Why use a Suppressor?

[hereinaz]

I have seen no evidence that a suppressor makes a rifle more accurate. In fact, I shoot most accurately with a good side port brake. The recoil pulse with a suppressor is a longer, softer push than a normal barrel but not as reduced as a good muzzle brake IMO.

I still do prefer to hunt suppressed so I don't have to carry hearing protection and remember to wear it. As stated above, the animals don't react as much. You also get fewer "cock watchers" coming to check you out since they can't hear your shot echoing down the canyon.

I agree with this. To a well trained shooter, the difference between a brake and a suppressor will show. A good efficient side port brake does reduce recoil more than a suppressor. When shooting a rifle, a really competent shooter will more often shoot better with a brake. I can't tell the difference, but I am sensitive to the concussive blast so a suppressor is really the way I shoot best. My lizard brain reflex is stronger than some, not as strong as others...

In competitions like PRS and NRL hunter, brakes are what the winners use because they more effectively help them spot their shots and watch their trace. If suppressors were better, then they would be used. But, the overall benefits of a brake give the edge to winners for several reasons. They are not your normal shooters or situation though. They literally shoot several thousand rounds a year and buy multiple barrels every year to burn out. Also, all they really need to hear is "shooter ready" and "beep".

For hunting, I'd bet most of them use a suppressor.

 

[big10hunter]

My 28 Nos is a beast and weighs almost 12 lbs with the Swaro X5i and it shoots amazing. With the can it would push it close to 13 lbs.

Switching gears a bit, looking to build a new rifle. My new mtn rifle will be light...really light. Looking at 6 lbs (rifle only). I would like to stay with 28 Nos but feel like it will obviously have a lot of recoil. The other caliber I am considering is a 6.5 PRC. Want to stay with 28 Nos because I already have all of the reloading components and 6.5 brass is a unicorn right now. What do you think the recoil will be like with this lightweight rifle in 28 Nos with a suppressor? Probably looking at scoped/rifle total weight to be around 7.25 lbs...close to 8 or a bit over with the suppressor. I am not a fan of recoil, but not a total flincher either. I want it to be comfortable to shoot. I am trying to create an argument to stay with the 28 Nos.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I'm not sure what you gents are so concerned about hearing loss. I've been shooting for more than 60 years. Even with heavy equipment use and the turbo on a helicopter, the only hearing loss I have is that of high womens voices. Especially when they are mad. I just don't see the loss.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I'm not sure what you gents are so concerned about hearing loss. I've been shooting for more than 60 years. Even with heavy equipment use and the turbo on a helicopter, the only hearing loss I have is that of high womens voices. Especially when they are mad. I just don't see the loss.

We have a new forum for you.

The Over Sixty Hunter

For our active older hunters like Robby Denning

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[MaraviaDave]

From my perspective; suppressors are a great application for light recoiling bolt rifles, used for training, with high volume round counts.

The other application for suppressors is gunfighting with gas guns at night where your adversary is using night vision. Or, when fighting around vehicles and structures.

I got my first suppressor 17 years ago and have been using them ever since on bolt and gas guns.

However, for hunting rifles a muzzle break is my preference. MB’s tame recoil much better. Which is important, considering hunting rifles typically are bigger cartridges than training rifles. Also, having a suppressor on your rifle hangs up a lot in brush and trees while strapped to your pack and turns into a dirt scoop when the rifles in your hands.

 

[Lawnboi]

I also wonder what the recoil threshold is for a suppresser over a brake when getting into a larger cartridge? I havnt shot a magnum suppressed to tell the difference.

I see situations where I would still use a brake. But most of my hunting requires a shot to be made quickly.

 

[hereinaz]

I also wonder what the recoil threshold is for a suppresser over a brake when getting into a larger cartridge? I havnt shot a magnum suppressed to tell the difference.

I see situations where I would still use a brake. But most of my hunting requires a shot to be made quickly.

How far are you shooting when made quickly?

 

[Lawnboi]

How far are you shooting when made quickly?

I can always justify a suppressor because everything and everywhere I have hunter so far has had an occasional sub 100 yard shot.

Just yesterday I dropped a vermin 15 yards from the chicken coop. If I had to dig up and put in earplugs I wouldn’t have gotten a shot.

