While there is still some squabbling about proper terminology, mostly used to arrogant-ly put down the less experienced, the article in question is generally referred to by the shooting community as a “sound suppressor.” Silencers obviously do not silence a weapon’s operation, and those who refer to them as such usually get their terminology from Hollywood or the National Firearms Act of 1934. As much as suppressor gurus cringe at the use of the word “silencer,” it is the language used by Federal law, as regulated under Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and was coined by Hiram Percy Maxim, himself. For this reason, I have never really worried about the terminology and just enjoyed the suppressor/silencer for what it is—a wonderful tool that adds another level of convenience and tactical practicality to the battlefield and the range. With the influx of usage during this suppressor renaissance, training is key for users to properly deploy their suppressor, as it is not like any other accessory.

This author had the pleasure to attend a tier one course operated by Dan Shea of Phoenix Defence. His company is well known to the U.S. Defense community, as well as to NATO and NA-TO-aligned nations. The course was organized as a seminar and was instructed by Dr. Philip H. Dater, MD. “Doc” Dater has over 50 years of experience in firearm suppression, including design and manufacturing. He is also an expert in firearm sound measuring techniques and pioneered the standardization of measuring procedures. Dr. Dater found this passion while filling the hours on-call as an overnight radiologist. In his spare time, he began to tinker with suppressors and successfully reproduced and improved upon existing designs. In the 1970s, he launched the Automatic Weapons Company (AWC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. By 1994, he had left AWC and started Gemini Technologies (Gemtech) in Idaho with a team of professional designers. A man of many hats, Dr. Dater also created his own private consulting company, Antares Technologies, which works with other defense manufacturers and the U.S. government. His consultancy specialized on firearm and suppression testing with modern sound equipment, high speed photography and other technologies.

The Seminar

The seminar was filled with top tier representatives of a wide spectrum of three letter agencies from around the DC belt-way and government design groups. Apart from tuning up on suppressor deployment, many were conducting research for product procurement and possible contract so-licitation. The seminar instructors included pioneers in modern suppression who offered development workshops, testing procedures, and live-fire testing of many examples. Instructors walked participants through the basic principles of suppression, source of sound, acoustic characteristics, ballistic crack and flash suppression through proper suppressor design with optimal material construction. As a class, participants reviewed proper suppressor maintenance, cleaning and common problems encountered. We discussed, at length, the role of muzzle length and gas pressure, the role of suppressed pistols and recoil management and modern linear inertial decoupler design. These lectures were punctuated with high-speed photography and videos, which transformed more abstract concepts into concrete engineering problems, and ideally, solutions.

Doc also passed on an interesting look into craft-built expedient devices. These lectures were complimented by detailed examples in the history of suppressor de-velopments. He elaborated on advantages and disadvantages of integral and mount-ed suppressors, baffles designs, including K and M baffles, and different construction materials in common use today, which in part, determine durability and service life and affect potential sound reduction. The seminar also addressed the persistent first-round pop problem, which challenges designers to this day. Of particular interest was the dissection of Soviet/Russian sup-pressed systems and specialty, reduced velocity ammunition, such as the 9×39 cartridge and the VSS rifle, and the role of captive piston ammunition.

Lesson Learned

The most valuable lesson from the course was the standardization of sound measuring procedures which Doc helped to develop and which private and government operators and instructors are able to bring back to their respective agencies. This author would highly recommend the seminar to any agency or individual looking to gain insights on next level suppressor deployment and development. Contact Phoenix Defence for the next upcoming advanced suppressor seminar, scheduled for October 3-4, 2019. phoenixdefence.com / 702-208-9735

Soviet sound suppressor development began during World War II, after it was discovered that “silencers” were being fielded by German snipers. Seeing the great psychological and tactical value, the Soviets soon began to field their own suppressors. They basically copied their design from captured German weapons for use on their bolt-action 1891/30 Mosin–Nagant sniper rifles. After World War II ended, there was little interest in the further development of suppressors. As the world entered the Cold War era, the Soviets once again became interested in silent weapons. During 1955, work began to develop an efficient suppressor for 7.62x39mm weapons at the Scientific Research Institute 61, located in the city of Klimovsk. 

The PBS 

Sound suppressors, also known as “silencers,” were developed for various models of the AK rifle. The PBS (Pribor Besshumnoy Stryelbiy) or “Device for Noiseless Shooting” was designed for use on 7.62x39mm SKS, AK and RPD weapons. 

Lieutenant Colonel Makarenko, an engineer at the Scientific Research Institute 61, was one of the individuals involved in the silencer development project. The Soviet sound suppressor was quite simple and primarily designed to cool and slow down the gases expelled by a fired cartridge. One of the early PBS suppressors was a steel “clam shell” design with a hinge at the front of the unit, allowing it to be opened for easy cleaning and maintenance; inside was an expansion chamber, a rubber plug and 10 baffles. A locking mechanism was used to keep the suppressor from loosening during firing. Approximately 100 units were manufactured before production was transferred over to the Izhevsk Machine Building Plant in 1962. 

The PBS-1 

During 1962, the engineers at the Izhevsk plant changed the original PBS design to a more conventional tube-style, which proved to be far more durable. A new soft rubber “wipe” was used, which was designed for better durability in cold temperatures. The new suppressor was designated as the PBS-1. 

The PBS-1 sound suppressor, like the earlier PBS, was a rather simple design. The internal components were encased inside of a steel tube. At the muzzle end of the tube was a threaded expansion chamber, followed by a cone-shaped chamber, with four 2.2mm radial bleed holes and a 20mm thick self-sealing rubber plug. The rubber plug, or “wipe,” was designed to create back-pressure to operate the weapon’s action with special down loaded ammunition and to keep hot, high-pressure gas from rapidly escaping from the suppressor. Located forward of the expansion chamber section were 10 baffles aligned on three rods, with a central hole for the bullet to pass. After firing each round, the hole in the rubber “wipe” would gradually enlarge, each time degrading the effectiveness of the device and eventually requiring replacement after approximately 200 rounds. 

The PBS-1 has an overall length of 8.15-inches (207mm); the main tube has an outside diameter of 1.57 inches (40mm). The device weighs 1.6 pounds (.73kg). 

Sound suppressors are not especially effective on rifles that fire supersonic cartridges, as a rather loud noise is produced when the bullet exceeds the speed of sound after leaving the suppressor. The speed of sound is approximately 1,116 feet per second (340.29m/s) at sea level, with low humidity and an ambient temperature of 68 degs Fahrenheit. The problem is usually addressed by reducing the bullet’s velocity by using a heavier bullet and a downloaded powder charge, but this greatly reduces the range and effectiveness of the weapon. 

Subsonic 7.62x39mm Ammunition 

Russian subsonic 57-N-231U 7.62x39mm ammunition uses a long, heavy bullet with a slightly larger diameter, which results in an altered trajectory with the bullet dropping 200mm (7.87 inches) every 100m (109 yards). To be effective, specially calibrated sights were fitted to weapons with sound suppressors; the maximum range was 400m. The subsonic ammunition was developed at Scientific Research Institute 61, by M.A. Kuzminov and L.I. Golubevu, under the supervision of the original designers of the M43 cartridge. The final design of the new cartridge was successfully tested from January through March 1955. Manufacture of the subsonic cartridges was initially undertaken by the Scientific Research Institute 61 but was later transferred to the Novopodolsky Punching Plant (renamed the Klimovsk Stamping Plant Number 711 in 1960). The subsonic ammunition was packed in two tins, 1,200 rounds to a case, with six spare rubber suppressor “wipes.” After production began at the Klimovsk Plant, the cartridges were packed 1,360 per case with six replacement rubber “wipes” for the PBS-1. The rounds were sealed in two tins and packed inside of a wooden crate. 

The PBS-2 

During the 1970s, the PBS-2 sound suppressor was designed for the 5.45x39mm AK-74 and AKS-74 rifles. Again, special subsonic ammunition was required to keep the bullet from exceeding the speed of sound. The PBS-2 uses a baffle/wipe system that is similar to that used in the PBS-1. The 

PBS-2 was deemed unsuccessful due to the length of the AK-74’s barrel. The long barrel caused the subsonic bullets to exceed supersonic speeds, which causes unacceptable noise. Downloading the powder charge to reduce the velocity often resulted in the bullets getting lodged in the barrel. 

