Make a silencer for MOST paintball guns/markers

if you've ever played paint ball, you know how annoying it is, when shooting at somebody, for them to immediately know where you are. This instructable details how to make a cheep silencer for most paint ball guns. I'm not sure how well it will work on other brands of paint ball guns. (EDIT)[Disclaimer: I Have been informed that this type of silencer is illegal because it could be attached to a firearm. This instructable is for demonstration purposes only! Do not attempt to build this silencer!

Step 1: Materials

PVC piping somewhat wider then your barrel, (mine was about 2 inches wide)
PVC piping just barely bigger then your barrel.
Hack saw.
Fiberglass insulation(get it from the celling in your basement.) BE CAREFUL, DO NOT BREATH ANY FIBERS IN, WEAR A MASK!!!! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY HEALTH PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM HANDLING FIBERGLASS INSULATION!!!
Black electrical tape
Pencil
Hobby/exact o knife
Cardboard.

Comments

[nepemex]

RELAX Guys! IF you ever try to instal something like this in a REAL gun ...it will blow in your face....so..bad guys give it a try...

[xXxMattThePossumxXx]

Alright you guys, I'm not dissing the author here but "silencers" are really not that advantageous on the paintball field, most of the noise comes from the bolt, not the barrel, I would like to see someone try to silence the bolt though

[Kindhamster]

it could be quite useful on a pump gun

[hnosari]

Could you use cotton

[grenades_and_ham]

just as a warning by batf standings. this is an illegal silencer unless it has been properly registered. even if its not even meant for an actual firearm its still illegal. sorry to burst your bubble. but i figured you ought to know

[120012]

that is both true and untrue the law states that a "silencer" (btw tru name is a suppresore it is impossoble to completely silence a gun:) ) But the law states that a silencer is anything that may suppresse a FIREARM that means aka the paintball gun is not a firearm there for it is legal. except on a acctual firearm. NY satae laws btw

[warspyder]

In Calinfornia anything that propels a projectile is defined as a firearm! That's just one of many reason I am so excited NOT to be living in that state anymore!

[Someguy44]

silencers are illegal on anything that uses a flammible propellant, co2 is higly flammible in mass quantities, just dont try it. The law is the law, and that is that.

[cantrell8]

co2 is not flammable there is a reason it is used in fire extinguishers.

[Paintballer98]

"co2 is higly flammable in mass quantities"

Paintball markers dont burn co2 to fire. They pressurize it then let a very small amount out.

[howdyboy2]

what ? co2 doesnt burn... AT ALL . in fact co2 is used in welding as an inert gas to keep the metal from oxidizing , which is burning . paintball guns use co2 because of the fact that it won't burn , therefore making it safe. your argument is invalid sir . It did

[davison112]

don't forget fire extinguishers.... they use co2

and someguy44, what the hell do you mean by "in mass quantities? ya mean if I throw a co2 tank into a fire it'll explode? that called pressurization, not flaming. And so this law could also ban auto mufflers because the exhaust sometime has fuel particles in it, which are flammable, but the muffler "suppresses" the sound of the exhaust coming out. I also get tht the silencer has to silence something that uses propellant to fire a projectile, which, if some idiot of a friend puts a "projectile" into the muffler, it's a fire arm? so now, I would have to ride around town, with a car without a muffler, then get busted for disruption of peace for not having a muffler.....

And, I know a guy who sent in a request for a license for a suppressor on his rifle to go hog hunting, and for the reason of use he put "i want to defend my house from zombies"... and the guy now has a silenced Dakota Longbow .30-06 rifle for hog hunting.......... So even if you sent a form, they'd accept it immediately,unless your criminal record was up, but normal paint ballers aren't effected by that...

they sell barrels with holes that make the gun really quiet..., even then just pack the cotton and build the silencer around that...., which would result in a shorter barrel, a quieter gun, and high mobility, perfect for a woodsball sniper....

[LiquidLightning]

The holes drilled in barrels are for the Carbon Dioxide to dissipate before the paintball leaves the barrel so that a huge cloud doesn't shoot out and obscure your vision.

