Suppressor theory and construction

[Slackdaddy]

I have in the back of my mind the notion to build a form 1 suppressor for a threaded 44 lever gun.
Only reason is I do not see one that fits what I am looking for.

I am handy at metal fabrication and have a decent shop (MIG, TIG, Plasma, RC Mill, etc)
But I am short on knowledge of suppressor theory and design.

Any good links, books, papers on this subject?

 

[4g64loser]

I have in the back of my mind the notion to build a form 1 suppressor for a threaded 44 lever gun.
Only reason is I do not see one that fits what I am looking for.

I am handy at metal fabrication and have a decent shop (MIG, TIG, Plasma, RC Mill, etc)
But I am short on knowledge of suppressor theory and design.

Any good links, books, papers on this subject?

Silencertalk is chock full of this info.

You are going to need a lathe.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Silencertalk is chock full of this info.

You are going to need a lathe.

I was wondering that,, adding a lathe next to the mill would not be a bad thing.
But,, I think the "Maker shop" south of me may have one.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Silencertalk is chock full of this info.

You are going to need a lathe.

I checked over Silencertalk ,, it is strictly a forum, I did not see any published papers or such, just a "sticky" with legal and general info.

 

[pre64hunter]

Is it legal? There's a difference between buying one and manufacturing one.

 

[wamin]

I used to be the Director of Engineering for a defense contractor. We suppressed lots of stuff. PM me.
Also, if you make it, then you have to make all of it. Can't farm it out.

 

[4g64loser]

Is it legal? There's a difference between buying one and manufacturing one.

It is legal as long as he has an approved form1, which he references above.

The difference is that the 1 needs to be approved before he makes it. A 4 gets approved for him to take possession from someone else (usually a dealer).

 

[Tungsten]

Has anyone incorporated active electronics into a suppressor design? Or possibly some type of mechanical actuator? I only see designs with static baffles of some sort. I've often wondered why there aren't more elaborate solutions. I'm sure economics and reliability way heavily in the design and that is why it is kept as simple as possible, but I'm intrigued as to what can be done with modern acoustic steering technologies.

 

[Mark75H]

For the same reason most vehicles are still using static attenuation, it is simple, inexpensive and it works. If I recall, the few cars using active electronic quieting also use it to make V-8 vroom vroom sounds if you select a switch. Only slightly more than an on-off switching capability, no advantage in the silencing.

 

[Slackdaddy]

I used to be the Director of Engineering for a defense contractor. We suppressed lots of stuff. PM me.
Also, if you make it, then you have to make all of it. Can't farm it out.

Thanks, will do.
Yeah,, looks like they cracked down on "Components" and kits

 

[Slackdaddy]

It is legal as long as he has an approved form1, which he references above.

The difference is that the 1 needs to be approved before he makes it. A 4 gets approved for him to take possession from someone else (usually a dealer).

This brings up a question,,, Via a form 1,, I am the manufacture.
And I am paying a $200 tax stamp.

If I buy a suppressor from a manufacture via form 4, I pay a $200 tax stamp.

Do commercial manufactures of suppressors pay a $200 tax stamp for each one they make ?

 

[smdub]

Do commercial manufactures of suppressors pay a $200 tax stamp for each one they make ?

No. They manufacture on a Form 2.

 

[4g64loser]

This brings up a question,,, Via a form 1,, I am the manufacture.
And I am paying a $200 tax stamp.

If I buy a suppressor from a manufacture via form 4, I pay a $200 tax stamp.

Do commercial manufactures of suppressors pay a $200 tax stamp for each one they make ?

They pay $500 (SOT reduced, guys under $1mil gross a year) or $1000 (SOTs at or over a mil gross) annually for the privilege of making stuff BEFORE sending a form to the atf. The form 2 is a NOTICE OF ITEMS MANUFACTURED. The form 1 is a PETITION TO MAKE AND REGISTER.

 

[r3t1awr3yd]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned pew science. That dude breaks down everything about suppressor and bullet sound theory.

 

[mtlcafan79]

Pew Science is a lot of word salad for what it is. Otter Creek Labs started as a Form 1 parts supplier. He has moved on to a suppressor manufacturer. He has a lot of interesting social media posts of how he has developed and tested each of his designs. His suppressors tend to hang in the top of the field with the big companies. Most of his cans are welded single core designs.

Beyond that the current development is in flow through designs that are 3D printed. I doubt most of us have a CNC welder let alone a sintered metal 3D printer so we're stuck with the basic clipped K baffle and cone designs. There's nothing really advanced in those designs. Google image search suppressor cutaways and you'll see pretty much all of the modern suppressors and their designs. You're not going to find any whitepapers on this. Pew Science will get you a lot of technical and theory discussion, but man that guy loves to hear himself talk.

 

[euler357]

It's pretty easy to make a suppressor that's quiet with a large volume. The trick is doing it in a smaller/lighter package. I've made 2 as an individual and manufactured about 4 as an FFL/SOT.

Also, I have sold several of these and people really like them. It's a bit heavy for a pistol but will work well on pretty much any rifle you have.

Dead Air Primal

The Dead Air Primal is a 7.9 inch, and 16.5 ounce, multi caliber suppressor that is optimized for high pressure rifles, yet can run on almost any firearm in your arsenal.

www.silencershop.com

My last xfer to a customer took 8 months. A form 1 is probably faster.

 

[Mike OTDP]

There's probably a good doctoral thesis on the application of modern computational fluid dynamics to suppressor design. But it would be a beast to develop the math modeling and code for. Highly irregular surfaces, non-steady-state flow...about the toughest problem in CFD that can be imagined.

 

[XCheckR]

I used to be the Director of Engineering for a defense contractor. We suppressed lots of stuff. PM me.
Also, if you make it, then you have to make all of it. Can't farm it out.

Several years ago while working for a large defense contractor we worked a prop for the study of suppressors(forget the specific research). Before we submitted the big bosses decided it wasn't a good image for the company. Of course they were machining parts for missiles and didn't like the hypocrisy I pointed out. Would have been cool work.

 

[wabbit]

This is a thread I read early in my Form 1 quest. I understand how to do it, but I haven't filed a Form 1 yet since I'm still working overseas.

Form 1 suppressor build, lots of pictures - AR15.COM

Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear.

www.ar15.com

I plan to buy some tools and parts after getting a Form 1 approved, then go use a lathe and mini-mill at a maker shop north of my home in VA. I will try the freeze plug route first, and if it doesn't work out like I plan, I'll try the monolithic core route.