Suppressor Opinion: Meh, It’s Ok

[wind gypsy]

Suppressing a hunting rifle is nice for Africa as you shoot a lot and often hunt close to a truck. I’d be slow to put a can on a rifle I had to carry far. Plus, you ideally want a slightly heavier contour and shorter barrel.

They make sense on ARs though.

Have you shot them on ARs? An AR with a can is still loud AF and with many cans it adds a ton of backpressure. They make ARs dirtier, can cause gases to be blown in the shooters face, and they are still loud.

I've got a dedicated can coming for an AR but I still think they are more of a benefit on a bolt gun for my use.

 

[Tobe_B]

I was already certified deaf in my right ear in 7th grade from the amount of shooting I had done. My dad didn’t teach us to wear ear pro or even offer it up. I’ve had tinnitus most of my life now. Got my first suppressor a few months and I wish I would have done it sooner. Sure it isn’t for everyone, but there are a lot of perks to having one. I shot 6 coyotes on a deer hunt with my wife this year. Spent the rest of the day watching deer that were undisturbed by the massacre that had just ensued 400 yards away. Probably would’ve ruined that hunt without can.

 

[wind gypsy]

I'm not surprised by the "suppressors require a heavier barrel" posts. This is from bartlein's website:

Contour Info | Bartlein Barrels

www.bartleinbarrels.com

 

[BjornF16]

Really??? Why?? Never has taken me more than 1 or 2 and the 2nd is a shot for good measure and to finish an animal off.

2 shots?...by your own standard you inhale profusely...lol

 

[Dave C.]

Because some folks shoot very long distances here, across canyons with varying winds. It doesn’t matter how good you are, no one comes close to being 100% in those conditions.

Also, lots of us shoot animals until they’re dead instead of shooting and letting them die.

So do I. And an animal who is hit will respond the same whether he's hit with or without a suppressor. I also shoot at long distances and animals hearing a report from that far away don't know where it came from.

 

[atmat]

So do I. And an animal who is hit will respond the same whether he's hit with or without a suppressor. I also shoot at long distances and animals hearing a report from that far away don't know where it came from.

I guess I’m confused. You say that taking more than one shot requires more practice, then said that you take 2 shots sometimes and keep shooting till an animal drops. Those are contradictory.

I can’t comment about animal behavior at extreme distances, as I don’t have the experience. But at moderate normal hunting distances, I’ve seen a huge difference in animal behavior.

Just two weeks ago I watched a deer herd at 200 stick around after I killed a doe. They were obviously concerned, but they didn’t just dart. That has never happed to me in years prior without my suppressor.

 

[Dave C.]

I guess I’m confused. You say that taking more than one shot requires more practice, then said that you take 2 shots sometimes and keep shooting till an animal drops. Those are contradictory.

I can’t comment about animal behavior at extreme distances, as I don’t have the experience. But at moderate normal hunting distances, I’ve seen a huge difference in animal behavior.

Just two weeks ago I watched a deer herd at 200 stick around after I killed a doe. They were obviously concerned, but they didn’t just dart. That has never happed to me in years prior without my suppressor.

Nope. Never said that at all. That was your lack of comprehension that read that. If you need to "walk your shots in" as another poster has articulately mentioned, you shouldn't be taking the shot. If I shoot an elk at 600 yds and he's still standing, I'm gonna probably shoot again unless I'm sure the first shot placement was lethal, and without a spotter, sometimes you just can't see the hit. Generally, the few times that has happened, both shots have been lethal. Sometimes, they just don't drop right away. I never said I missed on the first shot. That's your interpretation, perhaps based on experience.

 

[Formidilosus]

So do I. And an animal who is hit will respond the same whether he's hit with or without a suppressor.

No. In hundreds of animals with and without suppressors, animals most certainly do not react the same. We are often taking multiple animals at a time and when we don’t, or can’t do simultaneous fire, the suppressed shooters always shoot first, as there is a much higher likelihood that the herd doesn’t run away. Once an unsuppressed rifle is fired, almost always the herd is up and moving.
Inside of 100 yards or so, the difference in animal reaction between suppressed and unsuppressed is there, but is way more dramatic past 100 yards or so.