The PBS-3 

The PBS-3 sound suppressor is similar in design to the PBS-1 and PBS-2, except that the PBS-3 was designed for the 5.45x39mm AKS-74U. The AKS- 74U was more successful than the standard AK-74 when fitted with a sound suppressor, due to its short barrel and reduced muzzle velocity. When fired from the AKS-74U, the heavy bullet from the downloaded 5.45 cartridge would exit the muzzle before reaching the speed of sound. The PBS-3 weighs 2 pounds (.91kg) with an overall length of 8.86 inches (225mm). 

The PBS-4 

The PBS-4 was also designed for the short-barrel AKS-74U and is basically the same as the PBS-3, but the PBS-4 has a slightly different internal design that does not use a rubber wipe. This allows full-auto fire and the use of standard velocity ammunition to be fired through it without seriously affecting its performance. Although the use of supersonic ammunition makes considerable noise when fired through a sound suppressor, it does make it difficult for an enemy to pinpoint the location of the shooter. The PBS-4 had better flash suppression than the PBS-3 and is lighter at 1.34 pounds (.61kg). The overall length is also slightly shorter at 8.66 inches (220mm). The PBS- 4 was often used with the BS-1 silent grenade launcher. 

A Modern Solution 

Sound suppressors have become quite mainstream in the last few years. Many firearms manufacturers now offer factory-threaded barrels on their products, solely for the mounting of a suppressor. 

There are many reasons for wanting a suppressor: it allows the discharging of a firearm in an area where the noise could disturb neighbors or animals; it protects the shooter from hearing damage; and last of all suppressors are just cool. Many states now permit suppressors for hunting. The military is issuing an increasing number of suppressors to protect their troops’ hearing and avoid service-related claims of hearing loss. 

Today, there are a substantial number of suppressor manufacturers, and their numbers are growing. There are suppressors available for just about any budget and application from .22 rimfire to .50 caliber BMG. However, suppressors for one group of an extremely popular weapon are conspicuously absent. The options of suppressing an AK-pattern rifle are quite limited; however, the suppressing options for the AK’s nemesis, the AR-15/M16 rifles, seem limitless. So why has the AK been ignored? 

The concept of a suppressed AK has always been appealing to enthusiasts. However, though most AK-pattern rifles have a factory-threaded barrel, bore to muzzle thread concentricity is a major concern with most AK rifles. While less of a concern when a short, thread protector or a slant brake is attached, adding several inches of sound suppressor to the muzzle, concentricity becomes a problem and will result in baffle strikes or worse. There are several additional issues with the weapon’s design to consider. Much of the legendary reliability of the Kalashnikov rifle is due to the sheer volume of gas the system puts out. Restricting this substantial gas flow with a suppressor causes several issues. Felt recoil is increased, and gas and noise are emitted from the ejection port in close proximity to the shooter’s ear. 

Dead Air Armament Wolverine PBS-1 

The Dead Air Armament of Georgia is well-known in the NFA community for manufacturing high-quality suppressors from the best materials available. They currently offer a long line of suppressors for rifle, centerfire and rimfire pistol applications. 

One product that the company wanted to offer was a suppressor for the Kalashnikov rifle. After much trial and error research and development, the company introduced the Wolverine PBS-1 AK suppressor. The Wolverine was specifically engineered to address all of the issues involved with suppressing an AK rifle. Instead of trying to tailor the AK to the silencer, they decided to tailor the silencer to the AK. In other words, there is no modifying the rifle or rethreading of the muzzle threads necessary. 

The adaptation of a suppressor to the idiosyncrasies of the AK design, due in part to the tolerances of foreign thread patterns, was made possible by a specifically engineered bore taper that allows the Wolverine to be used on all but the poorest examples of non-concentric threads. Dead Air Armament considers it to be the optimal bore diameter and taper to prevent baffle strikes on the majority of rifles without major sacrifices in sound reduction performance. 

The Wolverine was designed to look like an original Soviet 7.62mm PBS-1 AK suppressor. However, that is where the similarities end. The Wolverine PBS-1 features modern, state-of-the-art baffle designs and materials, while the Soviet PBS-1 was a rudimentary design based on 1950s technology, resulting in minimum sound reduction. 

The Wolverine PBS-1 is a direct-thread silencer. The mounting system consists of a thread adapter and a locking collar. The adapter and locking collar are counter-threaded to each other to prevent unintentional removal. To mount the Wolverine, it is simply threaded onto the barrel, and the locking collar is tightened down. There are relief cuts in the locking collar to engage the spring-loaded pins on AK front sight bases to keep the suppressor from loosening during firing. The Wolverine comes with the standard 7.62mm 14L AK thread adapter. Adapters are available for other common AK-pattern threads, including 24mm RH for the 5.45mm caliber AK-74, and a 26mm LH for the Yugo M92. Adapters for popular American thread patterns include 1/2×28 and 5/8×24. 

Built Like an AK 

The Dead Air Wolverine features a stainless-steel exterior with a Cerakote® high-temperature finish. The interior baffles are made of Stellite®, which is exceptionally resistant to heat erosion, making it ideal for rifle baffles. The Wolverine is full-auto and multicaliber-rated up to the Russian 7.62x54R. There are no minimum barrel length restrictions. The Dead Air Wolverine’s overall length is 7.2 inches, with an outside body diameter of 1.5 inches and base diameter of 1.9 inches. Its weight is 20.8 ounces. It comes with a lifetime factory warranty. Manufacturer’s published decibel readings from a 7.62×39 AKM, with a 16-inch barrel are 137dB at the muzzle; 142dB at the shooter’s ear. 

• • • 

Portions of this article were excerpted from the book AK-47: The Grim Reaper II. 

Wolf Performance Arms has a history of finding or commissioning high-performing rifle uppers, like the Taiwanese T91 covered by SAR in 2017 (Volk, O., “Wolf Arms A1 Piston Upper,” Vol. 21, No. 5). Last year, they introduced an AR upper with 16-inch and 10.5-inch barrels chambered in 9x39mm Russian. The cartridge has been around since the 1980s, used in numerous sound-suppressed guns, mainly in the VSS Vintorez short-range sniper rifle and AS Val automatic rifle. The development of the ammo goes back decades, having begun as an alternative to subsonic 7.62x39mm, which was determined to be less effective than required. 9x39mm took the obvious expedient of increasing bullet mass and keeping penetration high with a subcaliber steel penetrator. Firearms in this caliber are in use by several former USSR republics and a few of Russia’s Middle Eastern allies, but the propagation is limited to bodyguards and Special Forces. 

With none of the guns for which 9x39mm was intended being importable, and most of the ammunition being armor-piercing by design and composition, that cartridge was more legendary than known in the West. The main reason for VSS was to engage targets without being detected, and the low velocity of the ammunition was compensated by the hardened steel penetrator designed to defeat body armor and lightly protected vehicles. With neither guns nor ammunition available in the U.S. until recently, most of us could judge the utility of the cartridge only from video games. (Small Arms Review and Small Arms Defense Journal have done extensive testing and presentations on 9x39mm since the mid-2000s; search our websites.) 

The 9x39mm Wolf Performance Arms upper is a very well-made conventional design with a long M-LOK forend and medium-weight barrel profile. It has the usual forward assist and ejection port cover, along with the less usual Picatinny rail segment for mounting an iron sight or a laser at the top front of the forend. The muzzle is threaded 5/8×24, a pattern more common in .308 than in 9mm suppressors. Fortunately, a 5/8×24 configuration was available for my Gemtech Multimount, a 9mm pistol and carbine suppressor that is plenty strong for the low-pressure, exclusively subsonic 9x39mm cartridge. 

Since none of the specialty rounds are eligible for import, Wolf developed a 278-grain lead core cullet with a copper-washed steel jacket, loaded into a copper-washed steel case. It is available at about 70 cents per round. While this solution reduced armor penetration, it improved the BC (ballistic coefficient) of the bullet slightly compared to the 250- to 260-grain Russian specialty designs. Compared to the military guns using roughly 8-inch barrels and very primitive, if voluminous, sound suppressors, the 16-inch AR with a modern suppressor should perform pretty well. The original military SP-6 armor-piercing ammunition velocity from VSS is in the 925 fps range, and the slightly heavier SP-5 ball ammunition is around 900 fps. The full-length AR barrel yielded an average of 1,045 fps using an even heavier bullet, with a standard deviation of 25.8 fps and extreme spread around 70 fps. Because of that spread in velocity, most groups showed vertical dispersion more than horizontal. Overall, unsuppressed accuracy was consistently better than expected at around 2MOA. The initial testing was done at 60 yards, and then confirmed at 110 yards against a 3-inch target: the 100% hit ratio on it was guaranteed with a 1-6x scope.

