Suppressors, also known as silencers, are one of the most misunderstood accessories when it comes to anything relating to firearms. The nomenclature itself is one reason for this. Technically known as suppressors, the general public have latched on to the silencer label – even though it is next to impossible to completely silence a gun, (explaining why suppressors is the preferred term). Fortunately for shoppers, all firearms professionals at your favorite NH gun shop or MA gun shop will know what you mean regardless of which term you use. So if you are looking for suppressors for sale, we here at Old Glory Guns & Ammo, the premier source for ammunition and guns in NH, have a few things we think you should know first about suppressors.
First of all, the most important detail – just like we mentioned above, suppressors do not “silence” firearms, they “suppress” the sound made by the discharge of the ammunition within the firearm. Can they drastically reduce the volume of the gunshot? Absolutely, depending upon which combination of firearm and suppressor you are dealing with of course. Can they render a gun completely silent? No, not at all. No matter how many times you see it in movies or TV shows, there is no way to make a gunshot completely inaudible.
Why not? Well first of all is the matter of simple physics: the bullet is propelled by an explosion of hot air created by ignited powder. This explosion, as well as the rapid expansion of the air, will always make a sound. Even the highest-quality suppressors will still release a sound – albeit a greatly reduced one. However, there is more to this problem than the suppressor itself, and it revolves around one of the most ignored aspects of firearms operation in the history of cinematic representations of firearms used with suppressors: even if we did one day create a suppressor that eliminated 100% of the noise created from firing a bullet, the sound created by the moving parts of the firearm itself would still be audible.
That’s right – suppressors do nothing to quiet the noise created by an unlocked slide mechanism, to say nothing of the ejection of the spent cartridge or shell casing itself.
Despite these misconceptions propagated by movies and television, suppressors are still a fantastic way to greatly reduce the volume and force of the sound created during the discharging of a firearm. They come in particularly handy when shooting in an enclosure such as an indoor shooting range where sound waves echo off of the walls. If you have any other questions about suppressors, or are looking for a NH gun shop or MA gun shop that has suppressors for sale, come visit us at Old Glory Guns & Ammo in Mason, NH today!
