If my varmint rifle had a silencer it would be much more welcome for shooting varmints in settled areas.

I saw my first one today at the range. A retired cop bought a rifle from a local dept. It was a Remington in 308 with the huge Leu and a 10" long silencer on it. When it was fired with the standard tactical load there was no boom at all just the sound of the bullet going down range. There was little or no echo and in general it was did NOT sound like a gunshot!

I was very impressed but I wonder if I want the BATF to know I have taken out a permit. He said that there were only three of them in private hands in the entire state of CT.

What are your thoughts on this?

Each state has different laws on title II weapons. Some states are very user friendly and others are not. Sometimes it is a local political battle to have your sherrif sign the form 4 to allow you to purchase the suppressor of your choice. With that being said. Supressors are great fun to use. they do not disturb the public and are excellent for teaching a new shooter how to shoot. As a bonus they reduce recoil on most bolt actions.

I was shooting a suppressed Ruger 10/22 at a public range a few months ago and guy walked up and said " that's the quietest gun i ever heard, what kind of ammo are you using?"

Check your state laws and take the plunge. you pay a one time 200 transfer tax and then it's yours.

I am very interested in the level of report you observed Savage99. I am contemplating getting a suppressor for culling problem animals eating our seedlings and young trees. Was the sound like the crack you hear most easily with 22lr's?
What type of suppressor did he have?

Hi all,
full bore suppressors/moderators/silencers are in full swing here in the U.K. The firearms dept objected to them instantly, but under the health and safety at work legislation, which states that the noise level must be under a certain decibel, they can not refuse an application.
there effect on noise and blast is tremendous!!
I can quote you an incident where I was along side a fellow stalker with a 243 fitted with the reflex silencer, normally the blast and the noise would of left my ears ringing for a month,but instead the sound would be similar to a 22lr with no blast.

good shooting

Griff

The Brits are much more civilized about suppressors than we Americans. Although you can get permitted for one, most state game laws prohibit their use. So even if you have it, you may not be able to legally use it.

I don't know how to describe the sound that it makes. As I said there is no boom but there is a roar of the bullet going down range. In total effect there is far less noise and it does not sound like a gunshot. It sounds like a fireworks rocket.

The owner of the rifle also has "Whisper" loads but I did not see him shoot them.

I will look up some game laws and see what they say. A quick glance at the VT laws show no mention. I am more interested in CT and NY however.

I don't recall what brand it was but it was made in Arizona.

99 I would say there are more around than he knows about.I thought there was a 500 dollar a year fee on class II weapons.Full Auto and silencers would fall under that.And I think they reserve the right to come search your house at any time.

Savage99 -

Silencer info for New York State - from New York State Environmental Conservation Law (which includes the 'fish and wildlife' laws):

"Sec. 11-0931. Prohibitions on the use and possession of firearms.

1. No person except a law enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties shall use in hunting or possess in the fields or forests or on the waters of the state for any purpose:

a. the apparatus known as a silencer"

- Eric

Savage, there is an article in this months Varmit Hunter, about one gentleman useing a suppressor

Depends if you want the goof troop to come shoot your wife and kids...

Thanks Eric,

This guy I met is using it here in CT for hunting so it must be legal. But I will check it out.

The retired cop answered me when I brought up my increase profile if I should get a permit by saying "Your worse enemy is your own big mouth"

Already I have opened my mouth here and posted the word s-i-l-e-n-c-e-r. This may come up on some search engine by some goverment type. I think I will let it rest until I find out more.

If your state permits the use of a silencer, try Health and safety as an excuse.

My local Police Forces, Scottish, have a much better view than before.

This is due to the increased risk to the shooter etc due to noise.

health and safety can be a real pain!!! but use it to your advantage.

It is illegal to hunt with one in Texas.

yep... illegal in texas... and we allow ANY center fire to take native and exotice game (not migratory birds) from the .14hornet to 20mm, and with ANY size clip... just can't use a flash hider or silencer, in general, in the field.
the only case where you can is if you are culling, AND have the local game wardern's WRITTEN permission. Our parks and wildlife guys have HUGE authority.

jeffe

jeff -- I'm not sure that there's any exemption for "culling", although if a local game warden assures you that he won't prosecute I would assume you could take his word for it.

Some exotic game meat purveyors do use suppressed weapons to take game like Axis at night. The exotics are outside of the hunting regulations, therefore are not subject to state laws prohibiting suppressed weapons for hunting.

[ 03-24-2003, 21:09: Message edited by: Stonecreek ]

Some states differentiate between game and non-game species regarding suitable weapons. Varmints are often OK, deer are not.

Suppressors are GREAT! Very useful items. If you can lawfully and politically acquire one where you live, by all means do so!

Redial

Comment on how loud is a suppressed weapon? for a .22 or 9mm. the sound of the action cycling will be louder than the sound of the gun firing. Imagine throwing a rock at a 55 gallon drum. The rock makes no noise going through the air, yet the impact is loud. The subsonic suppressed projectile can be compared to the rock.

.223 will sound like a unsuppressed .22 fired from a barrel of 22 inches or so. However the location of the sonic crack will be down range vs.where the shooter is sitting.

As a title 2 owner of over 10 years, the ATF does not do surprise checks of your residence for mere ownership. If you want more facts talk to a class 2 dealer in your area. There are lots of rumors and myths floating around over ownership of title 2 weapons/suppressors. The process for ownership is pretty straight forward and easy for anyone to complete, provided you have the support of the local law enforcement official to sign your form 4.