[davison112]

:P I have a somewhat flash hider on mine that does that for me

but the holes do somewhat suppress it

[him9292]

The above is true. They are outlawed because they can be 'converted' to be used with a normal firearm

[Tecknojock]

They arn't illegal untill they have been converted though. Here is the evaluation of paintball silencers by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: Certain integral devices intended to diminish the report of paintball guns are not “firearm silencers” or “firearm mufflers” under the Gun Control Act of 1968 or the National Firearms Act. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has received requests from manufacturers of paintball guns for evaluation and classification of integral devices intended to diminish the report of a paintball gun. Specifically, the manufacturers have asked whether the device would be considered a “silencer” as defined in the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, and the National Firearms Act (NFA), 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53. The sample submitted is a paintball gun with a ported device attached to the barrel. The paintball gun uses compressed air to expel a projectile. The paintball gun has a barrel with a smooth bore 12 1/4 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. The barrel is permanently welded to the paintball gun. The section of the barrel that the device is attached to has an internal diameter of .68 inches and is ported with 20 openings. Ten of the openings are rectangular in shape and are approximately .430 inches wide and 1 inch in length. The other 10 openings are oval in shape and approximately .25 inches wide and 1 inch in length. Two end caps, each with a diameter of 1.5 inches, are permanently welded to the barrel at either end of the ported section of the barrel. A section of plastic tube approximately 8 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter covers the ported section of the barrel. It is attached by sliding over the paintball gun barrel and is held in place by two rubber “O” rings that are affixed to metal bushings. These metal bushings are permanently welded to the barrel, one toward the rear and one at the muzzle end of the barrel. The plastic tube, however, can be removed. To determine whether the ported barrel and outer sleeve would function as a silencer, it was removed by cutting with a hack saw. A threaded adaptor with tape wrapped around it was utilized so the device could be attached to a .22 caliber Ruger Mark II pistol. With the device attached, a sound meter test was performed, with five shots being fired with the device attached and five shots fired without the device attached. The testing indicated that the attachment of the device resulted in a 7.98-decibel sound reduction. The GCA defines the term “firearm” as: A.) any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; B.) the frame or receiver of any such weapon; © any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; or D.) any destructive device. Such term does not include an antique firearm. 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(3)©. The definition of “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(24) provides as follows: The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication. The NFA defines the term “firearm” to include any silencer as defined in section 921 of the GCA. 26 U.S.C. 5845(a)(7). The term “make” is defined in the NFA to include manufacturing, putting together, altering, any combination of these, or otherwise producing a firearm. 26 U.S.C. 5845(i). The paintball gun examined by ATF is not a “firearm” as defined, because it does not, is not designed to, and may not be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive and does not utilize the frame or receiver of a firearm. The sole issue presented is whether the ported barrel and outer sleeve are a firearm muffler or firearm silencer as defined in the GCA and NFA. The design characteristics of the ported barrel and outer sleeve are similar to those of conventional commercial silencers. The barrel is ported to allow the escape of gases from a fired round and the outer sleeve dampens or muffles the sound when a round is fired. Moreover, the sound meter test indicates a reduction of 7.98 decibels when the ported barrel and sleeve were attached to a .22 caliber pistol, which is consistent with the sound reduction resulting from the use of commercial silencers. Noteworthy, the definition of “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” requires that the device be one for diminishing the report of a portable firearm. The device under consideration is permanently attached to and an integral part of a paintball gun, which is not a firearm as defined in the GCA or NFA. The device cannot be removed from the paintball gun without destroying the barrel and rendering the paintball gun unusable. Under these circumstances, the integral device is not a firearm muffler or firearm silencer. However, once the device is cut from the paintball gun, it can be used to diminish the report of a firearm. As stated previously, the design characteristics of the device are consistent with those of commercial silencers, and testing indicates that the device functions to reduce the report of the firearm. Moreover, removal of the device from the paintball gun indicates some intention to utilize the device for something other than reducing the report of the paintball gun. Because the device will no longer be permanently attached to an unregulated item, and because of its silencer design characteristics, removal will result in the making of a silencer under the NFA and GCA. This is consistent with the definition of “make” in the NFA, as removal of the device results in production of a silencer. Making of a silencer by an unlicensed person for personal use does not require any license or notification to ATF under the GCA. However, under the NFA the making of a silencer must be approved in advance by ATF. Unlicensed persons must file an ATF Form 1, Application to Make a Firearm, pay a $200 making tax, and comply with all other provisions of the law prior to making the firearm. Approval of the Form 1 results in registration of the silencer to the maker. Subsequent transfers of the registered silencer must be approved in advance by ATF. Possession of a silencer not registered to the possessor, and a making or transfer that does not comply with the NFA and regulations are punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine of $250,000, or both. Held, a device for an unregulated paintball gun, having a permanently affixed, integral ported barrel and other components, that functions to reduce the report of the paintball gun is not a “firearm silencer” or “firearm muffler” as defined, as the device is not one for diminishing the report of a portable firearm. Held further, removal of the permanently affixed ported barrel and other components from a paintball gun is a “making” of a silencer under the GCA and NFA that requires advance approval from ATF. Date approved: October 12, 2005 Signed by: Carl J. Truscott Director

