Dustin Ellermann recently conducted a simple test in which he shot various firearms of varying calibers through a chronograph with and without suppressors on each, in order to test their velocity. The overall findings are that, yes suppressors will increase the velocity of a round, with the exception of the .223 in his specific test, mostly with an average of by 18 Feet Per Second (excluding .223). I’m no ballistics guru by any means, but I would just be curious as to what the chronograph is calibrated to and how accurate it is. Because those figures are pretty minute in the overall scheme of velocity, so in the end, does this really matter when it comes to point of impact? I do know, working with 7.62 M40A5s and M110 SASSs in a Marine sniper platoon, that it was common knowledge that two factors would raise the point of impact- a suppressor mounted, or higher temperatures in the weather from previous shooting. So if we started shooting on a cold morning, and continued shooting throughout the day when it would get hotter, our point of impacts would rise. However, these changes weren’t evident until ranges of perhaps 400 yards and beyond. So that makes a large difference with precision rifles out past 400, but most shooting in general is done at probably 300 and in, of firearms of all calibers. So whether or not this will affect your shot at 150 meters while deer hunting, it probably won’t. Either way, good tidbit of knowledge.

The difference was somewhat negligible being an average of all calibers (including the .223 which actually decreased by 11FPS within the 5 tested rounds) of 13FPS increase.  If you were to leave out the .223 which threw a wrench in the test the average increase would be 18 FPS.  Still, hardly enough to come into play until you reach several hundred yards out.  But it does prove that a suppressor will increase velocity and not decrease it.

The velocity results, mostly measured with 5 rounds without a suppressor, 5 rounds with:

No Suppressor	Suppressed	Change:
.22LR
1001	1022	+21
9mm
1259	1281	+22
.300 BLK
2134	2147	+13
7.62x39mm
2158	2175	+17
.223 Remington
2968	2957	-11
.308 Winchester
2495	2515	+20
.338 Lapua
2956	2968	+12
	Average:	+13
	Average (no 223)	+18