Suppressor barrel restrictions

[Robocop]

What is the risk (other than warranty) of running a suppressor on a barrel shorter than the manufactures recommendation? Recently I picked up a sig rattler, 5.5 inch barrel. Then I realized my Rugged razor 762 has a manufacturer recommended barrel length of 7 inches for 300bo. I’m new to the suppressor world so any knowledge on this would be appreciated.

 

[Robocop]

Still in for information on the subject but I had bad info. Per rugged, there are no barrel length restrictions.

 

[gregory_165]

Check out Form 1 builders support on Facebook. They can probably help you out with this.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

The farther a bullet travels down the barrel the lower the gas pressure is behind it, because the volume of space in that cylinder-shaped bore behind the bullet is constantly expanding as the bullet gets farther and farther away from its starting point. More volume = less pressure and less temperature.

Of course the percent of gunpowder in the charge that has been burned at any given point in the barrel increases while the bullet is moving in the barrel, and will not reach 100% for most guns, in most centerfire calibers, because that would require a ridiculously long barrel length that nobody wants.

But peak chamber pressure is achieved before the bullet has even moved 1 inch ----so whether your barrel is 8 inches long or 14 inches long the pressure is still on the way down the further the bullet moves FWD.

Some suppressors, fired with certain ammo, just can't handle the pressure when there's only 8 inches inches of barrel behind the bullet. But if that same can were put on the end of a 16 inch barrel the pressure will be reduced by then to keep the suppressor safe and undamaged.

What kind of damage could there be?

Well I guess you could knock baffles out of alignment, (which, if undetected, means a subsequence shot will destroy them and probably the second half of your suppressor body). Also, you could have excessive erosion or flamecutting on some of the baffles, or you could have the sidewalls of the tube bulge or split.

 

[Robocop]

The farther a bullet travels down the barrel the lower the gas pressure is behind it, because the volume of space in that cylinder-shaped bore behind the bullet is constantly expanding as the bullet gets farther and farther away from its starting point. More volume = less pressure and less temperature.

Of course the percent of gunpowder in the charge that has been burned at any given point in the barrel increases while the bullet is moving in the barrel, and will not reach 100% for most guns, in most centerfire calibers, because that would require a ridiculously long barrel length that nobody wants.

But peak chamber pressure is achieved before the bullet has even moved 1 inch ----so whether your barrel is 8 inches long or 14 inches long the pressure is still on the way down the further the bullet moves FWD.

Some suppressors, fired with certain ammo, just can't handle the pressure when there's only 8 inches inches of barrel behind the bullet. But if that same can were put on the end of a 16 inch barrel the pressure will be reduced by then to keep the suppressor safe and undamaged.

What kind of damage could there be?

Well I guess you could knock baffles out of alignment, (which, if undetected, means a subsequence shot will destroy them and probably the second half of your suppressor body). Also, you could have excessive erosion or flamecutting on some of the baffles, or you could have the sidewalls of the tube bulge or split.

Thank you!

 

[BHPSteel]

Some suppressors, fired with certain ammo, just can't handle the pressure when there's only 8 inches inches of barrel behind the bullet.

This is an important point - bear in mind that the pressure behind a 125 grain supersonic 300BLK will be different (and possibly much greater) than the pressure behind a 220 grain subsonic round at the same distance down the 8in barrel, so there may be no simple answer to "will this be OK?"

Most suppressor companies have helpful staff that can help answer that question for you, if the documentation does not.

 

[Robocop]

This is an important point - bear in mind that the pressure behind a 125 grain supersonic 300BLK will be different (and possibly much greater) than the pressure behind a 220 grain subsonic round at the same distance down the 8in barrel, so there may be no simple answer to "will this be OK?"

Most suppressor companies have helpful staff that can help answer that question for you, if the documentation does not.

Thank you!

 

[BigMike]

The main issues I see is the first baffle, the blast baffle, could sustain considerable damage from unburnt powder. Sustained fire could overheat the van, or the can could bulge/split like a banana peel. If you are shooting a 7.62 can rated to magnum calibers like 300 win or 300 rum, your 300 blackout is not going to hurt it. Might not be recommended, but I don't see it having enough ump to damage anything.

 

[Robocop]

The main issues I see is the first baffle, the blast baffle, could sustain considerable damage from unburnt powder. Sustained fire could overheat the van, or the can could bulge/split like a banana peel. If you are shooting a 7.62 can rated to magnum calibers like 300 win or 300 rum, your 300 blackout is not going to hurt it. Might not be recommended, but I don't see it having enough ump to damage anything.

It's rated up to 300 Rum. I watched a reviewed that states 300 blackout is a minimum 7 inch barrel. However, Rugged's website states no barrel length restrictions. I'm going to reach out to them on Monday to confirm. Does using a muzzle opposed to a flash hider do anything to help preserve the blast baffle?

 

[Twitch2120]

It's rated up to 300 Rum. I watched a reviewed that states 300 blackout is a minimum 7 inch barrel. However, Rugged's website states no barrel length restrictions. I'm going to reach out to them on Monday to confirm. Does using a muzzle opposed to a flash hider do anything to help preserve the blast baffle?

Brakes act as a sacrificial blast baffle. That said, asking Rugged is the best course of action.

Pretty much everything was covered. It's either a pressure, volume or erosion issue depending on the materials the can is made from.