Old School: Who Doesn't Hunt with a Muzzle Brake or Suppressor?

[manitou1]

Lobbing off 4"-8"of my rifle barrel to fit into the "Kewl Kid Klub" just goes against everything I have focused on and worked toward all my life... which is a lightweight, well-balanced rifle that wrings out the most in performance for that cartridge.

Earplugs are lighter, cheaper, more effective and won't make my rifle look like it has a big turd stuck over the end of the barrel.

 

[ElPollo]

Lobbing off 4"-8"of my rifle barrel to fit into the "Kewl Kid Klub" just goes against everything I have focused on and worked toward all my life... which is a lightweight, well-balanced rifle that wrings out the most in performance for that cartridge.

Earplugs are lighter, cheaper, more effective and won't make my rifle look like it has a big turd stuck over the end of the barrel.

Because it’s all about looks and being kewl.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

what? I can't hear shiat

 

[Artanis95]

The thing is, shotguns are low 150’s for db, center fire rifles 160-180’s. What that means is it’s pretty easy to get a shotgun under the 140db threshold for instant damage, yet single protection may or may not get you there with a center fire rifle. For those who say, I get tested every year and have no issue, I say this, they don’t test beyond 6k usually. the first damage is being done at higher frequencies due to ear geometry. So they basically don’t test where you are probably loosing hearing and the brain does make up for some loss until we get older.
You can have the audiologist do a test called an oae, or Otto acoustical emissions. It shows where the ear follicles are damaged and is predictive of future loss. Mine shows I have little hearing above 6k, yet my hearing tests fairly well. what this says is I will have a big loss later in life.
The damage can’t be undone and is cumulative. Also there is a genetic component, so some people may never have an issue or others will have more of an issue with the same exposure.

Never would have thought about the genetic component, now that you mentioned it all My elders worked and played loud passing in their late 80's and 90's none of Us are hearing aid users.

 

[Long Cut]

My Tinnitus is acting up just reading through this nonsense

 

[GAHunterJim]

Lobbing off 4"-8"of my rifle barrel to fit into the "Kewl Kid Klub" just goes against everything I have focused on and worked toward all my life... which is a lightweight, well-balanced rifle that wrings out the most in performance for that cartridge.

Earplugs are lighter, cheaper, more effective and won't make my rifle look like it has a big turd stuck over the end of the barrel.

I used to feel the same way...

 

[GAHunterJim]

Because it’s all about looks and being kewl.

Because it's all about enjoying shooting!

 

[JohnJohnson]

A lot of these comments remind me of stuff my father said when I ordered my first suppressor. The first range trip after I finally got it he wanted one too.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I hunt with a supressor and it's got nothing to do with hearing pro. I hunt alone 95% of the time...a supressor let's me see the bullet impact thru my scope also the auditable confirmation of hit is nice plus. YMMV.

 

[ElPollo]

The thing is, shotguns are low 150’s for db, center fire rifles 160-180’s. What that means is it’s pretty easy to get a shotgun under the 140db threshold for instant damage, yet single protection may or may not get you there with a center fire rifle. For those who say, I get tested every year and have no issue, I say this, they don’t test beyond 6k usually. the first damage is being done at higher frequencies due to ear geometry. So they basically don’t test where you are probably loosing hearing and the brain does make up for some loss until we get older.
You can have the audiologist do a test called an oae, or Otto acoustical emissions. It shows where the ear follicles are damaged and is predictive of future loss. Mine shows I have little hearing above 6k, yet my hearing tests fairly well. what this says is I will have a big loss later in life.
The damage can’t be undone and is cumulative. Also there is a genetic component, so some people may never have an issue or others will have more of an issue with the same exposure.

I still pass hearing tests for doing bird surveys, but my audiologist noted a decline in my high frequency range. I also have a really hard time comprehending what people say in loud areas or places with significant echo (e.g. stairwells). I’ve always worn hearing protection at the range but not while hunting. The issue was really that I shot hundreds of rounds of 12 ga every year without protection while bird hunting. Now I don’t pull a trigger on anything without protection and I even wear protection with suppressors. If possible, I would prefer not to make things significantly worse than they already are.

