... It is my understanding that because of the possibility that a two tube design could easily be converted to reduce the report of the firearm, all of the modern "fake cans" that I have seen are made from solid stock, usually aluminum. The manufacturer that built the pictured fake can has long since gone out of business. ATF has not chosen to put resources into chasing down such products.
Scott
I'm certainly aligned with the notion against trouble. Scott I believe you're on the right track but I think the matter involves the, "including any combination of parts..." portion of the Gun Control Act regarding suppressors to define a suppressor beyond an accessory's decibel suppression. The completed in-production fake suppressor design which was agency-recalled was a version with an 'expansion chamber' using 'end caps' (that being the no-no, that two-part combination). It made it a suppressor in-(statute) fact. It reportedly didn't create a lesser sound signature. It didn't have a long barrel diameter sized tube inside it to eliminate the chamber to mollify the statute. Unless the old style versions lower the decibel they clear the hurdle because they don't have a combination (any two from six characteristics possible, the others being ported inner tube, dampening material, encapsulators, washers/baffles to create additional chambers). These old school versions with solid inner tubes in fact are still sold on the present market as new (likely NOS, though some sans markings) by some regular usual named vendors.
That manufacturers today make them from solid AL (vs. steel tube, spot welding, inner tube construction etc.) might tangentially be to steer damn clear of
any perception of an issue.
The primary reasons I suspect are cost, weight and cosmetics (fit and finish). Quicker to chuck up a solid round of close spec AL in a lathe. With CNC straight or multi-axis and an auto bar feeder its got to be cheaper than the manual handiwork required for the tube-fixturing and weld-work (w less scrapped multiple component parts than if done the old way). Again, I see three edges on each end were beveled to accept the weld. Probably required some weld cleanup. Maybe the process was somewhat automated but still. Better to use a CNC button-pusher with one programmer (or the pusher at the screen, maybe a dozen or less ops max depending how fancy?), one time load, push button go. Only so many ops then down the chute in a pile. Deburr finish and sell. Advantage Automation.
For a plain-jane retail consumer, steel tube at 1.5"dia thin wall is about $7 per 6". Then add costs for some steel plate, another smaller steel tube, and the fabrication for the steel end caps and the welding of the small tube ends and the endcaps. That's minimum eight welds and cleanup. Sheesh. Threading steel = less tool life. Single point? Doubtful. Aluminum solid round is about $8 for 6" of 1.5" dia, you're all-in and done on the raw stock. Finishing must be nicer cleaner consistent with AL than steel what with the various heat affected parts and dis-similar metal w the weldments. So old school is a lot of labor. And HEAVY steel. Not to over simplify, but that much better profit selling AL solids w a hole poked in it and threads for $60+ at retail. I guess they could still try to make them out of AL in the old style, but you're still dealing with AL welds and finish issues. So they probably just load them and run them walking out the door once overnight and voila' - five year's worth of fake suppressor supply.
