Silencerco Hybrid

[foosball&firearms]

This silencer is looking like a no-brainer to me. Has anybody had their hands on one ?

 

[rb288]

I have 2 of them.
I am currently using them on everything from my Glock 21 to my 450 Bushmaster and several in between, ie 300blk, and 5.56/.223.
I may try it on my CZ P-07 just to see, but I have an Omega 9k on it and it works great.
The hybrid is a bit long for my Glock but it is quiet and sounds good, very low tone, on all my weapons.
The 450 bushmaster is a loud beast anyway but the hybrid does get it hearing safe, below 140db, and it is much more pleasant to shot with it.

Get, at least one, you will love it and it is VERY versatile.

 

[foosball&firearms]

I bought one and now I must wait for about a year to be able to play with it. I will spend this year getting firearms to put it on. I am thinking about a Marlin 45/70 lever action for it...

 

[CraigC]

Still waiting for mine.

 

[SoonerMedic]

Still waiting for mine.

For how long now?? And where is the holdup? Is it because of the amount of people applying?

 

[Theohazard]

The 450 bushmaster is a loud beast anyway but the hybrid does get it hearing safe, below 140db, and it is much more pleasant to shot with it.

I wish people would stop using the term "hearing safe" to describe any silencer under 140dB. This is a deliberately misleading term that silencer manufacturers use, and it's a misrepresentation of the rules for noise exposure. When you fire your 450 Bushmaster with your SilencerCo Hybrid and you don't use hearing protection, you're permanently damaging your hearing over time.

Here are the decibel guidelines for daily exposure as described by the American Hearing Research Foundation:

Habitual exposure to noise above 85 dB will cause a gradual hearing loss in a significant number of individuals, and louder noises will accelerate this damage. For unprotected ears, the allowed exposure time decreases by one half for each 5 dB increase in the average noise level. For instance, exposure is limited to 8 hours per day at 90 dB, 4 hours per day at 95 dB, and 2 hours per day at 100 dB. The highest permissible noise exposure for the unprotected ear is 115 dB for 15 minutes per day. Any noise above 140 dB is not permitted.
[...]
Combined use [of ear plugs and muffs] should be considered when noise exceeds 105 dB. Note that for such situations, it may be that there is no type of hearing protection that will stop a very loud noise from affecting you.

http://american-hearing.org/disorders/noise-induced-hearing-loss/

Just for reference, a centerfire rifle with a silencer is usually in the 135 - 140 dB range. A pistol with a silencer and subsonic ammo is usually in the 125 - 130 dB range. And a .22 with a silencer and subsonic ammo is usually in the 115 - 120 dB range.

 

[Hyrulejedi86]

I think your mistaking sustained vs instantaneous (impulsive or impact) decibels.

Sustained Db over 85 is more damaging than instantaneous decibels of 140 and below. In your example of 90 db, it states for 8 hours (a typical work day). However, OSHA standards for instantaneous sounds of 140 and below are considered hearing safe. This is what all the manufacturers are basing their "Hearing Safe" claims on.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/ow...S&p_id=9735&p_text_version=FALSE#1910.95(b)(1)

In this link what you posted is present however so is this quote:
"Exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level."

 

[Theohazard]

I think your mistaking sustained vs instantaneous (impulsive or impact) decibels.

Sustained Db over 85 is more damaging than instantaneous decibels of 140 and below.

Don't worry, I'm not confusing the two. I'll readily admit that there is a difference. My point is simply that a silencer isn't medically "hearing safe"; all silencers produce dB levels that are high enough to cause permanent hearing loss. The question is simply how much shooting is required to cause measurable damage. It's probably fairly quick if you're shooting a suppressed centerfire rifle. But you'd probably have to do a heck of a lot of shooting with a suppressed .22 to cause noticeable hearing loss.

