Patent ID: 8104394

Claim:
A method of suppressing a muzzle blast from an end of a gun barrel, comprising: providing a suppressor device attached to the end of the gun barrel, the suppressor device having a suppressor bore aligned with a longitudinal axis of the gun barrel and a plurality of longitudinally extending prongs disposed about the suppressor bore, each prong having an inner surface proximate the suppressor bore and being spaced apart from adjacent prongs by longitudinally extending slots; generating the muzzle blast from the end of the gun barrel; at least partially receiving the muzzle blast from the end of the gun barrel into the suppressor bore; expanding at least a portion of the muzzle blast into at least one circumferentially-extending expansion groove disposed within one or more of the inner surfaces of the plurality of longitudinally extending prongs disposed about the suppressor bore; and expanding at least a portion of the groove-expanded gas through at least one longitudinally-extending slot disposed to receive the at least a portion of the groove-expanded gas directly from an end of the at least one circumferentially-extending expansion groove, the at least one longitudinally-extending slot having first and second non-parallel longitudinal sidewalls; wherein the at least one circumferentially-extending expansion groove and the at least one longitudinally-extending slot having first and second non-parallel longitudinal sidewalls reduce the flash due to the muzzle blast.