Beretta Nano, silenced!

[GreyGeek]

I avoided the obvious joke about pockets ...  when considering how I would carry that combo concealed.
But, the $800+ price, plus the license, put me off.
The  silencer would also require instinctive shooting, since the sight line is blocked  by the silencer.  That I can do at short ranges, but it appears to me that the only real purpose for it would be as a substitute for ear plugs when target practicing.   Expensive earplugs.


An aside:   I purchased a  laser for my  Nano but was disappointed with its performance.   In full daylight, even at seven yards, I could not reliably locate the red dot without first using the iron sights to point the gun at the target.  After I was able to locate the red dot on the target, while I was pulling the trigger,  the red dot would oscillate wildly, leading one to attempt to snap the trigger when the dot passed over the bullseye.   After sundown or in the dark the laser pointed right back to me.

After that glowing recommendation I doubt anyone reading this would want to buy my laser, but if you do....

[jonm]

The sights don't need to be above the suppressor to use them. You can shoot with both eyes open and look "through" the suppressor. It works quite well actually.

[SemperFiGuy]

GG:

You might want to consider giving the red laser a bit more time.

The red lasers are definitely not daytime devices.   Such is not their appropriate usage.  [Daytime is green laser time.]   Red dots don't work at all in daylight.   They can't compete w/sunlight.   Daylight is when all your shooting practice over iron sights kicks in.

FWIW, Those Who Claim to Know say that most interactions with perps take place in the dark or dim light situations.   Which are the conditions where the red dot laser works best.

If you practice shooting yourself in the mirror w/your Crimson Trace, the dot will reflect right back onto your torso.   The primary instinct at that point will be to get that dot off your body, prompting you to move.   Jump.   Leap.   Evade.   The focus shifts from the oppression of the victim to the self-preservation of the perp.   Excellent psychological effect.   Try it and see.

You can also shine the laser in the perp's eyes.   [Probably triggering a civil lawsuit, but what the heck........]

The laser also gives a bit of added light to a totally dark situation, which gives you some added visibility in blackout conditions.

You are probably shooting it two-handed.   If you use it in the evening to shoot liberals on TV, it will give you both excellent practice and a kind of warm feeling otherwise.   [Raise some hell on MSNBC......]

So....pls give it a bit more time and practice.   I've got Crimson Trace LaserGuards (red dots) on all of my carry guns.   Wouldn't be without 'em.

[Yes--of course--different folks, different strokes.]

Cordially,

sfg

[Ronvandyn]

I saw that on TGW today as well.  Pretty good video, but did you notice that with each new magazine the noise either increased or decreased?  Different ammo maybe?  He checked the silencer several times to make sure it was still tight in the threads, but the noise continued to change.

Anyway, your right, thats an awfully expensive set of ear plugs. 

Ron

[Gary]

Just my opinion, but this failed to be a average Joe's option by whichever gun control act took this away from us.   1934?

Don't remember which country it is, but you can get a ticket for open air shooting without a sound suppressor attached to your gun, for disturbing the peace.    Funny how one objective can mature differently in one country from another.

[bkoenig]

The sights don't need to be above the suppressor to use them. You can shoot with both eyes open and look "through" the suppressor. It works quite well actually.

Yep, it works surprisingly well.

I <3 my suppressors.

[GreyGeek]

So....pls give it a bit more time and practice. 

OK, you've convinced me.    But, never having used a laser at night I'm wondering if the beam, reflecting off of dust in the air, would give the perp a direct line to your position and eliminate the advantage of concealment by  darkness?

[SemperFiGuy]

I'm wondering if the beam, reflecting off of dust in the air, would give the perp a direct line to your position and eliminate the advantage of concealment by  darkness?

Here's where your Inner Scientist begins to emerge:   Take that laser device out in the dark, dusty night and try it.   See what happens.   

And use it inside your house, as well.   You can turn off all the lights and prowl your own quarters with it.   [Mrs. GG will wonder what the heck you are up to, but hasn't she always???]

Pls note that I never said "keep the laser".   Just try it out a bit longer to see if it starts to work for you a bit better.

And don't let the Cops see you with it.   They'll Totally Freak Out.

sfg

[CitizenClark]

I avoided the obvious joke about pockets ...  when considering how I would carry that combo concealed.
But, the $800+ price, plus the license, put me off.
The  silencer would also require instinctive shooting, since the sight line is blocked  by the silencer.  That I can do at short ranges, but it appears to me that the only real purpose for it would be as a substitute for ear plugs when target practicing.   Expensive earplugs.

How about when you need to maintain situational awareness, or don't have time to don hearing protection, as in a home defense scenario? I want suppressors on the firearms I will defend my family with because I don't want to damage my hearing or my family's hearing when I shoot an intruder. Also, softening the muzzle blast a bit and diminishing the flash is going to help me avoid the otherwise disorienting effects of shooting a firearm in an enclosed space.

[bkoenig]

CC brings up some very good points.  I think a suppressor would be a great addition to a home defense firearm.  I do wonder if it might be used against you by an overzealous, anti gun prosecutor though.  The same could be said of any NFA weapon, though.

