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Post by Collin on Nov 17, 2011 21:48:02 GMT -5
If I wanted to make my AEG quieter, what should I do? Cotton in certain places? Foam filled silencers? What really makes the difference without opening the gearbox?
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Post by Ike on Nov 17, 2011 21:56:31 GMT -5
A foam filled suppressor is the best option, it'll help quiet the "pop" that the air makes as it leaves your barrel. Having the proper barrel length for your cylinder also helps. Having a short barrel with a larger cylinder will make more of a pop since more air is escaping after your BB. Also, make sure you set your motor height properly. Other than that, there isn't really much you can do without opening the gearbox. I suppose you could fill the body of your gun with foam or something similar if you have room, but that would probably only apply to something like a P90 or an AUG where there is a lot of room.
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Post by Dahm on Nov 19, 2011 12:35:28 GMT -5
Most of the noise is coming from your gearbox, not the end of your muzzle, so a suppressor really only will help a small amount, and only on the receiving end.
If you really wanted to decrease the decibel level of your gearbox the first thing to do would be greasing and shimming it perfectly. This would relieve lots of unwanted stress from the internals. Another thing to do (which there really is almost no room for in an AEG) is add acoustic foam around the outside of the gearbox to help absorb the sound pressure waves. A third thing you could do is add high output lipo battery that allows your gearbox to cycle very quickly. This will reduce the perceived noise because the noise will happen for a much shorter period of time. I've also heard helical gears can help because they mesh perfectly without any "wiggle" which will help smoothen your gearbox's operation as well.
Other than that, there's really not much you can do.
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Post by Ike on Nov 21, 2011 10:50:57 GMT -5
Like Dahm said, you really need to open your gearbox if you want to make it quieter. If you ever decide that you want to, say so and we can give you a much more comprehensive list of mods and parts. A well-tuned gearbox should be quiet enough so that the air pop is one of the loudest sounds. But one thing you can do for now that I forgot to mention is swap out your motor for a high torque one to decrease your gearbox's cycle time. I suppose an active braking mosfet would also help, but it would wear out your motor faster and provide no other benefits, it's a pretty pointless feature.
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Post by blarg92 on Nov 21, 2011 19:42:37 GMT -5
From my experience a sorbothane pad in combination with a foam filled silencer gets nice results on a pretty small budget by airsoft standards. You can find a cheap but effective silencer on ehobbyasia and sorbothane pads are $5 each from McMaster-Carr.
It won't be silent, but it will be noticeably quieter, especially downrange. Other things worth noting are a quieter motor if you're using a crappy clone one, making sure your gearbox is well greased and shimmed, etc.
I've spent a decent amount of time building a "quiet" P90, as well as messing around with a few other quiet gun builds. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me or post them in this thread.
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Post by Taylor Gang Or Die on Nov 21, 2011 22:04:29 GMT -5
I believe that the foam filled "silencer" is illegal. Isn't it like if it lowers it by a few decibals, it is considered a silencer?
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Post by Flopper (Ozone) on Nov 21, 2011 22:19:35 GMT -5
I believe that the foam filled "silencer" is illegal. Isn't it like if it lowers it by a few decibals, it is considered a silencer? FYI, Silencers for real steel in Michigan are legal now. It could be considered a suppressor, yes; it's a toy, so it's not that big of a deal. Also why would Airsoft suppressors, functional or cosmetic, be illegal? That's make no sense. I'll throw this in here, www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164--261765--,00.html . |
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Post by TheEnd on Nov 22, 2011 10:39:24 GMT -5
If it lowers the sound of a real steel firearm by 1 decibel for one shot, it is considered a suppressor in Michigan. They don't care if it explodes after, or if they have to ghetto rig it on the end of a gun. If you can take the ends off, and if there is a space inside, it's a suppressor. They don't care if it is just a toy, they consider it real.
While real steel suppressors are legal in Michigan, you have to have the paper work and tax stamps. Owning a foam filled airsoft suppressor is the same as owning a real steel suppressor without the paper work and the tax stamp. Owning an illegal suppressor = felony, fines, and jail time. People have been arrested for owning airsoft suppressors, and other people have been fined and punished. They will destroy anything they feel needs to be destroyed. Over on Airsoft forums someone had their foam filled suppressor tested on a .22 rifle and it lowered the sound by 11 decibels. As a result they destroyed the suppressor and his KJW USP because it had a threaded barrel. He got off lucky with no punishment, but don't expect that to always be the case. I imagine owning a real steel gun and an air soft suppressor is about the worst thing someone can do.
