CLEANING SILENCERS

Use of silencers by public authorities is long established and they are increasingly being used by hunters as well. As for the gun itself, to maintain the functionality of its silencer and prevent it from becoming damaged, regular cleaning is required.

Combustion gases, soot and unburnt powder settle on the lamellas and inner walls of the silencer and form a rough surface. This results in optimal conditions, for subsequent oxidation, which negatively influences lifespan as well as silencing performance and which, in the worst case scenario, leads to a detonation of the non-burnt propellants that have collected in the silencer.

Cleaning a dismountable silencer is relatively uncomplicated. After the disassembly, the individual components are sprayed with or placed in gun oil. After an appropriate application time, a post-treatment is performed with the brush. If a satisfactory result has been achieved, the silencer is degreased – with the Ballistol gun part cleaner, for example – and put back together again.

Of course, in the case of dismountable models, the screw connections must also be cleaned regularly and lubricated again with assembly pastes. Here, GunCer Ceramic Gun Grease does an extremely good job.

On the other hand, cleaning an enclosed silencer is far more difficult. Even placing it in gun oil for days or using an ultrasonic bath often does not produce the desired effect. Here, it is helpful to use the silencer cleaner from BALLISTOL.

Depending on the degree of soiling, simply fill the locked silencer with this effective soot releaser and leave it a minimum of two hours - ideally 24 hours - in the gun cabinet to take effect; the silencer should be placed in a glass or dish for safety reasons. Instead of laborious scrubbing with the brush, the Ballistol silencer cleaner loosens the soiling. After the cleaner has been poured out, the silencer is simply half-filled with water to rinse it, locked again and shaken.

The residues in the rinsing liquid give evidence of the good cleaning result. In the event of particularly stubborn soiling, it helps to use a bottle brush. The application time is reduced markedly if the cleaner bath is heated up to approximately 30°C–40°C. Subsequently, the silencer needs only be dried and the existing threads perhaps oiled or greased slightly.