Donny FL this and Donny FL that... are they quieter than other brands?

NoLandBeyond sums it up great. You can easily google db readings compared to other moderators. All these replies quick to say how much they like Donny and his products should say a lot also. I have never seen a bad word about him or his products( I mean other than the fella that sounds mad Donny does not have cash laying around for a production facility(yet)). I have a shroud and LDC on my impact and like them for quality, fit, looks, quieter sound. Hes great to deal with, communicates fast, and ships fast, plus he is an active supporter of the airgun community which is obviously good for business but not many vendors make an effort to connect like he does.



Yes

Hatsans are loud in general but here is a DonnyFL Emperor on my Bully .30 cal, I think it speaks for itself. Had to laugh when I moved my chrono the front diffuser just broke, guess things like that happen with age.

I keep reading about Donny FL moderators. Can someone please explain what the claim to fame is all about?



Are they quieter than other brands? Less expensive than other brands? What is it?

Click to expand...

His claim to fame?

~ He was just a regular guy who was active on different airgun forums with the same passion that we all share. He started experimenting with different materials and making his own moderators for personal use. Forum members started reaching out to him to purchase his moderators because they were effective. 

Are they quieter than other brands?

~ I only have experience with one of Neil Clague's LDC's and several of DonnyFL's moderators. I can't speak for the rest (Hugget, Rocker1, Trident, Roy Katsan LDC). The Neil Clague LDC I have is one of his standard models for .22cal which is 1.17"×8" with satin finished aluminum front and rear end caps that are epoxied to the carbon fiber sleeve.

There is no way to take it apart to perform maintenance without risking damage to the LDC because of the epoxy. Neil also offers the same model but in all aluminum which I believe is black powder coated. Sound reduction is very effective with Neil's LDC. I would compare it with Donny's Sumo and Koi.

Neil Clague LDC:







DonnyFL

From left to right; Fatboy, Tanto, Sumo, and Koi:





Less expensive than other brands?

~ I paid $120 for Neil's LDC not including PayPal fee. Neil does mostly custom shrouds and moderators and price may vary. You can look up Donny's Moderators on his website for pricing. I believe Huggets are $200 and up.

What is it?

~ With DonnyFL, it's multiple factors that ticks all the boxes in why I support him. His website is easy to navigate, shows IN STOCK items, and is easy to order from instead of using PayPal. His customer service is top notch. Donny will answer your questions in a timely matter.

He sometimes throws in free items in your order even if you didn't ask him to or if you were willing to pay for it. Fast shipping. Donny gets em' out quick. Neil took almost 3 weeks to get my order in but I knew that when I first placed my order. Ease of maintenance. You can take apart Donny's moderators and try different sound absorbing materials.

I have some 1 inch and .5 inch High Density Foam sheets coming in from Amazon to experiment with. Donny is constantly coming up with new designs and updates the mass via Instagram, Facebook, and his website of course. The fit and finish on Donny's moderators are top notch. Aesthetics are pleasing to the eyes as well.

Donny offers multiple adapters with different thread patterns on his site. I was almost overwhelmed when I saw them but at least it's there for you to choose from. He can also do custom adapters at your request. 

I know Neil has a lot of custom shrouds/LDC designs that he has done but I don't get to see them unless someone post them in one of the forums. Neil was a little kind of brash when I was communicating with him via email. It's okay, I'm thick skinned.

Just for everyone's info, this is not a Neil Clague bashing reply. I would still order from him because I believe his products are effective. This is just my experience with two companies I've had a chance to deal with.

Jude

LDC = Lead Dust Collector

Thanks so much everyone for the input!



Just two questions remain 



1) What does LDC stand for?

2) The larger the moderator, the greater the sound suppression? (Other factors being relatively constant.)

Click to expand...

2) Yes, the suppressor contains the sound from high pressure gas (air) escaping. A larger volume gun requires a larger volume suppressor.

Thanks so much everyone for the input!



Just two questions remain 



1) What does LDC stand for?

2) The larger the moderator, the greater the sound suppression? (Other factors being relatively constant.)

Click to expand...

1) Like Imold said, LDC: Lead Dust Collector. The abbreviation LDC has been used so as not to attract attention from regulation instead of saying "Silencer", "Moderator", "Suppressor".

2) Yes. The larger the internal volume, the greater the suppression. For some people who want the ultimate in sound suppression, they are willing to accept a larger LDC at the end of their rifle. For others, they want a balance of sound suppression, compactness, and weight depending on which one they are willing to give up.

You also have to take into consideration of who the airgun manufacturer is because some of their shrouds, bore, and bore to shroud alignment is not true (straight) which can cause clipping and extreme point of impact changes especially if the LDC weighs a ton. Some don't want a long and massive LDC hanging from the end of their rifle/bullpup for certain scenarios such as hunting. 

Depending on but a LDC usually will fit 177, 22, 25 and .30 just need different adaptors. Not sure that’s a norm but for most it is.

Thanks so much everyone for the input!



Just two questions remain 



1) What does LDC stand for?

2) The larger the moderator, the greater the sound suppression? (Other factors being relatively constant.)

Click to expand...

1) Like Imold said, LDC: Lead Dust Collector. The abbreviation LDC has been used so as not to attract attention from regulation instead of saying "Silencer", "Moderator", "Suppressor".

