Silencers: A Technology Over 100 Years Old and Its Modern Applications
Contrary to popular belief, gun silencers are a technology that has been around for over 100 years. Silencers, which have been increasingly used in the last 20 years in particular, were initially encountered by certain special units in special operations. Today, silencers, which are increasingly popular and almost indispensable weapon accessories, are used to increase general capabilities such as personnel health, acoustic, thermal and visual trace hiding.
It is important to understand some basic principles to understand why and how silencers are critical mission accessories.
Working Principle of Silencers
When a weapon is fired, three main sound sources are created:
- Mechanical Action Sound of the Weapon: These are the mechanical sounds caused by the operation of the slide, mechanism or other moving parts of the weapon.
- Explosion Sound of Combustion Gases: When the bullet leaves the barrel, the gases formed as a result of combustion reach hundreds to thousands of times atmospheric pressure and suddenly balance out. This sudden release of pressure is perceived by the human ear as a loud explosion sound.
- Sound of a Bullet at Supersonic Speed: The “sonic boom” sound that occurs when the bullet exceeds the speed of sound is heard.*
Silencers can only be effective on the explosion sound of combustion gases out of these three sound sources. They reduce this explosion sound by restricting and slowing down the flow of combustion gases. However, it is not possible to silence the sound of the bullet caused by supersonic speed or the mechanical movements of the weapon.
Other Advantages of Silencers
It is now an accepted fact that silencers not only reduce sound, but also increase ballistic performance.
- Reduces Muzzle Flash: When the bullet leaves the barrel, combustion gases and unburned powder particles come into contact with the surrounding oxygen and burn. Silencers significantly reduce this flash.
- Increases Bullet Stability: As the bullet leaves the barrel, combustion gases can pass through the bullet and disrupt its flight path. Silencers minimize such deviations by slowing down the gas flow.
- Contributes to the General Group: The additional weight of the silencers reduces barrel vibrations, the launch of the weapon and positively affects the overall hit rate by increasing the bullet stability.
In response to the diverse requirements of modern service rifles such as model, caliber, barrel interface and length, Makimsa Defense offers optimized solutions for different calibers and systems. With its wide product range, it develops high-performance silencer systems specially designed for the needs of end users.
You can contact us for detailed information and more information about our products.