Yes, it can be legal to make a silencer. For everything Form-1, from silencer designs that are easily made, to filing forms with the BATF, to 3D modeling. Remember, you must have an approved BATF Form-1 to make a silencer. All NFA laws apply.
I am about to embark on cutting my first K baffles and have a few questions. I have seen a few variations and am hoping some of you more experienced builders/designers can help me decide which will be best for my intended purpose. That purpose being a .300blk reflex can utilizing 3-4 K's with a possible 60degree cone serving as a blast baffle. The 8.5" barrel will be ported and covered with a baffled reflex section of approx 4.5". Below I have attached a few pictures illustrating the differences I have seen. All pictures were found using bing.com and if they belong to anyone who would like me to remove them, please PM me and I will happily oblige.
To the suppressor novice (me) these all look like they would perform fairly well (and prob do) but with out any first hand experience I have no way of knowing. Hence my asking here. Maybe it was an ease of manufacture with #2 seemingly being the simplest or a specific application called for a specific style. If someone could please point me in the right direction regarding my build it would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately I don't have access (or the skills for that matter) that will allow me to do a CAD drawing of my intended plans. I suppose I could sketch something up with the ol' paper and pencil if that will help. Either way, this forum is a great resource and appreciate any info that you may be willing to share with me.
Style #1
This one seems to me to be the most common. Characterized by the mouse hole in the lower part of the cone and plate port as the diagram lists it. If I understand correctly these are cut to allow cross jetting of the bullet path and to force gas into the outside cone area. The variation below has an additional port in the outer most skirt area, what purpose does this serve opposed to first picture?
Style#2
I have seen this style used a bit as well, albeit not as often as the first. This to me seems like all the gas is forced to the outer cone area and would act more similarly to an M baffle, no?
Style#3
Then there is this style which seems to forego the mouse hole in the lower part of the cone and moves it to the outermost part essentially "clipping" the trailing edge.
Bendersquint wrote:#1 will perform better than 2 and 3 but will not perform as well as a modern K baffle will.
2 and 3 should have been retired a decade or so ago.
Do you happen to have a link to or pic of the modern design? Just goes to show how green I am, I thought #1 was the modern design
AAC PILOT
AAC ELEMENT
Plenty of other examples out there, google is your friend.....hint....look at what the manufacturers do....most of us don't use poor baffle designs in our products.
Bendersquint wrote:
Plenty of other examples out there, google is your friend.....hint....look at what the manufacturers do....most of us don't use poor baffle designs in our products.
Lol, yeah....that makes perfect sense. Doh!
Thanks for posting those. Looks like the major difference is in the face, much like a piston top. Also seems to me that the mouse hole is plunge cut from inside the cone and parrallel to the bore rather than being made from the outside of the cone and at an angle.
Bendersquint wrote:#1 will perform better than 2 and 3 but will not perform as well as a modern K baffle will.
2 and 3 should have been retired a decade or so ago.
Makes sense to me .... #3 was mine and I made them about 8 years ago .... I wasn't 'cutting edge' then ... and I'm not now
As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwilling victims of the darkness.
Justice William O. Douglas
