Comments on: Silencing the Undead

By: Semper Cogitant

Semper Cogitant — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:35:19 +0000

Suppressors are a very good idea, especially if you are trying to move through an area lightly populated with Zs. The sound of a shot will bring in everything in the area, so you want to be as quiet as possible.

Remember that a suppressor is NOT a silencer. You do not get rid of all the noise. It dampens it, sometimes a lot, makes it harder to hear from a distance. You still have some sound from the expanding gasses, and all of the sound of the action working and the sonic boom.

If you really want silence, you need to be firing subsonic ammunition from a closed bolt with a good suppressor.

As for obtaining a suppressor, they are expensive and hard to find, but legal to own in most of the USA. Here is Washington State you can own one, but it is illegal to fire a round through it. They are also almost impossible to find.

However, when the Zombie Apocalypse comes there won;t be too many worries about what’s legal. A suppressor is very easy to make and could often even be improvised from what you find laying around. The idea is just to slow down the escape of the gasses coming out of the barrel, it’s not rocket science at all. In a pinch a soda bottle or a pillow can be used, though it’s hard to aim that way.

By: 3-15 INF

3-15 INF — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:47:34 +0000

My .22 is as quiet as a bb gun with standard ammo on a .22 pistol, and equally as quiet on a rifle with subsonics. My .30 supressor is much bigger and heavier but reall cuts down on flash, recoil and noise for anything .30 or smaller. They are both by YankeeHill Machine and worth the money. They reduce noise but don’t eliminate it. Better than a unsupressed weapon in my opinion.

By: Montyy

Montyy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:49:32 +0000

In regards to the original article stating “Also the sound of a suppressed gunshot often lacks the distinctive sound of a gunshot, perhaps meaning it will be ignored, though this may be a false hope.”
I’d have to disagree as having fired large caliber suppressed centre fire rifles before (.22-250/.243/.270/.308 to name a few) i’ve noticed that when using standard super sonic ammunition although the actual “bang” caused by the explosives in the cartridge is muffled to a certain extent, obviously the very distincive and loud “crack” made by the bullet breaking the sound barrier which can not be silenced without subsonic ammunition, is so loud that even at longer distances it would be innefective at not alerting anyone near your target..

By: KillerB

KillerB — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:09:39 +0000

PS The supressor in a post zed world would be for elemination with out recognition. Unless you are using sub-sonic ammo then you will be heard. I would not want other non-infected know where I was more than the zeds. We are going to end up being our own worst enemy. The Zombies will be easy to kill compared to a half starving desperate mother that is trying to feed her kids. Or a father that has lost everything and is now in a permenant state of aggression and leading a band of like minded killers bent of further destruction. Or us the prepared when we run out of equipment. We will then turn on each other and in essense will become non-infected zombies that can think and react. In truth that is when the fun will really start. It might feel good to take on an advasary who can fight back for a change………..

By: KillerB

KillerB — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:03:23 +0000

I have a supressor on a .308 rifle and it does not reduce accuracy. It is not whisper quiet due to the fact that I still shoot full power ammo through the rifle. It completly reduces muzzle flash and reduces felt recoil. As a matter of fact 300 yards away my rifle can be heard if it is pointing at you but to the sides at the same distance you would think that it is a mile away. From the back of the rifle you can not tell that a rifle just fired. The biggest reason that I own the thing is to make my rifle shot sound like something else. If you are a distance away you will NOT be able to tell where I am firing from. It does require an abserd ammount of cleaning and it does add weight and length to my gun. It also was a nightmare to get the thing. (I own two one for my AR-15 and one for my Savage 10FCP) they are worth the money just based on the cool points but if it is permitted in your state you can hunt with them as well. (Ferrel Hogs on private land only where I am from) but they aid in increasing the number of hogs you can kill in a single night. As I read above a supresson on an AR-15 is a nightmare for cleaning. More gas is blown back into the recever. I got a PRI gas buster charging handle and that helps keep those gasses out of my face. So far the reliablity of my SBR with the supressor has been acceptable. I have noticed a few failures to feed or extract that had never happened before so that is an issue but practice clearing stoppages and you will be fine. I can always run 350-400 rounds through the gun before the first stoppage. That is more rounds than i will carry in my combat load. Just be sure to get a can that can be put back on without loosing your zero (Sure-Fire) and you will be fine.

