Gun silencer: operation principle and history
Since the late 19th century, when manufactured firearms reached good quality, silencing the sound of a shot would give the shooter an advantage. This prompted engineers to create a silencer.
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The sound of a gunshot
What are the components of the sound of a gunshot? Its components: the clang of moving parts (trigger mechanism, shutter), the expansion of powder gases that push the bullet, and the supersonic impact that creates a bullet with a speed higher than the speed of sound-331 meters per second at an air temperature of 0°C.
To achieve a silent shot, you need to overcome all three factors. The silencer is only effective against one of them.
By improving the design of the weapon, you can reduce the clang of the bolt. When firing single shots, there is no self-loading, so the noise from the shot is less. The sound of the shutter with an automatic queue can not be completely drowned out.
The next step is to use subsonic rounds at speeds below 340 m/s. To maintain the effectiveness of the shot, the cartridges are made heavier.
And with the sound of expanding gases, they fight with a silencer.
Invention of the gun silencer
The first devices for silencing the sound of a shot were invented in Europe in the 1890s. This period dates back to the first patents for gun silencers, but it is really known in 1910, when it was created by Hiram Percy Maxim — the son of the inventor of the machine gun Hiram Stevens Maxim.
In the 20–30s of the 20th century, silencers became more widespread and began to be manufactured in different models.
Silencers are used with self-loading non-automatic rifles and pistols.
How does a gun silencer work?
Inside the silencer there are chambers-compartments through which the bullet channel passes for the departure of the bullet. The gas that pushes the bullet under high pressure first fills the silencer compartments, and exits the weapon with much lower pressure and temperature. This significantly reduces the volume of the shot.
