"D" == DeepDiver writes:

D "Don Foreman" wrote in message
D ...
I've read here that silencers are not compatible with revolvers.
The question of why that might be so has bugged me since I read it.
Why is that so? Does it have something to do with clearance between
cylinder (chamber) and barrel?

D Yup, that's exactly what it has to do with. Remember that all sound is
D simply pressure waves in an environmental medium (like air). The purpose of
D a supressor (the correct term for a "silencer") is to take the
D high-pressure, high-velocity gases at the muzzle (that are created by the
D buring cartridge propellant), and simultaneiously reduce their pressure and
D speed in a controlled manner to minimize the creation of sound pressure
D waves in the air. It cannot do that if the burning gases are escaping to the
D atmosphere at the cylinder gap.

Yes. One exception (there may be more) is the Nagant, which actually
moves the cylinder forward before firing to close this gap, and has
been fitted with silencers.

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