The first thing that the uninitiated who’ve only seen guns in movies might notice about guns in real life is that they’re loud — as in, incredibly loud.
And the concussive force coming from the muzzles of firearms, particularly the higher-powered calibers, is also something to behold. Or rather, something to be felt.
But for some, the usual ear-busting crack and concussive wallop that firearms produce on their own just isn’t enough.
They amp things up with “loudeners,” which are basically the opposite of suppressors — commonly called silencers — which are designed to quiet guns down.
‘We’d Never Stock Anything Like That’
Loudeners can be homemade, usually funnel-like devices attached to a gun’s muzzle aimed to amplify the sound of a gun firing.
There are a few commercially designed loudeners. Those are basically muzzle brakes on steroids, deliberately designed to maximize a firearm’s noise, concussion and muzzle flash.
Some Wyomingites told Cowboy State Daily that’s just pointless and stupid.
Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich said he’s baffled as to why anybody would want a loudener for a gun.
"I cannot fathom the reason why. My initial thought is this has to be overcompensation for something,” he said.
Art Huckfeldt, who works as Frontier Arms in Cheyenne, is also skeptical about the need for loudeners.
Customers also don’t seem eager to see them on the store’s shelves either, he said.
“We’d never sell something like that,” Huckfeldt said. “It’s not something we would ever stock. Nobody would buy it.”
Powered-Up Muzzle Brakes
For firearms enthusiasts, YouTube offers a wealth of content, from the highly informative to the downright cringeworthy.
Loudener gun videos probably belong in the latter category.
Some show highly questionable antics, such as attaching an engine oil funnel on the end of a .22 in an attempt to make it sound like a high-powered rifle.
A company hawking a commercial loundener in one video explains that expanding the size of a muzzle brake’s port (the open gaps on the side) cranks up the noise, flash and concussion.
Normal muzzle brakes have a legitimate purpose, said Scott Weber, owner of The Gunrunner Auctions in Cody.
They reduce the recoil, making magnum-powered rifles easier to shoot and keep on target for follow up shots, said Weber, who has gone on numerous Safari hunts in Africa.
In North America, muzzle brakes are popular with people who hunt with heftier calibers, such as the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum.
The brakes work by deflecting gasses coming from the gun’s muzzle through the ports and out to the sides.
That cuts back on the amount of recoil going back into the shooter’s shoulder, but it comes at the cost of making the gun louder, Weber said.
It also means that jets of muzzle blast gasses are pushed out to each side, he said.
With normal muzzle brakes, that’s manageable he said, although “you never want somebody standing off to the side when you’re using one,” he said.
A loudener muzzle brake, deliberately designed to push the noise and blast to the absolute max, is a bad idea, he added.
“I think it could become a liability issue, we’re talking about hearing health here,” he said.
Not to mention how the tremendous sideways concussion and muzzle gas blast slams into people on either side at a shooting range, Weber said.
A huge "loudener" attached to the barrel of a pistol. It's unclear if this is a legitimate attempt to amplify the sound of the gun firing or a parody of other attempts to put loudeners on guns. (Target World via Facebook) 
Snake Hound Machine makes a "loudener," desinged to amplify the sound of a firearm firing. (Snake Hound Machine via YouTube)
No Purpose
Ulrich said that while there is a purpose for making motorcycles louder — so it’s easier for vehicle drivers to hear them — there’s no sane reason for making guns louder.
“On motorcycles, loud pipes save lives. On a firearm, the only outcome I can see would be continued loss of hearing and annoying the hell out of anyone within earshot,” he said.
And if hunters used loudeners, it would just be embarrassing, he added.
“I do see a scenario when hunting,” Ulrich said. “You can at least let the entire hunt area know you missed your shot and scared away every living thing within an entire mountain range.”
Weber doesn’t think that loundeners will ever catch on with Wyoming hunters and shooters.
“The trend is the other way,” he said. “People are trending toward using suppressors to make their guns quieter and save their hearing. There are hunters and shooter who would never shoot a gun that isn’t suppressed.”
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