The rifle cycled fine, both suppressed and unsuppressed. I had one dud primer in 60—that cartridge wouldn’t fire even on a re-strike. Ejection was very consistent, with all empties found about 3 feet from the rifle. Even suppressed, the rifle had no gas blowback at all, making it very comfortable to shoot. Felt recoil was on par with .22 rimfire, and the noise level resembled unsuppressed subsonic .22LR from a long barrel and was mainly caused by the ejection port pop.

Magazine Selection

Magazine selection for 9x39mm is a difficult task. None of the magazines intended for other calibers works well; at best 3 to 5 rounds can be fed at a time. D&H Industries recently introduced a dedicated 10-round 9x39mm magazine for the AR platform, with pre-production samples having gone out to testers in the first half of February 2020. They plan to bring out 20-round magazines later in the year. Fortunately, I had a sample of the UNIMAG, one of several inventions from the genius of mechanical engineer Jing Zheng. Produced by Ross Defense Systems, this multi-caliber magazine with an articulated follower supports every cartridge available in AR-15, including 9x39mm. I was able to load and cycle the full 25 rounds, though Steve Dittner of Wolf Performance Arms cautioned me that the springs may be insufficient for pushing up that much weight under field conditions. Twenty rounds weigh about the same as a full mag of subsonic .300 Blackout ammunition and can be expected to feed under all circumstances. Ross Defense Systems is currently liquidating their entire stock of these magazines, so it’s a good time to buy them at a good price.

Compared to .300 Blackout, 9x39mm is more specialized, appearing only in the subsonic configuration. Comparing 220-grain .300 Blackout to 278-grain 9x39mm with both fired from 16-inch rifles, the trajectories are almost identical for drop and windage out to 500 yards. With a 100-yard zero, mid-trajectory, height is only 3 inches at 60 yards, with the same drop at 125 yards. Point blank range on a torso-sized target is about 150 yards, with trajectory compensation required beyond that. Russian military optics have BDC reticles calibrated to their barrel length and SP-5 armor-piercing ammunition, while we get to make our own dope charts. At this time, .300 Blackout has the advantage of having a vastly greater variety of ammunition types available, as well as the compatibility with 5.56 magazines and with .30-caliber sound suppressors. 9x39mm has the advantage of being a slightly heavier bullet—278 grain versus 220 grain—for improved terminal performance with ball. Ammunition with expanding bullets is in development by several companies, but none are on the market yet.

Accuracy

Unsuppressed, the rifle is accurate enough for consistent headshots past 200 yards. Suppressor compatibility was not universal. I am not sure why, as a similar .338 Spectre caliber showed no variation in accuracy with either bare muzzle or various cans. The first 9mm pistol suppressor I tried, the Gemtech Multimount, did not work well with this caliber, turning a sub-2MOA rifle into something that threw bullets fairly randomly. While the holes on paper were round and indicated no keyholing, the “group” size was around 4 feet at 60 yards! Next, I tried a Bowers Group Vers 9S, a larger tube optimized for submachine guns. Accuracy improved but only to about 8MOA. On a lark, I also tried a SilencerCo Omega 45K: despite slightly greater exit aperture and modest size, it was as quiet as the other two while delivering 3MOA groups. Once the availability of defensive ammunition increases, this cartridge will have a viable future for self-defense and short-range hunting. 

The AMTAC MANTIS-P is an over-barrel, stainless steel, direct thread, monocore suppressor. It reduces sound by 26 decibels and is optimal for precision rifles. The over-barrel design can accommodate barrels up to .95 inches and will only add 5.7 inches to the overall rifle platform. The ruggedized nature of the AMTAC MANTIS-P weighs in at 23 ounces, and the model tested was designed for .30 and 6.5 calibers.

Whenever you thread a muzzle device on to your precision rifle, whether it be a muzzle brake or a suppressor, you run the risk of decreasing its accuracy. The machining and attention to detail for a precision rifle suppressor must be of the highest order. In an increasingly crowded market, a few suppressors stand head and shoulders above their competition. Four months’ worth of testing demonstrated that the AMTAC MANTIS-P is one of the best suppressors currently available for the precision rifle market.

AMTAC’s parent company, Advance Manufacturing Technology, has been in business for over 40 years. Advance Manufacturing Technology, based in Salt Lake City, does custom fabrication for the aerospace, defense and medical industries and is AS9100, ISO 9001 and ITAR Certified. A visit to their spotless factory several years ago showed a floor with rows of CNC machines and a professional and dedicated workforce. In the heart of the factory was a state-of-the-art quality control laboratory. 

Field Testing 

Field testing took place at a private ranch in the high desert of Central New Mexico over the course of several months. For testing, the AMTAC MANTIS-P was attached to a customized Howa 6.5 Creedmoor, which was mated to a Modular Driven Technologies (MDT) ESS chassis. To ensure that the threads on the barrel were concentric to the bore, the test rifle was sent to Whiskey Mountain Dynamics outside of Edgewood, New Mexico. Whiskey Mountain Dynamics removed 1 inch of the barrel, then re-threaded and crowned it. Ensuring that the outer threads of the barrel are concentric to the bore is vital when attaching a suppressor to a precision rifle. If they are not concentric, there could be a loss in accuracy, or worse, a bullet could strike the suppressor as it exits the barrel. 

Accuracy, “First-Round Pop” and Impact Shifts 

Accuracy testing was conducted in the prone position using 147-grain Hornady ELD-M 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition. Attached to the MDT ESS chassis was the rock-solid Thunder Beast Arms Corporation bipod. Four 3-round groups were fired at 100 yards with and without the AMTAC MANTIS-P suppressor. Data gathered in testing, of group size when various calibers are shot with and without the suppressor, demonstrate the remarkable consistency achieved with the AMTAC MANTIS-P. The last group shot, with the suppressor, opened up slightly due to an aggressive full-value wind (Aerodynamic Jump). On average, groups shifted low 11mm/.43 inches with the suppressor attached. 

Was there a “first-round pop?” First-round pop is when the first round fired through a suppressor is noticeably louder than subsequent shots. This additional sound is due to oxygen in the suppressor, which burns off with the first shot. During testing, all shots sounded acoustically similar. Please note that testing was done in the high deserts of New Mexico, which have an average elevation above 6,000 feet and density altitudes that swing between 7,000 and 10,000 feet. 

Analysis 

The AMTAC MANTIS-P weighs 23 ounces, a few ounces heavier than its competitors. This weight difference is most likely due to the use of stainless steel. Most suppressors hang directly off the rifle at the muzzle, however, which leaves the rifle feeling front heavy. The over-barrel design of the AMTAC MANTIS-P causes it to sit closer to the receiver, thus shifting weight towards the shooter. This shift improves the balance of a suppressed rifle, which helps to counteract the minor increase in weight. AMTAC claims that the over-barrel design reduces gas blowback in semiautomatic platforms. This reduction is owed to the shortened baffles, which decrease pressure inside of the suppressor. Using a thread adapter, the .30 caliber AMTAC MANTIS-P was attached to a mid-length 5.56 AR-15 rifle. Though anecdotal, the rifle ran flawlessly with 55-grain XM193 and 77 grain .223 hunting ammunition. The rifle with the AMTAC MANTIS-P attached did not feel over-gassed. 

In regards to 5.56/.223: Thinking about building a suppressed Mk18 clone? Use an 11-inch handguard and a 16-inch barrel. The AMTAC MANTIS-P will cover 4 inches of the barrel: The result is a rifle the same length as a suppressed Mk18 without a sacrifice of velocity. 

From testing, AMTAC found that when a .30 caliber suppressor was placed on a 5.56 rifle, there was only a 2-decibel reduction in overall sound suppression. For example, the AMTAC MANTIS-P suppresses .30 calibers to a range of 26 to 28 decibels. When placed on a 5.56/.224, suppression dropped to 22 to 24 decibels instead. 

Closing 

The AMTAC MANTIS-P is a rugged and tough suppressor, perfect for general rifle and precision rifle applications. It is rated for magnum calibers, and the over-the-barrel design only adds a few inches to your overall platform. The model tested has an MSRP of $899 at time of writing. AMTAC offers a suite of suppressors for rimfire, pistol and compact semiautomatic platforms. The AMTAC MANTIS-P is an outstanding suppressor. It would be an excellent complement to a ranch, precision, semiautomatic or hunting rifle. Consumers cannot go wrong with this product. 

