Impromptu silencer

[Alpo]

I wonder how far you could, accurately, hit something, using a pillow in front of the pistol as a silencer?

 

Normally, in TV or movies, they are almost at contact range. Most often the victim is in bed and the killer sticks a pillow on the victim, shoves his gun into the pillow, and POOF (no bang )

 

But I'm watchin' this old Ellery Queen TV episode. Betty White shoots Eve Arden from, looks to be, ten or twelve feet. Feathers fly and Eve croaks.

 

And from the angle of the pillow, Betty shot her from the hip.

 

But even holding it up in front of your eyes, with the pillow in the way, you could not see the sights.

 

How well you think you could do? Give it a try. Would not have to use a pillow - could use a cardboard box. A coke flat, maybe - you know one of them that hold 24 cans. Stick it up blocking the muzzle, and shoot from the him at ten or fifteen feet. See how you do.

[Cat Brules]

Use A Ruger MK I or MK II .22 caliber Long Rifle and a 2-liter plastic soda bottle. Cut a slot for the front sight in the bottle neck; use electrical tape to hold it together. Accurate to maybe ten feet. Quiet for maybe two rounds....not entirely silent...good enough. Close and dirty. Otherwise, pay the batfe fee and get technologically correct wit a threaded barrel and a commercial silencer.

 

Fact? Beyond speculation, experimentation, and just messin' around, why bother with either?

Cat Brules

[Alpo]

Well, actually, if you put that 2-liter bottle on the gun, and get caught, you go to Club Fed for a long time. ATTEMPTING to silence the gun, whether it works or not, is making a silencer, and if you do it without the paperwork, it is extremely expensive.

 

That's why I did the legal way.

 

The question was not so much about silencing the gunshot, but hitting a target with a huge thing blocking the muzzle and sights.

[Sedalia Dave]

Frontier Cartridge Gunfighters do it all the time.

[Tyrel Cody]

Frontier Cartridge Gunfighters do it all the time.

 

Yes, yes we do. Actually hit MORE through that huge cloud of smoke than without it

 

 

Now the outlaws that shoot the Holy Black really demonstrate what alpo is talking about.

[Kid Rich]

Yes, yes we do. Actually hit MORE through that huge cloud of smoke than without it

 

 

Now the outlaws that shoot the Holy Black really demonstrate what alpo is talking about.

Ya got that right. Some folks don't understand when I'm disappointed when the wind blows when I'm shooting. kR

[Trailrider #896]

Of course you can hit something...in the movies! The vintage western T.V. channel I watch shows some interesting comparisons between fast draw times for The Duke and Josh Randall, and also Marshall Dillon. They also show some of the Duke's shooting in The Sons of Katy Elder. IIRC they showed him shooting 12-13 times from his single action revolver...without reloading! In Hollyweird, anything is possible!

[Colt B.A. Blastn Johnson]

There is a company that make a threaded attachment that makes it possible to attach a small car muffler to a threaded barrel. A car muffler and a actual silencer made by a manufacturer are very similar to eachother internally so it functions in the exact same manner, very cool stuff! (but the kit you must buy to do it is registered as a silencer anyway, so you must go thru the same legal process as if you bought a real silencer for 1,000 bucks, but its way cheaper than a traditional silencer also) maybe a cpl hundred bucks!

[Black Angus McPherson]

Alpo, accuracy aside, you got me wondering how much energy is lost shooting thru a pillow. Would it retain significant power to remain lethal? A lot would depend on the caliber and the pillow. And would it actually have a significant effect on the noise? I would guess shooting down thru a pillow into a body and/or bed would take a lot of the noise. But just shooting thru the pillow at a distant target as mentioned above? Somebody ought to call Myth Busters and get them to do a segment on that.

 

Oh, and I guess they could include the accuracy thing, too. If they had to. :-)

 

Angus

[Ramblin Gambler]

A car muffler and a actual silencer made by a manufacturer are very similar to eachother internally so it functions in the exact same manner

 

They were invented by the same person. Not surprising they're pretty similar. There was a write up on silencers in either this month's or last month's American Rifleman.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Did you ever shoot at 10 feet without using the sights? It can be done and can be very accurate with practice. Most likely when SHTF, you won't remember your sight picture.

[Doc Flimshaw Sass# 73310]

There is a company that make a threaded attachment that makes it possible to attach a small car muffler to a threaded barrel. A car muffler and a actual silencer made by a manufacturer are very similar to eachother internally so it functions in the exact same manner, very cool stuff! (but the kit you must buy to do it is registered as a silencer anyway, so you must go thru the same legal process as if you bought a real silencer for 1,000 bucks, but its way cheaper than a traditional silencer also) maybe a cpl hundred bucks!

I think you're thinking of an oil filter, a twenty five pound car muffler seems a little unwieldy.

[Noz]

In an emergency, a potato screwed onto the end of a 22 rifle barrel is an exceptionally good silencer.

[Shooting Bull]

There is a company that make a threaded attachment that makes it possible to attach a small car muffler to a threaded barrel. A car muffler and a actual silencer made by a manufacturer are very similar to eachother internally so it functions in the exact same manner, very cool stuff! (but the kit you must buy to do it is registered as a silencer anyway, so you must go thru the same legal process as if you bought a real silencer for 1,000 bucks, but its way cheaper than a traditional silencer also) maybe a cpl hundred bucks!

 

Good luck concealing that.