Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-11
SILENT REvoLvERs IMPOSSIBLE
Hiram Maxim Says They Exist Only
in the Imagination.

life with a firearms silencer, writes
Hiram Percy Maxim in the Scientific
American, it seems worth while to
point out some little known informa-
ton on the subject
In the play a crook is supposed to
have acquired a pistol with a silencer
attached to it. He demonstrates it to
his friend by actually shooting al a
vase of flowers standing on table.
He smasheS the vase, or at least, the
vase is smashed, and there is no noise
from the pistol.
Later on, in committing a burglary,
he is betrayed by one of his supposed
pals. He shoots his betrayer noise
lessly with this pistol, while the Pc
lice are waiting in the next room, and
escapes The police are entirely ig-
norant OF what has occurred.
There are two forms of pistols in
use today. one is the revolver and
the other is the automatic pistol
These are the only hand arms which
can be secretcd and used by the law
breaker with any chance of ESCAPING
detection. Let us see what happens
wher We try 10 silence one Of thesa
weapons.
The revolver has a cylinder usually
carrying six cartridges. This cylinder
is revolved by pulling the trigger, the
cartridges being successfully brought
up to a position opposite the barrel
ready for firing. The loose joint be
tween the cylinder and the barrel is
jumped by the bullet. OF course, a Sc
rious gas leakage occurs at this joint
but we have grown accustomed To
this and never think OF it.
Now, suppose We attach Il siieneer
to the muzzle of this revolver The
silencer checks the powder gases and
holds them. Obviously, these gases,
imprisoned in the barrel and silencer,
make their escape at the joint between
the cylinder and the barrel already
referred to. Instead of there being It
fash of fire at the muzzle of the bar
rel, there is one at the joint. The
revolver makes as much noise with
the sileneer as without it.
The writer has had several interest
ing experiences in demonstrating this
matter before legislative bodies. \
few states have considered passing
laws prohibiting the Use of any de
vice for lessening the noise of fire.
arms. and in many cases the writer
has been asked To appear at hearings
and show why such laws are not only
based upon mistaken ideas, but also
why they would be harmful to our
many rifle and target shooters.
AT these hearings a rifle, revolver
and a Maxim silenccr have been used.
The siiencer was adapted SO it could
be fitted 10 a revolver or rifle. a box
of sand made safe bulletstop. The
rife wonld be fired with the silencer
to show that the silencer would ST.
lence. The device would then be
placed upon the revolver and one-half
of those present would be asked 10
tuln their backs and listen to the
shots, both with the silencer and
without and to say which was which.
Those not turning their backs were 10
see that the experiment vas free from
all question.
The revolver without tha silencer
would be cmptied into the sand box.
then reloaded, the silencer attached and
emptied again. Then the gentlemen
with backs turned would be asked
which WAS which. In no case has it
been the writer's experience that the
gentlemen were unanimous. Much
amusement has always followed, Why
any one should imagine that ii could
be silenced at the muzzle is sur
prising thing in itself.
Now lei us turn to the other small
arm, the automatic pistol. This wea-
pom is constructed so that when a cart
ridge is exploded the breech imedi-
ateiy opens. elects tire empty shell.
throws in the new cartridge ana closes
the breech again. TIE .eeoil performs
all these functions. Ii we attach a sill
encor to the muzZle of one Of these
automatic pistols the powder gases are
caught and imprisoned and when the
automatic breech opens these imprison-
ed, gases are released and blow out
backward, sometimes into the face of
the shooter. 1t makes a very danger-
Gus experiment and Should never be
attempted by those unfamiliar with
firearms.
This is why we have no murders by
crooks using silencers except upon the
stage. The only weapon with which the
silencer really works is the rifle But
even III the rifle there are several inn
portant limitations. These concern the
nJise made by bullet in its Hight
through space. This article is not quite
complete without reference to il. When
the rifle bullet travels at velocity less
than loo feet second its Hight is
noiseless, practically speaking. If,
however the velocity exceeds this
figure its Eight makes a noise sounding
precisely like the crack of Il Whiplash.
A bullet or a Whiplasie or any other
object moving through the air is like
boat sailing through the water. II
creates bow wave which traits off
10 the rear and outWardly. When the
velocity of bullet or other object cX-
ce@ds certain amount, this bow wave
begins to break, exactly the same as
the bow wave from Il boat breaks
When the boat exceeds its characteris-
tic speed The breaking of a water
wave seems to occur when the bullet
acquires the velocity OF sound. Any We
iocity below this appears To be quiet.
While any velocity above tins makes
the noise. The dividing line appears tn
he a very sharp one.
Thus even on a rifle 4 silencer cam
~ sKaN h. -. Il