Last Minute Mountain Goat Rifle

[skierhs]

I have hunted with cans for years, but agree they have become ESSENTIAL GEAR for many when old fashioned ear plugs work even better than a can but that idea is laughed at by some. It's definitely not cool.

For about 1 gram with foam ear plugs you get 33db of reduction.
A decent magnum level can get you 30db of reduction for 340 grams of weight.

I hunt with cans for whitetail but never on animals where I will have the 10 seconds it takes to put earplugs in.
Where I'm at, a lot of my whitetail hunting is still hunting where I have to be as still as possible or take a shot right away, plugs are usually not an option.

For anything out West where I need to range the game, I have time to put plugs in.

It's not a perfect system, but it does save me 6" and a pound off my rifle plus plugs are more protective than a hunting can.

After hunting with cans for years, I've found the cost-benefit ratio of suppressors goes way down as the power of the rifle goes up. For small game hunting with 22 subs, a 6oz 5" can will get me movie quiet. For big game hunting with a magnum rifle a 18 oz 6" can will reduce my rifle's report from extremely loud to very loud. I usually carry the 22 can less than 5 miles and shoot it 5-10 times on a hunt while a big game rifle may be carried 60-80 miles and fired once or twice. Every way you look at it the more backcountry you get and the bigger the cartridge gets the suppressor makes less sense.

The best balance I have found is rounds designed for short barrels (such as the 350 Legend which looses about 200 FPS going from 20" to 11") then put a can on it. You have a shorter, lighter, quieter gun with a can and minimal velocity loss for that extreme barrel reduction.

Interesting. I find the exact opposite. As the chambering goes up, I find more utility out of a suppressor. When shooting a .22lr, the volume is already low, there is no recoil (or it’s extremely short), and zero muzzle rise. Whereas with a 300NM the volume is loud, recoil is stout, and there is plenty of muzzle rise. Putting a suppressor on the .22lr does only minimal effect. Where as putting a 5” 6oz drops the volume a material amount (over 20db on the top end), lengthens the recoil impulse (making it easier to manage), and reduces the muzzle rise.

 

[skierhs]

This isn't always true if you're using a brake.

Here is some interesting data on that. No brake, a 26” 300wm creates ~162db at the shooters ears. With brake, that would be louder. Some cans are equal to or greater to ear plugs, and vice versa. https://thunderbeastarms.com/sound/summit2025/

 

[nm.otter]

I'm in the same camp: Lighten the rifle as much as practical, then add back some weight with a can. Balances better, and really tames muzzle rise.

7 pound, 4 ounce 20" 6.5mm Creedmoor was rough to shoot.
7 pounds, 15 ounces with an OG 30 becomes pleasant -- yet still challenging to spot shots most of the time.

 

[ckt3]

I had Oregon mountain rifles build me a 16.5” 6 creed. I used a stainless tikka action and put it in a short action Hnt26 folding chassis. I have absolutely loved it. I was able to kill my mountain goat right at 400 yards. Performed excellent and was very easy to pack around.

View attachment 1026327

That looks super handy. What muzzle velocity and bullets out of the 16.5” barrel? Might do something similar down the road.