# Potato as a silencer...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396 "2017-09-03T13:33:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/21 "2017-09-03T23:45:09Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Wouldn’t taping the potato firmly to the barrel greatly increase the chance of the barrel exploding? Only if a substantial amount of potato were stuffed into the barrel. The burst strength of the barrel is so much greater than the potato that the potato will always splash. ---
**Author:** ![SOJA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SOJA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SOJA)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/23 "2017-09-04T08:11:37Z")
Silencers mainly trap the expansion of gas exiting outside the barrel end. A silencer cut in half has a lot of small baffles to divert gas away from the main exit stream. You could make a silencer with a water bottle stuffed with wet tissues. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/24 "2017-09-04T09:03:33Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Can confirm, M-80 + melon = fragments like Gallagher with a hammer. Except funny. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/25 "2017-09-04T10:29:39Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Tried it. Makes a frightful mess because the potato gets blown to smithereens by high pressure gases. Does nothing to reduce noise. Taping the potato reduces the mess slightly but there is still no noise reduction. Preparing the potato by making a hole all the way through it might forestall fragmentation of said potato. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/26 "2017-09-04T11:23:26Z")
How about that stupid old rumor, from _Dick Tracey’s Crimestoppers_, that a rubber baby bottle nipple can be used as a silencer? T/F? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396/27 "2017-09-04T12:37:09Z")
> [@Mr.Duality](#): > > Preparing the potato by making a hole all the way through it might forestall fragmentation of said potato. No, it won’t. The powder gases alone will shred the potato. Even if you used a blank the results would be the same. Suppressors work by slowing the expansion of said gases and cooling them. They work exactly the same way as an automotive muffler. A potato does not do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-as-a-silencer/795396.md?page=1)