# Can a 2-liter bottle really work as a gun silencer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561 "2005-09-07T19:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/21 "2005-09-08T06:11:26Z")
Under federal & **many** state laws (many, not all) both silencers AND machine guns are legal. Depending on where you live, having either may not be that hard to possess legally. There are plenty of legit reasons to have them. As a cop, an FFL dealer, and class 3 holder, I could go on and on about what I know, but you all have web access and can find out what is legal, and where without my help. But as long as we’re here: Not only can a soda bottle be made into a silencer, but so can a lot of [variety](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0873645227/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-7839523-0859246#reader-link) of unusual items, including unlubricated condoms, pillows, balloons, and Owens Corning fiberglass. All these things work, if you know what you’re doing. Making it legal depends of the state you live in, and how you fill out the paper work for the BATF. In person I have seen and fired weapons with silencers. ALL of them were semi-autos of various calibers. Whenver I see an old movie where a silencer is used on a revolver I just have to laugh!:p:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/22 "2005-09-08T06:20:52Z")
> [@wissdok](#): > > But as it was normally only used at point-blank range there was not a need for any more shots. Also at point-blank because it’s really pretty hard to _aim_ a gun with a pillow over the end of it! Generally, any type of silencer reduces both the range and accuracy of the gun. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/23 "2005-09-08T12:42:46Z")
I was talking about this with some law enforcement friends this last weekend after paintball. Some of the teenagers we play with (gah that sounds bad, play paintball with us) wanted to make a silencer for a paintball gun. The law enforcment types told us what was just said, supressors are a class three weapon along with machine guns. The ‘how to’ conversation was stopped because the guys said people have been fired from their department for stupider things than getting caught with illegal weapons. Too bad, I have a machine shop and was all set to start experimenting. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/24 "2005-09-08T16:20:05Z")
- - - A 20-once plastic soda bottle will not silence any firearm. I have seen it tried, in my youth. There is some attenuation but not really very much. Likewise, most of the “improvised silencer” stuff you see randomly tossed around online and even in some of the notorious “Paladin Press” books really doesn’t work well at all, except in getting you arrested if you get caught with one. Just about anything you try will work a _little_, but all the ones I saw/heard that worked well were made pretty much the same. I’ve only seen instructions for those online a couple places, ever. - BATF/firearm regulations don’t cover anything about airguns because airguns aren’t firearms under federal law–but you _generally_ can’t make any silencer for an airgun, because the BATF regulations cover “a silencer, or all the components of a silencer, that _may_ be fitted to a firearm”. If you make a silencer for an airgun, at some point in time you have all the components in your possession, and that counts as a violation according to the law. ~ ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/25 "2005-09-08T18:46:10Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Maybe it’s easier to stick a Mac10 into the bum of a Care Bear than worry about pillows. I’d think a Barney would be more satisfying, but that’s just my opinion. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/26 "2005-09-08T19:20:11Z")
A few years back, when I was at the shooting range, some folks shooting next to us test-fired a pistol with a silencer attached to it. I can tell you the following: I don’t know if it was actually made from a 2-liter bottle, but it was about the size of one, so it definitely wasn’t concealable. And when it fired, it made a hefty WHUMP, a sound much like thwacking a beanbag chair with a sledgehammer. So, it wasn’t particularly silent, either. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/27 "2005-09-08T19:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Wrapping a pillow around a gun is going to do zero if the end of the barrel is exposed (and you need it to be). I am not sure what it will sound like if you stick a pillow to the end of the barrel and pull the trigger. Most likely, you will have a pillow with a hole it and a deformed bullet that doesn’t go very far. You certainly couldn’t use it if you actually wanted to shoot something else. It would probably still be pretty loud too. [QUOTE] I did this by pressing the muzzle of the gun into the pillow. It did silence the pistol to the point that what would have sounded like someone hammering a nail sounded more like a finger snapping. I was firing a .25 caliber pistol into a pile of mattresses. The bullet wasn’t deformed at all, but you are correct that it didn’t penetrate very far. Oh, yeah. The pillow had a hole in one side with a powder burn all around it and just a little hole in the other side. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/28 "2005-09-09T00:01:16Z")
