Official Suppressor Blog

The skinny on the skinny wrench

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:13:00 GMT

What is it with the Delta P Design “suppressor wrench”?

The suppressor wrench is another Delta P Design product to support our customers. A nice wrench the “right size” for muzzle accessories with the standard 19mm NATO muzzle accessory flats: like the BREVIS line of suppressors. The standard AR15 A2 flash hider is a 19mm accessory. You can use it on ¾” accessories and we won’t tell anyone.

With that in mind, we decided to throw some of the answers into a compilation using some visual aids.

What is it made of?

The wrench is made of hardened tool steel. This gives the wrench the proper rigidity and strength given the job asked of it.

What do you mean by “radius jaws”?

The jaws of the wrench that actually contact the wrench flats on the accessory are not parallel flats, but radii. Radius geometry on the wrench jaws minimize the chance of marring the corners of accessory wrench flat corners. The geometry of the illustrations below are exaggerated for clarity. Note that the (yellow) radius wrench jaws contact the flats of the accessory whereas the flat wrench jaws (red) make contact on the corners of the accessory.

Radius jaw wrench(yellow):

Flat jaw wrench (red):

Why is it thin?

The wrench is thin to fit into tight applications where the barrel or gas block of a suppressor application interferes with a typical wrench. It also makes it light and handy to carry.

Why does it have a square hole in one end?

The hole in the wrench opposite the open accepts a 3/8” torque drive. It is preferred to mount the suppressor (or other muzzle accessory) with a known torque. Many online torque wrench calculators are available. Here are a couple on-line torque calculators:

http://www.cncexpo.com/TorqueAdapter.aspx

http://www.engineersedge.com/manufacturing_spec/torque_wrench_1.htm

The distance from the center of the 3/8’ square drive to the 19mm open jaw end of the Delta P Design suppressor wrench is 4.0” ( 102mm). 15-17 ft.*lbf. (20-23 Nm) has shown to be optimal for mounting the BREVIS line of suppressors.

What is the coating?

The wrench is coated in the same ArmaGard oxide conversion coating as the BREVIS line of suppressors and is laser marked with the Delta P Design logo.

A drop in 5/8-24 accessory mounting solution for the SOCOM MODEL M1A.

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:56:00 GMT

The SOCOM model of the M1A rifle has a large following. Light, powerful and above all handy; it blends the attributes people are looking for in a carbine with a battle rifle cartridge. The new Delta P Design 5/8-24 SOCOM MODEL adapter addresses the need for a mounting system for muzzle accessories for this platform.

See more information on the product now in the Delta P Design online store:

Click here to buy now!

One of the items of interest for many of the owners of this rifle is how to add muzzle accessories. One of the common things heard after firing one of these 16" 7.62 x 51 rifles with its muzzle brake is,"That was LOUD!". One of the barriers to adding suppressors, flash hiders, or other accessories to this platform is the lack of an available muzzle thread. The factory muzzle thread is a proprietary fine pitch thread. The fine pitch is required for the gas lock muzzle brake. The finer the thread the less it moves when unscrewed to line up with the gas plug. When the gas lock muzzle brake is installed, it threads up to shoulder against the gas cylinder. It must then be unscrewed whatever amount is necessary to align with the gas piston portion of the gas cylinder so that the gas plug may be installed. As the gas plug is tightened, the axis of the gas lock muzzle brake is pulled downward as there is no shoulder for it to register against. The amount of play available can vary given the tolerances of the threads and the distance the gas lock muzzle brake must be unscrewed to align it with the gas plug.

This works well with the factory muzzle brake where designers could account for this with tolerance in the bore of the factory gas lock muzzle brake. When trying to adapt other accessories not designed around this mounting system, it quickly becomes apparent that the misalignment found does not lend itself to good times. In short, the gas plug pulls the gas lock front sight casting off to one side, and the mounting threads and shoulder with it.

