3/4 buy 9" box 58" " long box glued some 1" foam inside it with an 2 extra peice's of peg board in side cross ways with a 1 1/2"x 4" hole cut in the 2 ends and the inner peg boards. Makes my 10/22 very quite. You notice the action working and the empact of the bullet more than the ammo fireing. I set in my home bench and shoot thru the cut out.

I've thought about the same thing...

My range is a small outdoor place. Because it's part of a right-of-way for ConEd, it can't be bought out and developed on. Range has a 99 year lease with ConEd. However it abuts a lot of VERY expensive homes, and for noise reasons we can't shoot any pistol heavier than .357, nor can we fire .223, 7.62x39, etc...
I've thought about making something like this, either to "donate" to the range, or something portable that I could take with me.
As far as the BATFE, I imagine that their main issues with sound reduction devices are attachability and man-portability. *Hopefully*, a largeish box or pipe that can't be attached or readily concealed about the person would be exempt.

Do you want it to be quiet for you, or for everyone else?

-Jenrick

As far as the BATFE, I imagine that their main issues

Click to expand...

When it comes to BTAFE "imagining" what they would think can get you into a lot of trouble. Get a letter from them in writing about their position before you proceed. Don't mean they won't change their mind -- see the "Atkins" bump fire stock.

wally said:

When it comes to BTAFE "imagining" what they would think can get you into a lot of trouble. Get a letter from them in writing about their position before you proceed. Don't mean they won't change their mind -- see the "Atkins" bump fire stock.

Click to expand...

I think there's a huge difference between a device that modifies a weapon to achieve a higher rate of fire, and what amounts to a supplementation of the existing partitions at the range.
I was only highlighting the differences between an attached weapon suppressor and a nonattaching, and not very portable sound barrier.
That said... no I wouldn't go ahead with any sort of supplemental sound reducing system without that, just to be sure, and I'm disappointed that you'd think I would.
However, in my situation, I'd first ask the rangemaster if it's even OK to try it out - there may be additional reasons they don't want anything "heavier" than .357 fired there. Why bother engaging the ATF and spending time building it if the guy wouldn't even want it tried there at all?

My county operates a public range at the county dump, the Hap Baker Firearms Facility. The benches are fitted with long blast suppressor boxes.

Apparently shooters are not required to shoot through them, but I think most people do. (I've never shot there- I maintain a membership at a private range a bit closer to my house.)

Anyway, here's a brief video someone shot, which shows the shooting boxes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGmPldk6tg

And another, better look at the boxes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTIgQ52DVqA

I saw the tube of tires in action at a gun shop with a one-lane testfire range. It seemed to work pretty well, and was also a pretty good bullet trap in general. This was for occasional test firing, not for sustained fire. But they fired big rifles down it. Fair bullet trap too, I'd guess. And cheap, and easy.