 

[kpalu]

Does anyone else get headaches after shooting magnum rifles with aggressive muzzle brakes? This seems to happen every time I fire more than about 10 rounds. I assume suppressors would completely eliminate this problem?

Suppressors will definitely help with this they are reducing the pressure of the shock wave generated by the rifle. The repeated exposure to that high pressure shock wave is likely what's causing your headaches. I feel the same after shooting multi-day rifle matches when everyone else in my squad is shooting muzzle breaks rather than suppressors.

 

[ElkSnort]

My 28 Nos is a beast and weighs almost 12 lbs with the Swaro X5i and it shoots amazing. With the can it would push it close to 13 lbs.

Switching gears a bit, looking to build a new rifle. My new mtn rifle will be light...really light. Looking at 6 lbs (rifle only). I would like to stay with 28 Nos but feel like it will obviously have a lot of recoil. The other caliber I am considering is a 6.5 PRC. Want to stay with 28 Nos because I already have all of the reloading components and 6.5 brass is a unicorn right now. What do you think the recoil will be like with this lightweight rifle in 28 Nos with a suppressor? Probably looking at scoped/rifle total weight to be around 7.25 lbs...close to 8 or a bit over with the suppressor. I am not a fan of recoil, but not a total flincher either. I want it to be comfortable to shoot. I am trying to create an argument to stay with the 28 Nos.

Have you considered 7 saum, 280ai or 284 win? All will use same bullets as your 28 nos. The 7saum and 284 work particularly well in short barrels.

 

[big10hunter]

Have you considered 7 saum, 280ai or 284 win? All will use same bullets as your 28 nos. The 7saum and 284 work particularly well in short barrels.

I have considered the 280 AI. What would recoil be in a light rifle? 7.25 lbs? Wondering if 6.5 PRC would be less recoil in the same rifle.

 

[hereinaz]

A buddy has the 280 AI Savage Ultralight, and recoil isn’t too bad with a supppressor. But, with a short barrel I had to use 168 and couldn’t get the velocity to feel good about 800 yard shots.

A 6.5 PRC shooting 156 would be my choice between the two.

 

[ElkSnort]

I have considered the 280 AI. What would recoil be in a light rifle? 7.25 lbs? Wondering if 6.5 PRC would be less recoil in the same rifle.

Theoretically, all should be less recoil than 7mm rem mag. However, shooting heavy bullets i.e. 180-197g with heavier charges could drive the recoil up. With smaller bullets, 160-168g not so bad. 6.5prc and 6.5x284 are similar. 284 win is parent case of the latter. I mentioned the cartridges I did to save components as you already dhoot 7mm projectiles in the big 28. You couldn't go wrong with any of these in a light rifle.

 

[big10hunter]

A buddy has the 280 AI Savage Ultralight, and recoil isn’t too bad with a supppressor. But, with a short barrel I had to use 168 and couldn’t get the velocity to feel good about 800 yard shots.

A 6.5 PRC shooting 156 would be my choice between the two.

How does the Savage Ultralite shoot?

 

[hereinaz]

How does the Savage Ultralite shoot?

It shot nice. 5/8-3/4 groups with minimal load development. 3/4 to 1 inch with a couple boxes of factory.

 

[UpSideDown]

Can you explain how that happens? How can the concussive blast penetrate through the face and skull and into the brain? Or are you saying it moves your head back and forth rapidly?

Sound is a wave. It is the physical displacement of material. When you use a brake, that wave travels back towards you, through your skeletal structure.

This is why ear plugs are not effective hearing protection for firearms in the same way that ear muffs are. Our ears are big dishes built to receive wave energy. If you shoot a gun, a lot of that energy is still captured by the ear itself, and travels through the soft tissue into the otic canal. Plugs help a lot, but muffs provide far better protection.

When guys shoot big braked guns like the .50's, sometimes eye protection actually becomes a form of hearing protection, because enough energy can enter into the head through the eyes and the skeletal structure behind them that a layer of protection there can be warranted.

