Picked up a few pounds of Trail Boss a while back and finally had some time available to try my hand at some sub sonic loads for my 6.8. After a bit of reading the directions for Trail Boss, and loading up a few rounds of different powder weights I headed out to my "quick range" just down the road.

The pill of the day was the 115gr Remington FMJ. Workin with the heaviest and lightest loads I confirmed that the bullets were stable in flight by firing at a cardboard box at 50 yards. Unstable rounds would show keyholing. Then the suppressor went on. All rounds were accurate at 50 yards offhand. Using the suppressor I was able to figure out roughly where the 115gr FMJ went supersonic. Back to the bench, where Ioaded up a smaller range of powder weights just below sub sonic. I'll shoot these across the chronagraph for fine tuning and accuracy testing.

Started the same process for 100gr JHP, 130gr PSP, and 150gr PSP but didn't shoot them yet.

Looking forward to being able to launch something larger than .22lr quietly.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick."

Sounds like fun.

I would love to enter this discussion about suppressors. Simply from a machinist / hobbiest / retired custom rifle maker point of view.

Problem is, I tend say things that hurt peoples feelings regarding their first purchase of a suppressor. That right there is why I should stay out of this discussion....

No worries here Marv. Love to hear you chime in. I respect your opinion. You aren't commenting on me, just the equipment.

I didn't buy mine as a specialty piece for only one caliber for one job. Mine is a workhorse. Not the quietest, certainly not the lightest, and not the most efficient. I'm entirely aware of that. Mine was purchased for one specific reason. Quick interchangeability across three or four hosts without any muss or fuss. It accomplishes that task very well.

.22lr's are quiet, especially sub sonics. The .223/5.56 are hearing safe, and fun to shoot, and the latest trial with the 6.8 is showing the results that I really bought this for. A really muffled pop with a "thwack" at the receiving end. Sure the 115 gr FMJ won't be a great performer, terminally, at those speeds, but the light skinned 100's and some of the heavier JHP's will be my go to pills.

Think overbuilt, smacking them upside the head with a 2x4. It gets the job done.

I've literally loaded a few million rounds on our 1050 and 650's, as a commercial venture back in the 90's, so I am familiar in working up loads. While my process might not be the same as your, it cuts to the chase quickly, and finesse is developed at the end.

Love to hear your thoughts, as I am always willing to learn.

Andy, my interest is simply to help people be aware of the variables to be considered when making a suppressor purchase. They cost a good deal of money, then there are the trust fees and the 200.00 tax stamp.

I know next to nothing about the laws regarding suppressors. I get the trust thing. What I don't get is, can you sell your can to another trust sometime down the road, or is your trust going to be the sole owner for life?

What I would really like to discuss is caliber specific suppressors. I know that some are welded together and others may be disassembled for cleaning.

Minimum radial clearance with the baffles and exit hole are of particular interest to me. My thinking follows along the lines that the more gas that escapes around the outside of the projectile decreases overall efficiancy of the device. The more efficient the device is, the quieter it would be. Proper alignment of the can and the bore is very important. I'm sure that is why most all mfgs. make the exit holes so large as to avoid baffle strikes on less than precise instalatiions. In my case, I do not see a less than precise instalation being made.

Cool Topic. Lots of this to consider before spending a decent amount of money.

Valid points, all. Cost is a major consideration, as you generally own it for life. Yes, it can currently be sold to another party down the road, trust or individual, but re-sale value is usually about half of purchase price.

I think the primary reason for welding VS user servicable is the pressures that the cans deal with. .22LR is low pressure, so is 9mm-.45ACP, relatively, when compared to rifle caliber cans, which is why you see more pistol and .22LR cans that are serviceable.

Having a user serviceable can "let go" is a lot more likely if the pressures are high, like on a .300 win Mag, .30-06 or .308, as I would imagine the threading of the caps and cylinder would need to be extremely high quality, and probably of fairly heavy material when compared to a welded can. (a lot of welded cans are actually threaded, and then have the connection welded, making that transition nearly as strong as a solid cylinder) I'm not a machinist, so your insights on this would be very valuable.

