What's the deal with everyone using suppresors?

[Hnthrdr]

This makes so much sense, it isn't even funny. I honestly wouldn't mind having a suppressor. Hunted once with a guy who was already deaf in one ear and wore a "hearing aid" in the other.
Frank carried ear muffs every step he made hunting. "IF" he ever saw a deer, he put his rifle down, dug out his ear muffs, put them in place.....THEN.....picked up his rifle to locate the deer!
I can't recall that Frank EVER killed a deer.


QUESTION:
It hasn't been THAT long ago, somebody or some organization was trying to get legislation passed to remove all the rules and regs against suppressors. That is, you would be able to walk into a store and purchase a suppressor.
Has there been any movement towards legalizing suppressors for OTC purchase?

There was a safe hearing act that was put forth around the time of the Vegas shooting and it vanished pretty quick after that.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Likely because the .50’s are braked, right?

Was never a sniper but spent a lot of time behind an M2. Never heard about any certain number of rounds but it makes sense because it’s a gun (M2) with a naked muzzle.

I could see a brake on a .50 over and over would wreck your shit. My dad has one and it’s fun to shoot, but it isn’t fun to shoot at the same time.

Good question. Not sure what all the differences are in terms of recoil between the ma duece and the M107. I’d imagine directional brake and the action have something to do with it. If I were a betting man the M2 probably has some negative effects as well. Still a ton of fun to shoot

 

[5811]

People with a bias will always be able to convince themselves that suppressors are pointless. I have never met anyone with suppressor who feels they are pointless.

I think people in general can get dug in on their choices for a lot of things, but on this site its gear or cartridge or scope. People have a hard time not bedding their ego with their gear, you can see it any truck brand/scope brand/rifle cartridge question that comes up. People will either promote their choice or attack another choice. I think some suppressor advocates can get a little snooty about it, and that turns some people off.

Folks on this forum are obviously more into shooting rifles than your average person. I love to hunt, but I'm not big into shooting in general. Not all geeked out about ballistics, load development, long range shooting...etc. I pull my rifle out of the safe a few weeks before hunting season, go to the range and make sure its still dead on - wearing hearing protection. If I'm fortunate enough to get a shot at game, I rarely even remember the shot, the recoil, or the sound. I understand just because I'm not bothered by the shot, it doesn't mean there isn't some hearing damage going on, but other than sighting in (with hearing protection) I'm going to be exposed to 1 maybe 2 shots in a year, sometimes none if I don't punch my tag. At 61 years old I have what I think is pretty darn good hearing, I can live with my process. Plus I have my trusted rifles that I've used for a long time and they aren't made for suppressors. I'm not buying a new fleet of expensive rifles and high dollar suppressors to go on them for a couple shots per year.
Admittedly, I'm not shooting large caliber magnum rifles with breaks, we're taking .270, .280, 30-06, .308.
Shots are inside 200 yds.

I completely agree with your point of view. If I was in your shoes, I would probably feel the same way.

For people who get into suppressors, they become an essential part of the system. Its integral to the rifle the same way a scope is, and planned for accordingly. Im sure there was a point in time where scopes were taking over for iron sights in the mainstream hunting world when a lot of iron sight users pushed back. Can you still hunt with irons and be just fine for your use case? Of course. But a lot of people simply buy a rifle knowing the scope is going to be part of the deal.

If you were one of my friends, I would offer to let you use my suppressed rifle for those one or two shots, because there is no sense doing even minimal damage to your hearing. Anytime friends have a tag for their kids, I always offer up a suppressed rifle as well.

I think this is, by far, the best approach to showing people the benefits of using a suppressor. Its how I got hooked. Its one of those things that you need to experience, maybe like a scope was back in the day. Some hunters talked about how great of a shot they were with irons and how scopes would make people not practice or miss moving game. But if you let them shoot through a scope.....it was probably a similar "ah ha" moment.

 

[roadrunner]

Just so everyone knows, the threshold of pain is 140 dBA. If a suppressor doesn't get it down below that level, pretty pointless.

If the suppressor does drop it 30 dBA (which most do), it will put high magnums at roughly 130 dBA, which is the same as a jet engine throttled up for take off from 200 ft away.

120 is operating heavy equipment, 110 is a night club with cranked up music.

OSHA's PEL for industry that some of us are in is 90 dBA.

