Airsoft Suppressors and Silencers - Do they work?
Suppressors and silencers have always been a point of contention in the Airsoft community. Some argue they do nothing, and others swear by them, but what is the truth behind the "forbidden popsicle"?
When considering how well a suppressor will work on your chosen platform you will need to consider the source of the noise, and whether it can be dampened via the muzzle of the gun or not. Some platforms take really well to suppressors, to the extent that you will be hard-pressed to find one which isn't rocking a can, but for others, the suppressor does little to alter the sound the Airsoft gun makes, and as such is more about the looks.
In this guide, we will cover the most prominent Airsoft gun platforms by power source and give you the low down on our experience with how effective adding a suppressor to them actually is in-game, both for the shooter and those on the receiving end. If you want to Airsoft like Sam Fischer, and drop the enemy with a well-placed shot without alerting his nearby mate, this guide will get you one step closer!
Suppressors on Airsoft AEG Rifles
When it comes to the staple of Airsoft skirmishing, the Airsoft Electric Gun, Suppressors are more about looks than functionality. The muzzle report of an AEG will be dampened slightly with a foam-filled suppressor but since the noise emitted by an AEG comes primarily from the gearbox and motor the addition of a suppressor will do little to muffle the overall sound coming from your AEG.
If you want your AEG to quieten down the best method is to install a brushless motor, Sorbothane pad, a silent piston head and cylinder head. This should reduce the gearbox noise as much as is possible for AEG platforms, though P90 AEGs and certain others are capable of being further silenced with sound-dampening foam placed inside the body, surrounding the gearbox. This is a serious modification, and can cause overheating issues if it isn't done right, so save this one for the experts and those who can live with the risks!
The best use of a suppressor on an AEG rifle is to conceal an extended inner barrel for some extra range and accuracy or to house a tracer unit. If you want to sneak around and land hits on the enemy unnoticed, there are better tools for the job. If you are building a particular rifle setup with a suppressor, like the lovely VSS Vintorez to the right, don't let this put you off! The effectiveness of the suppressor comes second to its looks, as is often the case with all things Airsoft, and who is defining effectiveness anyway? What is effective is what works for you, and if you want to crawl around like Spetsnaz with a VSS, the fact that is no quieter than an M4 should not get in the way!
Suppressors on Airsoft GBB Pistols and Rifles
Similarly to an AEG, the noise emitted from GBB pistols and rifles is primarily action noise i.e the slide/bolt reciprocating with each shot, meaning suppressors do little to make them quieter other than muffling the muzzle report slightly. This will have some effect as it takes the pitch of the muzzle report down from a "crack" to a less audible, dull "thud", though the "thud" will be drowned out by the "CLANK-CLANK" of your slide/bolt operating.
Gas blowback weapons with suppressors are less audible at range than an AEG, but still not quiet enough to truly offer an in-game advantage. Suppressors on GBB rifles and pistols are best used for providing an elite special forces look to your rifle, and in the case of GBBRs, to hide an extended inner barrel (watch your FPS with long-barreled GBBRs though!). The pair of VORSK VX-9s to the left show what a difference a suppressor can make to the look of your pistol, turning a relatively pedestrian 1911 pistol into a hitman special. This is a suppressed GBB pistol at its peak!
No one buys a GBB Airsoft gun because it is quiet, and you shouldn't be the first! The GBB experience is underlined by the violence of the action, the thunderous noise from firing and the jarring recoil. A GBB pistol that was truly quiet just wouldn't be right, as the "chop-chop-chop" from a GBB as it does its thing is what makes them such fun Airsoft guns to use.
Suppressors on Airsoft Non-blowback Pistols
Airsoft suppressors really come into their own when used on non-blowback pistols, particularly when they are the foam-filled variety. Because of the lack of a moving slide and the simplicity of the NBB action there is practically no noise from the mechanical aspects of the pistol to give your position away. What will alert the enemy is the "crack" from the muzzle as each shot is fired, but this can be muffled easily with a suppressor.
NBB pistols are not common, and many are cheap and not up to the task of skirmishing without heavy modification. The notable exception is the Tokyo Marui MK23 SOCOM and the ASG MK23, as well as to a lesser extent the ASG MK1 and MK2 NBB pistols. The MK23 pistols are incredible performers, with the Tokyo Marui taking top spot due to its included foam-filled suppressor, but the ASG MK23 follows close behind, being capable of impressive performance and near-silent operation with a foam-filled suppressor added, or with the included suppressor modified to have foam inside. The MK1 and MK2 also have decent potential, but require modification to mount a threaded suppressor, and are limited in range by their fixed HOP-up system.
If you want the quietest Airsoft gun in existence, and the only platform that sees a major improvement in performance with a suppressor added, you will want a MK23. The Tokyo Marui is the best one out there, but the ASG can be made to perform similarly if you know what you're doing. With a suppressor fitted these pistols are quieter than a discrete fart, and that is no exaggeration! We have experienced it, and have heard stories from others of MK23 users getting hits, and then having the enemy team nearly step on them as they simply cannot pinpoint the location of the shooter.
Suppressors on Airsoft Bolt-action Sniper Rifles
Bolt action sniper rifles can see some benefit to using a suppressor, as the noise from a bolty comes purely from the muzzle report. Gas-powered bolt actions will have a greater advantage here due to the lessened action noise when compared to a spring-powered sniper rifle, though the springer still gets a decent benefit.
We don't have a decibel reader here at PB, though we can describe the difference in muzzle report between a suppressed and unsuppressed sniper rifle. Sniper rifles are already inherently quiet, due to the lack of a noisy motor and gearbox, though due to their increased power they tend to have more of a "pop" at the muzzle. Adding a suppressor will deaden this sound and make the location of the shooter harder to discern, though this advantage is much greater the further away from the enemy you are. A spring-powered sniper rifle will never be as quiet as an NBB MK23, and this is why many snipers carry this pistol as a sidearm.
When it comes to HPA, CO2 and gas-powered sniper rifles the benefit increases due to the lack of a spring-loaded piston which shoots forward with every shot and impacts the cylinder head with considerable force. The power behind a gas sniper rifle comes from the pressure of the gas, which means each shot will be quieter and working the bolt will be easier and require less movement. The balancing factor of this is that accuracy at range tends to be less with gas-powered sniper rifles due to the "cooldown effect", though this can be mitigated by regulating how fast you fire.
So, now you know! The lower the proportion of noise emitted by an Airsoft gun from the muzzle, the less effective a suppressor or silencer will be. If you are using an AEG a suppressor will be best used for the aggressive suppressed look, and for housing a tracer unit or an extended inner barrel. The same applies for GBB pistols and rifles, though they will be slightly harder to hear at long range with a suppressor mounted.
If you want to sneak and get your hits in at the same time, a non-blowback pistol such as a TM MK23 or ASG MK23 SOCOM or a bolt action sniper rifle would be your best bet, with gas-powered sniper rifles edging slightly ahead of their spring powered equivalents in the quest to give the enemy the silent treatment.
If you are planning on mounting a suppressor but do not know what thread adapter you need, check out our guide on Airsoft Barrel Threading for more information. If you aren't sure about your options when it comes to tracer units and suppressors you will probably also find our Suppressors Buying Guide useful!
If you have the intel you need and you are ready to kit your primary or sidearm out for sneaky beaky duties, click the button below to see our Suppressors and Tracer Units!