| From: | Gurth <gurth@******.NL> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Sniper Rifles (Was Re- |
| Date: | Tue, 3 Dec 1996 13:41:33 +0100 |
> Hmm...I hardly claim that I am an expect at anything having to do with
> firearms, but isn't the silencer designed to bleed off gas so the bullet
> is subsonic. Usually needs sub-sonic rounds to be very effective, except
> with very small rounds (ie .22). Read somewhere that the only truely
> silencer weapon is a single shot .22 pistol.
Not quite. Silencers can work in two ways: the one you always see in the
movies, that gets screwed onto the end of the barrel, slows down the gases
that come out of the barrel to subsonic velocities, reducing the noise
made by the escaping gas. The bullet is still supersonic, however,
Another way to silence a weapon is to drill holes in the barrel, which
will cause gas to bleed away before the bullet reaches supersonic
velocity. This is for use with ammunition that is normally supersonic,
but has to be silenced in the weapon. Most weapons with built-in
silencers work this way (the MP 5 SD series is a good example, as is the
L34A1 variant of the L2A2 Sterling SMG).
Then you can reduce mechanical noise in the weapon by making it
single-shot instead of semi-automatic. For example, the Mk.22 pistol used
by US Navy SEALs has a catch that locks the slide, so the only noise made
is that by the hammer going forward. This was coupled to a sound
suppresser on the barrel, intended to be used with subsonic rounds only,
to make a very quiet weapon intended to kill guard dogs with in Vietnam,
leading to the nickname "Hush Puppy."
(The follow-up to this weapon, the Mk.23, was introduced earlier this
year but I don't know if it has a similar arrangement.)
--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Originally genuine.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
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