WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SILENCER AND A SUPPRESSOR

Here's the truth Hollywood won't tell you: silencers and suppressors are the exact same device, but one inventor's marketing genius in 1902 created a century of confusion, legal debates and movie myths we're still untangling today. In this video, we break down why Hiram Percy Maxim called his invention the "Maxim Silencer," how that name captured imaginations but set unrealistic expectations, and why the U.S. government still uses "silencer" in legal documents even though it doesn't actually silence anything.​

You'll learn how the term "suppressor" emerged as the technically accurate alternative because these devices suppress sound by slowing down high-pressure gases through a series of baffles—they don't eliminate noise like the whisper-quiet "pew pew" you hear in spy movies. We explain the engineering: how expansion chambers work, why you get 20-40 decibel reductions (taking a 160dB gunshot down to jackhammer levels), and how pairing a suppressor with subsonic ammo gets you as close as possible to "silent" without ever truly getting there.​

We also cover why suppressors reduce recoil, why the firearms community uses both terms interchangeably today (the ATF says silencer, engineers say suppressor, gun owners say "can"), and why Maxim's original choice of words—whether marketing brilliance or genuine aspiration—created a legacy and debate lasting over a hundred years. If you've ever wondered why there are two names for the same piece of equipment or wanted to call out every action movie that gets it wrong, this video gives you the real story.​

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