anyone making their own suppressors

[jojo200517]

I'm interested in having a suppressor, but I just can't seem to find one that seems to be decent quality for a fairly reasonable price. I remember seeing a few threads before where people had suppressors they had machined themselves after applying for and being approved.

This could save me a good chunk of change however I lack a lathe, cutting tools and the skills to use them.

I do however have a good friend that is a machinist and has the tools and skills to make what I would need.

The question is, once I applied and got the forms back with tax stamp would it be legal for him to machine the parts out for me as long as it wasn't assembled or used by him? Would I need to be present during the process with the paperwork to keep it legit?

While I'm here I might as well ask, where would one get blueprints for a suppressor? I have ran across a few on the internet, but they looked more like the cheesy made out of plumbing pipe kinda deals that send ya to the federal pen.

 

[Sam1911]

Paging member Ranb:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6614401&postcount=12

He'll be able to answer your questions.

 

[jmorris]

This could save me a good chunk of change however I lack a lathe, cutting tools and the skills to use them.

That makes it a lot more difficult as it costs money for the equipment and knowlege to use it.

I do however have a good friend that is a machinist and has the tools and skills to make what I would need.
Would I need to be present during the process with the paperwork to keep it legit?

That would help out a lot as long as you can remain friends and you and your project don’t become pests. You both need to know it takes quite a few hours to whip one up. Yes, you would have to be there and bring/take home with you all of the parts every time.

where would one get blueprints for a suppressor? I have ran across a few on the internet, but they looked more like the cheesy made out of plumbing pipe kinda deals that send ya to the federal pen.

They can all send you there without the F1. Search around silencertalk.com forums they have x-rays and even a silencer smithing forum but don’t expect to just post and have information handed to you. it’s a bit more of a…straight forward….place.

anyone making their own suppressors

I have built a few that all have similar designs (because the first one worked). The first was a 9mm AR integral (so I didn’t also have to have an SBR stamp). The 2nd build to look like the original Sionics can for my M10/9 and yes the aluminum baffles have held up just fine with FA mag dumps. The last one I have photos of it one I built for my 458 socom.

 

[Tirod]

The Vltor Volks suppressor is supposed to be released "shortly," whatever that means. It was forecast at SHOT 2010 as a $400 item, and they usually talk MSRP. Some discounting could get it down to $300.

It's largely based on the Euro suppressors that use sheet metal stamped baffles, according to some early speculation. Euro suppressors aren't built to withstand full auto military use, because the shooters don't have that available. They are largely hunters and range shooters and don't blast 1000's of rounds a year.

Having worked in a CNC shop, and studied up some blacksmithing to the point of buying a (useless) anvil, sheet metal or plate baffle construction can be done if old school techniques are applied. Depending on the baffle shape, all you need is one or two die patterns to shape them on - while red hot. Metal moves pretty easy then. With a 25 ton shop press and a pair of shaped dies, they can even be formed without hammer. Just drop them in the dies and press them.

Dies are made from a big lump of metal, plenty of vendors will get you a piece of billet to your specs buy simply cutting a round section to a working length and diameter. What shape you dremel into it is up to your imagineering. It then becomes the female pattern to form the male baffles.

If you have access to some really disposable cash, you could reverse engineer the baffles from a successful design and have a CNC turret press stamp out the blanks. I suspect that is exactly how the makers do it - the dies can produce a taper shape with the bore holes and other bleeds in one operation, and get hundreds per sheet. It's just metal working.

Don't restrict your fab method to lathe only, and don't think a lathe is out of reach, either. Grizzly and Harbor Freight can set you up with one, and a vo tech class will get you the education. They taught us that in the 8th grade in the day, and we all had to take it.

Food for thought, and for what it's worth.

 

[Toaster]

silencertalk.com The site has many forums and cover most aspects of building/buying/owning silencers including legal concerns.

 

[Ranb]

A person can legally help you make silencer parts. But you must have control of them at all times. This means you are present when they are being worked and bring them home at the end of the day.

I do not know of anyone who has plans or "blueprints" for a silencer. Even the drawings I see on the US patent office website are not so good. I have many drawings, some of which I have posted on various forums, usually on SilencerTalk. Since all of my silencers are "one off" pieces, I have never made any attempt to standardize them.

My plans are merely an idea that I put onto paper. I select a piece of tubing that is likely to stay together under the pressure of the intended cartridge. The baffles are machined to be about .005" under tubing ID. The baffles are about one bullet length apart. I make the blast baffle twice as heavy as the ones downstream. I started out with conical baffles, went to K baffles, and now I am using step cone baffles. That is about the extent of my plans on each silencer.