> [@Mr. Goob](#): > > I was talking about this with some law enforcement friends this last weekend after paintball. Some of the teenagers we play with (gah that sounds bad, play paintball with us) wanted to make a silencer for a paintball gun. > > Too bad, I have a machine shop and was all set to start experimenting. Minor hijack - If you want a silent marker try a low-pressure Autococker (which I think is all of them). I bought a CCM J2 and it’s extraordinarily quiet just a few feet away - there’s a quiet “pop” and the click of the action but that’s all. At normal shooting distances your target will have no noise to help him figure out where the shots are coming from. In fact since it’s so quiet he probably won’t even notice that he’s being shot at until the paint starts raining down. I’ve done it to my friends many times and it’s incredibly satisfying 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/29 "2005-09-09T02:06:36Z")
There is special sub-sonic ammo sold. And, up really close, a .22 short- fired into the back of the head at _just_ the right spot- is deadly. A .22 short isn’t very loud or “gun like” in noise as it is- and a silencer would make it pretty damn hard to discern over a busy street. But again- we are talkng firing from a range of inches, with a “pop gun”. On a sub-sonic 9mm, it reduces accuracy and power a bit- and then makes the noise a bit muffled and less “gun like”. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/30 "2005-09-09T02:23:52Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - A 20-once plastic soda bottle will not silence any firearm. I have seen it tried, in my youth. Then whomever was doing it didn’t know what they were doing. I have seen it done successfully. The important part is knowing how to build a makeshift silencer (I won’t go into that because without authorization it is illegal to do) , and using the right ammunition. (subsonics). The soda bottle silencer doesn’t work for very long. The one I saw only lasted for 3 rounds, then it expanded and cracked. And it didn’t make that “pwt” sound that silencers of tv do. It was more of a low, muffled “pop”. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/31 "2005-09-09T02:24:04Z")
I have had to bury two friends on seperate occassions from being shot by .22’s, and in one case, a single shot. Don’t sell them too short. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/32 "2005-09-09T03:49:58Z")
> [@billfritter](#): > > Also, I’ve seen for decades that shooting through a pillow works as a silencer. Does it? It can muffle the sound significantly. Calling it a “silencer” though, is probably very misleading. > [@](#): > > If so, why don’t gang members tie pillows to their guns when they go on a drive-by shooting? Because it would be stupid? The idea of the pillow is that it essentially surrounds the area that emits sound, acting as a type of sound insulation. This is with the gun pressed against the target and the pillow partly wrapped around the gun. Part of the deal is that the victim’s body is the sound insulation at the muzzle. Shooting through a pillow into the air isn’t the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/33 "2005-09-09T05:15:04Z")
> [@Nic2004](#): > > I have had to bury two friends on seperate occassions from being shot by .22’s, and in one case, a single shot. I’m truely sorry to hear that. If it was a criminal act I hope the perps were brought to justice. > [@Nic2004](#): > > Don’t sell them too short I’ve gotten into debates and arguements over this. The .22 is a viable cartridge. SHOT PLACEMENT is more important than caliber. Getting shot in the head with a .22 can do more damage than getting shot in the leg with a .45. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/34 "2005-09-09T07:12:22Z")
