Sound Suppressor

[dougk]

I it legal in the USA to fit a sound suppressor onto an airgun?
Thanks
Doug

[ed1921]

I believe it's only legal if you pay the tax & fill out the forms.
Actually owning a suppressor is illegal even if it isn't installed on a gun without the paperwork.
There are also issues if it isn't permanantly attached I think.
Check with a dealer that sells suppressed weapons.
I don't know if or what type of airgun they would work on.

[jpsmith1]

Exactly what purpose does a suppressor serve on an airgun? 

The noise comes from 2 places.  Spring releaseand gas/air release.  The suppressor can only address one of the 2 causes of noise and that's the release of gas, which I believe to be the lesser of the two noises for a 'major' type airgun.

I'd also be curious as to why you'd suppress an airgun.  Shooting varmints at night in downtown?

Please understand I'm not trying to be an a$$, it just comes naturally to me and I'm genuinely curious.

[bobby964]

If you have never fired a pcp air rifle I can tell you from experience that they are loud.I am talking about the hpa type pcp air rifles.I bet that they are louder than a 22 rimfire rifle.I have fired co2 guns that are also kinda of loud.Not as loud as a 22 but still louder than my beeman r9 springer.

[rocky_taco]

Exactly what purpose does a suppressor serve on an airgun? 

I'd also be curious as to why you'd suppress an airgun. 

JP, 
It is actually quite common to have a suppressed air gun overseas.  A high power air gun is surprisingly loud.  If you hunt squirrels with an air gun, a suppressed gun would scare away fewer nearby squirrels allowing you to be more successful.  I guess the real question is… Why not? 

Not to mention, I’d sure like to see some suppressors on the big magnums at the range that are blasting flames at me out their muzzle brakes.  A reason I still won’t put a brake on one of my guns.

Here’s some links to a few high power air guns that could use a suppressor…  They come with a suppressor in the UK.

http://www.theoben.co.uk/customer/product.php?productid=14&cat=0&page=
http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/?ID=53&ProductID=583
http://www.daystate.com/

[jpsmith1]

I understand that they may be load, but I hunt squirrels with a .22lr (unsuppressed, of course) and they spook when you shoot, but if you sit still, they come back out very quick.  Short memory those squirrels.

As far as suppressors on the big blasters, we can agree there.  If you need extra holes in the barrel, do you really need that much gun?  Brakes are terribly loud as they direct the muzzle blast back toward the shooter.

Can't say I've had that much experience with HPA type airguns, I can see a suppressor having some effect there.  Looking at those links, those are some SERIOUS airguns.  I was under the impression that Spring powered guns were the top of the heap, so to speak.  I've still seen some serious velocities from a spring guns.  I think that the new crop are pushing 1600 with special 'high-velocity' pellets.  Regardless, I was thinking about the spring guns and relatively tame CO2 guns that are already pretty quiet.

[baranjhn]

You can buy a suppressor that is permamently attatched to your airgun w/o any problems. Meaning it must be integral to the barrel. If it can come off and be modified to go on a firearm, and reduce sound by only 1 decibel, you must have the appropriate tax stamp to legally possess it.

Some airguns do benefit from a sound moderator. Spring airguns do not, the spring makes more noise than the air release. However, CO2 and PCP do. To illustrate this, simply pop a balloon. It makes a loud pop . Same principle as with CO2 and PCP.

Also, anytime you break the speed of sound (@1200fps) you get a loud crack. Most airguns shoot under 1100fps, so if you have a pcp or CO2 gun it can be quite quiet.

I know a lot of folks get all excited about high velocity airguns, but once you break the speed of sound, it defeats the purpose of an airgun. Not only that, but 98% of the pellets aren't designed for those speeds, and accuracy suffers.

[dougk]

Are there any airguns sold in the USA that have a suppressor?
Thanks
Doug

[sixgunSal]

The Air force TalonSS has a built in shrouded barrel.

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=135

[shilo]

The BSA Super10 also has a shrouded barrel version. As far as why to suppress a PCP gun, it's alot more enjoyable to shoot without the crack at every shot. All you hear is ping from the firing mechanism.

[Badnews Bob]

It is legal to own and use suppressors on air rifles. They do not have to be permently attached, My beeman HW97 came with one already installed straight from the dealer. Some of the PCP rifles my friends shoot at the club are louder than most .22 rimfires without suppresors, most people at our field target meets use them. Make for a much quieter shoot. Air rifles are not firearms and do not fall under the same rules.

 Check with the guys at straight shooters or piramid air for more info.

[wilded]

http://www.atf.treas.gov/alcohol/info/revrule/rules/atf_ruling2005-4.pdf

A man was recently given 15 years for selling an airgun with a detachable silencer.

Read and make your own decision.  I will not have one on any airgun I have unless it is an intregal part of the barrel.