My Form 1 30 cal suppressor

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  • CountryBoy19

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 91.7%
    11   1   0
    Nov 10, 2008
    8,412
    63
    Bedford, IN
    Ok, as promised a while back, here is my Form 1 .30 cal suppressor.

    A lot of initial pictures are missing because of a brain fart on my part, but I'll show what I can. I made simple cones by shearing SS circles into quarters. I then rolled each quarter into a half cone on a sheet metal break. Then welded 2 halves together to make a cone. I then placed that cone onto a mandrel on a lathe and I cleaned up the rear edge and the welds.
    cone1.jpg

    I took the cone off the mandrel and held it in the jaws to clean up the leading edge and center drill the hole.
    cone2.jpg

    cone3.jpg

    I then cut sections of stainless tubing and chamfered the edges so the cones would sit nicely together and the whole assembly would stack up. I clamped this all in a fairly robust jig and carefully spot welded it all so that it wouldn't warp much.
    welding.jpg

    After welding, I chucked the whole thing up between centers and I cleaned the welds up.
    turning.jpg

    There was a little bit of warping so all the welds didn't clean up perfectly without cutting too deep on the other side. I cleaned the rest of them up with an angle grinder.
    After the welds were cleaned up I rolled a shorter piece of sheet metal to create and extra layer of steel on the back and welded it in place (no pic of this, sorry). This gives me 2 times the wall thickness in the rear, higher pressure area of the suppressor.
    After that I put it in the lathe between centers and clean up the remainder of the welds, threaded it, and center bored it (.340 at the rear, up to .370 at the front) with a special boring tool that I made.
    Then, I took it home and mounted it to see how it all looked.
    mounted1.jpg

    mounted2.jpg


    I stamped the sweet, rounded end-cap on a press with a set of dies that I made.

    After that I called up a fellow INGO member "Sp3worker" and he did some AWESOME engraving for me for really cheap! (I'll try to get a pic of the engraving later).

    Then I began to prime it with VHT ceramic primer.
    1stprime.jpg


    And the first coat of primer is currently drying.

    After the primer will be a sanding job to smooth out some of the rough spots from grinding it, then another primer, then the paint, then the baking.

    The best part is that it actually works. My best friend, and fraternity brother was up from Titusville, FL for homecoming so we went shooting last weekend. After he took a few shots, he turned around and said, "That is really awesome, you need to get your license and start manufacturing these!" That means a lot coming from an engineer that works at KAC (Knights Armament Co.).

    I already know how to improve the design and make it much more aesthetically appealing. This one could be called the prototype, or proof of concept.

    The Specs:
    Length: 10" I think (I'll measure it when its dry)
    Diameter: 1 7/8" rear half, 1 3/4" front half
    Weight: about 25 oz.
     

    CountryBoy19

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 91.7%
    11   1   0
    Nov 10, 2008
    8,412
    63
    Bedford, IN
    Nice Job!

    Now you need to take a video of it being shot!
    I have a video. The problem is that most camera mics just can't pick up the difference in sound level. The video I have you can definitely tell a difference in the pitch etc/type of sound, but the actual sound just doesn't seem that much better.
     

    aclark

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Apr 22, 2009
    3,714
    63
    The 219
    Go ahead and send one this way. Ill be willing to put it through extraneous testing! I will also include with testing video, sounds and still pictures.

    Looks good, wish I had some talent like that. Hope to see future versions.
     

    CountryBoy19

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 91.7%
    11   1   0
    Nov 10, 2008
    8,412
    63
    Bedford, IN
    Are you going to use the Hi Temp Suppressor Duracoat ?
    No, its VHT Ceramic Header paint. Its supposed to withstand up to 1800 degrees F. So I'm hoping that the few hundred that I'll ever get it up to won't discolor it at all. Durability isn't an issue; the paint is cheap enough that if it ever gets scratched up a lot I'll just sand it down and paint it again.
     

    VUPDblue

    Silencers Have NEVER Been Illegal !
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   1
    Mar 20, 2008
    12,885
    83
    Franklin Township
    I wish I had your knowledge and skill.
    BTW, is it legal to manufacture a suppressor without a license?


    Yes it is. You must fill out a Form1, which is an Application to Make and Register a Firearm, and send it, along with a check for $200 and a set of your fingerprints, to the ATF first. Once you are approved and they send you your approved form back, then you can start making your suppressor.
     

    ruger17hmr

    Shooter
    Rating - 97.1%
    33   1   0
    Jun 13, 2008
    648
    16
    Indy
    Do you need a Form 1 for each suppressor?
    Or, does the Form 1 process and register the person, so that he can
    manufacture as many suppressors as he likes?
     

    VUPDblue

    Silencers Have NEVER Been Illegal !
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   1
    Mar 20, 2008
    12,885
    83
    Franklin Township
    Do you need a Form 1 for each suppressor?
    Or, does the Form 1 process and register the person, so that he can
    manufacture as many suppressors as he likes?


    A Form 1 is needed for each suppressor. If you are going into the business of making suppressors, you would need to become a manufacturer and SOT taxpayer to do this, and no Form1's would be necessary. That, however, is an entirely different ballgame.
     

    CountryBoy19

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 91.7%
    11   1   0
    Nov 10, 2008
    8,412
    63
    Bedford, IN
    Thanks for the clarification.
    Wow, $200 tax for each suppressor!
    Why is U.S Gov't so broke? It doesn't make lot of sense. LOL
    Once you price a commercial suppressor the $200 doesn't seem like a whole lot. A lot of centerfire cans will easily break the $1k mark. This one was done for $200 tax stamp + about $15 of material that I didn't have around and had to buy + my time (about 30 hours total in manufacturing, not including the finishing job)

    As far as why the govt. is broke, I believe that all the taxes collected by the ATF for these forms goes to pay for ATF workers to keep track of and process other forms for Title II firearms. To take most Title II firearms across state lines you have to send them forms and wait for approval, those forms are tax-free, but somebody is getting paid to check them and approve them. There are also many other tax-free forms that they process. I believe they process more than a million forms a year; and only a small fraction of those are taxed. So its easy to see where that all goes. Plus, the govt's cost for a worker isn't just their pay, the gov has to maintain the building over their head, the desk/computer that they sit at, pay their share of retirement benefits, health benefits and other costs. I work for the gov and I think my billable amount per hour is somewhere around $95/hr, but I only make a very small fraction of that (less than 25%).
     

    ruger17hmr

    Shooter
    Rating - 97.1%
    33   1   0
    Jun 13, 2008
    648
    16
    Indy
    You are right.
    I just thought that $200 for the tax stamp was a bit high.
    How is your suppressor working out?
    It is amazing to see what you were able to accomplish with few scrap sheets.
     

    CountryBoy19

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 91.7%
    11   1   0
    Nov 10, 2008
    8,412
    63
    Bedford, IN
    You are right.
    I just thought that $200 for the tax stamp was a bit high.
    How is your suppressor working out?
    It is amazing to see what you were able to accomplish with few scrap sheets.
    Its excellent. I can't wait to go varmint hunting.

    Does anybody know if it is legal to use a suppressor to take a nuisance coyote? I know the hunting guide says that they can't be used for hunting, but it also says that nuisance coyotes can be taken with any firearm, and a silencer is technically a firearm. Also, in the same section it says that groundhogs can be taken with any equipment. If I am taking a coyote outside of the hunting season, under the blanket of the nuisance animal laws, does the "no silencers while hunting" rule apply?
     
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