How to Put Foam in Airsoft Suppressor

Inexpensive and easy to attach, suppressors tin can exist a great addition to airsoft rifles, carbines, SMGs, pistols and even shotguns, adding a tactical look that actually adds to the overall feel of stalking through an airsoft field in search of your adjacent target.

For those new to airsoft, these accessories can be a bit inexplainable at times, with many wondering if and how they piece of work and what to wait for earlier buying 1.

If this sounds similar y'all, read on every bit we dive deeply into the world of airsoft suppressors.

What is an airsoft suppressor?

Airsoft Silencer vs Airsoft Suppressor: What'southward the Difference?

Zilch, really.

In the airsoft customs, as in the real steel gun community, silencer and suppressor are interchangeable terms that refer to the same thing.

The original patent by inventor and grandaddy of the automated weapon Hiram Proverb (besides as the diverse government bodies in the US that regulate them) refers to these devices as "silencers," merely today they're more usually called suppressors.

Due to the device'south popular associations with espionage, special ops, assassinations and crime, a mutual misconception is that a silencer, well, silences a guns while a suppressor reduces any muzzle flash.

Truth is, a suppressor reduces sound and a silencer doesn't completely silence anything so this is really a semantic distinction without a difference, especially when it comes to airsoft.

How exercise Airsoft Suppressors Work?

Much like a real steel suppressor, an airsoft suppressor screws into the front of a replica's cage.

For the most part these are mock suppressors, meaning they are designed to look like existent suppressors or silencers but are generally empty cylinders to foreclose people from trying to use them on real guns.

Real suppressors piece of work by using baffles (lilliputian chambers and walls within the cylindrical tube) to slow down and reduce the energy of escaping gasses once a gun is fired.

Since at that place are no hot escaping gasses to trap and ho-hum downwards in airsoft guns, airsoft silencers don't demand to exist built or work the same mode.

Airsoft foam suppressor

Airsoft foam suppressors contain a cylinder of foam inside their tube, which works to absorb excess air leaving the barrel and can dampen the noise a bit.

These aren't legal to sell or own in many parts of the U.s.a. due to various firearms laws and regulations and can atomic number 82 to some pretty heavy penalties and criminal charges if they're institute in your possession (then don't endeavour).

Practice airsoft silencers do anything, really?

Non in the way you might think.

Airsoft guns don't work like real guns.

They use BBs and and then no superheated and pressurized propellant gasses escape the barrel when fired that can create muzzle flash and the distinctive BANG of a belch.

Then while some air may escape the front end end of the replica, not much noise is produced from that finish.

Instead most of the noise produced by airsoft replicas is produced in the main body of the gun, past the motor and gearbox (if AEG) or past the dorsum and along of the slide and so on in gas blowbacks models, both areas that aren't really all that afflicted by a mock suppressor fitted to the end of a barrel.

As a consequence, the vast bulk of airsoft suppressors don't do much to touch on noise, hence why they are also chosen mock suppressors.

The exception to this being for spring-powered airsoft rifles, such as some airsoft sniper rifles, which don't accept motors and where a slight reduction in the "pop" of air coming out of the airsoft replica'due south barrel tin can make more of a divergence when it comes to stealth.

While adding a suppressor to these can make it a niggling harder to pinpoint their shot location by sound lone, it probably won't exercise much overall.

So why would I buy an airsoft suppressor?

Aesthetics

Although some airsofters are loath to admit it, a big part of people's involvement in airsoft is based on how cool the replicas and accessories are.

And in that location is no incertitude that suppressors are cool, existence the accessory of pick of pop-culture'due south most beloved special operators, assassins and spies.

Adding an airsoft silencer to a replica tin can requite it a much needed tactical, stealthy wait that doesn't require whatever airsoft modification or skill beyond screwing and unscrewing something off the end of your barrel.

Hiding Barrel Extensions

Many airsoft users (peculiarly snipers or designated marksmen) cull to upgrade the inner barrel of their airsoft gun with either a longer barrel or a higher quality butt that also happens to be longer than stock.

Depending on the upgrade, doing so can cause the inner barrel to jut out from the outer barrel and make their potentially expensive airsoft replica look a fiddling odd or even outright ridiculous.

To avoid this aesthetic unpleasantness (and potentially mockery), many users will attach a suitably sized airsoft suppressor to their new barrel in order to cover upward the protrusion in a libation style.

Integrated Tracer Units

Every bit we discuss in our article on tracer units and their uses in airsoft, a majority of airsoft tracer units are designed to look like mock suppressors.

Other than looking cool, these can give users a more than set ability to use tracer Bbs in game and improve their shooting in low low-cal weather.

Fake Suppressor, Barrel Extension

In that location are particular (although more rare) airsoft suppressors called butt extension suppressors or power upwardly suppressors that incorporate an inner barrel of their own.

These are designed to precisely line upwards with an airsoft gun'due south barrel and substantially extend the inner butt length, thereby increasing the power of an airsoft gun somewhat in that way.

The issue with these airsoft suppressor barrel extensions is that they have to be precisely machined to fit as snugly as perhaps to the native inner barrel, and while they may increase FPS to some caste, especially with gas blowback airsoft replicas, they nigh invariably have some kind of seam that can disrupt the airflow and path of a BB, reducing accuracy overall.

Airsoft Suppressors and FPS

In general, with the possible exception of barrel extension suppressors as we mentioned above, an airsoft suppressor has no real outcome on the power or FPS of an airsoft replica.

