Suppressors on hunting rifles??

[1lessdog]

I have a Banish 30 suppressor on a 22 Creedmoor and when shooting around tree there is still a lot of noise with a echo. And AR bolt 300 Blackout shooting subsonic and lots of echo with that also.

 

[Triple BB]

Did a remote elk hunt this year. A guy showed up with a silencer. It wouldn't fit in their rifle scabbard. He had to unscrew and screw it back on every time he got on and off his horse.

 

[wywindsor]

My dad was 87 when he bought his first one. I bought one the same day in my 50's. My dad is near totally deaf. The hearing aids work on for him very little at this point. He grew up shooting on a farm in the mid west. Continued shooting his whole life. Not sure as to what protection was available to him. I use plugs and muffs and at 58 my hearing is not what it should be. So no matter what if it help the shooter and the people around them use it. Even with a suppressed gun I use both pugs and muffs now.

Plus when you shoot an elk at 100 yards the herd stand there for another shot if you have a second tag or your wife shoots first .

 

[CaptainMal]

Took my gunsmith friend to my place in Georgia to hunt. He had a rather long suppressor on his 270. That was a joke. The barrel was so long he caught it on the roof of the tower I put him in. Then he bonked the sides and edges of that tower trying to move around.

I rode him to different tripos stands on food plots I had. He placed that gun in some hooks on the back of my side by side. That suppressor stuck out a bit from the side, hooked a small tree or brush and tore the gun out of the hooks to crash onto the ground.

Before that he shot and missed a buck at maybe 50 yards. I was in another tower of mine a couple hundred yards away watching his buck through my scope. He missed as he had issues getting that long pole on to the target, or so he says. When he shot I jumped as the report from that shot and bullet was surprisingly loud. A friend, maybe a mile away, asked if someone shot with a 22. It was not very quiet to me.

He is going back with another friend of mine. He also took that thing off and added a small brake. That broomstick is a liability in the woods.

 

[hogpatrol]

South Africa, I doubt you'll find any hunting rifle without one. Ironic even with very strict gun laws, they are more progressive about silencers, just go in to a gun shop, pay and walk out with one, zero paperwork.
Unfortunately in the Peoples Democratic Republic of Delaware, they are illegal to own.

 

[FeMan]

I have two Thunderbeasts and use them for hunting. One has a brake on the end, which makes my 30-28 Nosler much nicer to hunt with as I can spot my shots with that one.

In addition to the heat, suppressors also increase fouling. Neither are major issues if you are aware and deal with them properly.

 

[L.Sherm]

My hunting rifles dont have one doudt they will. Ive loaded for hunting rifles with cans just not a fan.
Thought about it for sage rat hunting but dont like the heat they produce but to each there own.

 

[Tangent]

I can see that total length may be an issue for some hunting situations. I'd be looking at a cartridge that works well with shorter barrels and probably the faster burning powders. I don't hunt, but have a 20" .308 that shoots very well with N140.

 

[varmintshooter]

After getting my 1st suppressor I don't shoot much without one. I now have 4, 1 rimfire, 2 that are 22cal specific and 1 30 cal. The 22cal cans are used on 17hmr, 20vt, 204, 222, 223, 223ai, 22-250, 22-250ai. I use the 30cal can on a 243 and 6.5. There are both pro's and con's when talking suppressors for example 100-200 dollars for threading each barrel plus the cost of the suppressor itself. They are long but most guys cut/ shorten the barrel when threading. They also add weight. I want to save what hearing I have left. Sometimes I miss but the animal runs towards me as they don't know where the shot came from. As to the cost shooting with a suppressor, PRICELESS

 

[effendude]

Reading all the comments, there seems to be much misconception regarding how suppressors work. They capture much of the immediate muzzle blast sound (energy) and changes that energy into heat. The bullet is still supersonic, still has the sonic crack and the shot is still loud enough to hear nearby and at a distance. The goal of the suppressor is at the shooter and the immediate area around the shooter. Having pulled targets in the pits while shooters are shooting suppressed (200-600 yards away), the sound of the bullet is unchanged from a rifle that is not suppressed. The sound heard in the pits is definitely less, but still very present.

I load subsonic 308 rounds for a bolt action rifle and that rifle is totally silent. Click of the firing pin falling and then the slap of the bullet at impact. It is a fun rifle to shoot and kills 2-3 raccoons at a time if they line up properly below the spinner while hog hunting. The other raccoons don't move when shooting.

 

[Rob01]

Took my gunsmith friend to my place in Georgia to hunt. He had a rather long suppressor on his 270. That was a joke. The barrel was so long he caught it on the roof of the tower I put him in. Then he bonked the sides and edges of that tower trying to move around.

