Modifying and improving a Supressor

Alabastor_Twob

Hi all, I just bought a suppressor today, I'm quite pleased with it. I expected it to have little effect on an AEG, but it definitely quietens and changes the texture of the sound. I was thinking of getting a second one and making a project out of it, installing baffles and expansion chambers and such to see if improves the effect. The one I have now is basically just filled with foam. Now I was wondering, has anyone else tried this and has experience or tips to help me? I was thinking of making the baffles out of cut and shaped pieces of aluminium from a coke can, perhaps using a dowel to push them through the tube of the silencer to shape them, and then drilling a hole in the centre of each. I might make something in SketchUp to demonstrate what I mean. Does this sound good?

Also, I was wondering about the legal issues surrounding this. As far as I know I could end up making a functional suppressor that might work on a real firearm. I don't know what this would mean legally, anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

Alabastor_Twob wrote: »

Hi all, I just bought a suppressor today, I'm quite pleased with it. I expected it to have little effect on an AEG, but it definitely quietens and changes the texture of the sound. I was thinking of getting a second one and making a project out of it, installing baffles and expansion chambers and such to see if improves the effect. The one I have now is basically just filled with foam. Now I was wondering, has anyone else tried this and has experience or tips to help me? I was thinking of making the baffles out of cut and shaped pieces of aluminium from a coke can, perhaps using a dowel to push them through the tube of the silencer to shape them, and then drilling a hole in the centre of each. I might make something in SketchUp to demonstrate what I mean. Does this sound good?

Also, I was wondering about the legal issues surrounding this. As far as I know I could end up making a functional suppressor that might work on a real firearm. I don't know what this would mean legally, anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

As far as I know, you have this in the wrong forum. If your thinking of making a suppressor that might fit on a real firearm, you shouldn't be talking about this in the 'Airsoft' Forum, as this is not allowed.

Alabastor_Twob

Sorry if I was unclear, this is definitely for airsoft. I wouldn't go near a real firearm. It's just that I thought it would be a fun project, and possibly useful. The suppressor that I bought still works, but it still gives a deep thump sound each time I fire. I think this is due to it only having one chamber, and a bore more than twice the size of a bb. I wanted to modify one to see if I could improver on it in any way.

I've made some quick images in SketchUp which should help illustrate what I mean.

NakedDex

The problem you'll face is simply that only a small amount of the noise produced by an airsoft rifle is emitted from the barrel. The vast majority comes from areas like the magwell, motor plate vents and the breach cover.
However, you can stack baffles made from acoustic dampening material within a suppressor tube. Aluminium wouldn't work necessarily, as the round is already sub-sonic so using metal baffles would be redundant, or even counter productive.

Madbull do a line of suppressors that are designed to actually make a difference. Their Gemtech series was designed with Gemtech themselves, makers of real suppressors. The HALO is highly regarded and recorded as the quietest suppressor on the market, and the G8 I use regularly makes a massive difference to the pitch of the sound produced despite the size.

BioHazRd

It probably won't work, as a real suppressor is designed to minimise the effect of the rapidly expanding gases released during the firing of a bullet.
In airsoft, we don't have such things to worry about and the foam does a decent job of reducing the sound, albeit only slightly. if you really want to silence your gun, a standard airsoft silencer with a quiet piston will get you the results you are looking for.
One mod that I highly recommend on airsoft silencers, is to thread an aeg spring down the centre of the foam. This will minimise any damage to the foam by stray bbs which could result in a blockage at the wrong moment.
I think trying to make a silencer / suppressor that has internal metal baffles such as the real one, could be asking for trouble as it wouldn't take a huge effort to make one fit a RS gun and that's a big no-no. AFAIK, teal suppressors, or devices capable of acting as a suppressor on a real gun require a Garda permit (Maybe a gun owner can confirm / deny this)

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

Just remember to use the term 'Airsoft device' or as I would say, airsoft pistol, airsoft rifle, etc...

As for the silencer, for me, it looks confusing enough.

Some suppressors will already be either hallow or have foam in them which will reduce the sound, because when I bought my Tokyo Marui VSR-10 G-Spec, the silencer had foam inside it.

One day, a pellet actually managed to hit one of the plastic 0-Rings inside the silencer which would hold the foam in place. Had to open the whole silencer and remove the pellet which was clogged in because of the foam, and I removed all the 0-Rings, didn't need them in the end as the foam would still hold in place.

Inari

The problem is, as Dex has already mentioned, the majority of the noise is not possible to silence with a suppressor. With AEGs, the noise is coming from the gearbox, and this resonates throughout the device. All the suppressor does is dull the sound of the BB leaving the barrel - this makes it much more difficult to place where a shot has come from.

I can't see there being any benefit to the proposed custom make over the famed Madbull Gemtech series, apart from perhaps cost.

