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Comment by RandomBacon | Hacker News Reader

Interesting. Revolvers would be good for a spy as they don't eject shell casings, however they are quite loud, which led me to ponder: are there suppressors for revolvers?

I did a quick search, and the first result was very interesting!

https://www.guns.com/news/2019/08/08/gun-question-can-you-pu...

Edit: more interesting pictures https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/06/15/why-cant-revo...

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Suppressors don't make any weapon quiet enough to be useful for hiding the sound of firing up close, as movies portray spies doing.

It's more about protecting your own hearing.

There are exceptions to every generalization, and this exception is pretty cool. The Welrod MkIIA is a semiautomatic pistol, designed for covert operations and assassinations, that is genuinely movie-quiet.

Ian McCollum (Forgotten Weapons) has an excellent video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12AjvEsaHg

"When it's properly set up, this is as close as you get to an actual `silent gun`. You can, by all accounts, be within about 15 feet of this thing and not recognize that a firearm has discharged."

Note that it's still 122dB. That's quiet for a firearm, which is normally 140dB or more, but still louder than a car horn.

I think the proper way to read the quote is that you'll definitely hear the sound, but it won't necessarily be obvious that it has come from a firearm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welrod https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/Training/PPETrain/dbl...

Wikipedia says 122db, but I don't think that's correct. Other sources say 73db, and describe the sound as less loud than that of the bullet impacting the woid of the target, at least with fresh baffles. (Too lazy to include links, first page google results)

Ah, Wikipedia also says that volume elsewhere in the article.

The linked Forgotten Weapons goes in to detail about the rubber seals, which the projectile pierces through when the weapon is fired.

The rubber partially reseals, but after a dozen shots or so the weapon degrades to the performance of a normal silenced pistol.

This probably explains the discrepancy. It is indeed very quiet, and my interpretation of the quote is wrong.

A modern equivalent based on an M&P 9mm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aljJ2jPTa1c&feature=youtu.be...

It is Hollywood quiet.

You can't really tell volume from a youtube video for obvious reasons.

You can’t tell the SPL from a YouTube video but you can clearly tell the silencer reduces the attack and sustain of the gunshot noise by a substantial degree. It also doesn’t echo as much.

That's obviously the point of the progression from unsuppressed to maximum suppression; to convey the relative amplitude.

That was insanely quiet. I’ve never heard a suppressor that quiet before!

>The Welrod MkIIA is a semiautomatic pistol

It's not. It's a manually operated pistol.

I recognized the name because of some video games I played in the past.

In the game Rainbow Six, there was the description of the MP5SD a mp with integrated silencer and it was said, that it is only as loud as a click from a pen. I always believed that, because the game had a focus on realism, but 120+ DB is more close to reality and a bit louder.

An old colleague had a silenced .22 with sub-sonic rounds and it still sounded loud as fuck without hearing protection (we were dumb young people), but more like a car horn next to your face than an explosion, so my hearing is probably OK.

I also remember that game and the "pen click" description and I thought when he fired it the .22 would just click like that!

While suppressors do not make the weapon quiet, the firearm could be outfitted with subsonic ammunition which by itself is very nearly silent[1] even with larger rifle calibers[2]. Though to be fair the ballistics on subsonic ammunition doesn't even compare to supersonic ammunition which is why they see little practical use. But for a 007 type character who normally engages in very close range that should make complete sense.

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fb8CLXll9I

[2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTdMr8tdL4I

Spies should carry crossbows more. They're pretty quiet.

But still reasonably loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ciIy3rqVh8

So a traditional hunting bow instead. Or a blowpipe with poison darts.

How fast does the poison act? I bet I could make a lot of noise if I felt a dart hit my neck

Silent But Deadly: Welrod Mk IIA

https://youtu.be/d12AjvEsaHg

MR73 Sniper Revolver in .357 Magnum

https://youtu.be/P1zEUGck8NE

Forgotten Weapons is great YT channel...

I've shot a Manurhin MR73 (not the 8" model featured, but a 4" one) and it's a really nice revolver. The action is smoother than a S&W but not as good as a Python. However the Manurhin will likely last longer than either.

So far as suppressing a revolver, the cylinder gap lets gases escape so it's not as quiet as it could be. An exception is the Nagant M1895 which another poster mentioned. It's ammunition will seal the gap to prevent the escape of gases. However it's truly horrendous trigger pull (12 lbs/5.5 kg for single action, 20 lbs/9.1 kg for double action) means that even James Bond would have difficulty in using it.

To give you an idea of how bad that is, find a 12 lb object in your house, suspend it from a string, then attempt to lift it by just curling your index finger.

> To give you an idea of how bad that is, find a 12 lb object in your house, suspend it from a string, then attempt to lift it by just curling your index finger.

Was curious so gave this a try with 20 lb, and it was tough, but not egregiously so.

Of course, I'm a climber during normal times, and my current routine has devolved to just hangboard training and gymnastic ring work.

And for reference, a 24-pack of 355 ml beer cans is 20 lb, if you're looking for appropriate household objects.

It's made worse when you're trying to do that while also trying to keep a steady aim, as well.

> are there suppressors for revolvers?

There is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTs-38_Stechkin_silent_revolve...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagant_M1895

It pushes the cylinder forward against the barrel and the casing is longer than the bullet, entering the barrel to form a seal.

The “hush puppy” pistol had a lock to stop the slide moving at all.

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