Preferred nomenclature: suppressor, or silencer?

When I hear suppressor, I think of muzzle brake for a 1911

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Which is actually a compensator One of those things where many terms mean the same thing, but to different people. I've seen ads for compensators that use the term compensator, suppressor and muzzle brake all in the same paragraph.

They are becoming interchangeable. It used to be, long ago when I first got into the NFA world in the 80s via my father, that suppressor was the correct term and silencer had that stigma of the uninitiated. I paid close attention to that because I didn't want to be the dumb kid that didn't know better. Funny what you pick up and affect as a ten year old among adults.

Now, I think it doesn't matter. I see dealers and manufacturers refer to them repeatedly as silencers, and when asking questions on the forum I don't see that much of a backlash against the term. Certainly not on the level that I see over the term clips. I still use the term suppressor, but that's just how the people who introduced me to suppressors referred to them and it stuck.

Edit to add: All my ATF paperwork for my suppressors say "suppressor" on it.

Either one is fine.

Tomato/Tomahto, Potato/Potahto, Magazine/Clip, Silencer/Suppressor, Gun Safe/RSC...

Let people say what they want. Don't get so wound up about it. Enjoy life.

The legal terms used by the feds are silencer and muffler. All of my ATF forms say silencer. I use the word silencer in conversation because then people understand I am speaking of a muffler and not a flash or recoil suppressor.

I could care less until some yahoo tells me that there is no such thing as a silencer because they do not make guns silent. How is it that people can not understand the difference between a noun (silencer) and an adjective (silent)? They must be trying to pick a fight or something.

If anyone calls you a mall ninja for using the word silencer, then they are probably a wanna-be mall ninja.

Ranb

Maxim used the term Silencer. Since he invented it, I see no reason to say it's not the correct term.

I have used both silencer and suppressor interchangeably.

I like "suppressor" because it is a more accurate description of what it does... suppresses noise rather than silence it.

I use the term "silencer" because it's the legal term as per the ATF, and it's not ambiguous. I think it's more accurate and "cool" to say suppressor, but still I say "silencer" or "can".

I like "suppressor" because it is a more accurate description of what it does... suppresses noise rather than silence it.

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Same.

Leave the silencing to hollywood.

Silencer is for paperwork, since it's a legal term.

In conversation I use the term suppressor, since it's more accurate of what it is and does.

In NFA circles among those that are in the know, I'll use can.

BTW, Maxim didn't invent the silencer, he just made the first commercially successful one.

BTW, Maxim didn't invent the silencer,

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OK. So who did invent it then? Most everything I can find gives Maxim credit as the inventor.

I just call it a CAN ; )
Y/D

OK. So who did invent it then? Most everything I can find gives Maxim credit as the inventor.

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Many attempts have been made over the hundreds of years firearms have been around. I've got a book around here somewhere that has a photograph of a silencer dating back to the 1500s. There isn't much left from those in history, which is a shame. Stuff like that wasn't well documented.

Maxim didn't invent the silencer, he invented the first successful commercial silencer. Many failures for hundreds of years before he came along. Big difference. Most credit him because they can't pin down a name other than his.

RhinoDefense said:

Many attempts have been made over the hundreds of years firearms have been around. I've got a book around here somewhere that has a photograph of a silencer dating back to the 1500s. There isn't much left from those in history, which is a shame. Stuff like that wasn't well documented.

Maxim didn't invent the silencer, he invented the first successful commercial silencer. Many failures for hundreds of years before he came along. Big difference. Most credit him because they can't pin down a name other than his.

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Maxim may not have been the first person with the idea or even a functioning device, but he did invent the silencer as we know it today.