Thanks for the kind words, but I must comment on some of what you say. One does not need any more than 0.001" precision to make a quality silencer in my opinion. While doing this on a $1500 12” x 30” Chinese hobby lathe can be tedious, it is the best way to go for me when making one of a kind silencers for my own gun collection.
Making silencers does not require the same kind of precision that rifle makers require. It also does not require inconel or titanium unless you need it for a full auto rating. For my last project (out of seven so far) I started with 4130 steel tubing, I checked it for adequate straightness, within ten-thousands for each foot is good enough for me. I then square it off on the lathe using a steady rest. While I sometimes use a drill bit held in a tailpiece chuck to make a hole in a piece that is in the work holding chuck; that hole is always widened and centered using a tool bit ensuring that any piece that needs a hole in the center is perfectly centered. The end caps and baffles were machined from 4130. The baffles were merely 0.003 smaller than the ID of the can and pushed in with a wooden dowel. I assemble the can and press it together in the lathe. The end caps are welded on with a wire feed welder then ground down, I do not have a TIG welder or I would use that. The end caps and center adaptor (it is a 2-pointed mounted can) are all within 0.001 inches of the required size. This enables me to use a silencer bore of 0.400 inches for a 0.338 bullet (it is a 338 RUM rifle).
While some consider this bore to be too generous and lets too much noise out, I can be assured of clearance even if the can comes unscrewed a full turn while shooting. The barrel is a Pac-Nor with shoulders machined four inches in back of the muzzle and another shoulder just to the rear of the muzzle threads. The threads only hold the can on against barrel pressure, the shoulders hold it in the proper axial position and ensure no baffle strikes. With 30 thousands clearance on either side of the bullet as it passes through, holding to only 0.001” on the parts still ensures proper alignment. I used a 0.300” bore on a steel 5.56 can, but it only had a single point mount.
If I had more experience, I would have welded the baffle stack together before assembly, then I could have used a thinner tube to reduce weight. If the stack loosens up due to use, I can just cut off the end cap, hammer out the baffles, then weld them together after a slight modification. What I can not do is replace parts, make the silencer longer or change the bore size unless it is sent to a class 2 SOT for repair. I do not think any SOT is going to work on a home made can for liability reasons, but I could be wrong.
I do not feel I have a nack for machining. I was one of those nerds in high school who took calculus instead of shops classes. Big mistake, never had a use for calculus. When I bought my lathe, it was the best I could afford on $40K a year income and while paying a mortgage. I practiced on scrap for a little while, then made a aluminum can for a 300 whisper. It was a piece of cake, just had to not get upset when a piece of metal flew apart on the lathe because I measured improperly and removed too much metal. Spending $2000 on tools just for silencers is a good deal for me, especially if I make one a year for the next 20 years. So far the tools have cost me $285 per silencer, a very good bargain if you ask me. SSK wanted $2500 for a 510 whisper silencer. If the lathe lasts another ten years, I may have 20 silencers for the cost of a $2000 investment in tools and a BS $200 tax on each.
Ranb
