Customer Reviews

Silencer: History and Performance, Volume 1: Sporting and Tactical Silencers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an active supporter of 2nd Amendment liberties, I found this book to be colorful, informative, and accurate. The photos and illustrations are outstanding. This book includes the latest information on suppressor technologies.

The history and evolution of the suppressor as an invention intended for the polite use of firearms in an agrarian 19th century American to the modern military tool of assassinations is fascinating to learn.

Suppressors are legal to own and use in most states, and most female shooters I know LOVE 'em!!

Great Information! If you're looking for how's and why's of how this stuff works, this is the book for you. It's not filled with duct tape and pop bottle concoctions. This book is about professionally fabricated items and the theory behind how and why they work.

Lots of things explained in a very clear language not often seen elsewhere, usually with good sketches of silencer designs and good explanations. Might be a bit much for a complete newbie or somebody totally lacking any knowledge about physics and ballistics, but you will get guided to it. Actually, this book made my apply for a few purchasing permits for silencers, and I have not regretted it ever since. It will also explain a bit about the history and consequences of silencers, something in my opinion very important. In my opinion, the best book on the subject. I'm craving for the second and third volume!

Excellent discussion of various commercially produced silencers and their attributes. Testing data and technical discussion. Covers the history and design of many silencers no longer in production. Not a "how to" design guide but those in the manufacturing business would gain from the information presented.

A great compilation of information and in my opinion, the best book on the subject right now (and in the last 10-20 years). Paulson not only evaluates but does performance measures with great detail, leads reader through intro, history, and current evaluation of modern day 'cans'. Not only a great overview of various products, but can also serve as a consumer buying guide. Reader is left with a MUCH better understanding of application, construction, complexities of sound suppressors. A definite must-have for those with an interest in legal ownership of a silencer, or curious into the inner workings and how they've evolved.

Paulson has done an amazing job in putting this book together. He collects accurate, modern data about suppressors and presents it in an easy-to-understand format. I've learned more about the "reality" of suppressors from this one book (and how much of what I knew was either urban legend or flat out wrong) than I could have ever imagined.

This book is great and shows tons of diagrams and shows the models of legal silencers. It is a great way to find out how everything works. ~ Paul

Such a long title deserves a long book, and this book doesn't disappoint. It covers a lot of subjects, such as political aspects of silencers, a primer on sound, health effects, test design and measurement, historical aspects, and (occupying about 130 pages out of the over 400 total) testing of over twenty .22 Rimfire silencers, both integral and muzzle-mounted. The book features several examples of disassembled silencers, which aids in understanding how they operate.

As a silencer enthusiast who knows many gun owners but few silencer owners, I feel good knowing someone out there has very similar ideas about the potential for silencer technology.

And this book generates a few questions that I'd like to share here.

The author believes silencer technology should actually be encouraged, not restricted, and uses data generated by the Finnish government to support his belief. He acknowledges the social stigma, but I would go further and translate the problem into testable hypotheses; that is to ask, "Does the ability to hear gunshots at a farther distance materially aid in the discovery of crime?" I would follow that with a second, "If it does, can we easily compensate by other means?" And maybe the last question, "If we can't compensate, does the health issue to shooters outweigh the needs of law enforcement?"

The segment on testing methods raised a thought also. Net sound reduction dominates most other benchmarks in the silencer industry. The book spends a page or two on why certain sound meters work better than others. My own research into sound meters has not found a meter that can cheaply and reliably detect sound pressure greater than 150 decibels, and I've yet to find published microphone response data. I wonder if sampling sound energy directly is the best way to measure silencer performance? Because silencers turn mechanical energy to heat, maybe we can get better data by measuring heat output. The questions I would ask are, "Does thermal sampling provide the time and intensity resolution necessary?" and "Can we reliably map heat output to sound output?"

Because the book is over ten years old, it lacks the currency of other sources, such as the web (search for "silencer tests") but one can still find some of the products tested for sale. And if my limited experience provides any guidance, the technological state of silencers has only improved in the meantime. The political and social states, well not so much.

Very informative and provides a lot of information that I never knew on Silencers. I can't wait to get the 3rd volume!

of the dangers of reloading rifle ammo down to subsonic velocities. A rifle round that safely holds 15 to 20 grains of powder can explode and possibly kill the shooter when loaded with only 4 grains of powder.

This problem was not mentioned in the book, and there are ways to eliminate the problem (enlarge primer hole, use PISTOL powders, start high and load down).