For people that think you don't need hearing protection (never heard of "ear pro" until Rokslide) with a suppressor is sadly mistaken...

 

[roadrunner]

As far as concussive damage goes from braked rifles, I want to see the vector analysis of the compressed airwave and generated frequency before I believe anyone that it's going to kill you quicker than covid.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Just so everyone knows, the threshold of pain is 140 dBA. If a suppressor doesn't get it down below that level, pretty pointless.

If the suppressor does drop it 30 dBA (which most do), it will put high magnums at roughly 130 dBA, which is the same as a jet engine throttled up for take off from 200 ft away.

120 is operating heavy equipment, 110 is a night club with cranked up music.

OSHA's PEL for industry that some of us are in is 90 dBA.

For people that think you don't need hearing protection (never heard of "ear pro" until Rokslide) with a suppressor is sadly mistaken...

Yes suppressors are not whisper quiet on most hunting rounds. I do know that from the times I’ve cranked off rounds with a braked rifle sans ear pro… because yes I had it but hunting is dynamic and things happen and when your biggest buck is getting out of dodge sometimes you don’t have time to put ear pro on. And the times I’ve killed animals in the hunting scenarios with a suppressed rifle I will take the suppressed shots! Zero ear ringing,

 

[KurtR]

common sense is lost in todays world. Shoot a braked rifle even one with outa brake and then shoot one suppressed and tell me which one makes your ears ring less. Should you still have ear pro if you are sitting down and shooting 100 plus rounds of practice suppressed well thats were that common sense thing comes into play. You shoot one round while out hunting just go one less day with out the ffdp cranked to make up for it.

 

[Robobiss]

Good question. Not sure what all the differences are in terms of recoil between the ma duece and the M107. I’d imagine directional brake and the action have something to do with it. If I were a betting man the M2 probably has some negative effects as well. Still a ton of fun to shoot

Well the M2 is never really shot “man supported” and is always on a tripod or in a gun turret on a truck (not that you don’t know that) so in terms of recoil, there really isn’t any that the shooter really experiences. Anything legitimately shoulder fired (specially with the brake) will bang you up a ton more. Specially a big gun (.50)

I once put 800 rounds downrange in one sitting, one can after another. Honestly, all I have to bitch about following that was my effing thumbs hurt from pressing the butterfly trigger while it recoiled for 800 rounds. I didn’t feel like I got any ass handed to me from concussion or anything. The biggest downside to that is probably breathing in all of the gasses. From burning thousands of grains of powder in a few minutes a couple feet from my face.

Comparing that to being near someone shooting a magnum-level cartridge with a brake is night and day. The rifle with a brake is night and day more brutal. More than a box and I’m like “okay F this” I’d rather shoot the 800 through the .50, as long as I don’t have to clean it after .

 

[Robobiss]

Just so everyone knows, the threshold of pain is 140 dBA. If a suppressor doesn't get it down below that level, pretty pointless.

If the suppressor does drop it 30 dBA (which most do), it will put high magnums at roughly 130 dBA, which is the same as a jet engine throttled up for take off from 200 ft away.

120 is operating heavy equipment, 110 is a night club with cranked up music.

OSHA's PEL for industry that some of us are in is 90 dBA.

For people that think you don't need hearing protection (never heard of "ear pro" until Rokslide) with a suppressor is sadly mistaken...

“Ear pro” is a military term for hearing protection, that’s it.

A lot of the guntubers are prior service, or are cool guys LARPING and say “ear pro” a lot too. Thus a lot of other non prior service people say it. I was in the Marines Corps, I called it everything BUT “ear pro” until I was 18. It has been “ear pro” (short for ear protection) ever since, and always will be.

Its just a military term.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

I’ve never noticed concussion from a muzzle break. Also, what are ear pro’s that everyone is talking about? I wear muffs and so do my kids. If someone is worried about a kid getting a concussion from a muzzle break then they dang sure better not let them play little league or high school football.

I don’t think we’re talking about the same concussion

 

[Jason Snyder]

As far as concussive damage goes from braked rifles, I want to see the vector analysis of the compressed airwave and generated frequency before I believe anyone that it's going to kill you quicker than covid.

Huh?

Ask any audiologist about it. The concussive forces are transmitted through your facial bone structure and into the inner ear.

 

[Ozarkansas]

Just so everyone knows, the threshold of pain is 140 dBA. If a suppressor doesn't get it down below that level, pretty pointless.

