Mr Majyk Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Hello all, just wondering if anyone knows the legality around "modifying" a moderator i.e. adding baffles? im guessing its probably a grey area, not illegal but not really approved of? we modify our rifles, trigger weights, barrel length etc so are we allowed to modify the baffles in our moderators in an attempt to try and make them more affective? i ask because of my .17hmr, i know i cant moderate the sound of the actual bullet moving through the air but i can moderate the muzzle so would like to get it as quiet as possible i bought it with a "non calibre specific" moderator from my RFD which keeps it a little quieter and i thought maybe i could add baffles to try and reduce the muzzle crack further? so in short does anyone know if id be able to do this and would it be with in the law? which obviously is pretty damn important as i do enjoy having a fire arms licence and would like to keep it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadioles Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 You are braver than me. I don't know about the law but there are big forces involved and I would not want to risk shooting into a baffle. I have used SAK and now DM80, the DM80 is more expensive, better built, much prettier (an ego thing) and the baffles do not suffer as badly. However.... If I am honest there is not enough difference in sound moderation for that alone to be a deciding factor. The "hole" in the DM80 is smaller (it is for .17) and it is a bit quieter. The "hole" in something like a SAK tends to be .22 I burned out a couple of SAKs on the hmr but at least you can just buy a replacement over the counter (for an air rifle). Given that you are unlikely to be able to improve things, other than perhaps marginally, why bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Not sure on the legality in the Uk of modifying zour mod. Is it a baffle type mod anyway? Like a Roedale Delta? If it is PM me and I can help you a bit with the science, as yes adding baffles of the right type in the right place will improve moderation> Afterall moderation is more or less about chamber area , ie more is more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 Simply adding baffles will do nothing even if you can. The whole moderator must work together- baffle angle, location, number and the size of the expansion area. HMR's are very difficult to improve on blast and the sound at the muzzle is the same at that down range (sonic crack). Shoot your moderated HMR into soft ground 6 ft in front of you in an open field with nothing to reflect the sonic crack near by and see how effective the moderator actually is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted March 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 Simply adding baffles will do nothing even if you can. The whole moderator must work together- baffle angle, location, number and the size of the expansion area. HMR's are very difficult to improve on blast and the sound at the muzzle is the same at that down range (sonic crack). Shoot your moderated HMR into soft ground 6 ft in front of you in an open field with nothing to reflect the sonic crack near by and see how effective the moderator actually is I understand that just adding baffles will do diddly squat, like you say they have to work together, i was thinking about making a steel blast deflector but i dismantled the current moderator to see if i could add anything and after having a look theres no way to add anything to improve it its a one piece sak mod so no way to improve it unfortunately. but im still fascinated with how moderators work and how to improve them, would love to experiment (hence why i was asking if it was legal itd be nice to do it but i dont want to accidentally break the law etc) i think this idea, which seemed good at the time, has been well and truly scuppered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadioles Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 My first experience of a moderator was about 45 years ago when one of our local "characters" made his own to fit his .22lr. At the time it was called a "silencer" as the term "politically correct" or for that matter "health and safety" had not been invented and James Bond was the inspiration. It is pretty unlikely that he had a licence for the gun, never mind anything else! His moderator was a simple piece of copper pipe that slipped well down over the end of his rifle barrel (no screw thread) and held in place with insulating tape. The tube was stuffed full of washers all the same outside diameter but some drilled with a big hole and some with a small hole, alternating big hole small hole to create baffles with an air chamber between. The first and last washers were soldered in place but the rest were loose. I remember it was very effective. With that calibre and subs almost anything works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMcC Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Adding or subtracting baffles to a moderator is not illegal, a moderator is a moderator, there is very unlikely any other specification on your FC. I have an A-Tec Maxim. It was bought with four baffle stacks and used on my .308 but since acquiring a 30-06 I have added another two baffle stacks to it and there was no paperwork or other rigmarole to go through. When used on my .243 with four stacks in place it works fine but with six baffle stacks in place it sounds more like my .222. I can, if I wanted to, use it on my .22rf and it is then quieter than my .22 air rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Emmc, thanks for clarifying that, not sure the others understood the concept of baffle stacks, a bit iron age the idea of washers etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alendil Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 sak mod. how about cuting third off internal stack and making first chamber much much bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteDE Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Adding baffles increases length, internal volume and surface area, if the moderator is designed to be modular, of course adding baffles will increase performance, a fact that we have proved thousands of times with our modular system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadioles Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 To evaluate the moderator on your HMR, just fire it into some soft earth or sand a couple of feet in front of the barrel. The supersonic pressure wave will not develop and you will be surprised how quiet it is. Eye protection is a good idea! Some countries (or states) do not allow the use of a moderator. They certainly need ear protection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have modfied a HW100 removed the 8mm bore baffle washers and replaced them with 6mm bore baffle washers....or in my case I believe it was a centre drilled French coin of the perfect diameter!!! works a charm, clipped off some of the low frequency noise of the .22lr subs I also designed one and had it made to my spec, 6mm bore CF rated mod in aluminium coming in under 200gr needs some tweaking on baffle thickness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr mutley Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 The science is quite simple within them but without going into details diverting and cooling the charge gasses is the way it is done. Technically you can make your own, give your FLO the heads up and write it on your ticket.. I have an sm11 on my hmr, good performance but can see wear on the ally baffles. Remember longer the barrel the better for silencing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolkngood Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Reminds me of an old boy I used to work with who was a rather active poacher. He'd make a handful of moderators every few days in the welding shop out of a length of steel tube then cut short sections of a smaller diameter tube and slide inside alternating with wide bore washers and welding everything in place finishing off with a jubilee clip to clamp to his single barrel 410. When questioned why he made so many he replied it saved looking for the ones that blew off the end of the barrel or having to go home if one blew to bits. He never ever considered that he may be dicing with serious injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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