Suppressors, Silencers, Muzzle Brakes

[meadowmuffin3]

Just as a matter of interest, are the following statements correct?
1. A suppressor can be attached to or form an integral part of the barrel for either of two purposes; sound suppression or flash suppression.
2. A silencer is another name for a sound suppressor.
3. A sound suppressor that is an attachment to a firearm in Canada is a prohibited device, the possession of which can get you some free room and board at a Federal or Provincial facility, if you are caught.
4. For such a suppressor to constitute a prohibited device, it must reduce the report from a firearm below a specified decibel level
5. The Lee Enfield jungle carbine is a good example of a firearm with a flash suppressor and is legal.
6. A muzzle brake is also a type of sound suppressor which does not completely eliminate the report or reduces the report to a level that exceeds the decibel level contemplated in #4 above.
7. Muzzle brakes as defined in #6 are legal for all firearms but are typically only found on centrefire rifles.

 

[MauserMike]

A muzzle brake reduces recoil and in fact makes the gunshot much LOUDER.

 

[Camk]

A muzzle brake reduces recoil and in fact makes the gunshot much LOUDER.

Much louder to the shooter less sound down range

 

[tiriaq]

4. It does not have to reduce sound levels at all. It only has to be intended to reduce them.
5. Try firing a No. 5 in low light and see how much flash is suppressed.
Flash suppressors, muzzle brakes have nothing to do with sound suppressors, and there is no legislation respecting them.
6. Muzzle brakes typically increase perceived sound level for the shooter and those nearby. They have nothing in common with sound supressors.

 

[korbon]

That is correct meadowmuffin3

 

[trevj]

The fault in the whole line of questioning, is the assumption that the term suppressor on its own means anything besides a reducer or eliminator.

The word has to be qualified, if you want it to mean anything.

A SOUND suppressor, is a device that when measured both installed and not, may get you free room and board. It may act as a flash suppressor by default, as well as as a muzzle brake. Bad juju to have one without being issued it by your Government approved, controlling authority.

A FLASH suppressor, on the other hand, is, by design, a means of reducing or eliminating the flash at the end of the barrel, thus helping reduce the loss of night vision (for the shooters benefit) or the telltale flash that would give away ones position (also to the shooters benefit). It will not make the report quieter.

A Muzzle brake, generally makes the report louder in the immediate area of the muzzle, as it is tapping off gasses from the muzzle blast, and directing them (usually) sideways, but sometimes upwards, to redirect the energy to counter the recoil forces.

Calling it by some other name, even if you CAN keep a straight face while doing so, (say, in the case of someone wanting to mount a sound suppressing type device, and calling it a flash eliminator or muzzle brake)won't keep your friendly neighborhood policeman, from calling it what HE (or she) see's as a fitting name, and possibly sending it off to the crime lab for testing under controlled circumstances.
That could SUCK, in a major way!

Cheers
Trev

 

[Suputin]

Just as a matter of interest, are the following statements correct?
1. A suppressor can be attached to or form an integral part of the barrel for either of two purposes; sound suppression or flash suppression.

As noted above a flash suppressor and a sound suppressor are two different animals that have little in common. Sound suppressors do greatly reduce flash but flash suppressors don't reduce sound.

2. A silencer is another name for a sound suppressor.

Yes.

3. A sound suppressor that is an attachment to a firearm in Canada is a prohibited device, the possession of which can get you some free room and board at a Federal or Provincial facility, if you are caught.

Yes.

4. For such a suppressor to constitute a prohibited device, it must reduce the report from a firearm below a specified decibel level

Wrong. There is no specified dB reduction level in our law. However few people/agencies have a clue how to properly measure the sound of a suppressed gunshot.

5. The Lee Enfield jungle carbine is a good example of a firearm with a flash suppressor and is legal.

I assume you are talking about the cone like muzzle attachment? That is a flash HIDER and not a flash suppressor. The difference is it doesn't reduce the flash, it just hides the flash when viewed from the side.

6. A muzzle brake is also a type of sound suppressor which does not completely eliminate the report or reduces the report to a level that exceeds the decibel level contemplated in #4 above.

No. Muzzle brakes reduce recoil by redirecting high velocity gases away from the bore. They have nothing in common with a sound suppressor. FWIW muzzle brakes do NOT make the gunshot louder. They do redirect the gases more towards the shooter so you hear more of the sound.

7. Muzzle brakes as defined in #6 are legal for all firearms but are typically only found on centrefire rifles.

Muzzle brakes are legal. I have seen muzzle brakes mounted on rimfires but they probably don't do much.