Some basic questions

techxile · Jun 18, 2020

I'm interested in suppressors and just have some basic questions mostly about legality. I'm not a new shooter but I know very little about suppressors and have never used one myself.

I recall going into Threat Dynamics (Sherwood, OR) and seeing pistols for sale that already had built in suppressors. Are these considered as good as the add-on ones?
People keep mentioning the NFA. It was my understanding that, at least when it came to guns, the NFA "registry" was closed in 1986. This is the reason for the current scarcity and high prices of these items. I assume silencers, though, are still being made and can be made legally (and fairly cheaply). Is it always necessary to register such items though? I know that it is legal to manufacture your own guns, does this apply to suppressors?
What kinds of prices are reasonable for a good rifle silencer? Pistol silencer?

Thanks!

ferret427 · Jun 18, 2020

1. If you mean by built in suppressor that it does not simply have a suppressor attached to the end of the barrel and it is integral (think HK MP5SD), then it is a title LL firearm, and will require a tax stamp for the gun. In addition, the purpose of integrally silenced firearms is to reduce the velocity of any bullets shot through it to exit the muzzle at subsonic speed. In other words, even if you use supersonic ammo, you will get subsonic velocities and energies. As to how quiet they are, I would guess it would depend on the setup, but many are reportedly quiet. Youay not want one. An example would be something like an AR SBR chambered in .300 Blackout, where you want to use heavy bullets for suppressed fire, and also be able to use lighter projectiles that are supersonic for longer distances without removing the suppressor. A suppressor mounted at the muzzle will allow you to shoot supersonics at distance, and subs close up. The trade off is overall length of the weapon. Depends on application.

2. A complete answer to this would be really long. Simply put, the registry mainly deals with items like full auto guns, not supressors. You can buy and make supressors pursuant to your local and federal laws. Read up on your DOJ and the ATF's websites. Do your research. You do NOT want to make a mistake and go to jail.

3. Again, do your research. Prices are generally in line with application and construction. An aluminum pistol supressor for your light use .22 pistol will be several times cheaper than a battle rated can for your Uber semi auto Barret .50cal anti-material rifle. There is a lot online about this stuff. Read reviews, blogs, watch videos, etc.

One thing to note, choose your application, and go from there. The quietest is not necessarily the best. Things like back pressure mitigation, signature reduction, weight, heat tolerance, POI shift, hearing save vs not, diameter/length and attachment method all play a role onto choosing a suppressor

Sarchet · Jun 18, 2020

2. The NFA registry covers all NFA items, including suppressors, MGs, DDs, SBRs, etc. It is still open as a whole. The machine gun registry closed in 1986. If you are manufacturing your own suppressor and you are not licensed as a manufacturer, you must submit a Form 1 and have it approved before proceeding with making the suppressor.

ferret427 · Jun 19, 2020

Yep. I stand corrected. Most of the time I have heard anyone talk about registry, it has been about the machine gun registry and assumed that is what he was asking. I didn't want to get into the different ATF filings their requirements and all that stuff that can be easily found online in depth.

wired · Jun 22, 2020

The vast majority of the NFA registry consists of silencers. 2:1 over machine guns. Smaller amounts of SBR's, SBS's and a smattering of DD's and AOW's. The '86 ban affected new machine guns only. At that point they were the highest proportion of items in the registry but as $200 became what you made before lunch at work or the cost of a craigslist hooker after '86 and silencer makers figured out how to make silencers that didnt suck the number of silencers really took off.

I do my part.

Tornado-Technologies · Jun 25, 2020

Here's a bit more accurate info. The "NFA Registry's" correct name is the NFRTR (National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record). The vast majority of items on the NFRTR are not in fact silencers. They are in fact Destructive Devices aka DD's. According to the 2019 data released by the ATF there were 1,750,433 silencers and 2,977,630 DD's registered. About 10% of these DD's were located in California which has the most DD's of an State. Deductive reason tells us that these DD's are most likely flash-bangs and similar devices that are required to be registered by law.

wired · Jun 25, 2020

In civilian hands it's silencers.

tac · Jun 25, 2020

Here in yUK where so much is hard with regard to guns, if we feel the need for a moderator [we don't call them silencers here] we ask our nice Chief constable if we can have one and he usually says yes.

In fact, in some counties they are compulsory for any night shooting.

techxile · Jun 25, 2020

tac said:
Here in yUK where so much is hard with regard to guns, if we feel the need for a moderator [we don't call them silencers here] we ask our nice Chief constable if we can have one and he usually says yes.

In fact, in some counties they are compulsory for any night shooting.

Yeah, it's funny that only Americans seem to make a big deal about these things. This might simply be due to numerous Hollywood movies written by hacks where, if you needed to show that a bad guy was "really bad", you gave him a pistol or sub-machine gun with a silencer. I've read that in many places in Europe such as Finland silencers are not only not illegal but mandatory.

Thanks for the info about the UK.