Yes, it’s rare that you get exactly the same shot with and without a silencer. In a “perfect” world with silencers, the impact image is moved downwards but also becomes more collected, thus better precision. The explanation lies in the fact that the silencer reduces the impact (recoil) and that the barrel’s vibrations are reduced by the extra weight (the silencer) placed at the front of the barrel. Smaller spread = lower hit point, and lower amplitude of the barrel’s vibrations = more concentrated hit pattern.
The effect with silencers and collective hit pattern is most obvious with light weapons and/or on weapons with thin barrels.
Other things that affect the precision are the centering of the barrel thread and tolerance deviations in the silencer. All small deviations of course affect the hitting pattern, therefore it is not unusual that there can also be a lateral change in the hitting pattern.
By far the most common experience in connection with inserting a silencer is a more relaxed shooting and that the hit pattern becomes more concentrated!