 ACCURACY TEST USING HORNADY 147 ELD-M 6.5 CREEDMOOR 

 SPECIFICATIONS 

For years, the firearm suppressor manufacturing icon known as Gemtech has produced a number of superlative designs. One of their older offerings, the Aurora, was listed in the catalogue for years but only teased the reader. Caught between the boundaries of regulation and better innovations, until recently it was only available to government customers. This model was intended for a very specific role and uses wipes and an artificial environment (coolant) to achieve the necessary sound reduction for a 9mm pistol in an uncommonly compact size. 

The unfortunate downside of this arrangement is an exceptionally short service life. Wipes are a disposable technology, and the official ATF regulatory position requires only licensed Class 2 manufacturers be authorized to produce replacements. For this reason, the Aurora was relegated strictly to government and military customers willing to send the used units back to their maker for restoration if and when it was necessary. 

The design, a specific and task-oriented one, was to equip a compact 9mm pistol (like a GLOCK 26) with a quiet, reliable and compact suppressor that was ideal for use in emergency situations like a downed pilot or some other overseas contingency operation. The Aurora, as specified, fit this mission admirably without the need for hyper-engineered baffle stacks or large suppressor bodies that would limit reliability or otherwise interfere with the mission. 

For the Public 

Recently, Gemtech released an upgraded version to the general public—the Aurora-II, complete with a rebuild service for all to enjoy. For less than $40, an Aurora-II can be returned to the manufacturer and have the wipes and coolant replaced; the good-as-new unit is then re-sent to the customer (turnaround time is less than 2 weeks). Current owners in need of this service should contact Smith and Wesson, the new home of Gemtech, for a return authorization and shipping instructions. 

The advertised performance of the Aurora-II is 137dB, and recent testing verified that value for a majority of the first 20 shots (a reduction of 25dB or more). Because of the nature of a wipe suppressor design, subsonic ammunition must be selected that uses a round nose and a non-expanding bullet type. Figures below come from test shots using a brand new Aurora-II and PPU brand 158-grain 9mm round nose subsonic ammunition. Sound measurements were conducted with a Larson Davis Model 800B using the A scale. 

Wipe Design 

One advantage that comes from a wipe and spacer design is the suppressor can be used in either direction. Gemtech’s Aurora-II has threads on both ends to accommodate 1/2×28- inch right-hand and metric 13.5×1 left-hand threads. On the other hand, one disadvantage is that the initial shots fired through virgin wipes can suffer from accuracy limitations. Test shots recorded above were simultaneously fired into a target, but it was found that accuracy and bullet stability was only affected for the first four shots. Accuracy limitations at 10 to 15 yards would still keep a center of mass shot within the target area of a man-sized silhouette. 

The semi-rigid polyurethane wipes are manufactured with an “X” cut through the center to allow passage of the fired bullets but enough sturdiness to resist damage from the shot and maintain back pressure necessary for cycling a recoil-operated pistol. The test firearm, a GLOCK 26 equipped with a Lone Wolf Distributors threaded barrel, cycled reliably for the first 20 shots, but once the wipes were shot through, stoppages were frequent. A blowback pistol subsequently tested continued to fully function regardless of the condition of the Aurora-II wipes. 

It should be noted that while expended wipes may not be replaceable by the user, the coolant within the spacers may be replenished and will offer some restoration of sound reduction—just not as much as with fresh wipes. Gemtech has traditionally used Vaseline® or a similar type of petroleum jelly as an artificial environment, but other options are listed in the Owner’s Manual. 

Final Thoughts 

Suppressor designs of the 21st century have evolved to the point where the state-of-the-art consists of efficient baffle designs and adaptive couplers capable of quiet and reliable functioning on a variety of host firearms. If properly mounted, these designs will give years and thousands of rounds of faithful maintenance-free service to their users without any need for coolant material or specialized ammunition. All of this notwithstanding, the Aurora-II occupies a small corner of compact effectiveness that still makes use of older technology in a way that the best modern cans can’t … at least, not yet! 

Beretta is one of the oldest firearms manufacturers in the world. The firm has been making firearms for 500 years, through 15 generations. A lot of Beretta’s success comes from keeping up with the times, as well as expanding and modernizing their manufacturing capabilities.

Beretta has been a long-time producer of military, police and sporting firearms. One of their most successful handgun designs is the Model 92 semi-automatic pistol. The pistol was adopted by the U.S. Army, the Spanish Civil Guard, the National Turkish Police Force, the U.S. Air Force and a number of law enforcement organizations.

Some of the most popular handguns are those chambered for the economical .22 LR, rimfire cartridge. Today, the potential buyer has many different configurations, models and brands to choose from. Most modern small caliber handgun manufacturers produce their guns from modern materials and plastics allowing them to keep the guns light in weight and reasonably priced. With the rising popularity of sound suppressors, many manufacturers offer factory threaded barrels.

While modern .22 caliber handguns are quite popular, many like the look, feel and construction of “old school” pistols and revolvers. Often historic use or issue of such handguns adds an air of mystique to their popularity. One such pistol is the Beretta P71 .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, which was reportedly used by the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency and Israeli sky marshals. The use of a small .22 caliber pistol would minimize collateral damage inside a crowded aircraft. The Israelis were trained to carry pistols with an empty chamber and quickly rack the slide prior to engaging a target. The Beretta was chosen for its compact size and flawless reliability.

After the 1968 hijacking of an EL AL airliner by Palestinian terrorists, the Israeli government decided to guard against future terror attacks by placing armed personnel (sky marshals) on board EL AL aircraft. The Israeli sky marshal program was top secret and never publicized. During an incident that took place on February 18, 1969, Israeli sky marshal Mordechai Rachamim (a member of Israel’s elite Special Forces unit Sayeret Matkal) engaged four Palestinian terrorists, armed with AK-47s and explosives, as they assaulted an EL AL airliner on the ground in Zurich, Switzerland. The Israeli sky marshal used his .22 caliber Beretta pistol to kill the leader of the terrorists, and with the help of the local police took the three remaining terrorists into custody. However, Israeli sky marshal Rachamim was also arrested. During his trial, he was forced to admit for the first time that security personnel were on board Israeli flights to combat hijackings and terrorism. Rachamim was acquitted on charges of killing the terrorist squad leader. The three surviving terrorists were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

In May of 1972, Rachamim participated in another operation when he and other members of Israel’s Sayeret Matkal rescued passengers and crewmembers onboard a hijacked Sabena Airline flight in Tel Aviv. During the operation, Rachamim and the other Israelis disguised themselves as airline mechanics before storming the hijacked Belgian airliner. As the signal to move was given, Rachamim once again used his .22 caliber Beretta to dispatch one of the Palestinian terrorists; this time he was not arrested.

The Beretta P71 Pistol

The Beretta Model 71 is a well-made handgun that was produced from 1958 through 1985. A commercial variation was imported into the U.S. as the Jaguar. The non-commercial Model 71 Berettas that were imported were quickly snapped up by savvy collectors who recognized what they were. However, a recent internet search found a few available on some of the popular auction and importer sites.

The Model 71 is a reliable, compact, single-action semi-automatic pistol. The frame is made of aluminum; the slide is steel with front and rear fixed sights. For feeding, the P71 uses an 8-round steel magazine; the magazine release is a large, recessed button on the lower left side of the grip. The pistol features Beretta’s characteristic open frame with the exposed barrel. There are no plastic or zinc-alloy parts in the Beretta. The only parts not made of steel are the plastic grips, magazine follower and aluminum alloy frame. The P71 weighs 17 ounces, with a barrel length of 3.5 inches. On the left-hand side of the frame, there’s a slide-stop lever and a thumb-operated safety, which blocks the sear and hammer. On the right-hand side, there is a lever marked “disassembly” which, when rotated, allows the removal of the slide and barrel assembly from the frame. The left side of the slide reads, “PIETRO BERETTA, GARDONE V.T. CAL. 22 L.R.” The right side: “P.B.–Made in Italy.” There is a series of markings on the right side of the frame that include: the location of the Beretta facility “VT” for Gardone Val Trompia; “AH” code letters for the date of manufacture; “PSF” for Polvere Senza Fumo (smokeless powder); and the provisional proof mark of the Gardone Proof House. On the left side of the frame is the serial number. Non-original markings added in dot matrix letters include, “C.A.I. Georgia VT.” (Century Arms the importer) and “MDL. 71,” the model designation.

The Faux Suppressor

The importer semi-permanently attached a faux steel suppressor to the Model 71 pistols. The non-functioning “silencer” was attached by threading the barrel and end of the steel silencer tube with 1/2-20 TPI threads, a common muzzle thread in Europe. After attaching the tube to the barrel, the tube was secured with a set-screw, which was welded over and ground flush. A portion of the front sight was ground off in order to mount the silencer. The barrel cannot be removed from the slide with the faux silencer attached. The steel silencer increases the weight to 2.05 pounds and over-all length to 12.25 inches.

