Suppressors for military

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CharlieMurphy

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Hearing loss is common from a bunch of different public sector jobs. Many in my family are/were firefighters and the long term effect of sirens is very detrimental. I imagine the same is true for police, especially when you add in gun fire.

That said, suppressors should be considered a safety device for both civilians and the military. We let the entertainment industry paint a false picture of suppressors and, even worse, legislate using that incorrect information.

Instead of spending $37 billion dollars on the next experimental aircraft that may or may not be used, how about taking that money and invest in our soldiers health. Of course there is not enough profit in it but in a perfect world we could offer a can to each soldier to use in an applicable situation. It doesn't need to be long, just big enough to take the crack out of it. One of my favorite attachment systems was the three lug on my MP5. It just snapped on and was completely secure, though I don't know how it would stand up to larger calibers.

An even better idea, we have the technology to have electronic ear plugs that filter sound. They amplify what you need to hear and suppress what you don't. Plus they are small enough to go unnoticed and stay out of the way. This would offer protection from a whole range of damaging noises, not just gunfire.
 

dennishoddy

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I agree that length could be an issue but if it was known that a suppressor was to be attached we (the US military) could use shorter barrels, say 12.5" to make the effective overall length similar. I am no expert either. It just got me thinking and I know there are people on here with both experience in the service and suppressor experience. To me, a Joe Schmoe civilian, it seemed to make sense.

Would the difference in reliability with a can vs without really be that significant? Bad enough to get back to Dennis' point of save your life or save your hearing? I know that the guns will get more dirty more quickly but the soldiers clean their weapons with some regularity AFAIK.

Supressors require a lot of cleaning. Mine are gunked up after a few hundred rounds. Back in my day with a week or two in the field at a time, cleaning is not going to happen with the type of gunk a suppressor develops.

Heck, I can't even get a good way to clean the crap out of a brake on a .22 pistol other than bead blasting the thing. Several thousand rounds out of a full auto would be a nightmare. Of course a soldier could just throw it away or take it back to the armorer.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.
From personal experience, there is only a very small amount of time where small arms are fired without hearing protection, ie, in combat. In training we were required and checked for hearing protection. I feel that I suffered more hearing loss from doing my primary job, which was as a generator mechanic, and helping out our motor T and heavy equipment bubbas. Hearing protection was not available, and not even considered.
Agreed. More to come

The hearing loss I have is aircraft related. Having to work around aircraft, the flight line and the runways takes its toll after awhile.



I have to disagree with this. If I were in a combat zone, I want every weapon option I can have. When I was in the military, I also made it a point to know what the other side was using and how to use it. I told my son before he went to the sandbox that if he wasn't issued a sidearm when he got there, let me know and I'd send him the money to get one. He protested a bit saying that it was against regulations. I told him, screw regulations, this is your life we're talking about. Luckily enough he was issued a Beretta when he got there.
I was talking about how it would be difficult to carry a pistol with a can, along with everything soldiers carry now. More to come.

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An even better idea, we have the technology to have electronic ear plugs that filter sound. They amplify what you need to hear and suppress what you don't. Plus they are small enough to go unnoticed and stay out of the way. This would offer protection from a whole range of damaging noises, not just gunfire.

Best dammed response in the whole thread!

We do have that technology.
Electronics operate at the speed of light. Sound is much slower.
We shoot at the range with electronic muffs that suppress the sound all the time.

People that work on the flight line, motor pool's tanks, etc won't wear muffs when they need to because they are uncomfortable.

Ear plugs are uncomfortable. Folks shuck them when the boss isn't looking.

The hearing aid industry has all the technology to produce these to the military and civilians. The cost at this time does not make this feasible. (Hearing aids are a high priced racket)
 

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