What do you do about the noise of you airgun

[platinummatt]

I got a co2 airgun and just fired 3 shots.. and Im wondering ifs too noisey.. I dont know if I can get a silencer for it. for plinking outside in my back garden this is

 

[Bronco]

Matt, as ludicrous as this sounds, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if in the minds of the morons that run the BATF, a suppressor for an airgun wasn't considered every bit as evil as a suppressor for an MP-5.

 

[kamkazmoto]

A suppressor for an airgun is illegal. That being said they are legal and available in England. Go figure

 

[mp510]

A suppressor for an airgun is illegal. That being said they are legal and available in England. Go figure

I dont know if I can get a silencer for it.

It depends on what state you are in. Paintballers and airgunners are required to go through the same steps as anyone else to create or purchase/ posess a suppressor. Some states, like California, prohibit suppressors. Others require some licensing and/ or registration in addition to BATFE requirements, others allow you to own one if the BATFE gives you the OK. If you would like to construct your own, you will need to fill out a Form 1 "Application to Manufacture a Firearm", submit $200 tax, get the CLEO signature (or form a Living Trust, LLC, or incorporate), and fingerprints IIRC and DO NOT CONSTRUCT ANYTHING UNTIL THE BATFE SAYS YOU MAY!!!! If you go the Form 1 route, your name and location (ie: John Q Public Hartford, Connecticut) will be permenantly applied to the firearm (silencer) as required by BATFE standards/ law. If you incorporate/ LLC/ form a trust, the suppressor is the property of that entity and must be disposed of upon that entities disolution (transfered/ sold, surrendered, or destroyed). The positive aspect towards incorporation is the avoidance of the CLEO signoff requirement, which is difficult to obtain in some areas.

In Europe, airgun suppressors are very common. They are usually treated much friendlier than in the USA. However, Title II firearms are not importable, as they do not meet the designed for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes requirements, and are not importable unless the firearm is for LE or Military/ government use.

If you want a commercially made suppressor, you will first need to find an FFL (gun dealer or manufacturer) that holds an SOT (Special Occupancy Tax) stamp holder in your state of residence. Like a handgun, NFA firearms may only be purchased in your state of residence. He may or may not have one in inventory. If he does, and you decide to purchase it, you will put down the money for the suppressor, begin the fingerprint, photo and Form 4 along with $200 for the tax stamp. Unless incorporated (as described above), you will be required to get a CLEO sign off on your Form 4. If he does not have an appropriate suppressor on inventory, or you do not like the option(s) he makes available to you, or there is a particular model you want, or you find one from a dealer or manufacturer out of state, you can arrange a transfer. You will pay the entity who owns the suppressor for it, and your dealer will fill out a Form 3 , so that it may be transfered to him. When that clears, he will recieve the firearm, and you'll begin the Form 4 process described above.

 

[Daniel Koster]

There are those that say "don't take any chances whatsoever" and others that throw caution to the wind since...let's face it...when's the last time you heard a case against a silenced airgun?

Muzzle brake, whatever....can be had for $20-50 depending on what you want. Lots of folks have 'em and don't even know they're considered the same by the BATF (needed a special permit).

Get a spring loader or pneumatic if you're really concerned about the noise.


Have a buddy shoot it while you're 100 yds down the road. It's probably not as noisy as you think.

700 fps seems to be the breaking point...if you have a rifle over that, it's going to make a nice crack. A handgun or rifle under that won't be that loud.

I got a 1000 fps rifle a while back...way to noisy for me...didn't want to bother with a brake - returned it.

 

[mp510]

There are those that say "don't take any chances whatsoever" and others that throw caution to the wind since...let's face it...when's the last time you heard a case against a silenced airgun?

