Hunting with supressor vs brake

[roymunson]

Ok, walk me thru this. I purchased a banish 30 (I know, I know, I got the wal mart version of a suppressor, but it's what I've got for now)

It'll be fun on a varmint gun, etc, but for hunting purposes in the west, what's the application?

I'm taking my 13 year old on an antelope hunt next fall and it'd be an option on a cva cascade 243. It'd also be an option on a 300 wsm CA Ridgeline, but I'd rather be accurate and the length makes me think it'll be a pain.

So how many of you big game hunt with a suppressor, and is it worthwhile? I don't like the recoil of CA and think a brake would help with that.

 

[WeiserBucks]

It'll be fun on a varmint gun, etc, but for hunting purposes in the west, what's the application?

The application is universal, not destroying your hearing or those around you along with the recoil reduction inherent with a suppressor.

 

[Matt5266]

I have a banish 30 and hunt with it in its short configuration. I also have a 300 wsm as well as others...... suppressor everytime. I screwed off all my muzzle brakes and threw them in the trash.

 

[TreeDog]

I don’t want to hunt without a suppressor anymore. Sound reduction, recoil reduction, ability to hear the hit better, spooks less game, etc. Well worth it to me. I absolutely hate brakes though.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Ok, walk me thru this. I purchased a banish 30 (I know, I know, I got the wal mart version of a suppressor, but it's what I've got for now)

It'll be fun on a varmint gun, etc, but for hunting purposes in the west, what's the application?

I'm taking my 13 year old on an antelope hunt next fall and it'd be an option on a cva cascade 243. It'd also be an option on a 300 wsm CA Ridgeline, but I'd rather be accurate and the length makes me think it'll be a pain.

So how many of you big game hunt with a suppressor, and is it worthwhile? I don't like the recoil of CA and think a brake would help with that.

For antelope hunting, the length of your rifle shouldn't be an issue. If you decide to go into the timber after whitetails or elk, that thinking may change. Hunting from a blind or treestand also necessitates a shorter overall firearm, IMO.

As for your comment regarding not liking the recoil of the CA in 300WSM, the suppressor is going to help quite a bit there. Not as much recoil reduction as a good muzzle break, but the reduction you do get, combined with the lack of muzzle blast will make it downright pleasant to shoot. I would bet that your 13 year-old could get behind that gun and be just fine too.

Finally, I only hunt with a suppressor now. The reasons are many, first of all I need to preserve what hearing I have left in my left ear (about 45% loss now). This is even more important if you are hunting with children. Protecting their hearing should be your top priority. Yes, you can using hearing protection, but plugs make it very difficult to communicate quietly and electronic muffs are usually made for adult heads so they don't seal properly, which negates a good bit of sound suppression, and they lead to poor head placement on stocks, which leads to poor shooting. Second, and this one is important if you both have antelope tags, is that in many instances, you can shoot without sending the remaining animals into the next county. Many times I have shot an animal and had the other animals just mill around wondering what happened. I have also muffed shots and gotten the opportunity to get my crap together and make a better second shot due to the animal not really moving. That isn't something that routinely happens with non-suppressed rifles unless you are 600+ yards away.

 

[roymunson]

I don’t want to hunt without a suppressor anymore. Sound reduction, recoil reduction, ability to hear the hit better, spooks less game, etc. Well worth it to me. I absolutely hate brakes though.

Haven't gone to the range with it yet, but are you getting a bunch of recoil reduction?

It's certainly quieter, but i'm wondering if it gets dirty and fouled if that hassle and danger cancels out the positives.
Not playing devil's advocate, just legitimately trying to make learn more about what I don't fully understand. I don't hate brakes either, so we're probably not completely starting from the same spot

 

[steelheadmike]

Haven't gone to the range with it yet, but are you getting a bunch of recoil reduction?

It's certainly quieter, but i'm wondering if it gets dirty and fouled if that hassle and danger cancels out the positives.
Not playing devil's advocate, just legitimately trying to make learn more about what I don't fully understand. I don't hate brakes either, so we're probably not completely starting from the same spot

Yes. I estimate about 30% less recoil. Even in a 7-08, I had a hard time spotting shots at 100yds. With a suppressor, I am seeing the target in the scope through the shot. With a centerfire rifle used for hunting, fouling is not an issue unless your shooting hundreds and hundreds of rounds. As far as getting dirty, it's no different than with other muzzle devices or a bare muzzle. Don't shove it in the dirt and put a piece of tape on the end (or the Magnum Long Jimmy from UM; works great).