The most common thread in the U.S. for attaching a .22 caliber suppressor is ½-28. Unfortunately, the importer of the P71 pistols chose to thread the barrels ½-20. No problem though, adapters from ½-20 to ½-28 are available from several sources. The adapters do add a rather unsightly extension to the barrel. As of this writing, Bowers Group LLC is the only manufacturer that makes an interchangeable ½-20 Atlas™ insert for their .22 caliber suppressors that attaches directly to the suppressor tube, eliminating the need for the long adapter.

There is a fairly new magazine-fed, semi-automatic, gas-operated tactical shotgun available for scattergun enthusiasts. The weapon is the FosTecH Outdoors LLC Origin 12 shotgun. The Origin 12 is made in the USA and has been available for a year or so, yet it is relatively unknown.

The Origin 12 has a few unique features that set it apart from many other semi-automatic 12-gauge shotguns. One of those features is a long-stroke gas system, which will function with low-power shells that are normally reserved for pump or break-open shotguns. The weapon’s reliability is enhanced by a rotating bolt with two large extractors. Felt recoil is reduced by the stock, which is located above the centerline of the bore. Control is aided by a pistol grip. The magazine release and safety lever are ambidextrous, while the non-reciprocating charging handle is located on the left-hand side of the receiver. The telescoping AR-style stock folds to the side to decrease the overall length of the shotgun for storage or carry. A large ejection port cover keeps debris out of the action when the weapon is not in use. Front and rear polymer folding sights are standard. There is plenty of rail space to mount just about any accessory—from optics to flashlights. The shotgun is a two-part modular construction consisting of the receiver and stock, and the barrel, gas tube and handguard assembly. Origin 12 shotguns are all restricted to 2.75-inch shells.

The Origin 12 shotgun is available in 18.5- (non-NFA) or 10.67-inch barrel lengths. The 10.67-inch barrel model is a short-barreled shotgun, which is subject to NFA regulations and the $200 federal transfer tax. The barrel module is available in different lengths and can be swapped out in seconds by the removal of a single pin. The barrel’s muzzle is externally threaded with the same M22x75 threads as the Saiga and Vepr shotguns to accommodate flash hiders, muzzle brakes or sound suppressors. The barrels come fitted with thread protectors. The short-barreled model weighs 7 pounds, 3 ounces; the 18.5-inch barrel shotgun weighs 9 pounds, 3 ounces.

The patented gas system of the Origin 12 allows it to pick up the gas as soon as it leaves the chamber, making it very efficient. The system is designed so that a shotgun shell can be used as a tool to adjust the large gas plug located above the barrel. With lighter loads, such as target or small game loads, the port should be closed or slightly open. For heavy loads, such as high brass or slugs, the port should be open to allow excess gas to be vented from the weapon to prevent damage. When adjusting the system, ensure that the hole in the gas plug is facing upward, this allows the escaping gas to assist in controlling muzzle rise. This is a great advantage on the Origin 12 and helps to place more rounds on target. If the Origin 12 fails to cycle or eject a spent cartridge, it is likely that there is not enough gas pressure, and the gas system will need to be adjusted so that less gas escapes. Thread the gas plug inward two full revolutions and repeat the test. When properly adjusted, the shells should be ejecting 5 to 8 feet away from the weapon.

The Origin 12 is easily field stripped for cleaning or maintenance by the removal of a few pins. Upon disassembly, one can readily see the resemblance to the AK’s bolt carrier-recoil spring assembly, albeit substantially larger in size.

As well as offering different barrel lengths, the Origin 12 is available in various guises. The basic Origin 12 shotgun is designated as the Hard Black model, with a black receiver, barrel and internals. Another model imparts the Hard Black barrel and receiver with nickel internal parts. A third option is the Hard Nickel Shotgun, which features a nickel receiver, barrel and internal parts. Available accessories include a recoil pad, extended charging handle, choke tube adapter, cheek riser, barrels, extra magazines and a Trijicon MRO reflex sight. The Origin 12 is shipped in a plastic hard case with a manual and one five-round magazine.

The Origin 12 magazines are made of polymer with steel feed lips; they are available with capacities of five, eight and ten rounds. No fumbling or rocking of the magazine, insertion is straight up into the receiver. A little extra effort is required if the bolt is closed; the action locks open after the last round is fired. Drum magazines with 20- and 30-round capacities are also available.

The FosTecH Origin 12 SBV

For those that like the look and handiness of a short barrel—but want to avoid the ATF paperwork and $200 transfer tax—FosTecH offers the SBV model. The Origin 12 SBV shotgun has an overall length of 27.5 inches when fitted with a 10.67-inch barrel, but it is not classified as an NFA firearm. In place of a buttstock, the SBV has a side-folding arm stabilizing brace installed. Technically, the brace cannot be shouldered, as the ATF’s position is that: The pistol stabilizing brace was neither “designed” nor approved to be used as a shoulder stock. Except for its lack of a conventional buttstock, the SBV model has the same features as the Origin 12 short-barreled shotgun. The SBV has an M22x75 metric threaded muzzle and uses the same five-, eight- and 10-round magazines or 20- and 30-round drums as the other Origin 12 models. The SBV weighs 9 pounds, 9 ounces and is available in Hard Black, Hard Black with nickel internal parts or Hard Nickel, the receiver and internal parts of which are nickel. Ownership of the SBV shotgun is subject to local or state laws.

Field Stripping

1. Remove the magazine.
2. Verify the firearm is unloaded and the safety lever is in the safe position.
3. Remove the quick-change pin and separate the barrel module from the receiver.
4. Fold the stock.
5. Remove the two front dust cover pins and rear dust cover pin then remove the dust cover.
6. Remove the carrier spring and carrier spring locator.
7. Remove the buffer spring locator.
8. Slide the bolt carrier assembly rearward until it clears the receiver rails and remove the carrier assembly.
9. Remove the bolt from the carrier assembly.
10. Remove the adjustable gas plug.

The Origin 12 shotgun is now field stripped for cleaning or maintenance, and it can be reassembled by reversing the field stripping process.

The SilencerCo Salvo 12 Shotgun Suppressor

A popular accessory for the Origin 12 shotgun is the Salvo 12 suppressor.

Sound suppressors, aka “silencers”, have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Previously, suppressors were only available for pistols and rifles in the US. Now, shotgun enthusiasts can also enjoy the benefits of firearm sound suppression, preventing hearing loss and shooting without disturbing game or the neighbors.

Like SilencerCo’s popular pistol suppressor, the Osprey, the Salvo 12 is polygonal. The reason for its unconventional shape is that it provides a larger internal volume, and it keeps the suppressor out of the line of sight so that no special raised sights are needed. In most cases, the original factory sights can be used. This applies to the Origin 12, because the gas system is located approximately 1.5 inches above the barrel. Indeed, many owners attach their Salvo suppressors to the Origin 12 in an inverted position.

The Salvo 12’s design is essentially composed of two basic components: a nine-rod internal rail system to guide the wad column and a modular baffle stack that can be adjusted from 12 to 6 inches in length. The Salvo is constructed of a squared, multipart baffle and spacer system made from 17-4 stainless steel and 7075 aluminum.

Baffles can be removed or added in 2-inch increments, the Salvo can be adjusted by stacking baffles and replacing the rods to the owner’s personal choice of length, weight and decibel level. On shotguns with short barrels, like the Origin 12 or the Origin SBV, the full-length Salvo is ideal. On more conventional shotguns with longer barrels, reducing the Salvo to its 6-, 8- or 10-inch length may be desirable. Another advantage of a shorter suppressor is the reduction in weight, though this comes at the expense of a louder report.

The Salvo 12 is designed to operate with pump action, gas-operated semi-automatic and inertia-driven semi-automatic shotguns. The suppressor is compatible with 2.75- or 3-inch wadded shot shells and rifled slugs (the Origin 12 shotguns are limited to 2.75-inch shells.) At its full length of 12 inches, the Salvo 12 brings the sound down to a reported 136.8 dB at the muzzle with a weight of 34.5 ounces. Some shooters may benefit from a nose-heavy swing and reduction of muzzle rise in addition to the reduced recoil. The suppressor’s modular design allows the user to shorten the silencer to balance size, weight, and sound requirements for sporting clay, waterfowl, turkey hunting, home defense and many other applications. The suppressor can be shortened to 8 inches and remain hearing safe. In its 6-inch configuration, the Salvo weighs only 21 ounces, but it still delivers a reported suppressed volume of 140.5 dB to the ear. The Salvo 12 attaches to the barrel by an adapter that connects to the internal threads cut for choke tubes or, in the cases of the Origin 12, Saiga or Vepr shotguns, with external threads. SilencerCo produces mounting adapters for several popular shotgun brands. Adapters and rod kits are sold separately. For military and law enforcement customers, SilencerCo offers a muzzle extension for breaching.