> [@](#): > > …Then whomever was doing it didn’t know what they were doing… **pkbites** - - - Well I said it attenuates a _little_. _Almost anything_ that you stick on the end of a barrel will attenuate a _little_. By your admission it only lasted three shots, and didn’t really silence much. That doesn’t sound like it worked very well. 😉 ~ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/35 "2005-09-09T13:16:13Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > Minor hijack - If you want a silent marker try a low-pressure Autococker (which I think is all of them). I bought a CCM J2 and it’s extraordinarily quiet just a few feet away - there’s a quiet “pop” and the click of the action but that’s all. At normal shooting distances your target will have no noise to help him figure out where the shots are coming from. In fact since it’s so quiet he probably won’t even notice that he’s being shot at until the paint starts raining down. I’ve done it to my friends many times and it’s incredibly satisfying 🙂 Don’t mind us, we’re have a quiet conversation of our own. In our group we have a few Autocockers. That’s what started the whole idea. The A5 guys wanted to have the same stealthy ability. Me I just put my Spyder on full auto and go from there. Not that accurate or quiet at all, death by volume is my usual plan. ---
**Author:** ![wissdok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c4cdca/32.png) [@wissdok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wissdok)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/36 "2005-09-09T15:35:47Z")
The question was can a 2-liter bottle really work as a gun silencer. As stated, both a bottle and a pillow will work. The fact that neither are as good a specially made silencer wasn’t the question. But no silencer is a true “silencer” anyway; You can’t muffle all the sound. As for the range, an effective silencer will reduce range, but I disagree with those that claim it effects accurancy. The “bang” of a gun is the air escaping as the bullet exits the gun, so any item that limits the air’s movement will reduce the sound. But more you limit the movement of air, less range you will have. Ever heard about crime labs that fire guns into barrels of water? It should also be noted that revolvers as a general rule cannot be effectively “silenced.” A Revolver releases air around the cylinder which is hard to muffle. Here is where a pillow (and even a towel) comes in handy. But it would be best used directly against the target(or victim!). Lastly, a legal silencer that works reasonably well is a muffler off a lawnmower. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/37 "2005-09-09T15:58:47Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > and didn’t really silence much. > ~ It silenced a lot. It was a low, muffled pop, (sort of like bubble wrap, but not as loud), barely audiable from more than a few feet away, as opposed to the crisp, LOUD **“CRACK!”** the weapon would make unsilenced, which could be heard for miles. As for only lasting 3 rounds, you have to remember this was a “quick & dirty” silencer, not a commercially produced suppressor… ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/38 "2005-09-09T17:55:17Z")
My experience with .22LR fits with **pkbytes** ’ description. While the noise is still fairly loud, you probably wouldn’t hear it from another room/floor of a building like you would without the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/39 "2005-09-09T18:09:57Z")
FTR, Neither a lawn mower muffler nor an oil filter are good choices, or safe ones, for use as expedient suppressors. If you are using any round more high pressure than a .22 with such, don’t be surprised when it flies apart in grenade-like fashion…perhaps on the first round. At best, it will not do a particularly good job of reducing the sound signature nor will it do so for long and it will almost certainly degrade accuracy to a ridiculous degree. A good friend of mine is expert on suppressors. He’s manufactured them and authored several books on them. He will be the first to tell you that suppressors are fairly simple devices, but they must be manufactured with care and to tight tolerances. The higher pressure the round involved is, the more important the proper choice of materials and attention to detail becomes. He will also be the first to tell you that “improvised” suppressors never function well, last long, or have anything like a comfortable safety margin. Bottom line: you want a suppressor, pay the tax, do the paperwork and get a properly made one. Illegal in your state or municipality? Guess you’re out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561/40 "2005-09-09T20:25:14Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > FTR, A good friend of mine is expert on suppressors. He’s manufactured them and authored several books on them. He will be the first to tell you that suppressors are fairly simple devices, but they must be manufactured with care and to tight tolerances. The higher pressure the round involved is, the more important the proper choice of materials and attention to detail becomes. He will also be the first to tell you that “improvised” suppressors never function well, last long, or have anything like a comfortable safety margin. In addition the silencer/noise suppressor MUST be fitted to a specific firearm(s). 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-2-liter-bottle-really-work-as-a-gun-silencer/320561.md?page=1)