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1911 good suppressor host platform?

21K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  AndyC 
#1 ·
I am thinking about putting together a 9mm 1911 suppressor host. I have a small light micro can with no decoupler and it will not function on my regular poly hosts. I was thinking maybe the 1911 might be a good candidate because of the way the barrel falls. On my poly in guns, the lower lugs guide the back of the barrel down in a straight line, where the 1911 swings the barrel down in an arc. I feel like that might aid in cycling. Any thoughts here?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Yes, your guns with tilting barrels like Glocks, need an intertia enhancer such as the LID system on Gemtech cans. Your 1911 does not need one. You may have to play around with recoil spring rates if the gun wasn't designed as a suppressor host, but other than that, 1911s can run with most cans. Any that I have tried, anyways. Good luck!
 
#18 · (Edited)
This is not accurate. The 1911 is one of the only pistols you do NOT need a booster to run a suppressor. See my post above.
Sorry, but it is accurate. As Joe Chambers says below:

If you try running a 1911 without a Nielson device you will not only have a gun that doesn't function very well but one that will soon have a damaged slide and barrel...coming from someone who has actually seen and fixed these mistakes. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably has little experience in the matter.
Now, if you want to take on not only me but a world-class pistolsmith in this matter, go ahead.

Edit: Perhaps a word from AAC will do; you might have heard of them - they've manufactured a few suppressors in their time:

What are boosters and Nielsen Devices?

Firearms utilizing the Browning tilting barrel design, during the cycle of operation, require that the barrel tilt upwards at the muzzle. The shorter the barrel, the more exaggerated the angle of the tilt. Putting weight on the muzzle end of the pistol is like adding weight to the end of a seesaw. The chamber end of the barrel locks into the slide and the weight of the silencer cams pressure upwards. When the pistol is fired with weight at the muzzle end, these types of handguns (including 1911s, Glocks, Sigs, M&Ps, and most popular brands/designs on the market) have trouble unlocking. If they do manage to successfully unlock, they will have trouble lifting the weight of the silencer and cycling properly.

A Nielson type device, like the Advanced Armament A.S.A.P. (Assured Semi-Auto Performance) system, assists the pistol and allows for reliable function. The A.S.A.P. system consists of an action spring and a piston that is threaded to mate up with the host weapon’s muzzle threads.

As the projectile enters into the silencer, the expanding gasses behind it impact the baffles. As the baffles slow, redirect, and cool the gases, the pressure behind them force the silencer forward, like the wind hitting an umbrella you are carrying. This momentarily relieves the weight on the end of the barrel, giving the barrel enough time to unlock and cycle reliability, before the action spring snaps the silencer back into place, ready for the next shot.
http://www.advanced-armament.com/20-What-are-boosters-and-Nielsen-Devices_df_54.html
 
#9 ·
Full size and commander .45s and Full size and commander 9mm. (And a GSG 1911-22, though we won't count that) Of those they were Remington, Sig Scorpions and Kimbers. Gemtech Blackslide, GM-45 and Tunda, AAC Tirant and EVO-45 (fitted with fixed barrel spacers). Side note, firing a fixed barrel gun such as a Colt 9mm AR with a boosted suppressor is bad for the gun, don't do it.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
As I said before, as you would be retro fitting a threaded barrel to an existing piece, you will want to play around with your recoil spring weights to ensure functionality. Once that is done, however, the gun will run as reliably as it did without a can on it. Just be prepared to clean it often. One of these guys lives next to my bed with a GM45 hanging on it. I would and do trust my life that it will work.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the info guys. I am trying to decide between a commander length RIA 9mm double stack 1911 or a Beretta 92FS Compact. (Overall length and height is a factor here.) I know the 1911 platform pretty well and am very comfortable shooting it. Not so much experience with the Beretta... going to have to work on that. I already have the can, but am having trouble finding a gun to cycle it properly.
 
#16 ·
If you try running a 1911 without a Nielson device you will not only have a gun that doesn't function very well but one that will soon have a damaged slide and barrel...coming from someone who has actually seen and fixed these mistakes. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably has little experience in the matter.

I run a couple of different cans in 9mm/.38super and .45acp on a number of 1911's. Every can maker I have ever talked to says you need a Nielson device on a 1911...including GemTech.
 
#19 ·
AndyC, I certainly wasn't trying to "take on" anybody.

Like I said above, I must have had good luck with my guns and suppressors. One gun of mine in particular, a Remingtion R1 enhanced, has fired thousands of rounds through an unboosted .45 can without event. I'm no pistol smith, and I'm sure one with a reputation like Mr. Chambers' has seen more pistols beat up by suppressors than I have. I certainly apologize if I came off as though I was trying to be an expert on the subject. I was just relating my experiences.

To answer the original OP, I'd say that whoever made the can will be able to tell you exactly what it takes to run their product on any platform. Good luck!
 
#21 · (Edited)
I certainly apologize if I came off as though I was trying to be an expert on the subject. I was just relating my experiences.
No apologies needed, mate - I just wanted folks to see why boosters are typically needed.

Thanks for the great discussion guys. Andy- AAC has made more than a few suppressors. They are actually one of the more renowned manufacturers!
My British penchant towards understatement doesn't travel well on the internet, I guess ;)
 
#20 · (Edited)
Thanks for the great discussion guys. Andy- AAC has made more than a few suppressors. They are actually one of the more renowned manufacturers!

I would still like to hear about first hand experience with small cans designed to be used without decouplers. (What has been referred to here as boosters, Nielsen devices, etc) Theoretical mechanical discussion on would be a close second!

Remember, the large cans are twice the weight and length than the small cans!
 
#24 ·
I have not had the pleasure of using a micro can. However I can't imagine the principle problem would change, that being weight added to the muzzle which causes the barrel to want to stay up in the back when the gun is fired. The person I would probably ask myself would be Joey Harris at GemTech. I'll ask him when we speak in the near future and see what he says.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Okay maybe I will debate a little here to foster discussion. The micro can is 4" long and less than 4 ounces heavy. That means half as much leverage on the barrel and half as much weight as a regular can. How does that compare to a compensator on a 1911? I have no experience with them, but it looks like it is dead weight hanging on the end of the barrel. Are they steel? Maybe the micro can is more like a compensator than it is full length suppressor?

Are compensators also bad for 1911s... accelerated wear, damage, etc?

Just a thought worth mentioning and considering... and discussing.
 
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