I have a AWCS "can" (supressor) that threads onto my accurized 10/22 (.920 Barrel trimmed to 16.25", add 4.5" for the suppressor). I also have a Ruger MK II 5.5" bull barrel threaded for the can as well. I love the flexibility of the moveable can. The barrel is an Adams/Bennet and it will shoot 10 shots into .5" at 50 yds with good ammo. I like the std. velocity green dot. Rem. Subsonic HP's are very quiet. However, the "smack" of the HP on a critter will be the loudest part of the transaction....

I can shoot this thing in my basement and you can't even hear it on the main floor....

This is an awesome, fun, practical device. Get a form 4 and talk to a class III dealer in your area about what you need to do. Even though legal here in NE, local law enforcement makes it a real pain in the ass to get their signature (required unless you put the device in the name of corporation...)

I HIGHLY reccomend the AWCS unit produced by Lynn McWilliams. He will make a threaded barrel nut for your weapon that is perfectly machined.

Hunting is not the real application, plinking, vermin control, etc. is the application. That's why I don't get one for a centerfire...

Roger

[ 03-25-2003, 08:20: Message edited by: rogerinneb ]

Make a change to hear that the UK has less restrictions than parts of the US on a gun related subject!!!

I also heard that you are required to own a safe to keep the full auto`s in,is that false also?

If it is that easy to aquire I might look into getting one.

A full auto H&K .223 would be SWEET.

Unless there's a local requirement, the safe story is baloney too. No inspections, warrantless searches, etc.

The process is long but simple. The only real hinderance lately has been the cost of transferrable machineguns. Suppressors and short-barrelled jobs can still be manufactured though.

If it appeals to you, try it!

Redial

This is a very informative post... I have been fed so much of the mis-information over the years that I haven't even looked at full auto/silenced firearms... there are some fighting/screwing cats in my back yard keeping me up at night that might need the attention of a silenced 22 with shorts/subsonics in the chamber.

Ruger#1

[ 03-29-2003, 18:05: Message edited by: Ruger#1 ]

If you want to know more about the ins and outs of class 3 ownership, check out this site!

Bardwells NFA FAQ

[ 03-29-2003, 02:10: Message edited by: GonHuntin ]

Quite a few years ago I went shooting with a buddy who owned a suppressed class III with all appropriate paperwork for both rifle & can. The rifle was an AR clone.

That was SOOOO much fun.

Funny how in America suppressors are associated with criminal use by so many, yet in the UK (from what I read) their use is very common.

Just goes to show you that bureaucrats make no sense, no matter where they live.

BigIron

Jeremy! Thanks for reminding us that still care! Yeah America and its people are great but the goverment sucks! Or those that dictate it!

Can You say ----FEDERAL PRISON----? silencers are fairly touchy I don't know the law on them,don't need to as I have no intrest in one, but I'd make darn sure I did before I got one! ---kudu56--- I wonder how many other goverments you've experienced to make such a broad statement? Fortunately for us all we can make statements like that in this country with out fear of recourse.I would agree that some individuals in our government have and will abuse their positions of power and that sucks bigtime. But I would also contend that if a person is seriously troubled by their governments deficiancies they jump right in the middle of it and change it. With all due respect for your opinion I'm afraid I have to disagree with you.Our government doesn't suck, apathy sucks!---Shoot Safe---montdoug

The word and use of a silencer conotates ulterior motives by the user. Few states I know of would grant a private citizen a permit to own let alone install one on his weapon. It has long been know that the use of a silencer was used only by hit men. The military certainly has a supply and many different types for different uses. I am surprised that any police officer was using a silencer equipped rifle at a range, that is just not done by law enforcement officers. They have selected ranges to practice while using such equipment closed while they are shooting. The rifle range I am affiliated with has law enforcment officers who shoot their, and is closed to us while they are practicing. Times and dates are posted in my news letter and the gate is always locked while they are practicing with a sign posted at the gate.
If I were you I would forget about a silencer, it will only cause you much greif sooner of later if you do aquire one. Should you be stopped by an officer in a routine traffic check and he finds one in your possesion you will have one long legal battle on your hands explaning why you own one. After that you will be in their files and on their list of civilians to watch at all times. Any homicide that takes place with a weapon the same caliber similar to yours will have them at your door every time.

Reloader66:

It depends on the state, but it is neither illegal nor immoral to own a silencer under Federal law providing the transfer tax is paid. Hunting with one is again dependent on the individual states regulations. As others have pointed out, it is a relatively easy but long process to obtain the necessary paperwork to pay the transfer tax of $200 (I believe).

They are fun, and that is a main part of the reason most of us shoot and hunt.

Using your logic, someone shouldn't buy one of the dreaded "assault" weapons since they are associated witht the military and gang use.
Frankly, I don't give a shit if the local, state or Federal cops don't want me to own one (or any other legal gun or accessory) as long as ownership is legal. Their perceptions are their problems, not mine, and good lawyers(oxymoron)will quickly fix any attempts at harassment because of THEIR (mis)interpretation of the law.

The "homocides with silencers" rationale is ridiculous since they are extremely rare, but watch out for keeping butcher knives around, they are used all the time and might make you a suspect.

Reloader66- scroll back up and re-read the posts of us who actually own suppressors. The idea that a plague will follow you if you enter the Class III world is "fear and loathing", and the cops (including this retired cop) don't give a shit if you have one or not.

Suppressors are generally very welcome additions at ranges and ranches for good reason. Plus, use of one demonstates a responsible concern for one's neighbors.

Suppressor-involved homicides exist most often in the movies. I've been to many, many homicides and never seen a suppressor or heard one described by witnesses or suspects. Hooey.

Check the facts if suppressors interest you. You may buy one!

Redial