Benefits of Shooting With a Sound Suppressor

In a post-meltdown survival situation, the use of sound suppressors or gun “silencers” will offer several advantages for hunters and territorial defenders. In this article we will examine two popular suppressors by Yankee Hill Machine and do a noise comparison. Although the technical name of these devices is sound suppressor, the term silencer, while inaccurate, is still used in the US code and regulations, and in common parlance among many competitive and recreational shooters. Nomenclature snobs be warned: I’ll use the terms suppressor and silencer interchangeably.

As far as I know, it is illegal in every state to hunt with a silencer, ostensibly because it makes it easier to poach. Even if you’re not poaching, it’s still illegal. I think it’s silly, but I comply and I’m not recommending to anyone that they break the law. That said, in a life or death survival situation, a silencer definitely gives the hunter or territorial defender some advantages:

  • First, by suppressing the sound of the blast, it reduces the area in which game and hostile persons will be alerted to his presence. For the hunter, this significantly increases the ROI of energy expenditure, as he has to travel lesser distances to find game. Over a long winter, this could well mean the difference between survival and starvation.
  • Second, by suppressing the blast, it makes it more difficult to localize the shooter. While the sonic crack of the flying bullet is not suppressed, it is not a localized event, but a more generalized sound that does not offer pinpoint data about the shooter’s position. (The sonic crack is just a miniature sonic “boom,” whose sound is perceived in relation to the observer’s location in the bullet’s mach cone angle, which varies by the bullet’s shape, velocity, and height above the observer, not in relation to the bullet’s point of origin. That’s a lot of variables, and the point is, the sonic crack of the bullet doesn’t give the observer much useful information about its point of origin. If you’d like to drill deep into the physics of the mach cone, read about the Prandtl-Meyer Expansion Fan). It’s not perfect — there is still an audible blast, and even the mechanical signature of the gun is detectable for some distances, sometimes great distances, as when shooting near a body of water.
  • Third, the silencer is an extremely effective flash suppressor, which allows the shooter to operate in twilight or dark conditions without revealing his position.
  • And finally… the first three advantages are tactical; this one is practical and applies in any situation. The simple fact of reducing noise helps prevent hearing damage and abates possible nuisance to neighbors who don’t like to hear frequent gunshots.

Silencers are class III items under the National Firearms Act, so they have to be registered with the federal government. Registration costs $200 per silencer, and must be administered by a properly licensed firearms dealer. If you want one, find your friendly neighborhood class III dealer and get started soon because it can take several months for the paperwork to clear.

If there’s any disadvantage to using a silencer, it’s that it creates a lot of blowback. Eye protection is good practice any time you shoot, but with a silencer it’s mandatory. Blowback is especially bad when shooting a suppressed semi-auto rifle because your face is so close to the firing mechanism, and your eyes get a concentrated dose of blast gases. You can hold your breath and avoid breathing the noxious fumes, but you can’t really close your eyes while shooting, can you? After a few magazines my face looks peppered with oil and dust, and my glasses have to be cleaned.

Sound suppressor comparison video

In this video we compare the sound of a .223 caliber round shot through a suppressed and unsuppressed Colt 5.56 Carbine. Using the same gun, we also compare the sound of a .22 LR round shot with and without the Phantom suppressor. The CMMG .22 conversion kit replaces the firing bolt and allows the use of .22 LR in an AR 15. With the suppressor mounted, the conversion kit failed to feed, and I was only able to demonstrate single shots. I haven’t yet determined what was causing the FTFs.

You can also see the dramatic effect of the Mite on the Walther P22. Because the .22 round is subsonic when fired from the P22, the amount of suppression is remarkable, even without water.

Examining the Yankee Hill Machine Phantom 5.56

Here we have a YHM Phantom for the 5.56 mm round. As you probably know, 5.56 is the same diameter as .223 caliber, and can be used with either round. It can also be mounted on a .22 rifle or, as I did here, on an AR 15 with a .22 conversion kit. This allows you to shoot .22 cartridges from your AR 15. In our demonstration, the Phantom was mounted on a Colt 5.56 Carbine with the QD mount/flash hider.

