IMPULS II-A RECOIL BOOSTER

ABOUT RECOIL BOOSTERS

This is probably the item most often asked about by those new to suppressors. A recoil booster (also referred to as an Impulse or Neilsen device) is necessary on pistols employing a Browning lockup system. On a Browning lockup system, the barrel travels rearward with the slide for a short distance with the chamber end dropping or tipping down to present itself to accept a fresh round. When the chamber end is tipping down, the muzzle end accordingly tips upward in the neighborhood of 7 - 8 degrees. Whenever a weight of any significance is added to the front end of the barrel, the barrel and slide's motion has been hindered. The recoil booster is similiar to your car's suspension system - when a car wheel hits a pothole, the suspension spring allows that wheel to travel upward while capturing and storing energy, and then using that energy to return the wheel to its orignal position. The recoil booster's spring captures energy from the expansion gases as the bullet is passing through the suppressor, and then uses that captured energy to rebound the suppressor assisting the barrel in traveling rearward while the booster's porting system acts much like the shock absorber in your suspension to control and dampen that spring's return rate.

(Note: for a thorough review of a recoil booster's function, Al Paulson's "Silencer: History & Performance" is invaluable.)

 

FUNCTIONAL RELIABILITY
WITHOUT DESTROYING YOUR PISTOL !

 

The CCF/Swiss Inc. recoil boosters employ a similiar dampening system that controls and times the booster spring's action to return the suppressor rearward at the proper instant. Timing as well as tuning that booster to an individual pistol's slide mass is what makes the CCF/Swiss suppressor non-destructive to your pistol. Too many hobby manufacturers only "engineering" effort appears to have been to try different recoil booster springs until they find one where the pistol seems to function reliably 50 or even 200 times without a failure to extract. To date, we know of no manufacturer that can boast their suppressor has been tested 10,000 rounds on a single pistol evaluating not only for durability (longevity) of the suppressor and reliable function, but also ensuring there are no destructive effects on the pistol's slide / frame interface ! That test was conducted by Heckler & Koch, Oberndorf, known for their strict adherence to high standards.

That .45 cal suppressor we mentioned earlier with 400 rounds on it - I stopped using it at about the 400th round because it had jammed the pistol so badly, the lug on the recoil operating rod was jammed underneath the front lug on the barrel - the barrel recoil lug had separated and risen above the operating rod's lug nearly a quarter inch !