04-15-2016, 04:19 AM
As a suppressor maker I can tell you that you get what you pay for. The cheap cans are cheap for a reason and with the short barrel you're talking about you are asking for trouble. As you cut the barrel down you are dumping higher and higher pressure into the can as well has more heat. Heat is the enemy and pressure is the killer. As you raise the temp of the metal the strength drops. With the shorter barrel your muzzle pressure is higher. This can be a big problem.
Another problem with short barrels is bullet yaw. The shorter barrels don't stabilize the bullet as well because for the same twist rate you're going to get less velocity. All bullets yaw at least a little when they clear the muzzle and they can take a bit to true up. As your barrel gets shorter the amount of yaw increases and so does the time it takes to straighten out. This can cause baffle strikes and that is one of the most common problems found with suppressing short barrels in rifles.
I've done a few repairs on customer cans and the common element in the damaged cans is short barrels. Normally its a ding in the last baffle and endcap but I've seen some where it looks like the bullet tumbled from the muzzle out. As long as the tube is not damaged the cans can be fixed but the cost can be high. I've seen 2 cans that were popped by customers who thought rapid fire with a 500 dollar can was cool. Normally the parts blown off the can go sideways but its possible for them to come back toward the shooter or the line as well so think about liability when you think about short barrels. If you want to go short you need to buy a can where the manufacturer has said it will handle it. Its a good idea to ask as well. Some will and some won't do well so ask.....
Frank
Another problem with short barrels is bullet yaw. The shorter barrels don't stabilize the bullet as well because for the same twist rate you're going to get less velocity. All bullets yaw at least a little when they clear the muzzle and they can take a bit to true up. As your barrel gets shorter the amount of yaw increases and so does the time it takes to straighten out. This can cause baffle strikes and that is one of the most common problems found with suppressing short barrels in rifles.
I've done a few repairs on customer cans and the common element in the damaged cans is short barrels. Normally its a ding in the last baffle and endcap but I've seen some where it looks like the bullet tumbled from the muzzle out. As long as the tube is not damaged the cans can be fixed but the cost can be high. I've seen 2 cans that were popped by customers who thought rapid fire with a 500 dollar can was cool. Normally the parts blown off the can go sideways but its possible for them to come back toward the shooter or the line as well so think about liability when you think about short barrels. If you want to go short you need to buy a can where the manufacturer has said it will handle it. Its a good idea to ask as well. Some will and some won't do well so ask.....
Frank