I must start checking my baffles more often

[Dave-G]

My 17HMR shooting results got a bit erratic lately, with quite a few fliers. This seemed to coincide with switching back to Hornadies from Remmies, but I also used a bronze brush in the barrel for the first time recently when I shot much more than I'd anticipated when down at fleabags place recently. With this in mind I figured it just needed fouling up a bit again.

 

I was out with it this morning and got mixed success, some of the misses were way off - but I twice failes to see ANY indication of a bullet strike and on those occasions the crack sounded unusual. I took a look at the exit hole in my silencer and found that it had elongated and spread partially outwards and something was loose inside it.

 

Subsequent dismantling of the silencer showed that the baffles had badly corroded. The baffles are made of brass or bronze - and I bought the silencer second hand for my 12ftlb air rifle. Have I had a lucky escape here?

 

[anschutz.17hmr]

that does,nt look good dave,looks like the flame flash has eaten it away with it being soft, somebody you knows more about mods will be able to explain why its happened,only seen it before on a centrefire,at least your not hurt except in the pocket

[harv]

Subsequent dismantling of the silencer showed that the baffles had badly corroded. The baffles are made of brass or bronze - and I bought the silencer second hand for my 12ftlb air rifle. Have I had a lucky escape here?

 

 

i'd say you were lucky to notice something, i am no expert on sound mods but i wouldnt of thought an air rifle silencer was designed for something whacking thru it at 2500 fps followed by intense heat and gases.what type of mod was it?

harv

[Baldrick]

Surely you're obliged to use a mod that has been Proofed for an HMR? As Harv says, there's an intense muzzle blast from an HMR to factor in that an airgun mod wouldn't have to cope with.

 

Get yourself an SAK mod for £40. The baffles are all one piece of machined aluminium - nothing to corrode or collapse during normal use.

[Dave-G]

Thanks guys - I'll hopefully get some time on a lathe again soon to make some steel baffles. I guess part of the problem stems from my decision to use a 15 inch barrel so it's usefull for using from vehicles.

[Blackbart]

I think that the mod or indeed the gun doesnt legally need to be proofed to use it,but it does if you sell it.But from a self preservasion point i would rather spend a few more quid and get something designed for the job.My sak mod on the 17hmr has 17hmr and various other things stamped on it,so dont know about it just being an air rifle mod?

[Dave-G]

I need a 30mm OD mod to clamp my Deben lamp underneath - as my laserscope does,nt have a lamp mounting option. The mod is quite thick walled alloy and certainly feels up to the job, thanks for the opinion though BB.

[JohnGalway]

But from a self preservasion point i would rather spend a few more quid and get something designed for the job.

 

 

You gotta ask yourself the question, how many inches from your face? Do you really want anything interfering with the bullet, any bullet, that close to you? I don't know the possible outcomes but I don't see how any of them could be good. I think you'd a close one Dave

[Dave-G]

Well I likes a bit of a fiddle

 

And here's the result, a slight modification of penny washers. There's more baffles now, some with smaller centre holes, and smaller spacers with a larger primary expansion chamber. Not tried them yet though...

 

Edit: I found out why the baffles were made of brass: One was made as a weighted silencer with a very thick wall, which with the brass moved the balance further forwards. There's enough for two different length cans here.

 

Edited May 23, 2008 by Dave-G