Can you make a home made silencer for the family Glock by sliding a two litre plastic soda bottle over the bangy end?
No. You’ll need to do a little bit more than that to create a “silencer.” You need something in the bottle to diffuse the gas, but I’m not going to mention any materials, as I’m not really sure on the legalities of a private citizen (assuming you are) owning or manufacturing one.
It’s absolutely illegal. No two ways about it. I already reported the thread.
I hope you don’t take everything you see Steven Segal do in a movie as gospel.
At some point of the game Max Payne 3, the hero duct tapes a plastic bottle on his pistol and it works, although the bottle disintegrates after 10 or 15 shots.
I doubt it would work in real life.
It actually works OK.
It’s also highly illegal as Pat noted above.
15.1.1 Criminal. The acts prohibited by the NFA and prosecutable as Federal offenses are listed in 26
U.S.C. 5861(a) through (l). As provided by 26 U.S.C. 5871, any person who commits an offense shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 10 years or fined. Although the fine specified in the statute is an amount not exceeding $10,000, an amendment to Federal law provides for a fine of not more than $250,000 in the case of an individual or $500,000 in the case of an organization.
You really don’t want to do this.
You can legally make your own silencer at home. You can purchase one that will be far more effective than a soda bottle. Please look in to the laws regarding NFA items before you do anything.
This thread was recently locked:
I’m not going debate the closing of the thread itself. I can understand the decision. But in the interest of fighting ignorance, it should be understood by the staff that despite runner pat’s rash reply, it is not “… absolutely illegal. No two ways about it.”
Silencer ownership (and construction) is legal in the following states: AL, AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WY.
If the OP desires to build a silencer using 2-Liter bottles, he would need to machine an adapter that threads on to the barrel on one end, and the bottle on the other. The machined adapter would need a serial number, and for legal purposes would be the silencer itself. He could then reattach new 2 liter bottles (properly constucted internally, of course) as they wore out.
Before doing so, he would need to complete an ATF Form 1 and pay a $200 tax. In box 4g, he would enter the serial number he intends to put on the device. After about 6-8 months of waiting, he would receive the approved form in the mail which would allow him to legally contruct the adapeter. He can machine, mill, or cast it anyway he likes, provided he engraves the approved serial number into it.
At that point he can make all the legal 2-liter bottle silencers he wants. They just have to use the adapter to attach to the firearm. If the OP is located in one of those states, and is legitimately interested in such a hobby, or is otherwise interested in exploring the intricacies of silencer contruction and performance, this would be a perfectly legal way to do it. It’s not unheard of either.
I will not link to them, but there is a company making and selling similar adapter-type silencers using replaceable oil filters instead of 2-liter bottles. Oil filters work better and come pre-constructed. However, if the OP is actually interested in building them and testing different 2-Liter designs, he can easily go the route I have laid out.
That’s the Straight Dope answer.
And runner pat, nothing at all against you or your comment. I just wanted to clear it up.
Shouldn’t this be in the ATMB, forum.
Since you’re not debating the closure of the thread, but just want to provide more information, I think it’s more appropriate to simply merge your answer with the existing closed thread. However, I’m going to leave the thread closed on the grounds of “asked and answered.”
Colibri
General Questions Moderator