A New Shotgun Suppressor?

Previously, SilencerCo’s Salvo 12 was the sole shotgun suppressor available on the U.S. market. Now, however, those in the market for a shotgun suppressor may have another option from Turkey-based shotgun maker UTAS. Claiming to be short in length and light in weight, the new UTAS-USA Octave is a carbon fiber-wrapped 12-gauge sound suppressor. The manufacturer claims that the Octave can reduce a 12-gauge shotgun’s report down to 135 decibels.

The Octave’s unconventional construction consists of a core of specially designed fibrous insulation made from volcanic rock that is heat and flame resistant. The spun fiber is encased in a steel mesh, then wrapped around a 4140 steel outer tube that’s designed not to inhibit the flight of the shotgun shell wad. Expanding gas passes from the muffler tube through stainless steel baffling screens into two separate expansion chambers filled with the special noise dampening packing material. For further sound reduction, the Octave can run wet. The Octave weighs 19.8 ounces with an overall length of 11 inches.

The Octave was introduced in 2005, but it is not listed on the company’s website, and a search to find one for sale was in vain.

The Z-008 III of the Zbroyar company in Kiev, Ukraine, can best be described as a bolt-action rifle with AR-looks. We have seen that before. But the Z-008 is not just a fashionably dressed repeating rifle. The weapon has been specially designed in this configuration and is full of gadgets.

The Ukrainian firm Zbroyar (which translates as “weapon maker”) is a private company established in 2004. The company in Kiev focuses on guns for sports, hunting and military use. Production, assembly, finishing and surface treatment are largely done in-house, using modern CNC machines and with a quality comparable to or better than many Western European companies.

At present, Zbroyar produces three types of weapons: the Z-15 (based on the AR-15) in 5.56x45mm (.223) NATO or .300 Blackout caliber, the Z-10 (based on the AR-10) in 7.62x51mm (.308) NATO caliber and the Z-008 III. The Z-008 III is the subject of this article.

The Z-008 is not restricted to any specific caliber. The construction of the gun, with a separate barrel extension, makes it relatively easy to change the barrel (and therefore caliber), which makes it a good choice for long-range shooters.

Description

The Z-008 is a bolt-action rifle. The Roman numeral III stands for the third generation of the gun, as Zbroyar previously made several conventional Z-008 bolt-action rifles. The weapon is completely built in Kiev. Only the AR-stock and pistol grip are aftermarket parts, made by Magpul on the rifle pictured here. The magazine of the illustrated gun is also by Magpul, but of course there is a wide choice in this area.
The Z-008 is a fascinating combination of bolt-action rifle gun and AR. The weapon has the ergonomics of the latter, in terms of the position of the double-sided safety and single-sided magazine catches. The aluminum handguard with its mounting rails and the design of the construction with an upper and lower frame have also been copied from the AR. But since this is a bolt-action rifle, there is no gas block, cocking handle or forward bolt assist. The right side of the solid aluminum ‘upper’ has two elongated openings. The front one is the ejection opening (without a hinging lid), and the rear is for the bolt handle.

The height of the upper part of the receiver is almost the same as that of a semi-automatic rifle, which means it is almost seamlessly continuous with the handguard. To give the upper sufficient rigidity, the top part contains a steel cylinder, of which only the back is visible when the weapon is disassembled.

Unlike a semi-automatic, the Z-008 trigger mechanism is an integral part of the upper frame. The Z-008 comes standard with a single stage trigger mechanism designed at Zbroyar, but the construction is such that it can be exchanged for one of the main brands for an aftermarket trigger.

Extras

The Z-008 bolt has a narrowed bolt head with three locking lugs. The front of the bolt has the extractor, which has been mounted from the rear. It is a Zbroyar design, comparable to a Sako style extractor. The ejector is a spring-loaded plunger in the bolt head.

To maintain the best possible fit between the bolt and frame, Zbroyar added two extras. First, the body of the bolt has been extended to the rear, by means of a detachable end cap. A longer bolt automatically means less play. But as the bolt now travels further to the rear, the buffer and buffer spring had to be removed from the stock, which now has an empty tube with room for the rear part of the bolt. A second characteristic is a steel U-profile, put in the left lower side of the upper receiver. The axis of the bolt handle protrudes from the opposite side of the bolt. This notch runs in the U-profile and secures a tight guide. The U-profile bends upward at the point where the bolt handle is turned downward. This prevents wear to the aluminum upper and aids in primary extraction when the bolt is opened.

Operation

As far as operation is concerned, the Z-008 is simplicity itself. Insert the magazine, operate the bolt and the gun is ready to fire. The magazine housing is asymmetrical. The right wall is shorter than the left, making it easier to insert a magazine in a prone position. The magazine is a standard AR-10.

The firing pin is cocked when opening the bolt. A tooth on the bottom of the firing pin locks in the rear of the bolt body. If the bolt is completely closed, this tooth is released but is then caught by the trigger sear. This is similar to 99% of all other bolt-action rifles, comparable to the reliable operation of the mother of all modern bolt-action rifles, the K98. A small notch with a red ring protrudes from the right side of the upper receiver, giving visual and perceptible evidence that the bolt is cocked. The gun has an ambidextrous safety catch, but only the left side of the receiver is marked with “FIRE” and “SAFE.”

Disassembly

Like the AR, the upper and lower receiver are connected with two cross-pins. When the rear pin is pushed out to the right (it won’t fall out), the lower receiver pivots open. For normal maintenance, that is enough. A special pin now blocks the mechanism to ensure that the weapon cannot be fired.

With the stock out of the way, the bolt can simply be pulled out to the rear of the receiver. To dismantle the bolt, one must first remove the end cap, which is fastened with a bayonet catch. If the cap is turned clockwise, it can be pulled from the bolt body. Next, the firing pin case and firing pin can be pulled rearward out of the bolt. The bolt head is attached to the bolt with a solid crossbolt, in turn fixed by a pin. If this little pin is removed, the crossbolt can be taken out and the bolt head separated from the bolt. The front part of the bolt has a smaller diameter than the rear and the bolt head. It is fitted with a synthetic sleeve, which reduces friction when operating the bolt.

Shooting

We fired the Z-008 III, equipped with a Tier-One Spartan III silencer and a Kahles K 624i 6-24×56 scope, at a 100-meter range, with Lithuanian GGG Ammunition. That distance is almost an insult for the rifle, with a group of roughly half an inch. The bolt runs very smooth, cartridges fed without any problems, and the trigger is excellent. The European importer, the Dutch company PIROSPORT, also specializes in custom-made barrels. It prepared a first run in 6.5x47mm Lapua, but the Zbroyar ZB-008 III can be made in any caliber of the .308 (short action) family, like .243 Win., 6mm BR, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 and the 7mm-08. The gun is being used as a military sniper rifle as well.

With the popularity of firearms suppressors at an all-time high and the Hearing Protection Act hopefully gaining momentum in Congress, it is an appropriate time to ask: When did suppressors first emerge and why did they disappear? At the turn of the 20th century there was an explosion of silencer designs and by 1912 the U.S. Army had become interested in their military applications, but the Great Depression and the 1934 National Firearms Act saw sales decline.

The first viable firearm suppressors appeared at the turn of the 20th century with a series of patents between 1909 and 1920. In 1895, Hiram Percy Maxim, son of Sir Hiram Maxim—inventor of the machine gun—established an engineering company. Initially, Maxim’s company was focused on the burgeoning automobile market. It was not until 1905 that Maxim began developing a series of designs to moderate sound. To begin with, he experimented with valves, vents and bypass devices. He eventually finalized his basic idea and developed a series of practical suppressors; these were sold by the Maxim Silent Firearms Company, which later became the Maxim Silencer Company.

In later years, Maxim claimed that he came up with the idea after taking a bath. As he watched the water drain out of the bath he noted that it spiralled as it formed a whirlpool at the drain. He believed that the propellant gases leaving a firearm’s muzzle could also be whirled to create a vortex, thereby slowing them sufficiently to prevent them making a noise as they left the muzzle.

