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Where To Find Pistol Silencers And What Is Required To Use One On A Handgun

4 January 2022

Jacey Martin

Installing a pistol silencer on your favorite handgun can have some dramatic effects, but most guns need to be set up to accept the silencer, and purchasing one for your gun is not always easy. Working with a dealer that offers a suitable pistol silencer for your gun or that can order one for you is an excellent place to start.

Silencers And The Law

Installing a pistol silencer on your handgun for noise suppression is legal in most parts of the US, but there are some limitations that you need to understand. Registering your silencer with the state you live in is often required, and the dealer you purchase it through can help you through that process.

Like handguns, the state tracks the sale and ownership of silencers, so if one turns up at a crime scene or is used illegally, there is a way to determine who it belongs to. Legal use can vary from state to state, but in most areas, shooting range use or competition shooting is permitted. Guns carried for personal protection are often not allowed to have a pistol silencer installed, but check your local laws to be sure.

Noise Suppression

The concept behind the pistol silencer is pretty basic. The silencer tube is nothing more than a noise diffuser with baffle chambers inside that reduce the speed and amount of gas coming out of the barrel when the gun is fired.

When the bullet leaves the gun's barrel, the gases that are propelling it get caught in the baffles and dispersed to reduce the sound. As a side benefit, the gas dispersal typically reduces the muzzle rise and recoil of the firearm.

So while the pistol silencer reduces the noise, protecting the shooter's ears, it also makes it easier to handle the firearm, get back on target after each shot, and increase the shooter's accuracy in many cases. All of these benefits make silencers a good option for competition shooters and ranges with a lot of people around.

Installing A Silencer

The majority of pistol silencers on the market attach to the gun by screwing them onto an adapter on the end of the barrel. The adapter can be added to the barrel by a gunsmith. Some firearms have optional barrels that can be installed that are already threaded and extended to accept the pistol silencer.

Check with the pistol silencer manufacturer to determine how to put one on your gun. They may have an adapted barrel available for specific models that you can install yourself. You will need to purchase the barrel and the silencer, but the added cost of the combination can make it much easier to switch between the two systems if you need to.

For more information on a pistol silencer, contact a company near you.

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