Re: What are the advantages of pistons on suppress
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The most significant purpose of the Neilson Device is not its common ability to swap out between threadings, it is the ability to "float" the can for a milisecond. Understand the following and you have understood one of the principle engineering hurtles of great suppressor design.
An automatic with a active barrel is engineered to articulate properly with it's bushing surfaces, link pin and slide lock-up surfaces. Firearm manufacturers spend a good deal of time getting the fit between a moving barrel and the rest of the pistol just right, assuring good return to battery accuracy and reliable operation. Too tight at lock-up or bushing and reliable action may not be assured. Too sloppy at bushing and lock-up and accuracy may suffer. Now...lets add a suppressor can at the very end of that same barrel. The once properly balanced factory designed pistol is compromised by the additional weight, with that weight at the worse possible position literally leveraging the barrel into it's slide lock-up.
Now lets start loading water, or grease or oil on top of that and one can see the issue. This can also be the case with the addition of a compensator, break, etc. on an automatic...weight.
What to do?
Starting back decades ago, the observation was made that there is a brief recoil period before these same designs "unlock" and begin to cycle. During the recoil period, Neilson recognized that a properly designed "piston and spring" booster could completely eliminate the vast majority of the weight of a barrel attached suppressor and for that milisecond period, the can could be "floated" weightless. From the perspective of the firearm, there is NO suppressor attached and normal action cycling is assured.
The booster's springs, the boosters length of compression, the boosters primary blast chamber's volume and dwell all come into play. Get it right and it is a thing of beauty, allowing a sizable, heavy suppressor to be added and work well, with no loss of reliability of the pistol or as importantly wear to the barrel/bushing/lock-up surfaces. Get it wrong and you have, at best, an unreliable pistol.
A knowledgeable eye, when scanning a rack of suppressor can quickly sort them out by wet/dry, low capacity/high volume of fire, Static or kinetic barrel, pistol/rifle, sealed or crack, etc. Learn the basics and you can too.
One now knows as well why properly servicing (cleaning, lubing and replacing the boost spring as required) your Neilson is an important requirement often overlooked. In fact, in a centerfire, wet can it is the ONLY part of the suppressor that should be cleaned.
Get the balance perfect and you can "stand your can on its ears" and obtain the quietest single shot capability as well. Explained in this thread. Along with photos of a disassembled Neilson Device. Read way down the first page.
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=151587&Number=1669464
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