The Phantom has some very appealing design features. This particular model comes with a QD (quick detach) mount that allows rapid attachment and detachment from the barrel (some models are threaded directly to the barrel of the gun). The QD mount doubles as an effective flash hider when the sound suppressor is not mounted. When mounted, a gas seal keeps the threads clean so they won’t bind, making it much easier to remove the suppressor by hand. The flash hider is not merely a convenience — it is designed to support the suppressor on two concentric thread coils. This important safety feature helps keep the suppressor on axis even if not fully tightened, which helps avoid dangerous and expensive baffle strikes.

The YHM Phantom weighs 20 ounces

This well-used Phantom QD mount shows some spalling on the flash hider, but a gas seal keeps the mounting threads clean and in good shape

The suppressor was mounted on a Colt 5.56 Carbine with Nightforce scope, Atlas V8 bipod, and Magpul ACS stock

The QD mount for the Phantom has two points of attachment to help keep it on axis even if not completely tightened

YHM QD Phantom 5.56 Specifications

  • Caliber — .223 cal/5.56 mm
  • Length — 6.875 in
  • Diameter — 1.500 in
  • Weight — 20 oz
  • Suppression Level — -35 dB
  • Material — Chrome moly steel and heat treated Inconel 718
  • Finish — Matte Black
  • Retail cost — $565 (plus the $200 federal registration fee)

The YHM .22 Mite

One of the most interesting aspects of the Mite is that it can be disassembled for cleaning, and comes with a disassembly tool for easy service. The small diameter of this silencer allows the use of stock sights, in most cases — some other silencers are so big around that you have to mount raised sights in order to see over the can. This can weighs in at under 3 ounces; amazing considering what it delivers in terms of sound suppression.

Yankee Hill Machine Phantom and Mite

Comparing the sizes of the Phantom and the Mite. The Phantom weighs 7 times as much as the Mite

Yankee Hill Machine Mite on a Walther P22

The Mite was mounted on a Walther P22

The Mite mounts on a threaded barrel attachment

Don’t let Hollywood set your expectations, but depending on caliber, pistol silencers can have a remarkable effect. If you shoot a .45 or a .22 pistol, both of which are subsonic, the amount of sound suppression is truly impressive because there’s no sonic crack of the bullet to spoil the effect. In fact, you’ll find the gun’s mechanical cycling clearly audible. This is not to say that your gun will sound like the Hollywood “dzip” or “phut,” but I can shoot the Mite all day without hearing protection, and I really think my little girl is louder when she greets me after work.

YHM .22 Mite Specifications

  • Caliber — .22
  • Length — 5.300 Inches
  • Diameter — 1.00 Inches
  • Weight — 2.9 Ounces
  • Suppression Level — -35 to -40 dB Depending on Host Firearm
  • Material — Aircraft Quality Aluminum and Stainless Steel
  • Finish — Matte Black Hardcoat
  • Method of Attachment — 1/2″-28 Threads
  • Retail cost — $283 (plus the $200 federal registration fee)

Using water to improve sound suppression

Sound suppression is enhanced by the use of water in the can. By vaporizing and atomizing, water absorbs energy that would otherwise go into blast noise and flash. Grease and oil can also be used, but water is much more effective because it has a much higher specific heat. In other words, for a given mass, it takes a lot more heat to raise the temperature of water than it does oil or grease, so a gram of water will attenuate more energy than a gram of oil or grease. Another disadvantage is that grease and oil are messier than water, which is already bad enough. Water-based gels are also effective, but care must be taken to clear the bore before firing, or dangerously high pressures may develop.

I don’t recommend the use of water, gels, oil, or grease in rifle suppressors because the pressures involved are so much greater, and I’d be concerned that it might damage the suppressor, creating a potentially dangerous situation for the next shot. In any event, there’s so much energy in rifle shots that wet suppressors are only effective for one or two shots at a time.

