Anyone Made a moderator for shotgun

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Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
Been looking at making a moderator for shotgun and wondered anyone made one and how much difference it made , there are quite a few available new from .410 to 20 gauge fully moderated or partly, but as I already have these calibre guns thought it was pointless if I could do one that would work efficiently enough to do the job .
 

Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
I may me wrong here but isn't a moderator classed as a firearm (need to be recorded on your class one firearms licence)

Might be worth checking that before making one.
yes sorry you are wrong - section 1 means they have to be added to your licence , section 2 which includes shotguns means you can buy from a rfd or make and add to your own shotgun or buy from another certificate holder but the rfd option and buying elsewhere means F2F transaction whereas if you make your own you can buy raw materials but ONLY for your own use .
 

Chiseller

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 5, 2011
6,176
3
West Riding
I used to have a fully moderated 12g
With low noise (low powdered) shells , it was very effective . In a good breeze , the volume was akin to a hard hand clap.

The moderator would have been easy to replicate.....it was the holes in the barrel that I always thought risky.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Making one - no - in fact its pretty much bound to cost you more than a commercial one - not to mention the possibility of blowing your hand off if you are much out in your specs (like a couple of thou'). I assume you have a CNC machine - or at the very least a commercial grade milling machine? If not - why would you want to buy one for a single job? If you don't plan to buy the proper machinery - don't bother.

Red (who has both section 1 and section 2 moderators)
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
sorry to butt in but is this a silencer/suppressor because there are lots of diy silencers on the internet. It sounds just like no country for old men in my minds eye.
 

Shambling Shaman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 1, 2006
3,859
5
55
In The Wild
www.mindsetcentral.com
yes sorry you are wrong - section 1 means they have to be added to your licence , section 2 which includes shotguns means you can buy from a rfd or make and add to your own shotgun or buy from another certificate holder but the rfd option and buying elsewhere means F2F transaction whereas if you make your own you can buy raw materials but ONLY for your own use .

No problem, I just did not want you to fall foul of a technicality if it was classed as a class1.
 

Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
I used to have a fully moderated 12g
With low noise (low powdered) shells , it was very effective . In a good breeze , the volume was akin to a hard hand clap.

The moderator would have been easy to replicate.....it was the holes in the barrel that I always thought risky.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
yes designs vary and are most effective with subsonic shells as are rifles .
 

Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
Making one - no - in fact its pretty much bound to cost you more than a commercial one - not to mention the possibility of blowing your hand off if you are much out in your specs (like a couple of thou'). I assume you have a CNC machine - or at the very least a commercial grade milling machine? If not - why would you want to buy one for a single job? If you don't plan to buy the proper machinery - don't bother.

Red (who has both section 1 and section 2 moderators)
Ok Red who or where did you buy your section 2 moderator from (bearing in mind it has to be F2F deal ) its fairly easy for me to find and buy a new or preowned hushpower
shotgun of whatever calibre I want (.410 - 12) but to find a moderator in my RFD was quoted as being like rocking horse *hit let alone finding one s/h and some mods cost as much as buying a replacement gun such as the Baikal,s , I quite like the look of the Mossberg moderated shotguns but @ £600 in my local RFD its again a hefty purchase and as I don't know how quiet they are as opposed to the fully moderated guns might not be worthwhile .
 

Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
The Hushpower 410 conversion of a Mossberg 500 is just about the definition of quiet

Certainly quieter than a spring powered air rifle


Mossberg 500 Stealth .410 by British Red, on Flickr

Red
Is that with the subsonics or is it appreciably quieter with all loads ?
This is one of the guns I handled in 20 gauge at my RFD I found it quite nose heavy and hence unbalanced plus the £600 unbalanced my wallet !
I think these are proofed for up to 3" mag. loads in .410 cal , surely the moderators are just a tube with sound deadening materials encased within ?
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Ok Red who or where did you buy your section 2 moderator from (bearing in mind it has to be F2F deal ) its fairly easy for me to find and buy a new or preowned hushpower
shotgun of whatever calibre I want (.410 - 12) but to find a moderator in my RFD was quoted as being like rocking horse *hit let alone finding one s/h and some mods cost as much as buying a replacement gun such as the Baikal,s , I quite like the look of the Mossberg moderated shotguns but @ £600 in my local RFD its again a hefty purchase and as I don't know how quiet they are as opposed to the fully moderated guns might not be worthwhile .

Well now, where should I start?

I assume you are saying you want to fit a moderator to your existing Shotgun? Is your existing shotgun threaded for a mod? Is it ported? If not you are going to have to get all that done, and I suspect you will also need to get your gun re-proofed, and pay that above and beyond the cost of a moderator. You can't just jam a can on the end of a barrel - the barrel has to be threaded and maybe (but not necessarily) ported.

It is honestly far cheaper to let a commercial manufacturer take the pain out of the transaction. They will always be ungainly beasts once made so you aren't going to be shooting bouncing bunnies or pigeons on the wing with one - feeding rabbits and branchers for sure though. Given that you aren't going to be much worried about your swing or leading your quarry, a single shot Baikal is enough. You can get them for £300 or so. I paid more than that for a threaded section 1 can!
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Is that with the subsonics or is it appreciably quieter with all loads ?
This is one of the guns I handled in 20 gauge at my RFD I found it quite nose heavy and hence unbalanced plus the £600 unbalanced my wallet !
I think these are proofed for up to 3" mag. loads in .410 cal , surely the moderators are just a tube with sound deadening materials encased within ?

That's with bog standard Eley Fourlongs. Its not "quite" nose heavy - its an ungainly monster. But its damned quiet. You can have an unsuppressed one that swings beautifully - or even interchangeable barrels. You choose. If you want a can, you want it quiet. If you want a balanced gun to mount, swing and hit birds in the air, you don't want a suppressed shottie. Its a matter of "do one thing well"
 

Welshwizard

Forager
Aug 11, 2011
213
0
Abergavenny Wales
That's with bog standard Eley Fourlongs. Its not "quite" nose heavy - its an ungainly monster. But its damned quiet. You can have an unsuppressed one that swings beautifully - or even interchangeable barrels. You choose. If you want a can, you want it quiet. If you want a balanced gun to mount, swing and hit birds in the air, you don't want a suppressed shottie. Its a matter of "do one thing well"
What chokes are they available in or are they all full , I think he had a .410 in stock along with the 20 .
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
The 410 is full choke. But TBH if you are going after pigeon sized game, you wouldn't want an open choke on a 410 unless you planned to beat the bird to death with it!
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
The 410 is a bog standard Hushpower bought as a unit with the gun. Its simply too expensive and complex to set up a custom unit. I have bought in separate rifle moderators as they have standard threading and so forth. My latest is a Jet Z compact for my Scout rifle


Steyr Scout by British Red, on Flickr

Short answer - if you want a moderated shotgun, by a Hushpower or don't bother!
 

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