I rode him to different tripos stands on food plots I had. He placed that gun in some hooks on the back of my side by side. That suppressor stuck out a bit from the side, hooked a small tree or brush and tore the gun out of the hooks to crash onto the ground.

Before that he shot and missed a buck at maybe 50 yards. I was in another tower of mine a couple hundred yards away watching his buck through my scope. He missed as he had issues getting that long pole on to the target, or so he says. When he shot I jumped as the report from that shot and bullet was surprisingly loud. A friend, maybe a mile away, asked if someone shot with a 22. It was not very quiet to me.

He is going back with another friend of mine. He also took that thing off and added a small brake. That broomstick is a liability in the woods.

That’s a training problem. Not a suppressor problem.

 

[Oldschool250]

I’m 70 and pretty old school. Not gadget oriented, etc. A long time buddy has gotten into suppressing his hunting and varmint guns. He swears by them. The lack of a loud report is nice, but his guns look like bazookas and he has a large investment in “cans” as he calls them.
Not trying to start an argument but looking for a consensus on these.

It’s nice to be able to carry a conversation with a hunting buddy, even better when you don’t want people 5 miles away to know where you honey hole is.

 

[Eagle1899]

I've stopped shooting my rifles that can't be threaded. Too loud, too much concussion. Always use one hunting. Still trying to pick a shotgun suppresor for turkey hunting.

If anyone is on the fence, just do it.

 

[Sniper338]

I hardly shoot without a suppressor anymore.

Smaller the round, less kick, and suppressed is a winning ticket as you age.

Im on a 6.5 grendel suppressed this year hunting.

 

[spencerhenry]

When I first got a suppressor it was for 22 pistols, for that they are awesome. 22 rifles aren't that loud anyway and if you shoot supersonic ammo the suppressor doesn't seem like it makes much difference. With subsonic ammo, the bolt is louder than the shot and so is the bullet impact. I bought a 30 cal can and run it on my 223 and 22-250. I bought a lathe and was going to thread all my hunting rifles, but I never did. Most of my bolt action hunting rifles have 24 or 26" barrels, add a can that's 8 or 9 inches long and they don't carry over the shoulder very well, and they are LONG. I hunt some pretty big country and cover a lot of ground, I don't need the extra length or weight. Even my titanium cans weigh about 12 ounces. I do not use a can for big game hunting, I will shoot once, maybe twice, its not worth it to me.
For predators I almost always use a can on my 17-223, 223, and 22-250. But, a 22-250 26" heavy varmint and can is straight up heavy. My favorite ground squirrel rifle is a 17AH, I couldn't bring myself to thread it, its too clean and pretty.

 

[drop_point]

Took my gunsmith friend to my place in Georgia to hunt. He had a rather long suppressor on his 270. That was a joke. The barrel was so long he caught it on the roof of the tower I put him in. Then he bonked the sides and edges of that tower trying to move around.

I rode him to different tripos stands on food plots I had. He placed that gun in some hooks on the back of my side by side. That suppressor stuck out a bit from the side, hooked a small tree or brush and tore the gun out of the hooks to crash onto the ground.

Before that he shot and missed a buck at maybe 50 yards. I was in another tower of mine a couple hundred yards away watching his buck through my scope. He missed as he had issues getting that long pole on to the target, or so he says. When he shot I jumped as the report from that shot and bullet was surprisingly loud. A friend, maybe a mile away, asked if someone shot with a 22. It was not very quiet to me.

He is going back with another friend of mine. He also took that thing off and added a small brake. That broomstick is a liability in the woods.

Sounds like he wasn't prepared and hadn't thought things through.

 

[Tangent]

Can you get reflex suppressors in the US? They reduce the length quite a lot.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

I’m 70 and pretty old school. Not gadget oriented, etc. A long time buddy has gotten into suppressing his hunting and varmint guns. He swears by them. The lack of a loud report is nice, but his guns look like bazookas and he has a large investment in “cans” as he calls them.
Not trying to start an argument but looking for a consensus on these.

I wouldn't hunt without a suppressor; all my hunting rifles have them. It makes a world of difference; one can shoot two groundhogs on the same mound, as they can't pinpoint the location of the report. Added weight and length don't matter as most coyote and gh shooting is stationary. The 22 suppressed rifles are light enough for mobility.In open areas with the 17 hornet and 204, no ear protection is needed. Indoors, ear protection is necessary even in wooded terrain the trees absorb the decibels.A definite game changer.