 

[GAHunterJim]

You don't really worry about hearing loss until you get a bit older, I ran airboats in SoFL for years with no hearing protection when I was young, ears would ring for days after. My dad did the same but for many more years, his hearing is really in the decline. I'm not crazy about the overall aesthetics of suppressers but they are becoming the norm in many places like Europe and pair well with rifles built with them in mind. They are quite(er), reduce recoil, don't alarm game as much and make the overall experience much more enjoyable. Not for everyone? Sure but I like them.

 

[manitou1]

Yeah but if you are going to outdoor concerts, bars with bands, listening to the radio turned up, running a mower or weed eater without hearing protection, music through earbuds, etc... it all damages hearing.

I cherished my hearing and carried hearing protection in my pocket and in my truck.

Always wore protection when mowing, shooting, at concerts (in spite of the wife and buddies making fun of me), but I still developed severe tinnitus. Like keep you up at night ear ringing.
Thirty five years military just cannot be overcome because, well... sometimes you just don't know the loud noise is coming!

 

[GAHunterJim]

Yeah but if you are going to outdoor concerts, bars with bands, listening to the radio turned up, running a mower or weed eater without hearing protection, music through earbuds, etc... it all damages hearing.

I cherished my hearing and carried hearing protection in my pocket and in my truck.

Always wore protection when mowing, shooting, at concerts (in spite of the wife and buddies making fun of me), but I still developed severe tinnitus. Like keep you up at night ear ringing.
Thirty five years military just cannot be overcome because, well... sometimes you just don't know the loud noise is coming!

True...I wear "muffs" whenever I'm using equipment in the yard. We have an audiology clinic in our building (I work at a university), people coming in daily for hearing aids. Tinnitus is a tough one!

 

[CMP70306]

Cans are illegal in my home state of CA because our regulators are smarter - just ask them. Muzzle brakes are in general great for high volume target shooting & recoil management on hard kicking rifles. In hunting situations they are a disadvantage with the increased noise.

I’m an old guy so learned to shoot shotguns with a 12 gA & never got participation trophies. My son & sons in law are recoil sissies so their 300’s wear brakes. My 300 Weatherby doesn’t have a brake but isn’t a lightweight rifle.

If you can’t handle recoil for medical or lace bloomer reasons get a brake, wear hearing protection & be courteous to your hunting partners.

If you haven’t shaved the hair off your chest & can focus for 1-3 shots in normal hunting situations with a stout shoulder push use an unbraked accurate rifle & kill stuff.

Started hunting with a light weight 30-06 at 15 and started long range shooting with a Model 70 .300 Win Mag shooting the 230gr Bergers at 2750 fps. I shot it well enough to print some pretty nice groups over the years. At the time the recoil didn’t really bother me and I could shoot it quite a bit without any trouble. Then I got a suppressor and I haven’t shot that gun in the 6 years since explicitly because it is not threaded.

Its replacement is a 300 Win Mag with a CF stock and barrel that weighs the same with a scope and a suppressor as the Model 70 did with just a scope. Additionally despite shooting the 225gr ELD M at 2850 the rifle kicks significantly less than the Model 70 and I shoot better because of it. My groups became smaller and more consistent because I wasn’t fighting the recoil and muzzle blast.

Definitely helps during drives as well, my brother killed one stone dead out of a group and had to shoe the rest away in order to get them to run towards the standers. With an unsuppressed Win Mag it would have been deer everywhere as soon as the shot broke.

 

[justin davis]

Lobbing off 4"-8"of my rifle barrel to fit into the "Kewl Kid Klub" just goes against everything I have focused on and worked toward all my life... which is a lightweight, well-balanced rifle that wrings out the most in performance for that cartridge.

Earplugs are lighter, cheaper, more effective and won't make my rifle look like it has a big turd stuck over the end of the barrel.

I used to think the same way…then I got a suppressor. What a game Changer Should have done it along time ago

 

[specneeds]

I think younger gun owners and hunters underestimate the weird complexes many older people have about things which improve their quality of life while shooting/hunting. For years trekking poles got called sissy sticks and were thought of as feminine because of an attitude that it's more manly to actively choose to beat up your body for no reason. I see guys at the range all the time with horrific flinches shooting 7 lb guns chambered in 300 Shitkicking Remchesterby Magnum and their body is anticipating the punishment. If I mentioned the flinch to them they'd probably take it as me calling them weak too.

This attitude extends to suppressors too. There's this weird pride in intentionally giving yourself hearing loss when it could be avoided. As you see in this thread it's usually tied up in either "being a man" or some misguided thought that they're going to show the government who's boss by not getting one. If you really want to stick it to the government then get one because the reason they make it so hard is so you won't.