Anyone that has stood downrange at 100-200 yards in front, and 10-20 yards to the side of an unsuppressed rifle being fired can point to exactly where it came from. Doing the same with a suppressed rifle, often times one doesn’t even know that a rifle was fired, and if they in no way can point to where it came from.

I also shoot at long distances and animals hearing a report from that far away don't know where it came from.

How did you determine that they don’t know where it came from? It should seem if that was the case, that just as often they would run closer to the shooters. Yet, in almost all cases the go any direction but towards the shooter. In actuality, just going off of memory, we haven’t had a single animal or herd run towards us in the last 6-7 years unsuppressed, but have multiple that has suppressed.

 

[atmat]

Lolz....

Nope. Never said that at all.

Hypocrisy thy name is you:

If you need more than one shot, perhaps you should spend more time at the range.

Never has taken me more than 1 or 2

So you did say that you sometimes shoot more than once at an animal. Now that that's agreed upon.

I'm gonna probably shoot again unless I'm sure the first shot placement was lethal

That's totally fine, and your prerogative. But many of us will shoot again even knowing the first shot was lethal. Some animals can run a long distance in the minimal time they have left after having their lungs and heart destroyed, as they still have oxygenated blood.

sometimes you just can't see the hit

If you can't spot your shots, you should practice more. I'm an average shooter and can spot my shots -- even more so with a suppressor because the recoil impulse is slowed.

I never said I missed on the first shot. That's your interpretation, perhaps based on experience.

I never said you missed on the first shot. I quoted you saying you sometimes take two shots. But I'm more than happy to own that I've missed animals before. There's not a sharpshooter out there who has never missed. Most hunters actually miss quite a bit due to either poor shooting system or lack of practice. But hey, if you're the top 0.0001%, then that's awesome. We can learn a whole lot from you, it seems.

 

[General RE LEE]

My style of hunting, I only kill one deer. It wouldn't matter a hill of beans had I shot it with a suppressor or good ole fashioned blued pencil barrel.

 

[General RE LEE]

I dip 1.5 cans of dip a day and can lose 30 lbs so, I got bigger fish to fry when it comes to my health vs 2-3 unsuppressed gun shots in a deer season without hearing pro.

 

[Formidilosus]

I dip 1.5 cans of dip a day and can lose 30 lbs so, I got bigger fish to fry when it comes to my health vs 2-3 unsuppressed gun shots in a deer season without hearing pro.

That’s not how that works at all.

 

[WRO]

That’s not how that works at all.

 

[wyosam]

That’s not how that works at all.

Depends on how you look at it. I see it as someone making a personal choice that affects their health. Seems like he’s saying those couple of shots a year aren’t the worst choices he’s making that affect his health. Those choices aren’t in any way related, and losing weight and quitting tobacco have no affect on hearing, but they are all his choices to make. This thread has pretty much turned into people piling on someone who stated their opinion on suppressors for hunting for his use. People get way too worked up when someone makes a choice different than their own. People are free to make their own choices whether they are good for them or not.


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[JohnJohnson]

This thread has pretty much turned into people piling on someone who stated their opinion on suppressors for hunting for his use.

I think a lot of the initial noise was because his original points were stating what anyone with eyes can see. The 6-9" metal tube adds length and weight when put on your muzzle? Got it. It's expensive? Oh let me jot that down I don't have access to the internet to see the prices myself. 6.5CM doesn't recoil that much to begin with? Groundbreaking. His 4 points were all stuff which (if they were a problem) should have caused him to not buy one at all in the first place yet he did anyway and then stated the obvious as if he was going to "explode some heads" (his words).

Then of course it went off the rails when later in his original post he said shooting bare muzzle or a brake (lol) for a couple shots without earpro is fine and "not bad on the ears". At that point it all went sideways because that's an objectively wrong thing to say. Getting corrected for saying something that's just not true is not getting piled on.

