![]() Army purchased the majority of the SIONICS M14SS-1s, but the Navy also bought a few.įorty M14SS-1s went to the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam for combat evaluation in 1969. The valve couldn’t withstand the high gas pressures and WerBell eventually designed a simpler relief port. The early production models used the patented valve system, but these suffered failures owing to the valve acting as a heat sink and melting the valve’s spring. WerBell’s third patent, which he submitted in December 1970 and which the government granted in January 1973, incorporates a relief-valve system to reduce blow-back pressure when fitted to rifles and machine guns chambered in 7.62-by-51-millimeter.ĭesigned for the M-14, SIONICS’ M14SS-1 was 12.75 inches long and 1.7 inches in diameter. It claims the suppressors could work as “silencers for use in conjunction with firearms and as mufflers for internal combustion engines.” This second design includes some entry chamber variations but retains the helical baffle system. Interestingly, WerBell’s second patent mirrors legendary gun-designer Hiram Maxim’s own work in one weird way. The patent notes, however, that testing with just two oppositely-wound baffles achieved satisfactory results. WerBell’s patent also states “that more than five suppressor units may be used if desired” to increase the suppressor’s effectiveness. The patent explains that the suppressor’s housing varied in thickness in an effort to further deaden sound vibrations. The design’s baffles were inside the housing, alternately opposing each other in order to prevent the free-flowing of the captured gases. The suppression chamber was ported to allow propellant gasses to enter the helical baffles. Photo via the authorĪ stepped, axially-apertured partition separated the suppression chamber from the entry chamber. A SIONICS suppressor on a bolt-action rifle. It attached to the rifle’s muzzle by way of internal threads. The suppression chamber contained sets of helical metal baffles rather than the traditional wipes. The SIONICS M-16 suppressor featured a tubular housing filled with a series of entry, suppression and resonant chambers. Guns the company so modified included High Standard pistols, Remington bolt-action rifles, Ruger 10/22s and Smith & Wesson M76 submachine guns. SIONICS also adapted existing firearms to be compatible with suppressors. The company’s name SIONICS stood for “Studies in Operational Negation of Insurgency and Counter Subversion.” WerBell himself designed suppressors for the M-16 and M-14 and applied for his first patents in January 1968. After the OSS disbanded in September 1945, WerBell returned to the regular Army as a captain, but complained that the routine of commanding an infantry company was dull and soon resigned.ĭuring the 1950s, he worked in public relations and advertising before deciding to launch his own manufacturing company specializing in suppressors in 1966. He fought in Manchuria, Burma and Indochina, during which time he became familiar with the suppressed firearms that often featured in clandestine missions. WerBell became an expert in guerrilla warfare. Army, serving briefly as a second lieutenant with the Signal Corps before volunteering to join the newly-formed OSS in 1942. Office of Strategic Services operative Mitchell WerBell III founded a company dedicated to the development of cheap and efficient sound-suppressors for automatic weapons.įollowing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, WerBell had joined the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |