Pop goes the weasel…and the suppressed gun. When you suppress a gun, you are likely to run into one or two distinct types of pops. We have port pop and first-round pop. Both can be noticeable to the suppressed user and be downright annoying as a suppressed shooter. As someone who has recently gotten into suppressed shooting, I can’t help but be annoyed by the various pops.
“Pop” Goes the Suppressor
I wanted to know what they were, what causes them, and whether they could be prevented. Since I went on this “pop journey,” I figured I could share my journey with you. Let’s look at first-round pop and port pop and see if we can get it popping.
Port Pop
The easiest way to prevent port pop is to just shoot a manually activated gun. Single shots, bolt-actions, and lever-actions are examples of guns that won’t have port pop. The port that pops is the ejection port. It’s most noticeable on firearms with enclosed ejection ports. Rifles, in particular, are loud and annoying, and can even ring your ears.
I’ve run into this with my ARs in 5.56, which I expect, but also in the diminutive .22LR CP33. Port pop is the sound of gas exiting the ejection port as you shoot. Suppressors can increase this noise due to additional backpressure, and they make it more noticeable since they’ve cut the noise from your muzzle.
Port pop is tough to fix in most guns. The AR can be tuned to reduce it, but that’s solely due to the AR’s popularity and its modularity. According to silencer expert Jay from Pew Science, there are a few ways to manage port pop. He suggests an adjustable gas block, a heavier buffer, or even lengthened cam paths like the LMT-E.
With other guns, like the CP33, it’s a bit tougher since the gun isn’t as modular. Anything you can do to delay the bolt from opening can help, but the ability to do so might be rare.
First Round Pop
The other pop you have to deal with is first-round pop. This noise originates at the end of your barrel, and hearing it will depend a lot on your caliber and cartridge. If you’re shooting some massive magnum round, you aren’t likely to notice first-round pop. You’re more likely to hear it if you’re shooting a .22LR or other subsonic, quiet cartridge.
This pop annoys me a lot less than port pop because it only happens once. What’s happening is that your suppressor is full of air. When you shoot your gun, that air, which is cold, meets hot unburnt powder and gas. These gases meet and move, creating a noise. After the first round, it’s not really a problem.
Discreet Ballistics has released something called the PopStop. This connects between your gun and suppressor and allows you to flush your can with carbon dioxide via mini containers. I don’t care too much about first-shot pop, but it’s great to have a solution for any problem.
The Pop
Pops are a normal part of suppressor use. It’s annoying, but it’s understandable. Some pops are easier to solve than others, depending on the platform. With a little effort, you can reduce the pop, but like the music, you’ll probably just learn to live with it.
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