Muted shot:
Sound suppressors
B&T has been manufacturing firearms suppressors for various types of weapons since 1991. The product range extends from lightweight air rifles suppressors to heavy duty .50 caliber models for long-range precision rifles. The types of suppressors B&T produces runs the gamut from pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and hunting rifles.
Suppressor development of course starts on the type of weapon and caliber the product will be mounted. The decisive question is, “How will the operator be using the suppressor and what is the application?” For example, a suppressor for a light or medium machine gun which will be used with automatic fire is constructed differently and made of different materials than a suppressor for a sniper rifle of the same caliber that will be used for that one very critical single shot.
Suppressor development has always had to balance many conflicting design parameters. For example, weight and length conflict with the desire for sound reduction. It would be a simple task to make a suppressor that weights 2000 g that is 300 mm in length that produces good reduction. The difficulty and the engineering challenge lies in getting good reduction in a 400 g suppressor that is just 150 mm long.
Below is an example of the MONOBLOC design and an early single baffle design from 1999.
There is another performance factor that many users forget and that is flash reduction. This is especially true with short barreled rifles. The unburnt particles of powder leave a light signature localizing the exact spot from where the shot was fired. The muzzle flash can also ruin the night vision of the shooter. This is also true for hunters in many parts of Europe where twilight hunting is popular.