By: 3-15 INF

3-15 INF — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:48:17 +0000

As far as the accuracy or muzzle velocity of a pistol, as supressor won’t change much that will matter at 50 meters or less. On a rifle, it can change the barrel harmonics, sometimes causing the zero to change considerably . Again, long range shots are all that would be affected. Most pistol supressors can be disassembled, while rifle ones usually can’t. A little basic maintenance and the’ll last as long as any firearm, maybe longer.

I have a .22lr that works beautifully, and makes a pistol very quiet. My rifle suppressor can be placed on any gun that’s 30 caliber or less. Got both of them at Mission Essentials gunshop right outside Fort Stewart. I think the total cost out the door with all paperwork was 1300 bucks. Not cheap, but allows some tactical superiority. Melee weapons should never be a primary, in my opinion. I don’t want any rotting gore on me. Consider a zombie the same as a plague victim. I wouldn’t want bubonic plague blood splattering on me either. I believe i would use my guns sparingly and only shoot what got in my way until someday i ran out of ammo. Then, and only then, would I consider fighting with a hand held weapon.

It would be best to not worry too much about what you do or don’t own. For those of us who do own specialty weapons and gear, that’s great. That doesn’t make it the end all be all. I don’t carry those weapons around with me everywhere, and i have alot of firearms. BUT- who says I’ll be anywhere near them when the initial infection begins? The average person doesn’t know enough about ANY weapon system, firearm or not , to use them effectively in a combat situation.
This discussion of whether a suppressor would be a good idea only really pertains to those who own them and know how to employ them. Leave that up to guys like me. If a ZEDs head explodes right before he was gonna get you, and you didn’t even hear wear the shot came from, you can thank me later!

By: Angryvikingman

Angryvikingman — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:16:38 +0000

My supressor has 1/2″ x 28 tpi. Same as an M4 flash hider. Pretty much all supressors and barrels are threaded to that same standard.

LongNguyen:

Have you ever shot with or do you own a supressor? If yes, you are misinformed. Quite a lot of supressors arent even capable of being diassembled, and the copper jacketed ammo doesnt leave ANY residue in the supressor itself. AND it doesnt need to be cleaned constantly if at all, nor does your weapon. Yes, there is some residue left by the unburnt gunpowder, but not in a significant amount. I hardly EVER clean my AR-15 due to the fact that its service life can be up to 5000 rounds between cleanings before it gets gummed up so bad it can’t shoot. A gun does NOT have to be cleaned after every use.

By: LongNguyen

LongNguyen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:24 +0000

using a suppresor means cleaning it and your gun constantly after every use. it builds up carbon and muck very quickly. and if anyone thinks of putting it on a m16,m4 or any of its variant. bring a brush, tons of qtips and some rags. cause you will be cleaning that bitch. =)

By: Sharpshooter

Sharpshooter — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:02:42 +0000

great section!!! but i have a question would the zombies even care if one of there kind’s head just exploded? i mean if they are like most humans today they wont really care about anytihng unless it affects them directly.

By: jordan

jordan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:13:54 +0000

suppressors do degrade accuracy

suppressors do reduce muzzle velocity

and

suppresors do need to be cleaned more often

Depending on the model, a suppressor can effect MUZZLE velocity and degrade accuracy, although if properly installed and sighted in the guns accuracy could actually improve. Maintenance is required more often ,sadly, this is do to the nature of its effect on the escaping gases used to propel the bullet unburned powder, carbon, and lead fowling build up in the baffles used to supress the sudden expulsion of gas. in turn the muzzle flash also disipates as a result of “afterburn” through the baffles. There is a physical contact between the bullet and the suppressor, with out it the gasses would escape through the gap around the bullet!

Without the proper instillaton, especially with threaded supressors, they can throw a group completly off center. Of course tapping (threading) a barrel to match a supressor dyed by somone else with a different and getting a match grade line up is next to impossible, thats why you have to sight the weapon in afterwards. Imagine slapping on a whole new barrel and expecting it to be zeroed.

Angryvickingman its not that they didnt know what they were talking about, its just that that didnt understand the problem.