Maxim experimented with his idea and created his first silencer, which used an offset chamber and valve to trap and swirl the muzzle gases in an effort to slow their travel. Maxim’s results with this design were encouraging, but the design needed further refinement.

In June 1908, he filed his patent for an “improvement in Silent Firearms.” Granted in March 1909, this design used curved vanes or blades to create a series of miniature vortices to capture and slow the muzzle gases.

The Model 1909 Maxim silencer was not produced in great numbers and the vortices caused the suppressor to heat up rapidly. While the Model 1909 could reduce a .22LR pistol’s report by up to 30 decibels, the curved internal vanes proved expensive to manufacture. In October and November 1908, Maxim filed two more patents to protect an improvement on his earlier design. This new design became the Model 1910; it still relied on Maxim’s gas vortex theory but had a simplified vane arrangement. The Model 1910 also moved away from having a centrally aligned internal channel and instead used an offset or eccentric design. This had the added benefit of not obstructing the weapon’s sights.

The majority of rifles of the day did not have threaded barrels, so Maxim developed a coupling device that was placed over the muzzle and offered an external thread. One of the main drawbacks of the Model 1910 was that it could not be disassembled for cleaning. Instead Maxim sales brochures recommended that hot water should be run through the silencer’s channel for 30 minutes.

The Model 1910 proved commercially successful and was offered in a number of calibers from .22 up to .45 caliber. The thinner Model 1910 was less effective than the earlier 1909, but when fitted to a .22LR pistol the Model 1910 could still reduce the weapon’s report by up to 25 decibels. Both the 1909 and 1910 models proved to be fairly robust and moderately effective suppressors.

A second variant of the Model 1910 did not use the vortex-creating vanes, instead it used straight baffles (which the patent described as “spreaders”), as Maxim increasingly understood that the most important element of the suppressor was its ability to slow the movement of the muzzle gases.

Maxim’s book Experiences with the Maxim Silencer compiled letters from sportsmen and hunters who had used his silencer. In the book’s foreword, Maxim explained that he developed his system in order to “meet my personal desire to enjoy target practice without creating a disturbance. I have always loved to shoot, but I never thoroughly enjoyed it when I knew the noise was annoying other people.” This continues to be a key argument for suppressor usage today.

The Maxim Silencer Company sold the silencers via mail order, shipping them in cardboard tubes. A .22 caliber silencer cost $5 while larger-caliber silencers cost $7. Maxim’s silencers were expensive items; when adjusted for inflation, these prices respectively equate to approximately $120 and $165.

The adventurer president, Theodore Roosevelt, suppressed his .30-30 Winchester Model 1894 with a Maxim silencer. Roosevelt used his rifle for small game hunting on his Long Island property. Maxim’s commercial silencers sold well during the 1910s and 1920s with hunters, target shooters and plinkers all purchasing silencers. Maxim even sold indoor target backstop boxes that could be filled with sand and used in conjunction with a silencer to shoot indoors.

Maxim’s Rivals

With the success of Maxim’s silencers, a number of rival companies began selling their own designs. The early 1910s saw a flurry of designs patented, which included the following: James Stinson’s “Gun Muffler”; the George Childress hemispherical expansion chamber silencer; Charles H. Kenney’s 1910 silencer, which had a large pre-expansion chamber; and Andy Shipley’s 1910 patent was one of the first to suggest porting the firearm’s barrel. Others included Major Anthony Fiala’s spiral baffle silencer; Harry Craven’s early shotgun silencer; Eugene Thurler’s 1911 patent that described a bayonet-style attachment system and used deflecting cones; Herbert Moore’s gas trap; and R.M. Towson’s “Recoil Neutralizer and Muffler,” which was little more than an unconventional muzzle brake for both small arms and artillery.

Among the multitude of rival designers, Maxim’s most competent competitor was Robert A. Moore, who patented his first silencer design in 1910. Developed for large caliber hunting and military rifles, Moore’s design included a large gas chamber that sat beneath the rifle’s muzzle. The muzzle gases were supposed to be deflected by concave surfaces down into the silencer, which had a number of partitioned chambers. The sides of the silencer were ported with vents to allow cool air to rush into the casing and, theoretically, cool the gases. The entrance to the silencer’s chambers also had a movable divider that was opened by the force of the gases and closed to prevent their escape.

Moore’s silencer had a number of interesting features. For instance, it used a rifle’s bayonet lug as an attachment point and also had removable side plates to allow cleaning of the silencer’s interior—both practical features for military use. Moore’s first design, however, did not go into production and he began work on a second model.

In 1912, Moore patented a more sophisticated silencer, moving away from the ported chamber concept. Instead, Moore’s new design first trapped the gases in a large expansion chamber, which again deflected some of the gases into a chamber beneath the muzzle. The silencer also had an additional series of curved baffles in front of the muzzle with expansion chambers below them. The elegant curves of the chamber partitions were designed, much like Maxim’s, to impart spin and create vortices to slow the travel of the gases. Moore’s patent explained that the curved baffles created two separate sets of vortices that slowed one another down when they intersected. The result was a silencer which attempted to slow the travel of gases with both expansion chambers and vortex-creating baffles.

Ingeniously, Moore designed his baffle system to be removable to facilitate cleaning and maintenance. Moore’s 1912 silencer also used the rifle’s bayonet lug as an attachment point and also provided another lug on the silencer’s housing to allow a soldier to attach a bayonet even while using the silencer. There were, however, some issues with fixing a bayonet while using the silencer. The additional length of the silencer combined with the bayonet meant the rifle’s balance was adversely affected, making it muzzle-heavy and difficult to fire accurately off-hand. During trials of the rifle it was noted by Ordnance Corps evaluating officers that the silencer’s rounded muzzle allowed the bayonet ring to slip under recoil.

The Military Maxim and the U.S. Silencer Trial

In 1912, with commercial growth slowing, Maxim turned his attention to the Military market and began designing a silencer that could moderate the report of a Springfield M1903. The Ordnance Corps had tested Maxim’s first silencer in 1909. Colonel S.E. Blunt, the commanding officer of the Springfield Armory, reported that the silencer eliminated approximately 66% of the noise and 67% of the recoil normally made when a rifle was fired.

The Maxim Silencer Company developed the Model 1912 and subsequently the improved Model 15, which Maxim christened the “Government Silencer.” Encouraged by the early military interest, Maxim envisioned a military silencer being useful in roles such as sniping, guard harassment and marksmanship training. He believed that the increasing number of inexperienced shooters from cities joining the U.S. military was struggling to master the .30-06 M1903 because of its loud report and recoil. Maxim felt that using a silencer would prevent recruits being intimidated by their rifle and help them to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship faster.

The U.S. Army decided to test both Moore’s and Maxim’s suppressors. When they compared the two rival designs, there was little difference between them with regard to the reduction of sound, recoil and flash. However, the Springfield Armory’s report in July 1912 found that the Moore silencer was more accurate and had a better attachment system. The Maxim silencer, on the other hand, was more durable and could withstand more prolonged rapid fire. Army Ordnance recommended the purchase of 100 of both silencers for field trials with two silencers to be issued per company for use by sharpshooters in conjunction with two star-gauge (accurate barreled) rifles and the M1908 and M1913 Musket Sights. This was not the large-scale contract that Maxim had hoped for, however, the funding was not available and the idea behind the silencers’ use was not fully embraced by the military.

The U.S. military’s first deployment of silencers came in 1916, when General John Pershing’s Mexican expedition against Pancho Villa included a squad of snipers apparently armed with silenced M1903s, however, little is known about their use in the field.

Maxim’s military silencers shipped around the world, with orders from Mexico, South America, China, Japan, Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and Germany. One pre-war Maxim advert boasted that the design had been approved by the German military. During the First World War, both the British and Germans deployed snipers equipped with Maxim silencers in small numbers. Some American troops deployed to Europe were also equipped with silencers, which were often paired with the M1913 Warner & Swasey “Musket Sight.” While these rifles could not prevent the supersonic crack that occurred downrange, they were able to mitigate muzzle flash and the rifle’s report. In 1917–18, a plan to deploy silencers with rifles with accurate star-gauged barrels was developed. An order for 9,100 was placed. Although part of this order was fulfilled before the end of the war, the exact number of silencer-equipped rifles manufactured remains unknown. After the war, these rifles were offered for sale through the Civilian Marksmanship programme in 1920, others were given to National Guard units for training purposes, and the remainder were declared obsolete in March 1925.