There's actually a currently pending appeals case where an airgunner was convicted of NFA violations pertaining to a suppressor he made for his air gun, that should (in theory) be destroyed upon firing a shot from and thus not functional if he used on a conventional firearm. A jury of his peers convictd him, and now, his chance for freedom is up to a judge. There's a very likely chance that the appeals judge will uphold the conviction. The BATFE has always ruled that air gun suppressors are firearms under the National Firearms Act, and as such has and will prosecute violators. Violation of the National Firearms Act is a felony punishable by 10 years in prison and $10,000 fine. A individual violator may also recieve up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 fine for willfull non-payment of NFA taxes. If the violator is a corporation, the willful non payment of tax fine may be as much as $500,000.

Daniel Koster, Please don't publicly recommend that people commit serious crimes, especially on a public forum. :barf:

 

[Daniel Koster]

read it again:

Lots of folks have 'em and don't even know they're considered the same by the BATF (needed a special permit).

Get a spring loader or pneumatic if you're really concerned about the noise.

:jerkit:

 

[DEA]

mp, you've got to read the first sentence again, man

 

[kozak6]

There are those that say "don't take any chances whatsoever" and others that throw caution to the wind since...let's face it...when's the last time you heard a case against a silenced airgun?

Er, July 15, 2006. Michael A. Crooker was found guilty of making an (airgun) suppressor. Oops.

Muzzle brake, whatever....can be had for $20-50 depending on what you want. Lots of folks have 'em and don't even know they're considered the same by the BATF (needed a special permit).

Muzzle brakes are totally different in function, design, and legality than suppressors.

Get a spring loader or pneumatic if you're really concerned about the noise.

Pneumatics can be every bit as loud as CO2 guns.

Have a buddy shoot it while you're 100 yds down the road. It's probably not as noisy as you think.

That doesn't matter if it's the next door neighbor who is upset.

 

[Daniel Koster]

wow....lots of chest-thumping here today...

I stand corrected.


got any suggestions for our friend? (platinummatt)

 

[locomike]

got any suggestions for our friend? (platinummatt)

1. Don't make a silencer, unless you like federal prisons.

2. If you think it is too loud, it probably is.

 

[mp510]

mp, you've got to read the first sentence again, man

The first two lines had thinking he was suggesting working without a stamp and keeping it on the down-low. If not, I misunderstood, and I am in error.

 

[furfun]

Port the barrel perhaps? That's how you make a paintball gun quieter, fwiw.

 

[Tim-Gabz]

That is just not humerous. Sound dampeners prevent complaints from neighbours. They are very legal here and legal in Zim for air rifles. I couldn't buy one in Zim for my Gamo and the old lady next door used to panic (having been shot up during the war) so I used to make alternative arraingments.

 

[hikeeba]

platinummatt, are you worried it may be too noisy as to startle game/pests, or are you worried about the neighbors complaining? Do you know your neighbors well enough to talk to them? Or is your back garden large enough where you can set up a safe range?

If you know your neighbors and a worried about disturbing them, talk to them. Maybe they'd like to shoot around, too.

I grew up shooting airguns in municipal backyards ranging from 3 acres to a half acre. Even though we were kids, we knew that safety came first. We always located targets far from building and borders. One of my friends had a neighbor that would CONSTANTLY hang out on her porch and complain while we were shooting, but she never called the police or anything (discharging airguns was illegal in our city). I think she eventually learned that we meant her and her dog no harm, and we were careful with what we were doing.

And my 1000 fps spring piston rifle is noticeably quieter than my 420 fps CO2 pistol and my 800 fps pneumatic rifle.



A bit off topic, but related to silencers, you could look at the Airforce Talon SS. Although Airforce no longer say that it has a silencer, it is manufactured in a way so that discharge sound levels are reduced. However, as it is a pre-charge gun, I would imagine it is still somewhat loud. Then again, I don't know...

http://www.airforceairguns.com/talonss.html

So, is the Talon SS subject to BATF regs?

 

[kozak6]

Only because of the way it is designed.

The reciever tube extends past the barrel, and has a cap with a hole for the pellet.

If it had the reciever tube, and then a separate piece that extended past the barrel, or if they had some baffles in there, it would be a different matter.