The .45 can I just bought is also a draft horse, not a thoroughbred. It is user serviceable, easily adaptable across a number of platforms (including my .458 SOCOM using sub sonics) by just screwing in a different thread adapter to the booster, and again it isn't the lightest or quietest, but it will get the job done that I bought it for. When I get possession of it, I'll meet up with you again so that you can see how is comes apart, and what the inards look like.

Last time I checked, I am not an operator, nor am I a member of Seal Team 6. I have the need to take out pests on my property quietly from time to time, and that is about it.

Both you and I were surprised by the exit hole in that can, 0.375" if I remember correctly. Lots of play for a .308 can. The question becomes just how quiet can you get your can? Shooting full boat 6.8 or .308, regardless of how much it deals with the muzzle blast, you will still have the supersonic crack. Subsonics from a custom bolt gun, and a longer integral/slip-over/threaded suppressor, now that could get pretty quiet. Your limitations would be weight, and length.

I think you would be a perfect candidate to build your own form 1. I have an acquaintance who has built a number of them with just a simple milling machine, all form 1.

Takes a lot to get me butt hurt.

Oh boy....Andy, I liked being retired. Close by freind of mine just got a like new multi axis Slant bed CNC lathe. A guy could make all kinda cool stuff with machine like that!

Imagine the possibilities, commodity prices are down, people want new toys, and with just a few simple lines of machine tool programming, you have your internal baffels made very cheap and readily modified. Fire this machine up with some light weight high tensile exotic materials and Andy, after some product testing and evaluation, I would personally certify you as the operator in charge.....The Quiet Man...McCleary Outpost....Harbor Seal Team 6.8

HST. Nice.

I wish you guys would speak English

Just keep you magical engineers babble to yourself and all will be fine. .

Andy- can you give me a quick rundown on what the process is for obtaining a can? Im just interested in one for my .22 pistol.

Thanks Dave

Go to East County guns, find one, buy one. Gemtech Alpine with all stainless guts is a good standard, but the Mite and a few others are also very respectable.

Fill out form 4, get finger printed at your chief law enforcement organization, in Grays Harbor that is generally the Sheriff, get a passport photo done, send in form 4 with a $200 check (Andy will do it for you) and wait. The BATFE background check will take 5-8 months. (First wait time for me was 5 months, currently I am waiting on cans purchased in June 2012 and December 2012.) This is not a purchase for the impatient. Best advice is to forget about it. They will mail back your Form 4 application with a $200 tax stamp, Andy calls you, and then you go in and pick it up. You can also create an NFA trust for about $100-150, Shannon at Brislawn Lofton can get you going. If you need that data, let me know. It doesn't add to the wait time, it just helps you bypass the fingerprint, photo, and LEO sign-off.

Lots of very reputable can dealers out there. Chip at Cascade Arsenal, Rainier Arms in Kent or Auburn (I think that is where they are), and East County Guns are where myself and a number of friends have made purchases at.

My suggestion to you is to buy one in stock. Buying one that is not in stock will extend your wait time by 6-8 weeks, unless the dealer has already ordered one and they are just in the process of processing the Form 3. There is a process to the madness.

Some of the lingo:

Can = Suppressor = Silencer= Moderator. (Moderator huh? Somehow appropriate. )

Form 1. You build the can yourself on a lathe, or out of pop bottles, or PVC. Go through the basic process above of applying, and only AFTER you are approved and have the tax stamp in hand do you start the process of construction. It will need to be engraved with a serial number per BATFE specs, so a pop bottle probably won't work. Your cost is $200 for the tax stamp, plus materials. Least expensive way to go, but you need skills and equipment.

Form 2. Manufacture or importation of firearm, not used for cans.

Form 3. Transfer from manufacturer/wholesaler to dealer form. Usually takes 2-3 weeks to process, but times have risen to over 6-8 weeks. These things are highly regulated and the BATFE wants to know where they are and who has them.

Form 4. transfer between dealer and end purchaser. You, the trust, etc.

Form 5. Tax exempt transfer form. Used when you die, move, etc.

Hope this helps.