Can someone tell me why silencers are so expensive?

[dfaugh]

You can find designs for them right on the web

but they are primitive, and these "old fashioned" ones tend to be large and cumbersome. (If you look at some of the designs, the analogy to a car muffler is appropriate). Newer ones are much more sophisticated(very compact), probably one reason they're more expensive. Always wanted to experiment with making one, just to see if I could do it, but not legal in my state, and certainly didn't want the hassles/paperwork with ATF, just for an experiment.

 

[HankB]

Silencers for rimfires can be made very cheap - but if you're caught doing it without getting the proper paperwork in order ahead of time, you'll get in hot water legally.

Completing the paperwork drives up the price . .. but it's still cheaper than an all-expense-paid stay in Club Fed. (Additional state and local laws may apply.)

Some high-end airguns include integral suppressors. They're not a very expensive add-on, and as long as they're integral to the airgun, they're legal, as the BATmen don't regulate airguns.

 

[444]

As has been mentioned: there are suppressors and then there are suppressors.
People have made threaded pieces that allow you to screw a two litre soda bottle on the end of a gun. People have stuck their barrel through a potato to muffle the report.
However, if you want something that has considerable R&D to make it effective and practical then you have to pay for it. One of the keys is it's size. Today's state of the art supressors are not much more than cigar tubes on the end of the barrel. Another feature is longenvity. Today we have suppressors that can withstand sustained full auto fire of a rifle cartridge.

I have no idea what the price of a suppressor has to do with the price of a rifle, or the price of a riflescope has to do with the price of either one.

 

[Travis McGee]

I've read that in Finland, most ranges insist you bring a suppressor! Only rude jerks and ignoramuses over there DON'T have suppressors for their firearms! Makes sense to me!

 

[NMshooter]

If it wasn't for that little law most firearms would come with integral supressors.

The original AR-10 had one.

 

[Jay Kominek]

I have no idea what the price of a suppressor has to do with the price of a rifle, or the price of a riflescope has to do with the price of either one.

I don't understand the scope comment, myself. The price of the rifle itself only came in as a surprised aside regarding the cost of the silencer I'd run across.
Certainly there isn't any sort of rule that says you can't attach to a rifle an accessory which cost more than the rifle. But I'm hesitant to get one that costs $1k, regardless of the price of the rifle.

Perhaps I simply made my post overcomplicated. Instead, pretend I asked: Are there worthwhile, commerically available silencers which cost less than $1000? Less than $750? Less than $500? (They don't need to handle full-auto, since I don't have that.) Obviously "worthwhile" varies from individual to individual. I'll take that into consideration.

As has been mentioned: there are suppressors and then there are suppressors.

I'm completely aware. But barring finding a range that will rent me different silencers so I can compare them myself, I've got to solicit feedback from others. So I'm looking for "Gee, I used Brand X silencer, and I was pretty impressed. It was quieter than Brand Y, but it cost $500 more." Or, geez, I'd just take a list of Brands X, Y and Z. Then I could search around for existing reviews.

 

[HankB]

Today's state of the art supressors are not much more than cigar tubes on the end of the barrel.

Maybe . . . for big cigars. (See dimensions at the link below.) They are pretty compact.

http://www.surefiresuppressors.com/

The original AR-10 had one.

Hmmm . . . I remember reading the original AR-10 had a muzzle brake (looked like a perforated titanium can) which was reputedly so effective a good shooter could unload a magazine in full auto and keep all the hits on a man-sized silhouette at 100 yards. Since the AR10 was chambered for .308/7.62, this would be a remarkable achievement, if true.

I'd be interested in links to AR10 suppressor info.

 

[calvinike]

The answer is suppressors have a ugly reputation in this country and such have been covered by the same NFA regulations that FA weapons have been since the 30's.

In Europe suppressors are considered a polite form of shooting even in countrys that severely restrict civilian firearm ownership. Suppresors can be bought over the counter in most EU states for 100 EU or less.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Suppresors can be bought over the counter in most EU states for 100 EU or less

how difficult do you suppose it would be to pick a couple up while you were on vacation and bring them back?

It couldn't be as difficult as bringing back a firearm, could it?

(oooh, I bet that last one was a silly question!)

 

[Kobun]

Snake Eyes,
DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT BRINGING A SUPRESSOR INTO THE US WITHOUT A LICENCE!!!!
Why are you even thinking about risking 10 years in jail for a lousy $500???
If you can't afford $500 then you can not afford traveling to Europe!

STOP BEING SILLY!!

The $100 suppressors you are talking about here in Europe are cheap .22LR supressors.
All the good supressors cost from $500 to $1500.

 

[BluesBear]

For those who don't get "the scope remark" I'll type slower so you don't have to read too fast. :banghead:

My point was that when you buy a Hunting Rifle you usually don't complain about the cost of a scope. Especially since it's very rare nowadays for a hunting rifle to come with any type of sights at all.
It has just become accepted that you are going to have to shell out almost as much money for a good scope as you did for the rifle.