2) Yes. The larger the internal volume, the greater the suppression. For some people who want the ultimate in sound suppression, they are willing to accept a larger LDC at the end of their rifle. For others, they want a balance of sound suppression, compactness, and weight depending on which one they are willing to give up.

You also have to take into consideration of who the airgun manufacturer is because some of their shrouds, bore, and bore to shroud alignment is not true (straight) which can cause clipping and extreme point of impact changes especially if the LDC weighs a ton. Some don't want a long and massive LDC hanging from the end of their rifle/bullpup for certain scenarios such as hunting.

Click to expand...

Peskadot... thanks very much for the detailed reply! Really helps my understanding, greatly.

Might one use an LDC for a .25 cal on a .22 to ensure no clipping occurs? Or, are the LDCs made to fit just a single caliber interface?

Click to expand...

No problem. Donny recommends that you go one size larger than your intended caliber. Most people say that you can't tell the difference between the same model .25cal moderator and .22cal version. All my moderators are the .25cal versions but I only own two .22cal PCP airguns. I am currently saving for a .25cal and I will have the option to use my current moderators when I do get the rifle/bullpup.

For those of you who have not made these, the number of internal baffles, the size of the through hole through the baffles, the volume of each chamber all contribute to the effectiveness of the sound suppression the device offers. Further to the evaluation of different devices, the location of the measuring tool in relation to the device as well as the device itself make huge differences. So, for a meaningful comparison, the same sensor and the same location relative to the gun must be used. As most of you know these things modify the signature of the emitted sound as well as reduce the overall volume. In that sense, device volume plays the most important role. The greater the volume the lower the signature frequency. Lastly, I don't think using felt or other sound absorbing material on the inside makes any difference either. In conclusion, threads like this one offers little value to the reader. Everything is opinion and that's hugely subjective.

For those of you who have not made these, the number of internal baffles, the size of the through hole through the baffles, the volume of each chamber all contribute to the effectiveness of the sound suppression the device offers. Further to the evaluation of different devices, the location of the measuring tool in relation to the device as well as the device itself make huge differences. So, for a meaningful comparison, the same sensor and the same location relative to the gun must be used. As most of you know these things modify the signature of the emitted sound as well as reduce the overall volume. In that sense, device volume plays the most important role. The greater the volume the lower the signature frequency. Lastly, I don't think using felt or other sound absorbing material on the inside makes any difference either. In conclusion, threads like this one offers little value to the reader. Everything is opinion and that's hugely subjective.

Click to expand...

The man asked for opinions and that's what he got. DonnyFL get's the greatest number of positive opinions every time for good reason.

I use a 25 cal silencer for all cal 177 22 25

The man asked for opinions and that's what he got. DonnyFL get's the greatest number of positive opinions every time for good reason.

Click to expand...

Excuse me. The OP did NOT ask for opinions. Please read the title .......again. What the man asked for is not what he received. His question is a very good one and as I stated cannot be answered without a proper, controlled evaluation with the correct instrumentation. That has not happened. What we know is that there are a lot of happy customers of DonnyFL products, but that doesn't answer the mans's question.

Click to expand...

Science, by definition, is not subjective.

IMO No.

Custom made my own moderators and have obtained the same reduction in decibels as donnyFL's on the 2 videos that are on youtube demonstrating the db reduction.



-5 to -10 db is pretty common reduction and the difference from 80 db to 75 db is not that great, for every 10 db in reduction sound is roughly perceived as half the volume, or 10db increase = sound doubled.



There is no replacement for displacement or (volume) when it comes to air gun suppression. Toss a taped on 1 liter soda bottle to the end of your muzzle with no baffle or a 1 foot piece of pvc with custom baffles, you'd see next to no difference between the two designs. The formula is more about volume + length than intricate design.



Example: Try to blow through a garden hose...pretty tough right? Actually can't do it right? 

Then take the same volume like a 50 gallon trash can with a small garden hose sized hole on both sides and blow through it...much easier ayyy?

Its a volume + length thing...limited area + lots of volume = requires more force+time which = reduction in pressure = less sound. Its too late for me to get technical about it but hopefully my example provides enough food for thought for those to understand. Pressure drop is what reduces sound as that is all we are dealing with, air at a higher pressure than atmospheric... The best way to deal with excess pressure is with volume, but you also have air traveling at around 800 to 900 feet per second, so a moderator at 6" (common length) means that the air is traveling through that 6" portion very quickly...in the neighborhood of 1 one-thousandths of a second...which is where baffles come in to help divert/cause turbulence...but IMO for air gun suppression volume is more important, you can even see DonnyFL's only have 3 to 4 on most of his monocore designs... 

...Toss a taped on 1 liter soda bottle to the end of your muzzle with no baffle ....

Click to expand...

have tried that on my Huben K1. The bottle flew out like an arrow and punch a big hole on the target paper ......

The man asked for opinions and that's what he got. DonnyFL get's the greatest number of positive opinions every time for good reason.

Click to expand...

Excuse me. The OP did NOT ask for opinions. Please read the title .......again. What the man asked for is not what he received. His question is a very good one and as I stated cannot be answered without a proper, controlled evaluation with the correct instrumentation. That has not happened. What we know is that there are a lot of happy customers of DonnyFL products, but that doesn't answer the mans's question.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The OP just confirmed my statement.