Sound Suppressor - WOW - expensive.

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btefft

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Sound Suppressor - WOW - expensive.

I was watching the Outdoors Channel, one of those shooting shows, and saw one that featured sound suppressors.

They stressed that it will not make the sound go away, it won't sound like "pffff", like in the movies, but maybe more on the level of a "weak" .22. I thought, I got to check these out for my Oly AR 15.

So I did, I couldn't find many sources, but the ones I did find, I found these suppressor things are expensive. $500+. That cooled me right off.

So, if any of you guys know of any good, but less expensive sound suppressors, I really appreciate a link.

In the meantime, I'll just keep using my cheap earplugs.

Take care
Hack
 
For .223 I think the cheapest ones are near the $500 mark, plus the $200 tax stamp. The YHM non-stainless phantom threaded .223 can has a retail price of $460 and real world is probably a bit cheaper.
 
We have a couple THR members who have built there own pretty cheaply. You still have to pay the $200 NFA tax, but if you really enjoy lathework and such things you can build a basic can for around $100.

It's pretty much just a car muffler that screws onto the end of a barrel... with a tax.
 
the barrel counts as a suppressor and all the same rules apply.

the louder the cartridge, the harder it is to suppress. a .223 will cost you almost $500, but something like a .22lr can be had for under $300.
 
The total I paid for mine including tax stamp was $1350.00

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what are the rules concerning integrated suppressors? ie one built into the gun barrel?
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Though the nice thing about integrals is that they count towards barrel lenght, since they're permanently part of the barrel. That way you can have 10" of actual rifled barrel, 6" of integral suppressor, and still legally be a rifle and not an SBR.


Not sure if this is what you're alluding to, but I believe there are NFA-less integral suppressors for airguns. Detachable suppressors for airguns are still verboten since you could conceivably put it on a firearm (though it'd be destroyed by a few shots), but integrals are "permanent" and thus okay. Dang silly laws.

Info: http://www.pyramydair.com/site/articles/silencers/

Example:

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I paid $45 for one of my .22lr suppressors, it wasn't that good to be honest, so I got a $100 Brugger & Thomet and it's really good, one I got for free when I bought a gun. I also asked my gunsmith who sells suppressors recently what he wanted for a .223 BR-Tuote suppressor for an AR-15. He wanted around $230 (190 euros).

Here's my B&T suppressor on my Spikes Tactical AR-15 (imported it from the states):
middy3.jpg

Sometimes, Finland does have it's advantages.
 
GemTech makes nice suppressors.

What I am doing is building my own as I wait for the stamp, much cheaper.
 
Excluding the tax, why do suppressors cost so much? More than a barrel even... I can't help but think that the price is artificially pumped up. WAY up.
 
Since they're a controlled item in the USA, MUCH more R&D goes into them to make them better, quieter, more durable, etc. Hence, hugely high price. I could make and sell silencers for $150 for all major rifle calibers, IF there weren't controls in place on them and people didn't care about replacing them every 5k rounds.
 
and people didn't care about replacing them every 5k rounds.
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This brings up a good point: silencer components are considered to be controlled items by the ATF, so you can't just buy a bunch of spare baffles to replace your worn-out ones. Since folks probably don't enjoy routinely mailing their can back to the factory for a re-fit, it seems there's a real focus on making suppressors low-maintenance, which adds a lot of expense over making a tube you can stuff with fresh rubber flaps every so often.

MUCH more R&D goes into them to make them better, quieter, more durable
Click to expand...

Not to be contrary, but aren't there plenty of can designs that have been around forever, and are awfully good? I've read claims that the original 1920s Maxim silencers are actually really awesome. USFA is supposedly working on reproductions, but they're matched up with the USFA repros of the Colt Woodsman, which was also announced two years ago and hasn't shown up yet.

woodsman-1.jpg
 
Since they're a controlled item in the USA, MUCH more R&D goes into them to make them better, quieter, more durable, etc. Hence, hugely high price. I could make and sell silencers for $150 for all major rifle calibers, IF there weren't controls in place on them and people didn't care about replacing them every 5k rounds.
Click to expand...