It is important to note that a mock silencer like most Madbulls where there is a solid tube that the bb passes through should be legal. Most anything you can buy stateside is legal.
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Post by Taylor Gang Or Die on Nov 22, 2011 17:43:40 GMT -5
Thanks for all that TheEnd, really cleared it up for me!
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Post by blarg92 on Nov 22, 2011 19:34:37 GMT -5
It is important to note that a mock silencer like most Madbulls where there is a solid tube that the bb passes through should be legal. Most anything you can buy stateside is legal.
Has anyone actually tested this? I'd be willing to bet even a solid tube would lower the sound output by at least one decibel, similar to how a longer barrel would. I would be interested to know if anyone has info on this.
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Post by TheEnd on Nov 24, 2011 2:24:17 GMT -5
I am not a lawyer, and no one should take what I post here as law or as advice. I'm simply posting what I have gathered.
I have been doing a bunch of research to try and figure this issue out. It's something I would love to get in black and white. There appears to be a grey area because an airsoft gun isn't always considered a firearm, and because the BATFE gives a loose description of what they consider a suppressor or muffler to be. The BATFE has cracked down and issues several cease and desist orders to several airsoft distributors who were selling foam filled suppressors. In all the cases I could find, they never issues those orders to distributors selling only "legal" suppressors. From this I have gathered that the BATFE considers certain suppressors "legal" even if they decrease the sound. Keep in mind "legal" is a loose term here, just because the BATFE considers them legal doesn't mean a judge will.
A "legal" airsoft suppressor has fixed end caps, and a solid inner tube. It is legal because it requires modification to suppress a rifle. A Coke bottle is completely legal to own, but it is illegal to modify it into a suppressor. The problem here is the metal tube could be considered a barrel shroud. For example the real steel XM177 moderator is considered a suppressor, but it is just an open extension.
From what I have gathered, as long as you keep your "legal" airsoft suppressor off of a real steel firearm you should be OK.
An illegal airsoft suppressor has removable end caps, and an open canister compartment. It is illegal because it can silence a firearm in stock form, and requires no modification to do so. Again, they don't give a shit how they have to put it on a firearm. In one case they even used tape. Essentially anything could fall under this category really.
A possible solution to this comes from the paintball silencer cases. It was loosly decided that paintball gun suppressors were legal as long as they were permanently attached to the paintball gun. In this form they would have to be modified with intent by the user to be used in a way unintended by the manufacturer. Again, a Coke bottle is legal to own, but it is illegal to modify it into a suppressor. It could be possible for a foam filled suppressor to be legal as long as it is welded to the barrel. Not super glued, set screwed, or taped, but welded. I would like to find out if this is true.
This is an honest question for you real steel guys. Would it be possible for someone to register an airsoft suppressor the same as a real one, and have it be completely legal? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, and I understand why.
In the end I found very few cases where people were fined or sent to jail for owning or possessing an illegal airsoft suppressor. That doesn't mean it's OK to own or use one. Don't be stupid. This is a very grey area that is open for interpretation by the courts.
I found it interesting that the real steel XM177 modifier is illegal, yet the Classic Army XM177 is available for purchase at Airosft GI. The CA's moderator can be removed and attached to a real fire arm, yet the CA is not illegal to purchase. Just another example of the dangerous grey areas in airsoft.
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Post by Taylor Gang Or Die on Nov 24, 2011 19:44:40 GMT -5
Can you link me to some "legal" airsoft "silencers"?
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Post by TheEnd on Nov 25, 2011 23:42:12 GMT -5
These should be legal as they are solid and do not have removable end caps. These are all sold on popular websites that the BATFE would have seen or noticed. The fact that they have been selling them for quite a while means they should be legal. I'm not sure what your application is, so keep that in mind for caliber (if you care about that). Madbull Blackside .45Madbull HALO This bitch is heavy. There is a lighter version out there. Madull G5 |
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Post by Collin on Nov 25, 2011 23:53:01 GMT -5
These should be legal as they are solid and do not have removable end caps. These are all sold on popular websites that the BATFE would have seen or noticed. The fact that they have been selling them for quite a while means they should be legal. I'm not sure what your application is, so keep that in mind for caliber (if you care about that). Madbull Blackside .45Madbull HALO This bitch is heavy. There is a lighter version out there. Madull G5Thanks for all of the info TheEnd. +1 |
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