Water in Suppressor?

I caught a comment in another thread where a member mentioned a suppressor being "really quiet if a little water was added". Not to be stupid, but was that a serious comment? How many of you add water into your suppressor before shooting? I guess I thought that would be a trifle dangerous, let alone messy.

I'm either really gullible or completely out of the loop, so please be gentle with me.

 

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but yes. If you put a little water in a suppressor it will be quieter. It also works with ultrasound gel and sometimes oil (though I don't know anyone who uses oil in their suppressor). It is important to note that if firing a suppressed pistol (and to some extent a short rifle) you will very likely be wearing whatever liquid is in your suppressor (coming out of the breech) so choose your liquid/gel wisely.

I think it has something to do with the water cooling the gasses faster so there is less of a "pop" but again, I'm not positive. I'm sure someone who has more experience will be along shortly.

Also, some suppressors are designed to be fired "wet". For an example, take a look at the Thompson Machine Poseidon. It is a micro suppressor that is designed to be fired wet and with wipes. IIRC it actually has one wipe in the front and one in the back so the liquid doesn't evaporate or leak out. At least until you've put a round through it.

 

Had a chat with a factory rep from one of the supressor companies (can't remember which one) on the subject and he confirmed that shooting them "wet" was common and doing so provided a genuine reduction spl.

Our discussion centered on using oil, specifically CLP and it was acknowledged that the smoke and collateral mess was not insignificant. Haven't tried it yet, but its on the bucket list. Gotta wait for an outdoor range opportunity.

 

i have an awc amphibian--shoot it wet all the time. more of a whoosh sound. i use a syringe and squirt about 2 teaspoons into the chamber and shake it around, then i'm ready to rock.

 

Water, spit, urine, soft drinks, oils...all kinds of stuff has been poured in suppressors. Wire pulling gel is very popular. I just use water since there's really no cleanup.

 

I keep having a thought about whether shooting a silencer wet helps to prevent the buildup of residue on the baffles. I wonder if using Kroil or something similar inside a suppressor would keep the buildup from adhering to the baffles versus shooting it dry. Has anyone ever tested such a theory?

 

If you put a lot of water in a .223 suppressor when fired it will blow up.
If you put a lot of grease in a .223 suppressor when fired it will blow up.

You are basically taking all that chamber pressure and placing it in a precision machined steel/aluminum chamber at the end of the barrel and your liquid becomes like a big hydraulic cylinder really fast.

Rim-fire and center fire handguns create a lot less chamber pressure and if you shoot them wet every time a bullet passes through the grease will trap the gas and unburnt powder, suspend it in the grease and small amounts will come out each time you shoot so in a way they are self cleaning if you keep them wet.

 

I generally use a bottle cap full of water in my 5.56 can when I shoot it wet.

 

I occasionally use water in my Gemtech Outback and have noticed a reduction in sound. However I mostly use CLP as it seems to last longer than water.

 

Using water reduces noise because it takes lots of heat to change liquid into steam. I do not shoot wet anymore because I find that it is messier and my rimfire cans fill up with gunk faster.

Ranb

 

Ranb, is the wet gunk any easier to clean out than what you get when you fire dry? For example a sealed .22lr suppressor with aluminum baffles. I take it that shooting it dry really adheres the fouling onto the aluminum and is difficult to clean off. But even if shooting wet quickly created a sludge of residue like you mentioned, if it can be flushed out easier than cleaning the dry crust off the baffles, I'd figure it would be preferable. What is your experience tell you?

 

Assuming that the can is heated up enough to dry, it will still adhere well. However one time I took apart my 22lr can right after shooting it dry all day and found that the gunk was damp.

The few times I shot wet I did notice that while the gunk was a bit softer, there was more of it. Scrapping off the dry gunk is not hard.

Ranb

 

My can is sealed. That's why I'm wondering if the wet buildup would be easier to flush out than dry crust. I'll have to give it a try and see.

 

I just took apart my Outback IID after firing 300 rounds through it. Gemtech recommends cleaning every 150 rounds but after 150 rounds it wasn't dirty enough so I kept shooting. Anyways, I just finished off shooting 50 rounds with CLP to help reduce sound. Towards the end of the 50 rounds my suppressor started to smoke pretty heavy and obscured the frontsite. So I decided to pull it apart to see what the baffles looked like.