In your example of 90 db, it states for 8 hours (a typical work day). However, OSHA standards for instantaneous sounds of 140 and below are considered hearing safe. This is what all the manufacturers are basing their "Hearing Safe" claims on.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owa...E#1910.95(b)(1)

In this link what you posted is present however so is this quote:
"Exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level."

My point is that claiming a sound in the 130 dB range is "hearing safe" is simply untrue. Sounds at that level can and do cause permanent hearing loss. The 140 dB level is simply the maximum allowed noise level. That doesn't mean that anything below that is perfectly safe and can't cause damage.

This all started when I was selling an Osprey 45 to a customer a few years ago and I referred to it as "hearing safe". It turned out that the customer was a medical doctor with experience treating noise-induced hearing loss. He told me I was wrong, and that it was more accurate to describe them as "hearing safer".

Now, I'd be interested to know how the recommended exposure levels translate to an intermittent sound like gunfire. I'm not at all claiming that the exposure times allowed for each dB level directly translate to gunfire. But those numbers still show that suppressed gunfire can cause hearing loss, it just takes longer than a constant noise would take.

 

[Hyrulejedi86]

Fair points. I think we look to organizations like OSHA to define what constitutes "Safe" because they are supposed to be unbiased with the goal of protecting the public. Though variations of normal do exist where one person may sustain damage and another does not under the same conditions, OSHA seems to generalized their rules to encompass as many people as possible. So naturally, companies choose to use their definition to push "Hearing Safe".

 

[Peter Gun]

Theohazard, I agree.
I get a little annoyed when people I shoot silencers with keep saying , "you don't need those ear protectors, it's hearing safe" on 130db shots. I have exceptionally good hearing and I want to keep it that way. Even the first round pop on 9mm subsonic pistols causes me discomfort.
Unfortunately, most people my age or younger have done significant damage to their hearing using headphones and over amped stereos so they can't understand.

 

[CraigC]

For how long now?? And where is the holdup? Is it because of the amount of people applying?

First, finding one. Now waiting on the transfer to the dealer. So we haven't even submitted a Form 4 yet.

 

[Blaster26]

Just got mine in last week. Had to swap out recoil spring/guide rod to get it to work on my G19; very nice with subsonic rounds. Works great on my POF 308, just had to adjust piston for it to function. It was not super comfortable to shoot without hearing protection on the 308; I'll see if the 30cal end cap helps. The cost of the accessories is crazy.

 

[Gordon]

My Son in Oregon just "bought one" he wants to run it 5.56-.45 with most use on an 8.5" .300 BO . Depends on who wins election but he figured to hedge his bet now before never.

 

[Mad Dawg]

Currently, I have one. Haven't shot it with the rifle yet. Have shot it with 9mm and .45 ACP. I have not shot it wet.. I also have a SilencerCo Specwar 7.62, which is built like a tank, and pretty much the same specs when it comes to 5.56 and .308. With 9mm and .45 ACP, that first round pop is decidedly there. It quietens quickly though. The end caps help a little with 9mm. Using the Specwar on 5.56 and .308, I tend to think that the .308 is more palatable than 5.56 is; probably has something to do with the extra speed of the 5.56. The area is under a roof, which brings in other reflections; I would say that 5.56 is not really that comfortable- towards needing hearing protection.. .308 is oddly less of an issue under the roof. The Hybrid is considerably lighter than the Specwar, but the Hybrid was not available last year when I bought the Specwar.. I think that multi-caliber cans like the Hybrid are great for those with multiple calibers; beware that the accessories are not cheap.
Suppressor sights for the pistols - I might forego them, or I might pursue them. If the Hearing Protection Act goes thru, I might go get a dedicated pistol can; current NFA wait times are getting to be too long for comfort. I bought my Hybrid on Jan 28, and received the stamp back on Nov 11. 9 1/2 months... And I beat the real rush...

 

[strambo]

At this point I'm placing my bet that a "Hearing Protection Act" passage might beat the wait time! Optimistic, yes, but I can't afford a can + stamp now anyway. If the stamp went away, I'll scrape the coin together for a nice can!