Has anyone built a static suppressor for range work with larger calibre rifles ?

I was thinking of welding a couple of 440 gallon drums (or 5 litre drums) end to end, leaving the ends in place as baffels with larger oval holes cut through them to shoot and sight through. Then lining the insides with foam or other sound muffling material.

I have access to a 500 acre property for sighting in, load development and range practise.
There is a lovely little hill behind a 200 acre flat as a backstop and no neighbours in sight.
I would like however, to keep my rifles (.25-06AI and .300 Weatherby) from disturbing stock and any neighbours within ear shot.

Has anyone done this ?

Build a wooden crate and stack 8-10 old tires in it.
On the front and back you can screw a ply plate so the holes wont be to big.

Forgot to mention, it's still going to be loud!
Those who knows stuff about stuff says that when you are more than 75m forward of the rifle that is fired a muffler wont matter as all you hear is the sonic boom/crack.

Excellent reply. I have a few old tyre lying around too.

Thx The Dane.

quote:

Originally posted by The Dane:
Forgot to mention, it's still going to be loud!
Those who knows stuff about stuff says that when you are more than 75m forward of the rifle that is fired a muffler wont matter as all you hear is the sonic boom/crack.

Yes one still hears the sonic crack but it is a lot less the boom of the muzzle blast.

Tires, a box, barrels with baffles well all cut the noise signature down. plus a lot of people well not know what the crack is.

NOTE: the smaller the exit hole, the quieter (comparatively speaking) the exit sound will be. It will increase the noise coming back to the shooter.

Back in the early nineties I had the opportunity to shoot in a seed warehouse for four years. A Rockchuck shooting buddy was manager of the warehouse. About 400yds, into a slanted steel 1" plate, with the bullets going into a sandbox (48"X48") about two feet deep.

We built a tube using 12 feet of 24" plastic irrigation pipe with a 4" circular baffle at the front. It was a fantastic test of rifle and shooter.

We shot about midnight, so the temperature had stabilized. It was surprising to see trace mirage coming off of the concrete floor about dusk on 90+ degree days. I think the translucent ceiling panels caused it.

The longer tube will make all the difference in the world. Using the plastic irrigation pipe keeps it light enough that three sawhorses with a base parallel could be moved around or stored. They also make end caps for the pipe so you can install one and make the exit hole a size to suit with a hole saw.

Rich

I remember reading one of the gunzines writers who had his own range on his place in Vermont or New Hampshire. Over time people moved in closer and objected to the noise. He welded two 55 gal. drums end to end with a 12 inch hole in the front and 18 inch in the rear. He put fiber glass insulation held in place chicken fencing to hold it in place.
He found it worked and the neighbors were not complaining. He allowed that he did have to replace the insulation occasionally.

Jim

The US government has a design using 18inch corrugated plastic pipe 6-8 feet long. Roll a chicken wire or heavier wire mesh cylinder, wrap it with Unfaced fiberglass insulation and slide it in the pipe. Serious sound suppression.

G'Day Fella's,

Code4, I don't have any images, but the best one I've used, consists of 10 + car of 4WD tires (all of the same size), supported in an external steel support frame.
I suppose you could find some tires that would fit inside a couple of 44 gallon drums welded together (which would reduce them filling with water), and achieve the same result!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

I always wanted to try this an planned on hanging carpet pieces with holes in them. Good idea to have air flow going forward so the gases don't come back at you.

I would offer one caution especially on the tires. They act as baffles that can collect unburnt powder that is in the muzzle blast of the fired cartridges If enough residue collects there could be a flash over.

I have heard it called the Serengeti Silencer, but essentially take one old hard top landrover, get out leaving both the driver and the passenger windows slightly open, then shoot from outside the drivers door, across the cab and out of the slightly opened passenger window - you did of course park the landrover with both windows perfectly in line with intended target. I believe if you get it right the noise is contained within the landrover.