• Mossberg Owners is in the process of upgrading the software. Please bear with us while we transition to the new look and new upgraded software.

Public service announcement #13

John A.

John A.

Unconstitutional laws are not laws.
Staff member
Administrator
Global Moderator
I just experienced something that just blew my mind.

I was going to go shooting this evening and I picked up one of my guns to put in the case. When I lowered the muzzle down to put into the bag, I heard something metallic moving around.

I thought maybe it was an allen wrench in the grip or something and I shake the gun again.

Nope. The sound isn't coming from the grip.

It's coming from the silencer.

First thing I think, "oh Lord, I've had a baffle strike".

I take the bolt out, separate the upper and lower.

Start taking the silencer endcap off, start removing baffles and spacers one at a time, and when I get to the place that it was, I was astounded at what I saw.

An empty 9mm brass case half way down the silencer.

Wow.

After a minute thinking about it, the only explanation I could come up with how it could've gotten down in there, was when I pick up empty brass, I usually throw them in the bag with the gun until I get home.

After this evening, I can assure you that is not going to happen again. I'll bring another bag to throw the empty brass in.

Thankfully, it was noticed before loading it and pulling the trigger. That would not have ended well at all.

I'm sharing this story to maybe stop that from happening to someone else, even with as much of a fluke as it was.

Don't throw your bullets down in the bag with the gun/suppressor
 
Had it not rattled around inside of there, I wouldn't have.

I would've loaded it up, and pulled the trigger without a second thought.
 
That is one for the books. Weird ~ and nobody, even a gun guy like you, could have ever predicted that such a thing could occur.
 
And why I'm sharing it so it doesn't happen to anyone else either.

I'll just bring along a little shopping bag or something to put my empties in from now on.
 
Wow. What are the odds of that happening and the odds of you catching it the way you did. Lucky find and worth noting.
 
Thank you John.

I certainly feel much less of a doofus now for having shot a 16 gauge in my 12 gauge gun.

Anyhow we all make mistakes, and in this business (where mistakes can be deadly) it's always best to check your gear three times.

When I put it in the bag, when it comes out, and right before I shoot it.

And constantly while I am on the bench. Many times I've thought a gun empty when it was jammed on the last round or so.
 
Yep.

Though in fairness, a lot of folks in the US purchase silencers that they can use on the largest diameter and powerful cartridge they have, and they will often use it on everything smaller they have as well. With as heavily regulated and taxed as they are in the USA, folks tend to have as few of them as possible. Even with the larger than diameter bullet, still suppresses quite well and with negligible reduction in sound levels.

The first suppressor that I built was registered and built as 9mm, though I made it with steel and titanium so I could shoot rifles through it too. I've shot it with 6.8 spc, 7.62x39, .223, 30-30 and probably another rifle caliber or two through it. It works really well despite the overbore.
 
Yes, with the cost and wait involved, that makes sense.... here in the UK, we're surpisingly more relaxed about silencers, ( or "sound moderators" as they're offically called here)
For us, they have to be treated as a firearm, and are listed on your FAC so you apply for them like you would another firearm. Once you have a "slot" on your FAC to get one, you simply go to a gunshop and buy one.
They're reasonably cheap too... i bought one last year for my .308 and that was about £200... ($250.??)

One good thing is that as they're treated like a firearm, if you have an unfilled "slot" on your FAC for a silencer, you can swap that slot for a firearm free of charge
Currently my only unfilled slots are for a .22rf and .223 silencers, so i could request a free variation and change the .22rf silencer to a slot for a rilfe.
(I still may get a .223 silencer, but my Steyr AUG has a weird barrel thread and it seems only one (expensive!) manufacturer makes them for that thread :( )
 
Last edited:
Well silencers are totally illegal here, so anybody that needs one must take the grueling and dangerous cross country Trek, across the Mojave Desert to Nevada.

(Well it was grueling and dangerous before the invention of air conditioned cars that go a hundred miles an hour.)

Anyhow I can see how the California laws against silencers are going to be totally effective in the face of the massive difficulty anyone must have here to purchase or manufacture one.
 
Daryll said:
They're reasonably cheap too... i bought one last year for my .308 and that was about £200... ($250.??)
Click to expand...

308 moderators typically cost around 900 pounds/1000 USD, plus another 200 USD for the tax here in the US.

Some of that cost is to make an honest buck off of your work and designs, but a lot of that goes toward the manufacturers having to pay stiff yearly taxes and ITAR fees, legal fees, plus normal business fees like tooling, electricity, building lease, employee wages, etc.

So, as you can see, suppressors are double taxed (once to make, once to buy, and then nearly every time it is transferred).

The US Government restricts the firearm industry much more than they do anything other than I can think of.
 
Daryll said:
Yes, with the cost and wait involved, that makes sense.... here in the UK, we're surpisingly more relaxed about silencers, ( or "sound moderators" as they're offically called here)
For us, they have to be treated as a firearm, and are listed on your FAC so you apply for them like you would another firearm. Once you have a "slot" on your FAC to get one, you simply go to a gunshop and buy one.
They're reasonably cheap too... i bought one last year for my .308 and that was about £200... ($250.??)

One good thing is that as they're treated like a firearm, if you have an unfilled "slot" on your FAC for a silencer, you can swap that slot for a firearm free of charge
Currently my only unfilled slots are for a .22rf and .223 silencers, so i could request a free variation and change the .22rf silencer to a slot for a rilfe.
(I still may get a .223 silencer, but my Steyr AUG has a weird barrel thread and it seems only one (expensive!) manufacturer makes them for that thread :( )
Click to expand...

Just to follow up on this... I said my Steyr AUG has a weird barrel thread (M13x1 LH), but I found that Ratworx makes thread adaptors, so i contacted them today asking if they ship to the UK. While i was waiting for a reply, I googled "Steyr AUG thread adaptors uk" to see if anyone here made them... that lead me to several places that talked about the AUG having a standard 1/2'' UNF thread.
Out to the shed with the barrel and a monkey wrench, Take the flash hider off and yep, its a right hand thread in 1/2'' UNF...!!
I've wanted a silencer for that rifle for 2 years, but couldn't find one with the weird thread.... off to the local gunstore tomorrow to order one with a standard thread... :)
 
Awesome. I hope it's everything you wanted it would be.

not exactly an aug, but it is a fun shooting gun.

Started out being a Chinese norinco SKS until Dr. Hyde got hold of it.

svPa7TT.jpg
 
Thanks.

It started out being a fair condition (meaning not really all that great) Norinco SKS.

I think I was able to take it home for around $250 at the time.

Used a bunch of US made parts so that it doesn't fall out of favor of 922 foolishness.

I bought an SGW bullpup stock, removed the old front sight and bayonet lug, shortened the barrel to about 17 inches, threaded it to 14-1 LH and recrowned it.

Had to fit the stock and the gun together internally. Taking a little at a time until it fit just right.

Then tuned the long trigger so that it's not as long. It doesn't really feel bad. Though the trigger does feel a little long before it breaks, that's just kind of the nature of bullpup conversions.

It's a pretty good shooter, but reloads are painfully slow.

SGW now offers a modification concerning the magazines, but I haven't went down that rabbit hole yet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top