If your rifle is too long, get a gunsmith to chop a few inches off it. You won't be able to a difference and your rifle will handle much better.

If there are any downsides to a suppressor at all, they are far outweighed by the positives. You can put me in the group that won't hunt without one anymore.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Haven't gone to the range with it yet, but are you getting a bunch of recoil reduction?

It's certainly quieter, but i'm wondering if it gets dirty and fouled if that hassle and danger cancels out the positives.
Not playing devil's advocate, just legitimately trying to make learn more about what I don't fully understand. I don't hate brakes either, so we're probably not completely starting from the same spot

You can always just clean the suppressor out.

 

[Trr15]

This was my first season hunting with a suppressor and don’t see myself hunting without one again. I’ve got a Banish 338, and the extra 9” of barrel length can be a hassle in the timber, but most of what I hunt is pretty open country so it wasn’t a big deal.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Just go shoot the rifle suppressed and You will find out for yourself. Your kid will love it too.

 

[LeftyWilbury]

hunt with a long rifle and a long suppressor for one season. it's completely doable. i've hiked around montana forests and up mountains with a 24" 7 mag and a 7" suppressor. once you drop some animals with a suppressed rifle you'll never do it any other way. and then you can either chop the barrel, or get another shorter rifle, or both.

 

[TreeDog]

Haven't gone to the range with it yet, but are you getting a bunch of recoil reduction?

It's certainly quieter, but i'm wondering if it gets dirty and fouled if that hassle and danger cancels out the positives.
Not playing devil's advocate, just legitimately trying to make learn more about what I don't fully understand. I don't hate brakes either, so we're probably not completely starting from the same spot

My main rifle is a 6.5CM so not a ton of recoil to start with, but seeing impacts is much easier than before. Dirty and fouling should be a non issue with most centerfire cans from my understanding. There are ways to clean them as well.

 

[Formidilosus]

It's certainly quieter, but i'm wondering if it gets dirty and fouled if that hassle and danger cancels out the positives.

What are you meaning by “gets dirty and fouled” and what danger?

 

[Marshfly]

Since I bought my Scythe there will never be a time that it is not on the rifle I am carrying. I will actually buy another one just like it for my son or wife to have on their rifle as well for next season rather than swapping back and forth.

The way that a suppressed shot calms the entire process of the shot for both the hunters and animals can't be realized until it is experienced. It truly is a game changer IMHO.

 

[ElPollo]

Like others here, since getting my suppressor I really don’t have any desire to shoot or hunt with a centerfire rifle without it. And cleaning? What’s that?

 

[wapitibob]

I have a 9" DD Lti on a 24" barrel, zero issues when hunting. Sound suppression is great, recoil reduction is very minimal. However, this replacement DD Lti jumps inches high and left off the bench at the shot. Bad enough I took it off and put the brake back on. The original Lti worked OK, till it ate a cpl bullets.

 

[justin davis]

The application is it doesn’t damage your hearing and doesn’t rattle your jaws ha. Suppressor are very nice and even better for kids new to hunting in my opinion

 

[steelheadmike]

Like others here, since getting my suppressor I really don’t have any desire to shoot or hunt with a centerfire rifle without it. And cleaning? What’s that?

I clean my suppressor as often as I clean my rifle

 

[ElPollo]

I clean my suppressor as often as I clean my rifle

Yeah, me too. I’ve got more than 2.5k rounds through that can without cleaning, and I haven’t cleaned a centerfire rifle barrel in 6 years. I do blow the dirt and sand out of the rifle actions with an air compressor occasionally though.

 

[jimh406]

I don't think a Banish 30 is a Walmart suppressor unless you have a high opinion of Walmart. . I get that there are haters here, but they work just fine.

Any way, suppressors and brakes are literally the opposite. A brake makes the gun much louder while the suppressor does the opposite. Obviously , a brake is much shorter/lighter. Another option is neither.

I don't think you are going to find a lot of places hunting Antelope where that extra length is going to be an issue. Sure, you can put ear plugs in to use the brake or unsuppressed. But, my vote is use the suppressor and save the hearing/ear plugs and the kick.

Fyi, plenty of people in the West use suppressors to save the kick and noise. If anything, people use heavier kicking guns/louder ones in the West. Not that those are necessarily required, but that's the way it is.