[seabananers]

alcohol tobacco and fire arms reminds me of rednecks

[LiquidLightning]

We have a "be nice" comment policy. Please be positive and constructive with your comments or risk being banned from our site.

[Paintballer98]

does it ever occur to you u that you've said that twice?

[xXxMattThePossumxXx]

(removed by author or community request)

[x133tx0n3x]

Not to be mean here, but have you considered that nobody cares? I went through the effort to make something, then publish that knowledge for others. Until you have made an instructable yourself, I suggest that you keep it to yourself.

[xXxMattThePossumxXx]

you're right, my apologies

[Tecknojock]

Paintball markers have been cleared of their firearm status, and silencers that only fit a paintball gun and have not been modified to fit a firearm are not under class 3 regulation.

[Hands Without Shadows]

So can a popcan..... I wouldn't be worried about it.

[ak49er]

So can a pillow and a potatoe.

[Kindhamster]

You're saying you can use a pillow or a potato as a suppressor?
There's this cool new thing, it's called Google

[grenades_and_ham]

well supposedly its posed to be a democracy where citizens make rules. but as you can see the majority of law abiding citizens will suffer because of the few who cant follow rules. but hey in australia there legal without a permit.

[LiquidLightning]

It is a democracy, these laws WERE voted into place by citizens.

[him9292]

Same as here in the states.
It is a 200 dollar tax stamp in order to own a suppressor.
The state you live in must allow them also.
Same goes for Short barreled guns and full auto or destructive devices, like artillary.
I am just warning you all since an illegal suppressor is a felony, which means you lose your right to vote, to own guns, and some other things.

[cantrell8]

What kind of gun is that?

[acesk8erboi]

but i find the law kinda stupid these days like serioustly its jsut pvc pipe its not like those real ones where they actually do silence really well if i ever became president or primeminister i would go easy on the non-crime commiting people anmak3e harsh laws for people who have done bad things because people shouldnt have to live the way criminals do

[LiquidLightning]

So your'e saying that if you were president you would individually see to each and every case and decide whether or not these are "non-crime committiing people"? The reason these laws exist is because if they didn't, those few people would take advantage of the fact and use them for the purpose it is outlawed for.

[grenades_and_ham]

no these laws were voted and decided by the lobbyist and the politicians who act as puppets for their appropriate parties. who in the good nature of representing their constituents have sold out to the political rat race.

[dkfa]

Yea...Like the law allows you to buy illegal fireworks but not set them off. Then theres is no point of buying them then....The law is weird.

[Whaleman]

Apparently, you can get a ticket for carrying an ice cream cone in your pocket (in Texas, at least). So I just decided I would choose which laws I obey (pretty much any law in the Bible).

[Paintballer98]

In Alaska its illegal to wake up a sleeping bear. (Im serious, not being sarcastic.)

[cantrell8]

Where I live: in Louisiana it is illegal to gargle in public.

[LiquidLightning]

That Is an extremely just law. What kind of sick, depraved person carries an ice cream cone in their pocket?! =D

[Billy mahony]

There are 10 commandments, and overs 2500 laws to enforce them, Thats messed up.

[LiquidLightning]

So you're saying that credit fraud should be legal? Those 2,500 laws exist for a reason. As times change, so do the rules that govern them. In the future, if we develop super ion cannons, should it be legal for everyone to be able to have an extremely destructive device in their backyard?