donlowry | 22 Dec 2018 9:40 a.m. PST |
Griefbringer: Pretty sure the British used revolvers, but not sure of the caliber (calibre?). Some of 'em looked pretty big. |
Patrick R | 23 Dec 2018 3:53 a.m. PST |
The British .577 Tranter makes the already pretty hefty .45 ACP cartridge look svelte and was pretty much an early Magnum, exceeding even the power of the Colt Walker. |
Andy ONeill | 23 Dec 2018 4:40 a.m. PST |
The main ww2 british revolver was .38. Some .455 was issued to some units due to shortages of the .38 link Don't forget the browning "hi-power" link |
4th Cuirassier | 23 Dec 2018 7:18 a.m. PST |
An interesting thing I picked up reading a Frederick Forsyth novel years ago is that – so he says – if you really want a silenced round, you need a revolver. When you fire an automatic, the blowback action vents almost as much noise through the breech as the round makes exiting the muzzle, and that you can't silence. With a revolver, when you fire a round, the jacket opens and seals the space between the cylinder and the barrel, so that most to all of the noise comes out of the muzzle. Hence you can silence revolvers better than autos. Is he correct? |
Legion 4 | 23 Dec 2018 10:42 a.m. PST |
The action of an automatic extracting a spent shell casing, i.e. the hammer hitting the receiver and the slide reciprocating. Will make noise. Just, e.g., take an automatic like an unloaded M1911 .45. The hammer makes a clicking sound when trigger is squeezed. As it hits the receiver. And lock the slide to the rear then release it. You will clearly hear the metallic sounds of the action cycling, etc. |
Lion in the Stars | 23 Dec 2018 12:10 p.m. PST |
@4th: Most revolvers don't seal between the cylinder and frame. The old Nagant revolver does, but that's a rarity. link Otherwise, the only revolvers I know of that are tight enough to possibly suppress are Dan Wessons and Freedom Arms. |
Andy ONeill | 24 Dec 2018 1:08 p.m. PST |
|
Borderguy190 | 30 Dec 2018 5:37 p.m. PST |
An interesting thing I picked up reading a Frederick Forsyth novel years ago is that – so he says – if you really want a silenced round, you need a revolver. When you fire an automatic, the blowback action vents almost as much noise through the breech as the round makes exiting the muzzle, and that you can't silence. With a revolver, when you fire a round, the jacket opens and seals the space between the cylinder and the barrel, so that most to all of the noise comes out of the muzzle. Hence you can silence revolvers better than autos. Is he correct? No, he is not. The jacket stays firmly attached to the core of the bullet, else it is pretty useless as an accurate projectile. There is extremely little/no gas venting out the open action of a semi-auto pistol. And few pistols are truly blow back in operation. Delayed blowback yes, but precisely to lock the action long enough to allow the gas to go where it is supposed to. Like Legion 4 says, the noise is the mechanics. There was one semi-auto pistol that could be locked in some fashion to reduce metallic noises when used suppressed. Which pistol eludes me currently. |
Asteroid X | 30 Dec 2018 10:34 p.m. PST |
4th Cuirassier, there is really no such thing as a "silencer", only a suppressor. The noise of the "bang" comes from the round breaking the sound barrier (like a whip cracking). You can get "sub-sonic" rounds that do not break the sound barrier. A suppressor helps to hide the sound of the break of the sound barrier. |
Mark 1 | 31 Dec 2018 2:22 a.m. PST |
The noise of the "bang" comes from the round breaking the sound barrier (like a whip cracking). This lad has never stood near without his hearing protection when someone fired a .45 ACP … No, I'm afraid that the "bang" comes from the explosive release of gasses at the muzzle. The burning of the powder may be a conflagration (gunpowder is not an explosive, per say), but when confined it most certainly creates a shock wave upon release, which is the bang that you hear. If the round is supersonic, that bang will continue, and travel with the round (or just a bit behind it) as the supersonic round will continue to generate a shock wave with it's passage through the air. That is usually heard as a rippling/crackling sound, almost like an echo, that follows after the firing of a high-powered cartridge. Still it is true that it is notably easier to suppress a sub-sonic round than a super-sonic round. The bang can be suppressed by allowing controlled expansion and/or release of the gasses at the muzzle. But if the rippling shock wave is present, it will still give those downrange the opportunity to track the origin of the sound. Oh, and if you read anywhere that you can make a home-made silencer by coring out a potato … take it from me -- it doesn't work. You won't silence the shot, but you will make an awful mess. -Mark (aka: Mk 1) |
4th Cuirassier | 31 Dec 2018 6:40 a.m. PST |
What about home made silencers using a 2-litre plastic soft drink bottle a quarter full of water? That was in the same book IIRC. |
Steve Wilcox | 31 Dec 2018 9:30 a.m. PST |
The burning of the powder may be a conflagration (gunpowder is not an explosive, per say) On a pedantic note, isn't that deflagration, not conflagration? :) |
Andy ONeill | 31 Dec 2018 10:13 a.m. PST |
|
Lion in the Stars | 01 Jan 2019 3:13 p.m. PST |
What about home made silencers using a 2-litre plastic soft drink bottle a quarter full of water? A pack of 3 tennis balls works better. I do mean the whole pack, BTW, including the shipping tube. Each ball traps some of the propellant gas and lets it out a little slower. But an oil filter seems to work best of all, for the price link . The adaptors for the filter are a Class 3 item under the National Firearms Act, so carry a $200 USD tax to save your hearing. You can pick up the econo-can suppressor after you get the Tax Stamp back from Uncle BATFE, which will take about a year or so. It's technically Shall-Issue (as long as you pass the background check), but they are so understaffed that it's a year-long process). Not that most suppressors make a weapon Hollywood silent.
They just make it so you won't damage your ears. It takes a VERY big 'can' to completely remove the noise of a gunshot, and even then you still have the sound of the action moving. MP5SD (the integrally-suppressed 9mm beloved of SEALs) sound like a rather large sewing machine at crazy speed. |
chironex | 04 Jan 2019 9:19 p.m. PST |
Don't feel like reading Frederick Forsyth no more… Not that I really did, but if he wants to go into crazy detail that he doesn't have and just invents it all to fill the gaps, I really don't see how he could be such a big name. It couldn't be that his data are obsolete; everyone knew when the aforementioned Nagant revolver was being developed for suppression that revolvers don't suppress well, it was a deliberate attempt to invent one that would, which no-one else is doing because the R&D is a lot more than the advantage of not leaving a case behind at a murder scene is worth. |
chironex | 04 Jan 2019 9:21 p.m. PST |
@Skippy, 14bore: The load I heard most recently in the movies was .41. Source: Iraqveteran8888. |