Instead, FPS is more than affected by the internal mechanisms of an airsoft gun, such every bit past ensuring a tighter air seal, using a more powerful spring, calculation an upgraded hop upwards (flat or R-hop, for example), swapping in a tighter inner barrel, using higher flow valves for gas, etc.

Airsoft Suppressors and Accurateness

Like FPS, for the nearly part airsoft suppressors don't have much event on accuracy one way or some other.

Those worried that adding a cool mock silencer to their favorite airsoft replica will ruin their shots have nothing to worry about, while those hoping for an like shooting fish in a barrel precision boost are out of luck.

How accurately a BB travels to its target is more a result of the weight of the BBs, barrel quality and stability, hop up, compression of air and and so on.

Most airsoft suppressors don't do anything to affect any of those factors and those with inner butt extensions that slightly increase the overall length of the inner barrel don't affect the residuum of the factors involved, and therefore won't brand a noticeable difference in the grand scheme of things.

Those interested in improving their accuracy may exist ameliorate served by looking into:

Hop adjustment
Diameter tightness
Quality of the hop upward unit of measurement, examining buckings, chambers and nubs for damage or room for improvement
Using heavier BBs

If all else fails, some other suggestion is to movement closer to a target and piece of work on improving your shooting in general.

Factors to consider when looking at Airsoft Suppressors

Given that they are by and large an artful, rather than a functional, choice, a good airsoft suppressor should expect good while existence as unobtrusive in gameplay as possible.

Therefore, airsofters should consider the post-obit characteristics on any suppressor they're looking at buying.

Lightweight

As near airsoft suppressors are artful rather than functional, and they don't have to contend with superheated gas, they don't demand to have the same heft or sturdiness equally an actual model, which can easily weigh over a pound (0.45kg).

You don't desire your airsoft replica to become also front heavy, pulling your barrel down and becoming irksome to carry around, and then by and large speaking you should expect for lightweight models made of aluminum or like lightweight materials.

There is quite a bit of variation in airsoft suppressor weights, from around 70g or less to 450g or more (almost 1 lb).

While heavyweight suppressors tend to feel a little more realistic in-hand, we tend to favor those under 200g for ease of employ and maneuverability.

Reasonably sized

While it'south sometimes tempting to become all out and double down on the "bigger is better" adage, there are 2 factors to consider with size when looking for a suppressor.

The first is looks. When looking at a suppressor for your replica, consider the replica in question'southward size.

A long and sleek 9" mock suppressor might look cool in a box or on a screen, but tin look a piffling ridiculous when attached to a 10 inch airsoft pistol or SMG.

The second consideration is tactical – you should consider the surroundings and types of games you'll be playing.

A longer mock suppressor volition increase the overall length of your airsoft gun and in CQB, speedsoft or other tight spots, a longer airsoft replica can be cumbersome and you'll have a harder time moving effectually without banging into things or having to constantly adjust your barrel placement.

Durable

If yous're really into airsoft , chances are good your replica will accept a few knocks hither and there every bit you run and gun.

A good suppressor should exist made of thick and durable enough cloth to withstand reasonable use as well as the occasional scrape or knock into a rock, auto, wall, door or other obstacle without getting besides dented or damaged.

Well threaded and constructed

A suppressor should screw in and fit snugly, with no overhang, seams or gaps that can disrupt airflow or for Bulletin board system to catch on.

This is peculiarly important with butt extending airsoft suppressors, where a bad seam betwixt inner barrels can cause wildly inaccurate fire.

Easy on and off

A mock suppressor should be machined well and easy to screw on and off.

Badly threaded models tin get stuck and damage or fifty-fifty strip a butt's threads, leading to costly repairs or even the need to replace a barrel.

What Are Some Drawbacks To Using An Airsoft Suppressor?

And so before you run out and purchase one on Amazon or at your local shop, you lot should probably consider some of the potential drawbacks of airsoft suppressors.

They don't actually suppress much

Despite their name and their obvious intended use, airsoft suppressors are largely decorative items, meant to expect cool rather than reduce airsoft dissonance to whatever real extent.

If yous're not someone overly concerned with the appearance of your airsoft weapon, they may non be all that worthwhile an investment.

They add weight

Some mock silencers can easily be as heavy as one-half a pound (226g+).

Depending on what you're attaching information technology to (airsoft pistols for example), this can counterbalance the butt down significantly and be an annoyance when using certain airsoft gun types, such as pistols.

In fact their added weight can cause issues with gas blowback pistols, causing more resistance on the slide and bug with cycling, reducing gas efficiency and increasing the overall wearable and tear in the long run.

Airsoft sound…amplifiers?

Designed to look a lot like airsoft suppressors, airsoft sound amplifiers work pretty much the opposite style – they are designed to make an airsoft gun louder when fired.

Now some people go a niggling crazy with the claims they make about these devices, they certainly won't give your airsoft replica the crack of a real gun.

But by altering the way air moves when released from the butt through clever design, they can provide a deeper and louder pop than normal, surprising and possibly even intimidating unsuspecting bads on the field, besides as making your airsoft gun sound a flake cooler.

Bottom Line

Airsoft suppressors are a cheap and like shooting fish in a barrel way to make your gun expect libation and more tactical.

While they may not always silence anything, they can also be useful in calculation or concealing barrel extensions and providing tracer functionality to assist with your shooting.