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A comment on “May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (1956).

Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by RandomBacon on Sunday April 19, 2020 @12:19AM (#22913483)
Interesting. Revolvers would be good for a spy as they don't eject shell casings, however they are quite loud, which led me to ponder: are there suppressors for revolvers?

I did a quick search, and the first result was very interesting!

https://www.guns.com/news/2019/08/08/gun-question-can-you-pu...

Edit: more interesting pictures https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/06/15/why-cant-revo...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by SamPatt on Sunday April 19, 2020 @02:32AM (#22914004)
Suppressors don't make any weapon quiet enough to be useful for hiding the sound of firing up close, as movies portray spies doing.

It's more about protecting your own hearing.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by avhon1 on Sunday April 19, 2020 @02:55AM (#22914100)
There are exceptions to every generalization, and this exception is pretty cool. The Welrod MkIIA is a semiautomatic pistol, designed for covert operations and assassinations, that is genuinely movie-quiet.

Ian McCollum (Forgotten Weapons) has an excellent video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12AjvEsaHg

"When it's properly set up, this is as close as you get to an actual `silent gun`. You can, by all accounts, be within about 15 feet of this thing and not recognize that a firearm has discharged."

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by reitzensteinm on Sunday April 19, 2020 @03:40AM (#22914254)
Note that it's still 122dB. That's quiet for a firearm, which is normally 140dB or more, but still louder than a car horn.

I think the proper way to read the quote is that you'll definitely hear the sound, but it won't necessarily be obvious that it has come from a firearm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welrod https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/Training/PPETrain/dbl...

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by roel_v on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:23AM (#22914597)
Wikipedia says 122db, but I don't think that's correct. Other sources say 73db, and describe the sound as less loud than that of the bullet impacting the woid of the target, at least with fresh baffles. (Too lazy to include links, first page google results)
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by reitzensteinm on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:45AM (#22914672)
Ah, Wikipedia also says that volume elsewhere in the article.

The linked Forgotten Weapons goes in to detail about the rubber seals, which the projectile pierces through when the weapon is fired.

The rubber partially reseals, but after a dozen shots or so the weapon degrades to the performance of a normal silenced pistol.

This probably explains the discrepancy. It is indeed very quiet, and my interpretation of the quote is wrong.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by topspin on Sunday April 19, 2020 @04:18AM (#22914369)
A modern equivalent based on an M&P 9mm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aljJ2jPTa1c&feature=youtu.be...

It is Hollywood quiet.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by IshKebab on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:40AM (#22915809)
You can't really tell volume from a youtube video for obvious reasons.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by quickthrowman on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:51AM (#22915886)
You can’t tell the SPL from a YouTube video but you can clearly tell the silencer reduces the attack and sustain of the gunshot noise by a substantial degree. It also doesn’t echo as much.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by topspin on Sunday April 19, 2020 @05:12PM (#22918825)
That's obviously the point of the progression from unsuppressed to maximum suppression; to convey the relative amplitude.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by rtkaratekid on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:26AM (#22915730)
That was insanely quiet. I’ve never heard a suppressor that quiet before!
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by emilfihlman on Sunday April 19, 2020 @06:58AM (#22914943)
>The Welrod MkIIA is a semiautomatic pistol

It's not. It's a manually operated pistol.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by pachico on Sunday April 19, 2020 @03:01AM (#22914117)
I recognized the name because of some video games I played in the past.
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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by hutzlibu on Sunday April 19, 2020 @04:42AM (#22914451)
In the game Rainbow Six, there was the description of the MP5SD a mp with integrated silencer and it was said, that it is only as loud as a click from a pen. I always believed that, because the game had a focus on realism, but 120+ DB is more close to reality and a bit louder.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by battery_cowboy on Sunday April 19, 2020 @04:51AM (#22914487)
An old colleague had a silenced .22 with sub-sonic rounds and it still sounded loud as fuck without hearing protection (we were dumb young people), but more like a car horn next to your face than an explosion, so my hearing is probably OK.

I also remember that game and the "pen click" description and I thought when he fired it the .22 would just click like that!

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by zepvz on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:26AM (#22915731)
While suppressors do not make the weapon quiet, the firearm could be outfitted with subsonic ammunition which by itself is very nearly silent[1] even with larger rifle calibers[2]. Though to be fair the ballistics on subsonic ammunition doesn't even compare to supersonic ammunition which is why they see little practical use. But for a 007 type character who normally engages in very close range that should make complete sense.

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fb8CLXll9I

[2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTdMr8tdL4I

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by fasthandle on Sunday April 19, 2020 @06:36AM (#22914840)
Spies should carry crossbows more. They're pretty quiet.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by AndrewOMartin on Sunday April 19, 2020 @07:21AM (#22915052)
But still reasonably loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ciIy3rqVh8
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by Gravityloss on Sunday April 19, 2020 @10:25AM (#22916118)
So a traditional hunting bow instead. Or a blowpipe with poison darts.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by umvi on Sunday April 19, 2020 @01:00PM (#22917139)
How fast does the poison act? I bet I could make a lot of noise if I felt a dart hit my neck
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by chewz on Sunday April 19, 2020 @08:02AM (#22915291)
Silent But Deadly: Welrod Mk IIA

https://youtu.be/d12AjvEsaHg

MR73 Sniper Revolver in .357 Magnum

https://youtu.be/P1zEUGck8NE

Forgotten Weapons is great YT channel...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by chiph on Sunday April 19, 2020 @08:46AM (#22915539)
I've shot a Manurhin MR73 (not the 8" model featured, but a 4" one) and it's a really nice revolver. The action is smoother than a S&W but not as good as a Python. However the Manurhin will likely last longer than either.

So far as suppressing a revolver, the cylinder gap lets gases escape so it's not as quiet as it could be. An exception is the Nagant M1895 which another poster mentioned. It's ammunition will seal the gap to prevent the escape of gases. However it's truly horrendous trigger pull (12 lbs/5.5 kg for single action, 20 lbs/9.1 kg for double action) means that even James Bond would have difficulty in using it.

To give you an idea of how bad that is, find a 12 lb object in your house, suspend it from a string, then attempt to lift it by just curling your index finger.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by Marsymars on Sunday April 19, 2020 @11:11AM (#22916411)
> To give you an idea of how bad that is, find a 12 lb object in your house, suspend it from a string, then attempt to lift it by just curling your index finger.

Was curious so gave this a try with 20 lb, and it was tough, but not egregiously so.

Of course, I'm a climber during normal times, and my current routine has devolved to just hangboard training and gymnastic ring work.

And for reference, a 24-pack of 355 ml beer cans is 20 lb, if you're looking for appropriate household objects.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by thatguy0900 on Sunday April 19, 2020 @04:24PM (#22918504)
It's made worse when you're trying to do that while also trying to keep a steady aim, as well.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by pps43 on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:19AM (#22915692)
> are there suppressors for revolvers?

There is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTs-38_Stechkin_silent_revolve...

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Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by ganzuul on Sunday April 19, 2020 @06:02AM (#22914713)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagant_M1895

It pushes the cylinder forward against the barrel and the casing is longer than the bullet, entering the barrel to form a seal.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:“May I suggest that Mr. Bond be armed with a revolver?” (... by rangibaby on Sunday April 19, 2020 @09:09AM (#22915654)
The “hush puppy” pistol had a lock to stop the slide moving at all.
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