While the First World War offered a brief boom in sales of silencers this did not last, and Maxim’s company continued to diversify after the war. The Maxim Silencer Company manufactured not only firearm silencers but also sound-moderating devices for everything from automobiles to naval engines; from plant machinery to building silencers which were fitted to heating and air conditioning systems. Similarly, Moore, like Maxim, also later developed silencers for automobiles, filing a patent for an Exhaust Muffler in 1930.

The company began to move away from firearms silencers in 1925, instead concentrating on industrial and automotive sound moderators. Hiram Percy Maxim died in 1936, and his son took over the company. Although no longer family-owned, the company continues to specialize in industrial sound-moderating technology.

The National Firearms Act and the Decline in Civilian Silencers

The civilian market for firearms silencers was dealt a severe blow in 1934, when the National Firearms Act was introduced in response to the rise of organized and violent crime, with gangsters like John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson increasingly using automatic weapons. While the use of silencers by gangsters was minimal, they were included in the National Firearms Act, which required a tax payment and registration of their ownership with (what later became) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. While this was not a ban on suppressors, the prohibitively expensive $200.00 tax stamp (approximately $3,500 today) placed on them effectively killed the market. Interestingly, during the National Firearms Act’s passage through Congress, silencers were almost never mentioned during the debates or committee meetings. It is often said that they were included at the request of the Department of the Interior to prohibit poaching or as a personal preference of the Attorney General Homer S. Cummings; however, the true reason for their inclusion in the act remains unknown.

The result of the National Firearms Act was that all silencers had to be registered and that pre-existing unregistered silencers were subsequently illegal to own. This has led to the destruction of many early examples to avoid Federal penalties.

It was not until the outbreak of World War Two that silencer technology would be revisited by the military. The technology was not adopted for the training uses envisaged by Maxim, but for specialized, clandestine roles that required quiet, efficient and deadly weapons.

Sitting here in relative isolation watching the snow fall, my mind drifts to pondering over two of many gifts from China, the most recent being the novel coronavirus with its social distancing. The other, a number of centuries ago, was gunpowder which permitted engaging targets at relatively great distances with the disadvantage of significantly more noise than that of the bow and arrow. A little over 100 years ago, Hiram Percy Maxim applied some of his automotive muffler concepts to firearms, thereby starting the modern firearm silencer (or, more correctly, suppressor) industry. Initially popular for backyard shooting, silencer technology and interest languished with passage of the original National Firearms Act of 1934. The imposed tax of $200 (over 7 ounces of gold) for a $7 silencer was prohibitive during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

World War II saw military development of silencers primarily for clandestine operations by the British SAS and our OSS. Weapons included the De Lisle carbine, STEN MK IIS, Welrod, OSS High Standard HDM-S Military and a number of other similar designs built experimentally for various platforms. Our involvement in Vietnam spurred development of newer, silenced weapons by small companies (such as Military Armament Corporation and Knight’s Armament) for the military market. In the same time frame, a young entrepreneur with a class 2 Federal Firearms License, Jonathan Arthur Ciener, started modifying mostly Ruger .22LR weapons into silenced versions and advertising widely with small, one-inch-column ads in periodicals aimed at the sportsman, collector and shooter. These ads mostly sold his catalogs, but they did spark interest in the general public.

It was only a few years until the number of civilian-oriented, small manufacturers grew in size and quantity to what we have today, where silencers are pretty much mainstream. The technology has also blossomed over the past half century from dimpled washers in a piece of tube or glass-pack muffler designs to more complex machined baffles, monocores and now 3D-printed exotic designs. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. In a similar vein, user-serviceability has also run a cyclic gamut from the sealed units of Maxim’s suppressor, to user-maintainable in the post-Vietnam era, back to sealed units around the start of the 21^st century, and again back to user-serviceable today (especially in the dirty rimfire calibers).

Prices have increased also. Where Maxim sold his rimfire silencers for $7, today’s rimfire units run in the vicinity of about $200 dollars. His $15 .30-caliber rifle silencers have morphed into today’s retailing in the vicinity of $1,000. However, if one considers the price of gold that rose from $35/ounce to the vicinity of $1,800/ounce (12/1/20), the cost is comparable. The difference is that the tax has not changed since 1934, meaning that instead of the tax being 10 to 20 times the value, it is now about a tenth or fifth the value depending on caliber. And the technology, durability, performance and lifespan have increased significantly.

Today’s consumers have changed also. I have been legitimately involved in the industry for nearly half a century, first as a hobbyist and later as a businessman. In days gone by, the primary concern was sound level. The designs were relatively large and often heavy. Reputation and marketing were primarily spread using word of mouth, print advertisements and reviews published in gun magazines. The design approach was often simplistic and based on WWII experience. The Department of the Army’s Frankford Arsenal Report—Silencers: Principles and Evaluations, Report R-1896 (Leonard W. Skochko and Harry A. Greveris,

 August 1968) was one of the early scientific discussions of silencer technology, and a number of the discussed principles and analyses are still valid today. The report’s early attempts at sound level measurement seriously missed the mark, but at least it was an attempt to quantify the degree of sound reduction. In the 1970s and for many years to follow, the standard instrument for measuring firearm sound levels was the Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) 2209 (with a ¼-inch pressure microphone) to be joined by the Larson Davis 800B in the 1980s. Both measured peak levels reasonably accurately. Today, we have the B&K Pulse system which is probably the most accurate-to-date instrument for measuring the short duration peaks of gunshots.

While initially the emphasis was on quieting the muzzle blast for near-silent shooting, hearing damage issues have assumed greater concern. Many of us older shooters, especially veterans, can trace significant hearing loss due to gunfire. Today’s shooters often have similar hearing loss, but the main etiology has been painful rock concerts and headphones used with the Sony Walkman cassette player and subsequent MP3 music players, not firearms where they have used hearing protectors.

In my opinion, the purpose of a silencer is to decrease the sound level generated by the sudden release of high-pressure propelling gases. So doing makes shooting more fun. Sound decreases according to the inverse square law wherein the pressure drops in a linear manner with each doubling of the distance from the source. Additionally, significant sound is generated by supersonic bullets in flight, but the shock wave is not perceived by the shooter until it reflects off a downrange object. This sound also decreases by the inverse square law, and because it is a reflection, the origin of the sound cannot be determined by an observer. As a result, the ballistic crack is never a source of hearing damage to the shooter. Silencers do an admirable job in concealing the origin of the shot, and in hunting scenarios the target will either be blissfully ignorant of the danger, be simply confused or run toward the hunter.

Do I think silencers should not be regulated? Most definitely. It is a shame that the Hearing Protection Act iterations have failed, but deregulating silencers is not politically correct. Further, it would involve Congress forfeiting a tax source, albeit small.

Today’s silencers are definitely smaller and lighter than the ones from 30 to 40 years ago and are usually more efficient. However, there are limits to the degree of suppression for a given size unit governed by the laws of physics. There are wide choices of manufacturers and models. The majority of promotion today relies on the internet with manufacturers’ websites, digital magazine reviews and discussion forums (which are too often a source of intense misinformation). While military users weigh flash/dust signature, length and weight issues above sound concealment, in the civilian market cosmetics and cool factors seem to be the dominant driving force rather than sound. I have heard more than one silencer marketing director state that he can’t sell round pieces of pipe (regardless of performance) and that new cosmetics are needed every 6 months to remain competitive—kind of like Detroit cars. Exterior-enhancing cosmetic cuts and swirls are too often necessary to sell a proven interior design. Monocores are the current rage, and while many are effective, many are marginal in sound reduction, and virtually all have a significant first-round pop. They do make service simpler (if user disassembly is desired), and they are less expensive to produce, considering parts count and today’s robotic manufacturing machines.

What I have real difficulty in understanding is the love affair with so-called “micro silencers”—tiny, short silencers that don’t appreciably reduce sound levels but that are expensive and command a $200 tax stamp. We have measured several for 5.56 NATO weapons that reduce the sound level by less than 10 db. In my opinion, when one wants something Hollywood-quiet and Hollywood-sized, a suppressor in .22LR is really hard to beat. Most are in the 1×5- or 1×6-inch platforms, fairly inexpensive, have a classic appearance and perform slightly better than Maxim’s suppressor from a century ago. I also have difficulty in understanding the mindset behind investing several cubic dollars plus a tax stamp in a silencer just to see how many rounds it takes to destroy the unit in a machine gun. Guess I am just getting old. Beware of symbolism over substance.

The snow has stopped, and the sun came out. I think I’ll bundle up, go outside in the back yard and hone my skills with my suppressed .22 pistol while shooting pigeons off my roof.