If the suppressor does drop it 30 dBA (which most do), it will put high magnums at roughly 130 dBA, which is the same as a jet engine throttled up for take off from 200 ft away.

120 is operating heavy equipment, 110 is a night club with cranked up music.

OSHA's PEL for industry that some of us are in is 90 dBA.

For people that think you don't need hearing protection (never heard of "ear pro" until Rokslide) with a suppressor is sadly mistaken...

90 dBA is for sustained noise, over the course of your 8 hour shift. A rifle produces impulse noise, which has an OSHA exposure limit of 140 dB. So by your own numbers, a suppressed magnum rifle is within OSHA limits for impulse noise. Nonmagnums will be even quieter.

Even if that wasn’t the case, if you have a 338 SBR and it produces 180 dBA unsuppressed and 150dBA suppressed, you’re still damaging your ears a lot less shooting it suppressed. Obviously ear protection should always be used when possible, but to say that a suppressor is pointless if it doesn’t get below 140 dB just isn’t true

 

[hereinaz]

Huh?

Ask any audiologist about it. The concussive forces are transmitted through your facial bone structure and into the inner ear.

And, look up bone conduction.

Also, the same waves are shaking the jello in your skull. I get a headache after shooting a one day match around people with brakes.

Also, the worst day was the stage where we had to shoot inside a tube. I should have taken the zero and walked away.

 

[butcherboy]

Pickettpuncher,
Yes, I know they are different. My point is again why are so many people so concerned about concussive damage and yet no one says much about contact sports with young kids? Again, two different things but I’ll bet you more kids are damaged from a brain concussion than the other.

Robobis,
Thanks for the clarification. I was never in the military obviously and I’m not one of the cool kids that use the term who weren’t in the military either. I’ll just keep calling it hearing protection.

 

[hereinaz]

Pickettpuncher,
Yes, I know they are different. My point is again why are so many people so concerned about concussive damage and yet no one says much about contact sports with young kids? Again, two different things but I’ll bet you more kids are damaged from a brain concussion than the other.

Where is the contact sports forum on Rokslide? I want to make sure everyone advocating a suppressor in this thread also is protesting pee wee football.

That's a logical fallacy, and it has been repeated so I wanted to point it out.

 

[5811]

Yes, I know they are different. My point is again why are so many people so concerned about concussive damage and yet no one says much about contact sports with young kids? Again, two different things but I’ll bet you more kids are damaged from a brain concussion than the other.

But the two arent mutually exclusive. You might as well say "no one says much about letting kids play in traffic" while trying to justify blast exposure. There's no reason to even bring it up here.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Hahahahaaa!

As one of the Forum's token Europeans, that made me about spit my dip!
The ONLY things Europe has that makes for sense than the US is their drinking age & age you can get a driver's license.

That's literally it.

Have you ever set foot on the continent?? It's a shithole of a place, these days!

I thought you were from England…..that’s not Europe bro.

 

[49ereric]

Where is the contact sports forum on Rokslide? I want to make sure everyone advocating a suppressor in this thread also is protesting pee wee football.

That's a logical fallacy, and it has been repeated so I wanted to point it out.

more to life than a rockslide thread that effects our bodies Is the point but some posters want a narrower discussion. No rules to opinions.

 

[hereinaz]

Just so everyone knows, the threshold of pain is 140 dBA. If a suppressor doesn't get it down below that level, pretty pointless.

If the suppressor does drop it 30 dBA (which most do), it will put high magnums at roughly 130 dBA, which is the same as a jet engine throttled up for take off from 200 ft away.

120 is operating heavy equipment, 110 is a night club with cranked up music.

OSHA's PEL for industry that some of us are in is 90 dBA.

For people that think you don't need hearing protection (never heard of "ear pro" until Rokslide) with a suppressor is sadly mistaken...

If a rifle is above 140dBA without a suppressor, then I definitely want a suppressor to take it down from "blood coming out my ears" to a mere threshhold of pain, lol.

The thing with a suppressor is that it always reduces the dBA, so it is always less damaging. Some people are OK with "less damaging" and they should be clear that they are still OK with damaging. Not sure about the wisdom in that.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Should we talk about the danger of eating Pop Tarts and drinking Mountain Dew? How can you worry about hearing damage but no one is bringing that up?