Now if you want a Suppressed Weapon you will just have to accept the simple fact that they are not cheap. You'll pay as much for the supressor as you did for the gun.

That's just the way it is.
I didn't realize that it would be such a difficult concept to comprehend.

 

[Jay Kominek]

My point was that when you buy a Hunting Rifle you usually don't complain about the cost of a scope. Especially since it's very rare nowadays for a hunting rifle to come with any type of sights at all.
It has just become accepted that you are going to have to shell out almost as much money for a good scope as you did for the rifle.

That doesn't have anything to do with it. $1000 is $1000 even if that is what the item is worth it. I don't know what sort of money you've got kicking around, but I try and make sure I've fully investigated $1000 purchases.

Now if you want a Suppressed Weapon you will just have to accept the simple fact that they are not cheap. You'll pay as much for the supressor as you did for the gun.

Give me a break. Do you walk into a store, and buy the first, most expensive scope you see and say "I'll just have to accept the simple fact that they're not cheap." Come on, I'm asking for information that lets me judge what an appropriate price is. I'm sorry you don't approve of my not disregarding the price of things, but you'll just have to deal with it.
Besides, it looks like the Gemtech TPR-S is decent, and costs less than my rifle, so your statement is simply false.

For those who don't get "the scope remark" I'll type slower so you don't have to read too fast.
...
That's just the way it is.
I didn't realize that it would be such a difficult concept to comprehend.

I didn't realize it was necessary to be so unbelievably rude about this. This was utterly unwarranted.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

People do use noise mufflers that are not gun mounted

Gun Digest and other pubs have occasionally reported on bench mounted shoot through cans for range use. These are said to be both effective and cheap but not portable. There have been occasional mentions that accumulating unburned powder close to the muzzle blast has its own issues though.

 

[Vitamin G]

Why are silencers so expensive?

Freedom ist verboten!

 

[444]

Jay Kominek: You need to check out the magazine entitled The Small Arms Review. Every year they have a "Suppressor Issue" that give you a lot of good info. I am sure they have a website you can get back issues.

My point about the cost of suppressors or optics is simply that they are a market in and of themselves and have no relationship to each other. If someone gave you a rifle, any scope you bought is going to cost more than the rifle. You might also buy a good inexpensive rifle like a Savage or Remington 700ADL and buy a Leupold scope for it. Again, the scope costs more than the rifle. On the other hand you might have a nationally known gunsmith build you a rifle and top it off with a Leupold scope and the rifle costs more than the scope. And in all these cases, the cost of one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

 

[444]

Small Arms Review

http://www.smallarmsreview.com/

 

[Jim K]

Hi, Strambo and guys.

"If legal, building your own might be the way to go. Have a machine shop make and thread the tube with a removabe front and/or rear end cap, put a ser # on it (I'd imagine that's how ATF keeps track)."

Nope. I talked to BATFE about that, and they say that you can build your own, but YOU must do it, in toto. If you hire the job out to someone, he must have a manufacturers SOT stamp, and then you have to pay the transfer tax on the purchase. I don't think buying the tube would be a problem, but they would likely call threading and capping it "manufacturing". If in doubt, call them.

Actually, silencers are not hard to get and not extremely expensive, considering the work that goes into one.

If you want to buy one, with or without the gun, call (301) 631-9048 and talk to Richard.

Jim

 

[biere]

I truly despise the laws and concepts that I am expected to live by today.

However, I am buying a silencer or 3 this year before they decide to close the market the way they did full auto firearms. Well, I doubt they would do it but I can't see just getting one. Paperwork is paperwork and my main hurdle is doing the paperwork. And that hurdle is all in my mind.

As for cost, I agree they would be cheaper if you did not have to pay a tax and do paperwork. However, if I was born 50 years ago I would be even more irate because that 200 dollar tax could go farther than it does today.

I have recently emptied my safe, well it seems like it, of stuff I liked but did not truly love.

Part of the funds from doing so is to pick up a silencer and some other stuff while I can.

Now the really silly thing about a siliencer I read about is having to fill out a form if you wish to take it out of state.

I don't have to fill out a form to take a kid out of state, but a muffler on the gun needs paperwork to leave its home state.

And I just read this so I could be off since I am still having trouble getting my mind to where I can accept hopping through hoops for a silencer.

 

[bobby68]

i was going to respond to the 1000 scope post but i think that's been well cleared up.. by the way... i just bought my first new deer rifle with sights, and i have no intentions of paying more that 100 for a scope...

i think it is fair to expect a suppresor for as little as the market will produce withour artificial costs.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

I'd suggest price elasticity of demand and supply is odd.

I'd suggest price elasticity of demand and supply is odd. The technology to be just a little bit better (better can be size, noise reduction or durability see the pop bottle reference above) allows a much higher price which is both asked and paid.

Buyers are mostly paying close to first article cost rather than seeing the market driven down by competition to something close to marginal cost. For small lots and first article both total cost and average total cost remain high. What we see may well be an early adapter high technology market - compare it with other high technology - but without any subsequent drive down in price.

Again as noted traditional gun show prices for threaded tubes and wipes wasn't really very much.