It’s funny you say that because I see older hunters moving to lightweight rifles, expensive well designed clothing, backpacks & boots, great optics & carbon fiber poles- thins that most couldn’t afford or weren’t their priority. I do see a distinct lack of toughness & spoiled child syndrome from youngsters who are sure if it’s on TV & highly marketed its better, smarter & worth more.

My father was physically and mentally tougher than me, his tougher than him. My grandson is tough for his generation but is a marshmallow compared to previous generations.

Shooting high volume without hearing protection is just stupid. It was when I did it as a kid and is more ignorant today. That 1-3 shots on big game is a much smaller risk. Using equipment that has been proven dependable & accurate isn’t being stubborn or wierd- it’s good sense.

The fact that most old guys without limitations are tougher & less scared of recoil shouldn’t make you feel weak or inferior- it’s normal to be less hardy than the previous generation. Now the lower sperm counts & less sex that young guys have today - that’s troubling.

 

[JohnJohnson]

The fact that most old guys without limitations are tougher & less scared of recoil shouldn’t make you feel weak or inferior- it’s normal to be less hardy than the previous generation.

There really are some of those guys, though they're definitely in the slim minority. It doesn't give me an inferiority complex, sensitivity to recoil/concussion vary by individual and it's not really an age thing. I have a friend my age who is perfectly fine shooting many rounds through his .375 H&H and to be honest I'd get a flinch pretty quick with that rifle. My post was really about how many SAY they're not scared of recoil but also have flinches and don't shoot their rifles as often because it's unpleasant. Their body is scared of the recoil/concussion, they either just don't shoot enough to know it or won't admit it. I think the age groups I see this most in at my range are the 40s and 50s. Normally from the crowd that shoots once or twice a year before hunting season starts. Perhaps they'd shoot more often if they had a suppressor or got a rifle in a milder cartridge.

 

[FairWeatherFisher]

Thus far I haven’t used a suppressor, the process to get one seems like a huge PITA. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t want one. I don’t typically wear ear pro out in the woods, and I’m a fan of anything that can/will reduce the recoil of a rifle.
If I could make my 308 as pleasant to shoot as a 223, I’d be very pleased.

If I managed the above, I might even be able to convince my wife to come shoot and/or hunt with me. As it is now she will only shoot the 22s, because she hates the noise and is afraid of the recoil of anything larger. I got her to shoot an AR once, but after about 6 rounds she was over it.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Thus far I haven’t used a suppressor, the process to get one seems like a huge PITA. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t want one. I don’t typically wear ear pro out in the woods, and I’m a fan of anything that can/will reduce the recoil of a rifle.
If I could make my 308 as pleasant to shoot as a 223, I’d be very pleased.

If I managed the above, I might even be able to convince my wife to come shoot and/or hunt with me. As it is now she will only shoot the 22s, because she hates the noise and is afraid of the recoil of anything larger. I got her to shoot an AR once, but after about 6 rounds she was over it.

People hype up how much of a PITA it is. It's actually really easy to buy a suppressor, the only part that sucks is just the cost and wait time. But if the shop has a kiosk there's really nothing to it. Especially if you want your wife to shoot with you I'd buy one and start the wait ASAP. Best gun-related purchase I ever made, by far.

 

[OH_hunter]

No brakes on any of my rifles - I do not like them. But I am fortunate that I am not recoil sensitive.. Closest I ever came to not liking recoil was when I accidentally doubled a 500 NE - that woke me up LOL!

While I am not recoil sensitive, I do not like muzzle blast when I am shooting at the range (shooting at an animal I feel or hear nothing)..

I recently went thru the process and bought a couple suppressors and I really do enjoy practicing with them but I do not hunt big game with them..

Always wear hearing protection except when I am hunting big game - I know that is not wise but....

Being a guy that hunts big stuff in Africa quite a bit, I do practice alot with big bore guns.. 450 NE, 416 Rigby, 458 Lott and have friends that will on occasional shoot one - which can be interesting.. Range time makes all the difference. You have to learn how to shoot the heavy recoiling rifles and then become accustomed to them.. Not everyone can or ever will get used to serious recoil - it is 90% in your head and 10% in your form..

No doubt the big magnums like the Weatherby calibers have a more violent recoil that say, a 375 H&H. Roy Weatherby really introduced us to muzzle brakes...