Bobby Baccala

i would say if there was ways of making airsoft silencers better theres already a company that have done it and your better off just buying a high end one instead of having to make it from scratch

Alabastor_Twob

I was originally intending to get some low density foam and put it in between each baffle, but I take it there would be little point to this? Would the thumping sound (like punching a pillow) be caused by the piston hitting the back of the nozzle?
If so, would it be better to attach foam or rubber to the front of the piston to reduce this noise?

Inari

Alabastor_Twob wrote: »

I was originally intending to get some low density foam and put it in between each baffle, but I take it there would be little point to this? Would the thumping sound (like punching a pillow) be caused by the piston hitting the back of the nozzle?
If so, would it be better to attach foam or rubber to the front of the piston to reduce this noise?

Silent piston + cylinder head combinations will help remove much of the noise, and are more durable than attaching foam/rubber to a piston head. Element make decent ones, but I think the best of the bunch would have to be Prometheus...costly, but oh so very tasty

Alabastor_Twob

Ah, okay.
This idea was originally just meant to be a fun idea to try, without any intention to really make use of it in a skirmish. I wouldn't really be willing to shell out much cash to make any serious changes, I would have to change my playing style to really make use of it.

Witcher

BioHazRd wrote: »

AFAIK, teal suppressors, or devices capable of acting as a suppressor on a real gun require a Garda permit (Maybe a gun owner can confirm / deny this)

Yeah you need a Super's authorisation to possess or use one. You get a little 'S' on your licence if they authorise it.

---
Firekitten gave some good advice about improving silencers, she suggested buying fish filter foam of various density and alternating the densities along the inside of it, works better than just one piece of foam.

Puding

the physics of a real steel silencer just do not work in airsoft, as other have said most of the noise is from the gearbox. You can get a marked improvement but using different material in the silencer as firekitten documented.

Alan b.

.K.A.L.I.M.A. wrote: »

Just remember to use the term 'Airsoft device' or as I would say, airsoft pistol, airsoft rifle, etc...

As for the silencer, for me, it looks confusing enough.

Some suppressors will already be either hallow or have foam in them which will reduce the sound, because when I bought my Tokyo Marui VSR-10 G-Spec, the silencer had foam inside it.

One day, a pellet actually managed to hit one of the plastic 0-Rings inside the silencer which would hold the foam in place. Had to open the whole silencer and remove the pellet which was clogged in because of the foam, and I removed all the 0-Rings, didn't need them in the end as the foam would still hold in place.

i had the same issue with a certain "slut" p90,
playing in predator one day and some bb's hit the end of the silencer on the inside and bounced back into the foam and shattering as they hit each other. took the silencer off and opened itup to find half a dozen bb's inside and some broken. the foam was shredded and the walls of the silencer pitted with bb marks.
i intended to modify the foam inside to avoid it in the future but never used the gun again.

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

Alan b. wrote: »

i had the same issue with a certain "slut" p90,
playing in predator one day and some bb's hit the end of the silencer on the inside and bounced back into the foam and shattering as they hit each other. took the silencer off and opened itup to find half a dozen bb's inside and some broken. the foam was shredded and the walls of the silencer pitted with bb marks.
i intended to modify the foam inside to avoid it in the future but never used the gun again.

I find that P90's are excellent airsoft rifles, but they wouldn't be good for long range, just CQB.

As for the suppressor, yes, that's pretty much the same thing that happen to me.

Firekitten

.K.A.L.I.M.A. wrote: »

I find that P90's are excellent airsoft rifles, but they wouldn't be good for long range, just CQB.

As for the suppressor, yes, that's pretty much the same thing that happen to me.

Wrong. The P90 hopup design has them out ranging m4s and m16s.

As for the supressor... if you want to make it better, try my technique, one I use to great effect

Go to a pet shop, buy some fish filter foam, the two types, very dense foam, and a less dense type, cut them to the ring sizes, and alternate dense for less dense. The effect is quite noticeable. With a bit of sealing to air leaks to the rifle, it works well, (from 20ft, it makes a big difference, as the muzzle crack is very locatable,) on bolties, its near silent.

Leftyflip

I use an M4 with a 250mm barrel and outrange a lot of players on the field... at 280fps... Not all about barrel length and fps!

Alan b.

I didn't think the p90 was all that great standard to be honest. It was nice and compact without the silencer but other then that. The mags where troublesome. More hassle then it was worth

NakedDex

I have two P90's; one stock, bar the tightbore and Guarder rubber, and the other has been tarted up six ways from Sunday.
The "stock" one will accurately out-range most assault rifles it's come across, and the tarted up one has out-ranged some bolties (much to the chagrin of a particular sniper one evening...).
P90's may look small, but you have to remember: they're a bullpup. There's an 230mm barrel in there. It's not like an MP5K, with a stubby length of barrel, it's equivalent to an average carbine barrel. Couple that with, as FK alluded to, the rather brilliant hop system, and it's a pretty formidable machine.