 

[atmat]

Depends on how you look at it. I see it as someone making a personal choice that affects their health. Seems like he’s saying those couple of shots a year aren’t the worst choices he’s making that affect his health. Those choices aren’t in any way related, and losing weight and quitting tobacco have no affect on hearing, but they are all his choices to make. This thread has pretty much turned into people piling on someone who stated their opinion on suppressors for hunting for his use. People get way too worked up when someone makes a choice different than their own. People are free to make their own choices whether they are good for them or not.

Folks are definitely welcome to make whatever health choices they want. But saying "I have terrible habits so what's one more" isn't the best argument lol

Agree that people struggle to disagree nowadays, though.

 

[Formidilosus]

Depends on how you look at it. I see it as someone making a personal choice that affects their health. Seems like he’s saying those couple of shots a year aren’t the worst choices he’s making that affect his health. Those choices aren’t in any way related, and losing weight and quitting tobacco have no affect on hearing, but they are all his choices to make. This thread has pretty much turned into people piling on someone who stated their opinion on suppressors for hunting for his use. People get way too worked up when someone makes a choice different than their own. People are free to make their own choices whether they are good for them or not.

No one cares about someones choice here. The contradictory posts are pointing out fallacies and outright untruths. I don’t care at all if the OP loses all his hearing, not my concern. It’s the insinuation that “it’s not a big deal” to fire 2-3 rifle shots a year without hearing pro because he does other things that are bad for his health- it is a big deal, or should be. At least as far as hearing damage is concerned.

A single dip does not measurably have a negative affect on health, nor does carrying 30 extra pounds for a split second- a single gunshot does measurably effect one’s health.

The “I’m a man so can handle a few gun shots” nonsense is pervasive across the gun and hunting culture and people reading these responses need to know it’s hogwash. When you have posters stating that suppressors don’t reduce the noise to hearing safe levels, but their foam earplugs do; or that a couple of gunshots isn’t that big of a deal- we have bad information being presented. Of course people are going to take exception to that.

 

[TradLife406]

Not sure about the length thing. My 6.5 PRC has a 24" barrel and an Ultra 7 Only issue is if I have to walk through some nasty deer thicket to get a deer ive shot.
But to add context that rifle is meant for shooting off a tripod on the open prairie. I think in 23 years of hunting I've only taken maybe one deer free handing.

Boys my ears are about toast. 36 years old and I've got tinnitus from shooting. The dumb morning of shooting geese and ducks as a kid without plugs, the one or two shots at a deer and the worst was my accidental discharge a couple years ago that about blew my ear drum. I'm over it.

My kid had her first season this year. I refuse to let my kids shoot without plugs or muffs. So I said screw it and bought us each a can.
Then I had to buy her an Sig Cross in Creed so she could use said can. I will say her rifle is way more handier than mine with the 18" barrel.

She shot two deer with it, the wife shot another two. Then I shot three and a couple coyotes with mine. I honestly have zero desire to shoot loud again. When the bullet impacts are louder than the shots, that's awesome!
I liked it enough I sent my grandpas classic B78 single shot 22-250 to the smith to be threaded. Hope grandpa isn't too upset but I'm sure he'd understand. Pretty sure as much shooting as he did in his day if they'd have had suppressors like we do he'd have been all about it.

As far as range use, you still need plugs for long sessions. That hypersonic crack starts to hurt after a few shots. Which before I actually had my cans I couldn't understand why guys on YouTube were using plugs at the range with their cans.

 

[duffman]

I'm not surprised by the "suppressors require a heavier barrel" posts. This is from bartlein's website:

View attachment 640347

Contour Info | Bartlein Barrels

www.bartleinbarrels.com

Yes this and others. Wondered if it was POI shift people were complaining about and this recommendation is to mitigate that? Only other thing I could think of other than enough material for threads.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

What cracks me up is all the sharpshooters who say the major advantage is that the game being targeted just looks at you after shooting suppressed. If you need more than one shot, perhaps you should spend more time at the range.

Maybe some of us are hunting with more than one tag in our pocket...I get 5 deer tags with my R license and there is no limit on hogs. Multiple targets equals multiple shots.