My 30 euro suppressor went past it's lifespan a looooong time ago then.

The $200 BR-Tuote and $300 Ase Utra suppressors which are made here are high-quality suppressors as well in use by military forces.
 
Excluding the tax, why do suppressors cost so much? More than a barrel even... I can't help but think that the price is artificially pumped up. WAY up.
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I think it has to do with the quantity sold vs. start up cost to get into making them on a commercial scale. The price is "artificially pumped up"., in my opinion, by the fact that the gov't restricts them and taxes them $200. Sort of puts a damper on the whole economies of scale plan.

If there were no paperwork and tax hassles, I think a lot more people would be buying them, which would offset the machinery cost and R&D a lot faster.
 
My 30 euro suppressor went past it's lifespan a looooong time ago then.

The $200 BR-Tuote and $300 Ase Utra suppressors which are made here are high-quality suppressors as well in use by military forces.
Click to expand...

you forget that suppressors are a controlled Item in the USA.
unlike here in europe, where it is often considered Rude to not have a suppressor for all your firearms, especialy for hunters, in the USA, you have to jump a lot of legal hoops to even get one.
 
Suppressor, tax stamp, transfer fee, paperwork, begging the police chief to sign off - I'm gonna pass, just too much money and trouble to deal with.

Hack
 
GemTech makes nice suppressors.
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No, GemTech makes mediocre suppressors that are overpriced for what they are. Their mounting options are terrible, and the G5's leaks gas.
 
you forget that suppressors are a controlled Item in the USA.
unlike here in europe, where it is often considered Rude to not have a suppressor for all your firearms, especialy for hunters, in the USA, you have to jump a lot of legal hoops to even get one.
Click to expand...

I did not forget. My point was that a suppressor need not be expensive to last.
 
Right, but add into those prices the overhead required by having all sorts of expensive, annoying paperwork and licenses to produce...
 
They get hot as hell.

I shoot a practical rifle competition (usually 30-70 competitors) once a month and occasionally people show up with suppressors.

All in all they seem disappointed by them. Either the suppressor isn't very quiet or it gets super hot after about 40 shots. They pour water all over them after they shoot.

I guess if you didn't do rapid fire they would be awesome. But, most of the competitors with suppressors don't usually shoot with them on.
 
As far as cost of suppressors, I wish they were cheaper. But then again, look at that next time you buy a $1,000 1911 or a $800 H&K. That could be a suppressor or two.

As I'm gearing up to launch my commercial suppressor lineup here's where the costs boil down.

$150 07 FFL/3 yrs
$500 SOT yearly
$2250 ITAR registration (yes, even if you don't export you still have to register)

Then there's overhead like rent, heat, electricity, water, phone lines, internet, employees.

Then one single milling machine center costs $10,000 for a used CNC Haas type machine. Add another $4-5000 in tooling. Then maybe another few thousand dollars in testing gear if you do it in house. Then you have advertising, shipping cartons, paper, printer ink, credit card fees, website fees, webmaster fees. The list goes on.

A suppressor for just the metal costs maybe $50-100 unless you are using Iconel which is crazy expensive; like $350 per foot of round rod. Then you have to figure your labor and overhead charges, then factor your profit margin into that too.

If you are like AAC and just make suppressors, you will need to keep your prices high so your unit profit will pay bills and keep money in your pocket. They also use a robotic welding machine that cost them $200,000. If you have guys like YHM that make all sorts of stuff, their prices (street prices) are lower because they sell volume through dealer networks.
 
If you want to suppress something without paying a ton in sub-sonic ammo which you will need !!!!!!!

get a .22, I just bought a stainless YHM mite for many of my .22's

unless you want to pay for subsonic ammo the sonic crack will take away almost all of the benefit from a suppressor.
 
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