[GreyGeek]

CC brings up some very good points. 

That he does, and frankly  I never considered using the silencer in a home defense scenario.  At $800+ for my Nano it would be an expensive option for such minimal  use.   I've heard that the ATF license alone is $200 and the wait can be from 4 to 6 months. 

This site gives other ways, one of which is forming a trust, which one can even do themselves, as I have.
http://www.silencershop.com/support/how-to-buy-a-silencer

But, I still am not going to buy a silencer until they can make it small enough to fit in my IWB holster like a laser does.

[RobertH]

Grey, its not a license, its a tax stamp.  i know, i know i'm being picky.  and the wait is at least 6 months (or more).  i've got about 3 more months on my can.

also, some companies are making some small suppressors, but not as small as you would like and they usually won't suppress too well.

as for cans used in self defense, i won't use them.  1. b/c i don't have any yet. and 2. the suppressor would most likely be portrayed in a bad light aka gangster, hitman, etc.  but to each their own!

[GreyGeek]

its not a license, its a tax stamp.

Ya, that's what they called the pole tax but it still was a license to vote designed to keep non-white voters away from the poles.  "Oh, you don't have enough money to pay the pole tax?  Well, I'm sorry, you can't vote."

"What, you can't afford $200 for the AFT silencer tax?   I'm sorry, you can't get it."   But, the $800+ price tag was the deal-breaker for me.   A silencer is  not rocket science.  It's not even firearm science.  The  cost of the materials for a silencer cannot be $400,  or even $300 or $200.  It would suprise me if the cost exceeded $50  for each one.

If push comes to shove I'd use a pillow to soften the noise.   Or,  put my  left index finger in my left ear to save at least it.   

[bkoenig]

I built my cans primarily for range use and "cool" factor.  It's hard to explain, but shooting with a can is just more fun, not to mention being much more pleasant to shoot.  On my 20" .308 it's still loud shooting full power loads under a tin roof at the range, but it takes away the blast so it doesn't rattle your teeth.  My centerfire can is long and heavy. I seriously overbuilt it so I could use it on everything from subsonic Blackout loads to hot .308's, but I suppose it would work ok for home defense on my SBR.  With the stock fully extended and the can mounted on my 10.5" SBR it's about 1/2" shorter than an A2 rifle, so it's a little on the long side.  A 110 gr Vmax out of a .300 Blackout would definitely put the hurt on a bad guy.  It dropped a 200lb buck dead in his tracks last fall...

And now some gratuitous suppressor pics:

Bad camera picture of it on my .308.  I'm seriously thinking of sending in for another stamp so I can build a lighter one for my SBR and keep this one dedicated to the .308.




On my SBR, before it got the Krylon touch:




Same SBR but with a .22 upper and my rimfire can.  It has since been shortened another 2".  This gun is guaranteed to put a grin on the face of anyone who shoots it:

[GreyGeek]

And don't let the Cops see you with it.   They'll Totally Freak Out.

Just how would one do that if one was in a traffic stop while CCW?   

[jonm]

But, the $800+ price tag was the deal-breaker for me.   A silencer is  not rocket science.  It's not even firearm science.  The  cost of the materials for a silencer cannot be $400,  or even $300 or $200.  It would suprise me if the cost exceeded $50  for each one.

The suppressor isnt $800, it is $550.
http://www.silencershop.com/shop/swr-octane-9-hd

Cost of materials easily exceeds $50. Then you also have to think about the cnc equipment, EDM equipment, anodizing equipment, design, development, overhead, testing equipment and so on. There is a reason the top suppressors carry a high price.

[GreyGeek]

The suppressor isnt $800, it is $550.

Here is my source for the price.  Notice that this price DOES NOT INCLUDE the necessary replacement barrel with the threaded end so that the silencer can be screwed on.  That threaded barrel from the aftermarket is about $250.  Storm Lake was my source for that price.
http://ncsilencer.com/silencers/9mm-suppressors/

BETTER
$849
SWR Octane 9 HD
10.78
7.5
1.375
Yes!
Aluminum / Stainless Steel

So, with the necessary threaded barrel the use of a silencer on  a Nano could go over $1,000.

[jonm]

Of course you could pay more elsewhere. But No one pays msrp on suppressors or guns. And you always have the option of threading your stock barrel to save more money as well.

[GreyGeek]

And you always have the option of threading your stock barrel to save more money as well.

mmm... It would be next to impossible to get a straight thread with a die, so what's the going price for a used metal lathe?  $600-$800. That would add another $250 to the price  of the silencer!   I took machine shop in high school over 50 years ago, but haven't cut a thread since then. 

But, the idea fails on the fact that the end of the stock Nano barrel is flush with the front of the slide.  That's why one needs to buy an aftermarket barrel that is longer and made with the threads.

[bkoenig]

Adco will add a threaded extension to a pistol barrel for something like $130 IIRC.  C'mon, you know you want to.