The 5/8-24 SOCOM MODEL adapter kit gives a mounting solution that will register directly on the barrel threads and the barrel shoulder. The kit is comprised of two basic items:
-A 5/8-24 adapter for the barrel threads of the SOCOM model M1A.
-A proprietary gas lock from sight for this application

After the factory muzzle brake is removed, the 5/8-24 adapter is installed. The matching gas lock front sight is then threaded on the outside of the adapter until it contacts the gas cylinder. The gas lock front sight is then backed off the minimum amount necessary to accommodate installation of the gas plug. A set screw is used to lock the gas lock front sight to the adapter and provide positive retention of the adapter through the gas plug. The gas lock front sight accepts the standard factory front sight.

The shoulder of the adapter is positioned just outboard of the installed gas plug to allow for accessories that would otherwise interfere with the gas plug. The adapter is made of hardened stainless with a proprietary high heat, matte oxide finish. The adapter 5/8-24 3A threads are close tolerance to match common industry standards. The adapter provides a full 13/16" dia. thread shoulder.

How do suppressors work?

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:56:00 GMT

This is usually one of the first questions someone new to sound suppressors (or “firearm silencers”) asks. The same type of technology is used in other sound mitigation equipment, such as automobile mufflers, and air tool silencers with the main difference usually being a firearm suppressor must have a straight through hole sufficient for the projectile to pass through.

A good first basis for understanding how firearm suppressors work might be to understand what makes up the sound of a gunshot. Firearm discharges, excluding blanks, have two main sources of sources of sound. The primary source of sound is that of the escaping high pressure gasses that are propelling the projectile. These might be compared to a high pressure version of the sound generated by the popping of a champagne cork. This is the source of sound that a firearm sound suppressor seeks to mitigate.

A secondary source of sound is that of the projectile breaking the sound barrier. A firearm silencer has no effect the sound of a projectile breaking the sound barrier as it occurs in the space the projectile travels in beyond the silencer. Note that not all firearm discharges involve the projectile breaking the sound barrier as the projectile velocity may be lower than the speed of sound. For the purposes of this exercise, we will ignore the effect of the supersonic event portion of the firearm discharge.

The high pressure gas discharge of the firearm discharge or “shot” produces a pressure wave that is heard at the ear. Firearm suppressors lower the output pressure of the gas discharge to mitigate the energy in the resultant sound pressure wave. Firearm sound suppressors lower the pressure of the escaping propulsion gas by a combination of rapid expansion and compression of the gasses and losses attributed to geometry of the suppressor orifices. So would a straight through car muffler quiet a firearm shot? Absolutely. Just as automotive mufflers are different for each application; there is no “one size fits all” application firearm suppressor. The solution to effectively suppressing a firearm is to have the right tool for the job.

Silencer? What for?

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:26:00 GMT

Many of us are familiar with the convenience and enhanced utility of suppressed firearms. Those without a frame of reference regarding suppressor use often query as to why suppressor use is so convenient and preferable to unsuppressed use. Many wonder why it would be worth the time and expense to equip an otherwise functional firearm with a sound suppressor. There are a couple analogies that I find useful with regard to suppressors and how they relate to unsuppressed fire.

One way to describe the benefits of suppressors and rifles is to correlate them to the use of rifle optics (scopes). Until mid 20th century, optically sighted rifles were not common among the general population of rifle shooters. In the same way that scopes will enhance the capability of the marksman to aim the rifle, the suppressor can enhance the ability of the shooter to enjoy the shooting experience. Reduced recoil, muzzle blast, and impact on the environment are all value added items.

Another allegory that brings understanding to the issue is that of automobile mufflers. Ask the person to imagine driving their car on a daily basis with open headers (no muffler). If everyone did this, it would eventually become an accepted practice as would the need to utilize hearing protection when driving or being near a busy road. Imagine the local speedway sounds for the normal commute. Now, juxtapose that image with one of modern cars equipped with mufflers and tailpipes that allow conversation in a running car. The same effect can be realized with firearms when modern sound suppressors are used.

While a rod with an open exhaust sounds cool on the first start up in the shop, a ride to the next town will have you wishing for that muffler/suppressor/silencer.

Silencers: the only firearms that don’t expel a projectile. Works on your lawnmower as well as your rifle!