I got a replacement moderator 3D printed by @miksatx. He only had long ones and so I asked if he could print the original drop in replacement.
That was last Friday. I got it today (Thursday) and installed it at lunch time. Thank you Mike!
Install process was very simple.
Step 1) Using a punch, knock the pins up from the bottom. You only need to get them far enough out to grab the knurled end with pliers (like shown below).
Step 2) Grab the pins and remove them. The end cap and the O-ring right behind it are now free and should fall out with a tap. Now reach in with a tool like a dental pick and pull the stock 2 part moderator out.
Step 3) Give a quick clean to remove any built up lead dust and then grab the new printed moderator and insert it. Place the O-ring back in and then the cap. Apply enough pressure on the end of the cap to align the holes by sight and drop in the pins.
Picture of stock and 3D printed moderator next to each other
Assembly/tool tip - I didn't have a punch small enough so I grabbed a nail and made it thinner on my grinding wheel. I also used the head of the nail to drive the pins back in until the head of the nail hit the plastic. Then I turned it around and used the pointy end to drive the pins home. This avoids driving the point of the punch into the housing and scratching the housing if you miss or have a glancing blow.
The biggest question....
Did it make a difference?
Yes, it's more quiet than it was.
How much? Well the pellet hitting the target is noticeably louder than it was before.
It sounds different enough that I can see why people want the longer version. If you want actual numbers search on GTA or here. I think it was Firewalker that did a dB comparison and found it was 5dB quieter than stock.
I'm happy. I wish I could use the longer one but I need it to look stock when I hunt public land (no moderators allowed that aren't part of the stock gun).
Oh yeah, for S&G's I shot it w/o any moderator. Now that was loud! Not .22lr loud but loud enough to want a moderator.
That was last Friday. I got it today (Thursday) and installed it at lunch time. Thank you Mike!
Install process was very simple.
Step 1) Using a punch, knock the pins up from the bottom. You only need to get them far enough out to grab the knurled end with pliers (like shown below).
Step 2) Grab the pins and remove them. The end cap and the O-ring right behind it are now free and should fall out with a tap. Now reach in with a tool like a dental pick and pull the stock 2 part moderator out.
Step 3) Give a quick clean to remove any built up lead dust and then grab the new printed moderator and insert it. Place the O-ring back in and then the cap. Apply enough pressure on the end of the cap to align the holes by sight and drop in the pins.
Picture of stock and 3D printed moderator next to each other
Assembly/tool tip - I didn't have a punch small enough so I grabbed a nail and made it thinner on my grinding wheel. I also used the head of the nail to drive the pins back in until the head of the nail hit the plastic. Then I turned it around and used the pointy end to drive the pins home. This avoids driving the point of the punch into the housing and scratching the housing if you miss or have a glancing blow.
The biggest question....
Did it make a difference?
Yes, it's more quiet than it was.
How much? Well the pellet hitting the target is noticeably louder than it was before.
It sounds different enough that I can see why people want the longer version. If you want actual numbers search on GTA or here. I think it was Firewalker that did a dB comparison and found it was 5dB quieter than stock.
I'm happy. I wish I could use the longer one but I need it to look stock when I hunt public land (no moderators allowed that aren't part of the stock gun).
Oh yeah, for S&G's I shot it w/o any moderator. Now that was loud! Not .22lr loud but loud enough to want a moderator.
