9mm, steel or aluminum?

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Sun Aug 31, 2014 6:32 pm

What is the preferred material for 9mm suppressor tubes? Steel, or aluminum? The baffles are being made from steel but I'm not sure what to use for the tube. Also, I don't have a lathe so I'm forced to use a pipe cutter of some sort. I'm not sure what type of pipe cutter to buy (preferably one that'll do both). I've seen a RIGID tool pipe cutter that supposedly cuts pipe but it is kind of expensive. Is there any other makers of pipe cutters that are made for cutting steel?

Somewhat humorous/sad anecdote: I recently messed up a copper cutter trying to cut a vertical foregrip in half.

john.t.little1 · Post by **john.t.little1** » Sun Aug 31, 2014 6:35 pm

I'd use steel if I were you. And use a hacksaw. What's your baffles gonna be? End caps?

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:40 pm

john.t.little1 wrote:I'd use steel if I were you. And use a hacksaw. What's your baffles gonna be? End caps?

Freeze plugs and washers and the threaded end cap (mounting cap) will be aluminum or steel rod threaded and welded on.

a_canadian · Post by **a_canadian** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:37 am

Yeah, use a hacksaw. Then square it up with a disc sander and guide if you have one, rotating the tube slowly and pressing only lightly against the wheel. You can get pipe quite square this way. How do you plan to cut threads into the pipe without a lathe? A really big tap?

john.t.little1 · Post by **john.t.little1** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:26 am

That was gonna be my next question.

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:57 am

john.t.little1 wrote:That was gonna be my next question.

I don't want to reveal my trade secret.. but if I must.. I'm going to weld a "solvent trap" adapter into the rod. Tricky part is getting it all perfectly concentric to the bore, and deciding whether or not I want to use aluminum or steel (which I still don't have a real clear answer for.. does 6061 or 7075 aluminum hold up to 9mm pressures? I guess I should've been more specific in my question).

john.t.little1 · Post by **john.t.little1** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:39 am

Make it easier on yourself and do a maglite special..

a_canadian · Post by **a_canadian** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 1:13 pm

If alignment is a problem for you, I'd say material choice is the least of your worries. With 9mm, whatever material your baffles might be is going to be blown apart by the first baffle strike. That said, the first baffle at least should be steel for that sort of power. After that, 7075 is both tougher and nicer to machine than 6061.

CThomas · Post by **CThomas** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 1:39 pm

My head literally hurts from reading some of this.
Buying a pipe cutter? Seriously why not just walk into a HD or Lowe's and have them cut and square a tube. I am sure if you are nice to the guy he will do it for a couple of bucks.

Ok 9mm but hangun, rifle, subgun?
You do not need steel for a 9mm.
If for a handgun can aluminum is fine for the entire can, you do not need steel baffles or a steel tube. Heck as stated in another thread you do not even need steel for a subgun can if made properly.

Seriously why not just get a replacement threaded Maglite tube or a rechargeable Maglite tube which is threaded on both ends and a couple of quote unquote solvent trap threaded adapter end caps and go from there.

Of course have your papers in order.

Ethos · Post by **Ethos** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:26 pm

what handgun will this be attached to?

you may need a piston

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:47 pm

Ethos wrote:what handgun will this be attached to?

you may need a piston

M&P 9c.

jlwilliams · Post by **jlwilliams** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:48 pm

I have to agree that you should go MagLite. If you are buying a "solvent trap" already, why not buy a tube to screw it on to? If you buy the solvent trap piece and weld it onto something, you are nearly guaranteed to have some misalignment, at which point the rest of your work gets a bullet through it. For all the waiting and wanting that happens during the time between sending in the $200 and getting the stamp, you don't want to blow it to crap. BTW, if you do blow your Form 1 can apart, you can't do a re-do on the same stamp. The Form 1 does not include a Mulligan.

If you don't have a lathe, the MagLite and freeze plugs are not a bad way to go. It won't sound as good as K baffles, but it will be yours free and clear. Even if you buy the cap and the flashlight and the tools to center drill your freeze plugs and so on from Ebay at higher prices than you could, you will still be into it for les than the price of the stamp. It will work, and you probably won't blow it apart on the first shot.

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:50 pm

jlwilliams wrote:I have to agree that you should go MagLite. If you are buying a "solvent trap" already, why not buy a tube to screw it on to? If you buy the solvent trap piece and weld it onto something, you are nearly guaranteed to have some misalignment, at which point the rest of your work gets a bullet through it. For all the waiting and wanting that happens during the time between sending in the $200 and getting the stamp, you don't want to blow it to crap. BTW, if you do blow your Form 1 can apart, you can't do a re-do on the same stamp. The Form 1 does not include a Mulligan.

If you don't have a lathe, the MagLite and freeze plugs are not a bad way to go. It won't sound as good as K baffles, but it will be yours free and clear. Even if you buy the cap and the flashlight and the tools to center drill your freeze plugs and so on from Ebay at higher prices than you could, you will still be into it for les than the price of the stamp. It will work, and you probably won't blow it apart on the first shot.

It looks like I'm going to have to do that because apparently (If I'm wrong, someone correct me) the M&P is a short recoil operated handgun and it needs a nielsen device in order to cycle. I can find thread adapters for two nielsen device son the market for maglite tubes. Unfortunately they're both for D cell tubes which is way bulkier than I wanted. Le sigh.

jlwilliams · Post by **jlwilliams** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:06 pm

"I can find thread adapters for two nielsen device son the market for maglite tubes."

Where?

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:31 pm

jlwilliams wrote:"I can find thread adapters for two nielsen device son the market for maglite tubes."

Where?

http://www.sdtacticalarms.com/GEMTECH-L ... _p_17.html

They don't appear to have the maglite ones in stock at the moment.

jlwilliams · Post by **jlwilliams** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:37 pm

That's pretty cool. If they don't have the MagLite one, but they have the "Greatlight" one, why not get what they have and design your build around what's available?

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 7:13 pm

jlwilliams wrote:That's pretty cool. If they don't have the MagLite one, but they have the "Greatlight" one, why not get what they have and design your build around what's available?

Found a place that makes solid tubes with compatible threading, so I'm gonna go with maglite.

Shady · Post by **Shady** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 6:10 pm

anyone happen to know what mag light the sd tactical booster adapter fits ? C or D cell ?

friendlysniper · Post by **friendlysniper** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 6:23 pm

Shady wrote:anyone happen to know what mag light the sd tactical booster adapter fits ? C or D cell ?

D cell.

9mm, steel or aluminum?

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