Anyone who wants to make a silencer owes it to themselves to be a member at SilencerTalk. One thing you should not do on that forum is post asking to be taught how to make your first silencer. What I do is search to see if I can find a post that addresses my questions. If you cannot find your answer, then post a drawing of what you want to make. Be as specific as possible and ask for suggestions.

Be prepared to be told that your ideas are no good, or are crap. That has happened to me more than once and it turns out that my ideas were crap; like the time I was going to make a muzzle loading 4 gauge shotgun from 303 tubing. I was told to use 4130/4140 and not to kill myself using the Mickey Mouse crap design I had proposed. Or the time I wanted to rebarrel my savage rifle to 44 magnum without a good plan on how to machine the bolt face.

If you tell me what you want, I may be able to tell you a good way to go.

Ranb

 

[Ranb]

I tried pressing my baffles even after I got a lathe. I made a die set and was able to form short baffles. The problem was that I wanted long 60 degree cones and the sheet metal kept on ripping whenever I stretched it that far.

For simple short cone baffles, stamping can be the way to go if you are set up for it. For K, M and step cone baffles, I think using a lathe is the only way to go.

Ranb

 

[highorder]

In short, why is a step cone baffle perform better than a K baffle?

Both styles are well within my capabilities, but I often wonder about the holes I see in K baffles (for gas routing?) Ohio is friendly to NFA items, and I'd like to make a .22lr suppressor. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ranb]

I do not know if it is yet. I will find out when I can shoot my K baffle silencer next to the step cone silencer. I know the step cone baffle is stronger than the K baffle though. Experimenting is an expensive and slow process when using the form 1 method.

Ranb

 

[jojo200517]

After looking around on silencertalk I am impressed by the thread about the silencer made out of freeze plugs and exhaust pipe. It seemed quiet simple to make after reading all the posts. I'm not much of a fan of the ends being welded on tho leaving no way to clean it out and replace baffles.

I suppose one could use stainless steel exhaust pipe and freeze plugs to avoid corrosion but you still wouldn't be able to get at the inside without sawing it open.

I'd be really concerned about the strength of any pipe this thin being threaded. Heck I'm kinda concerned about the strength of this exhaust tubing being used anyway but I seen some mentions of PVC actually being used for .22 rimfire so maybe i'm over thinking it.

I guess the real question is.. Is it common for center fire suppressors to be welded shut instead of having thread on ends?

 

[Ranb]

Most center fire silencers have welded end caps. They are cheaper and stonger than threads. Center fire cans when used with jacketed ammo do not fill up with gunk and the high poresure keeps them blown clean for the most part.

I have cut apart and rewelded a stainless can before, it is time consuming, but possible. Steel is very strong. I use .035" wall for 223, a guy on SilencerTalk used .065" for 50 bmg.

I'm not much of a fan of the ends being welded on tho leaving no way to clean it out and replace baffles.

No one is a fan of replacing baffles as you have to pay another $200 tax to do it yourself if you make the silencer on an ATF form 1. Do it once and do it right the first time.

Ranb

 

[jojo200517]

No one is a fan of replacing baffles as you have to pay another $200 tax to do it yourself if you make the silencer on an ATF form 1. Do it once and do it right the first time.

Wait WHAAAAAT?? So you can't make any kind of repairs to it?

That's as insane as saying that if you change the worn down tires on your car you have to pay new car sales tax and get new drivers license.

 

[Ranb]

So you can't make any kind of repairs to it?

That is not what I said. I said baffles can not be replaced unless it is done by a class 2 manufacturer or you pay another $200 tax. The only exception is wipes, you can replace them after destroying the old ones.

You can make repairs as long as you do not replace parts, lengthen the tube or change the bore size. I have hammered a few dents out of end caps and baffles when I got baffle strikes, but it did not involve parts replacement.

You are right, it is insane. But that is what we get because gun owners do not give a rat's butt about gun control and let their representatives treat them like dirt. You (and I) are to blame for this sad state of affairs. If you do not like the law, then you need to be doing something to change it.

I have been trying to get the silencer use ban in WA overturned but have been making little progress because most gun owners are like you. Like many gun owners I meet in person and online, most of them know very little about gun control and care even less. You owe it to yourself to learn some more. It is better to read the regs at www.atf.gov instead of hearing about it on gun forums like this one. Good luck.

Ranb