It was surprisingly difficult to push the baffles out and there was a lot of liquid on the baffles even after 50 rounds. Cleaning was easy though and there was little powder residue like when I shoot it dry. The oil helped to capture the residue and I was able to wipe most off with a paper towel. Some dried on crud was still caked on but came off with a brush.

So, I think shooting wet makes cleaning easier. However, if you allow it to dry it may cause the caked on crud to really stick.

 

Put water in once or twice using a syringe (yes from Walgreen's) amount was 5cc=5ml=1tsp just to test. It was quieter for a few rounds but wasn't worth the time to remove it and do it over and over. I did get some pull wire gel but decided not to use it since it seemed it would make more of a mess than anything. In the cleaning department I have found that this stuff works like magic (and you can reuse it until it get too dirty). Really good for .22 suppressors that cant be taken apart. I can take mine apart but I just use this stuff and I am good to go.
http://www.slip2000.com/carbonkiller.html

 

it is easy to add water using anything that squirts in through the front, no need to remove the can. I have also seen people dunk the attached can into a cup of water and then shook out as much as they could.

Ranb

 

I bring a cup of water w/ me when I shoot (pistol), and every mag change I dunk the can about half way (w/ the slide back, or water really doesn't get in) and give it a shake. Works pretty good, the difference is dramatic, and it's not like it's hard, you just dunk and shake it out...

 

Anyone putting water or water-based lubricants in your alloy cans is ruining them! Call Gemtech ASAP! Oil is fine. How it works is the liquid produces vapor, and displaces O2. With reduced oxygen content in the can, the "pop" is reduced. It also cools the blast. Aluminum oxidizes quickly when subjected to heat and water (i.e. inside a can). Don't do it, suppressor failures are expensive and dangerous.

 

I came across this statement elsewhere and just wanted to see how it might apply to this discussion.

 

Once saw a very expensive MP-5 can explode. Total failure of the alloy body just forward of the three lug mount. We were told by the manufacturer not to introduce H20, which was funny considering who the customer was. Believe that statement if you want, but I don't have $1000-1500 to piss away. E-mail Gemtech. They are the #1 suppressor manufacturer in the US, and have been the industry leader in technology since the late '70's

 

From Gemtech's FAQ:

Also from their FAQ:

So yeah, using water as an ablative is fine.

Uh, no. Stealing core, baffle, and booster designs from other companies by its very nature precludes them from being a leader in technology. Advertising that your can has a welded core and inconel blast baffle when it actually has no internal welds and an inconel collar held on by a roll pin is not leading the industry in anything but massive fail.

If you're a Gemtech fanboy that's fine, there's a forum called arfcom just for you. But don't come on this board pitching them as the #1 anything and giving bad information while you do it.

 

You are clearly Internet savvy, but not too suppressor savvy I see. I am by no means a Gemtech fanboy (cute, btw). Ever tried to get a hold of AAC or AWC? Try it sometime!

As far as the roll pin, baffle, etc. Never even heard of a failure. In fact, I have a Mossad that just past the 200,000 mark, mostly on auto. The fact they can actually service their suppressors make them a better buy for the money than say an AWC (which are designed to be military/disposable). But not that that red-herring has anything to do with this discussion.

Telling people to add water to alloy cans is irresponsible.

 

I've never had a problem getting in touch with AAC. Never dealt with AWC.

Link to G5 failure for your viewing pleasure.

There is nothing wrong with putting water in an aluminum can as long as you either shoot it all up or submerse it in something to displace the remaining water.

 

When I purchased my .223 can (Gemtech Piranah), I was shocked at the uncivil propaganda being launced by AAC supporters toward Gemtech. This reminds me of the old Chevy versus Ford pickup truck feud. My biggest problem with Gemtech is that they refused to provide a decible reduction figure prior to my purchase. However, after my purchase that number was clearly provided in the owners manuel.

 

Gemtech fans and are just as guilty of that, but this thread is about water as an ablative and if it turns into a squabble I'm sure it'll get locked.