Watch any thriller, gangster, spy, or covert action movie and eventually something will appear that defines these genres. That thing will be a person pulling out a gun and attaching a suppressor or silencer onto the end of it.
We have all seen this happen, and we all know at least what a silencer does in this situation. However, apart from its effect, not many of us know much about suppressors.
We only know how and why they are used, but beyond that it is a little bit of a mystery.
This is especially annoying for those who engage in hunting, either out of necessity, sport, or as a job. You see, there are a lot of rumors regarding silencers and knowing which one is true or not can not only make your life easier, but can also save it.
There is one particular theory that this is very true for, and that is whether silencers reduce range.
As you can imagine, this is a fairly important question to answer, as it can have a lot of real world consequences, especially if you rely on hunting to feed your family.
Well fear not friends, for we have decided to answer this question in full and give you a run down of whether a suppressor really does reduce range.
What Is A Suppressor?
When we talk about suppressors in our day to day, most of us are likely to have gotten the impression that suppressors are some kind of ‘silenced’ guns.
While they do “reduce” the sound of a gunshot, they are not mechanically ‘silenced’ in any way and are still a firearm.
For those of us who hunt or shoot at a distance, this can be very important to know.
If you are trying to hunt game, you want to make as little noise as possible, as this will alert whatever is out there and make them more wary of your presence.
If you watch many hunting shows on television, you will see many examples of people trying to hunt with as little noise as possible, either by walking quietly, wearing lighter clothing, or trying to find ways of greatly reducing the sound of a gun.
As such, suppressors can reduce noise, but not eliminate it, and that is why you will see hunters making great efforts to reduce all other noise they make.
Do Suppressors Reduce Range?
When you pull out that silencer and fire, does it cause the bullet to ‘bend’ or ‘break’? So much so that when it hits the target, it creates a ‘crack’ or ‘pop’ that is out of sync with the rest of the sound? If this were true, then yes, suppressors would reduce range.
But in that instance, something is going wrong with your suppressor, which means it is either not attached correctly or it is broken, and you should get it looked at.
If you have a perfectly working silencer, though, then the answer is no, they do not reduce the range of your gun. Now, before we get a lot of questions, we want you to know that we truly believe that silencers do help decrease the sound of gunshots.
However, they do not stop the sound of gunfire, only reduce it. They do this by being basically a hollow tube.
When the bullet, gas, and noise travels out of the end of the gun, that is when the sound enters the open air.
However, a silencer is a hollow tube with expansion chambers. So with a silencer, the bullet keeps going and the noise and gas gets trapped in the tube.
Imagine, screaming in a big empty metal room. The sound is probably not going to travel beyond that far beyond that room.
This is how a silencer works. Since it does not impact the firing of the gun in any way, it does not reduce the firing range.
Are Suppressors Useful?
Yes, we believe that suppressors are useful. Now for a lot of people, this is going to be quite obvious already, but for those who aren’t quite there yet or are new to suppressors, here is a quick run down of why suppressors are useful:
– They reduce the sound of a gunshot, making the noise less likely to alert animals who may be nearby.
– They reduce the amount of ‘vibrations’ that the gun creates when fired, making it less likely to jam.
– They may help with accuracy a little bit, but this is unconfirmed. As a firearm is fired, the barrel is forced to unload, or spin, increasing its accuracy as it does so.
When a firearm is suppressed, the barrel doesn’t have to unload as quickly, meaning that it can be a bit more accurate while still firing a round.
However, again, this is unconfirmed, so take this information with a pinch of salt.
So, as you can see, suppressors are incredibly useful with no noticeable downsides to them.
How Much Are Suppressors?
This is the million-dollar question, right? For those who are new to the idea of buying a suppressor, it can be quite a scary thing, especially if you have never done any major online shopping before.
So, to make it a little bit easier and less intimidating, we have broken down the different types of suppressors and how much they cost.
Digital Suppressors
These are the cheapest type of suppressor that you can buy. They are quieter than any other type of suppressor, but they also have a few issues that we will get to later.
These are the cheapest type of suppressor that you can buy. They are quieter than any other type of suppressor, but they also have a few issues.
Silencers
These are your classic style silencers that most people are used to seeing in movies. The price varies depending on the type of silencer (i.e. can, rifle, etc.) and the length.
Extended Proprietor’s Rights (EPPR) Silencers
These are a bit more expensive than your average silencer, but they also come with some extra-nice features, such as a lifetime warranty. This is the best way to go.
For the cheapest type of suppressor, you’re looking at about $350 and for the more expensive kinds, you are looking at around $1500, but it could be more.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand suppressors a bit better, and that you now feel a bit more comfortable with them.
Whether you use them, or you just want to know their effects, it is always important to know the pieces of your gun, so you can maintain gun safety.
