Is a suppressor and silencer one in the same?

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Yeah, "suppressor" is more technically correct and "silencer" is more historically and legally correct. Both are fine.

LOL, I think I would argue that what is technically correct is how it was patented as a "silencer," but semantically correct might be suppressor instead of silencer.
 
^^^ I meant "technically correct" in terms of more accurately describing what it does, but that's fine too. I actually prefer the term "silencer" for two reasons: One, that's what the inventor called it. And two, I get so tired of people who "correct" other people and claim, "It's not a silencer, it's a suppressor!" The people who say that are almost always gun owners who know absolutely nothing about silencers.
 
Reading through this thread again and rondog's question ...

"Does anybody have any experience with a suppressed M1 carbine?

... got me thinking. Does anyone refer to a "silenced" rifle or pistol? People tend to say "I was shooting suppressed or it's a suppressed rifle". It's interesting that once you attach a silencer the firearm is now suppressed rather than silenced.
 
From Gemtech's FAQ.

http://www.gem-tech.com/store/pc/viewContent.asp?idpage=7#11

Silencer or Suppressor? What's the difference?

The terms "silencer" and "suppressor" are both correct. Most people within the industry prefer the term "suppressor" because it is more technically correct in that a suppressor does not actually silence a firearm but suppresses the noise some amount. That said, the legal term as used by BATFE to classify these weapons is "silencer". You may also hear people refer to suppressors by the slang term "cans".
 
I am in the process of getting my CCP and purchasing a Ruger Lc9S. Is a silencer available for the Lc9S?

Like mentioned in several posts, you'd have to have a threaded barrel to attach the suppressor, and Ruger doesn't make one for the LC9. A gunsmith could custom make one easily enough, but personally, I think the LC9 is a poor platform for a suppressor (I own an LC9). It is designed as an easily concealable compact, pocket pistol, and adding a suppressor that is as long as the pistol is sort of counter to its purpose.

A good choice for a pistol to suppress would be the larger Ruger, the SR series, either the standard or the compact version. A Glock 17 or 19 would also be an excellent pistol. My cousin has a G19 that has a threaded barrel, and he has a suppressor for it. 9mm is subsonic in most loads with 115 grain bullets or larger in a pistol, it makes a good choice for suppressed shooting. A suppressed 9mm is quiet enough that at 10-15 feet, you can easily hear the slide cycle over the sound of the report.

The addition of a suppressor blocks your sight picture, so you have to learn a new way to aim it, more of a instinctive point that comes with practice.
 
Does anyone refer to a "silenced" rifle or pistol? People tend to say "I was shooting suppressed or it's a suppressed rifle". It's interesting that once you attach a silencer the firearm is now suppressed rather than silenced.

It's all a matter of terminology and what is the more accurate description. Unless the rifle is also shooting subsonic loads, you can't really quiet it down that much. The supersonic "crack" does not get attenuated with a suppressor, although the explosive report can be decreased 20-30 dB or so. With subs, you don't have the supersonic shock wave, so all the suppressor has to do is attenuate the explosion of the burning powder as the bullet leaves the muzzle. Again, a suppressed SBR shooting subs is quiet enough that the action cycling is as loud as the report from the muzzle at 10-15 feet, and the overall sound is much more non-directional than a non suppressed rifle shot, meaning that if you hear it in the distance, it's more difficult to localize exactly where the shot came from.
 
bangswitch said:
9mm is subsonic in most loads with 115 grain bullets or larger in a pistol
This is incorrect. 9mm 115 gr. loads are almost always supersonic. Even 124 gr. loads are usually supersonic. Most of the time you need to buy 147 gr. loads to be reliably subsonic. I only use 147 gr. loads when shooting my Glock 19 with my silencer, because any bullet weight lower than that is usually supersonic (unless I buy special under-powered subsonic loads designed for silencers, and those are usually pretty expensive).

The upside to a suppressed 9mm is that it will be quieter than a suppressed .45 if all other things are equal and both are subsonic. The downside to suppressed 9mm is that most 9mm loads are supersonic and it can often be hard to find subsonic loads, whereas almost all .45 ACP loads are subsonic.
 
I guess I just need to start using more factory loads. Most all my 115's are subs as I load them, and I'm usually in the middle to upper third of the powder range. There are a couple of loads I will use that go to 1250 fps or so, but most stay around 950-1100.
 
Yeah, my post was regarding factory ammo. I need to start reloading, then I can make my own subs like you do instead of having to buy 147 gr. factory ammo.
 
Ranb said:
Theohazard said:
dealer with the proper FFL.
That's the license I was talking about.
Even if that's what you really meant (and I doubt it is, otherwise you would have said "FFL"), your following statement from post #23 is still incorrect:
Ranb said:
Silencers are legal in all states but you must have a license in 13 of them.
 
Can we get this to page 4 maybe on the "correct" term? ;)

I would call it either, as Maxim named it... And they would be controlled or regulated whether it was called a silencer or a hoopa pah loopa.

A silencer can completely silence, as long as a person does not get too nit picky, on what silenced means. When the firing pin dropping is the loudest sound heard, I would consider that silenced.

Of course the bigger the volume of gas exiting the barrel, the bigger the can will have to be to contain it. Just like the huge mufflers on the new high horsepower cars and trucks. A bit of an aside, but a V8 can be very quiet when the exhaust is run through a 45 gallon drum. Don't even need baffles.

If you want to run a can on an M1 carbine, you will want an adjustable gas block, as the pressure being directed through will be a fair bit more due to the back pressure/volume from the suppressor (You win that one, terminology Nazis! :cuss:).

You'll note that I referred to it as a suppressor there, as the bullet travels quite a bit faster than the speed of sound with a convential load. Possibly could run a heavier bullet like a 200 gr. roundnose to get subsonic, to quiet it down. Of course it will probably not open up very much at those speeds.

I was always intrigued with doing a big bore, as it would not seem like you are giving anything up. A .450 Bushmaster would be pretty neat with heavy bullets. Of course so would a 50 Beowulf, but unless you are casting, I don't believe there is many good sporting bullets for it.

Of course being a lever guy, a suppressed 45-70 is a natural fit. A 500 gr. (or so) flat nose at a little over 1000 fps still has a heck of a thump on the receiving end, no gas block to mess around with, and an exposed hammer eased back, is about as silent as you can get... Oh yeah! :cool: Low speed, high drag! No, wait....
 
I recall the old account of a 1903 Springfield fitted with a Maxim Silencer (There was once a plan to issue them at the rate of two per squad.) being fired on a long range with a row of telegraph poles down one side. The loudest thing was the reflection of the supersonic crack from the poles, it was said to sound like a machine gun burst.
 
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