OPSEC and suppressor registration

I concede that registering your suppressor is incompatible with operational security. Any time the state decides to confiscate suppressors, it will know you have yours, as you can’t legally transfer it without registering the transfer. But it is conceivable that in a post-meltdown scenario, individual liberties might actually improve, and that the state would refrain from confiscating guns and NFA items like suppressors. In that case, you’ll be able to reap the logistical and tactical benefits of owning a silencer.

And if that’s not the case, and you lose your suppressor, at least you will have had some fun with it.

~ SnoMan

8 thoughts on “Benefits of Shooting With a Sound Suppressor”

  1. Hey SNOman. Been enjoying your blog now for a while and am very glad you are back to regular postings again.

    One quick question. Getting ready to purchase our first AR-15 and was curious if you have a favorite. With so many out there and so many opinions on which is best, it would be nice to get your opinion too. Thanks man.

    1. My son (USMC) got a very nice Ruger 556, gas piston operated.
      Those are around $1300 or less. Our #1 LGS had one for $1049
      so he snagged it. Very nice operating weapon. Less crud to clean.

  2. Hi Grant, that’s a great question, worthy of a whole article in response, but I’ll summarize, LOL! The market for these guns is so huge, and the producers so numerous, asking what kind of AR to buy is kind of like asking "what kind of vehicle should I buy?" The answer depends on what you want to use it for.

    Do you want a light gun you’re going to carry with you for hours or days at a time?

    Do you want a heavily accessorized gear-geeked gun to display all your toys?

    Do you want a basic 600 yard sniper? or a super accurate 1000 yard sniper?

    In every case, your needs will determine what you should buy. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that for your first AR-15 you’re going to want something for home defense or post-Armageddon tactical situations, in which case you won’t normally be carrying it, but you might find yourself having to one day. In that case I like the Colt 6940 Advanced Law Enforcement Carbine (http://www.colt.com/ColtLawEnforcement/Products/ColtAdvancedLawEnforcementCarbine.aspx). It’s great right out of the box, but it’s also a good starting point for all kinds of mods.

    This gun has a removable lower rail, a monolithic upper rail, a floating barrel, and a folding front sight for optics, and even with all this it weighs less than 7 lbs out of the box. It’s also a good platform in case you want to make it a mid-range sniper. The stock barrel is fine for that — just mount good optics like a NightForce or Schmidt and Bender, install a good two-stage trigger, a better stock, a bipod, use match-grade ammo, and you’re all set.

    No matter which way you go, I would install a magpul grip and adjustable stock.

    I hope this helps, and thanks for reading!

    ~SnoMan

  3. Someone got the great idea that one of those “oil filter adapter” solvent catcher barrel cleaner gizmos might be OK to leave on an assembled weapon… actually pulled the trigger… huh, it didn’t blow up! But it was a LOT Quieter. Go Figure

  4. if shtf, the “gov’t will cease to exist within a very few weeks. If foreign investors get scared and reduse to buy just our short term bonds, that’s the end of the $ bill’s creditiblity and “value”. Without an economy, the gov’t can’t pay their thugs.So don’t be afraid that they’ll be coming for your silener. If they ever do, it will be time to use it.

  5. Paladin Press sells “how to make” books for silencers on theMini14 and the .22. Amazon sells the same books for $5 less each. You learn on the .22, before blowing up your 223 auto rifle. You can extrapolate from the Mini 14 book, to be able to “can’ your AR. The Ar is threaded and the front sight is not in the way of mounting a silencer.

  6. ah, u r so wrong about it always being illegal to hunt with a silencer. Ak, Tx and one of the carolinas allow it, I know for a fact. there’s even youtube vids about doing so. also, if it’s not shtf, a .22 pistol will handle any “needed” hunting tasks. if it’s shtf, you have no reason at all to care about any laws, much less silencer laws.

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