Suppressors slow down a lot of that sound. Much of that energy is turned into heat inside the suppressor, and all the energy generally leaves out of the front of the gun like if you shot unsuppressed. Suppressors do not make a centerfire rifle into an all-day hearing safe gun, but they make an enormous difference. I still wear high quality ear muffs with gel cups at the range even when I shoot suppressed, but I hunt without ear pro and leave the suppressor on my gun.


I do not shoot unsuppressed except for handguns. Flat out, nothing I shoot gets shot without a can besides pistols. I will not hunt with someone using a brake. I will not walk with my buddy that uses one. Suppressors are worth the weight, length and cost. Long barrels can be overrated anyways when most cartridges are losing 25fps/inch down to about 16" for non-mags and down to about 20" for magnums. I wouldn't go shorter than that without reason, but I have a 20" 300WSM barrel on order that's going to be just fine on elk out to about 850yds, and with just a hair over a 1 second flight time at that range I'm likely not shooting farther than that anways.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Several years back I read an article about Instructor's training troops how to use the Javelin Missile systems where getting brain bleeds because of sound wave from the double explosion when firing them. Crazy shit!

I can't imagine repetitive small arms fire is great for the ears or noggin either. Suppressors are the way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

My 28 Nos is a beast and weighs almost 12 lbs with the Swaro X5i and it shoots amazing. With the can it would push it close to 13 lbs.

Switching gears a bit, looking to build a new rifle. My new mtn rifle will be light...really light. Looking at 6 lbs (rifle only). I would like to stay with 28 Nos but feel like it will obviously have a lot of recoil. The other caliber I am considering is a 6.5 PRC. Want to stay with 28 Nos because I already have all of the reloading components and 6.5 brass is a unicorn right now. What do you think the recoil will be like with this lightweight rifle in 28 Nos with a suppressor? Probably looking at scoped/rifle total weight to be around 7.25 lbs...close to 8 or a bit over with the suppressor. I am not a fan of recoil, but not a total flincher either. I want it to be comfortable to shoot. I am trying to create an argument to stay with the 28 Nos.

I'd do a 20" 28 nos in a heartbeat, I guarantee you'll be able to send a 195 north of 2850 with ease. I have an 18" 7-300 wsm improved, basically a 7 wsm, and I'm getting awesome results with 195's at 2700 suppressed.
Do the calculations, that'll get you to 900 yards at 3500' with 1800 fps impact velocity.

I would recommend a Nomad LT for the best suppression and recoil reduction, its 8.4" but honestly there's a huge difference in performance over an ultra 7

I also wonder what the recoil threshold is for a suppresser over a brake when getting into a larger cartridge? I havnt shot a magnum suppressed to tell the difference.

I see situations where I would still use a brake. But most of my hunting requires a shot to be made quickly.

I've compared an aggressive 5 port brake on a 6.7lb 30 nos (naked weight) to my 9" Banish 30 suppressor.
I can tell you the recoil difference is much less than I'd have expected, my 130 lb wife shoots it like a boss with 245s.
The main difference is muzzle rise, the brake has virtually none while suppressed there's a little more jump. Still very easy to track shots.

 

[hereinaz]

I'd do a 20" 28 nos in a heartbeat, I guarantee you'll be able to send a 195 north of 2850 with ease. I have an 18" 7-300 wsm improved, basically a 7 wsm, and I'm getting awesome results with 195's at 2700 suppressed.
Do the calculations, that'll get you to 900 yards at 3500' with 1800 fps impact velocity.

I would recommend a Nomad LT for the best suppression and recoil reduction, its 8.4" but honestly there's a huge difference in performance over an ultra 7

I've compared an aggressive 5 port brake on a 6.7lb 30 nos (naked weight) to my 9" Banish 30 suppressor.
I can tell you the recoil difference is much less than I'd have expected, my 130 lb wife shoots it like a boss with 245s.
The main difference is muzzle rise, the brake has virtually none while suppressed there's a little more jump. Still very easy to track shots.

My experience is that the difference between a suppressor and brake, brake being superior in recoil control but supressor being superior to muzzle blast reduction, the changes brought by the suppressor to my shooting improve my performance over all. It doesn't all come down to recoil control in the balance. The suppressor just changes the experience in ways that have to be felt to understood, IMO. Its why most people go all suppressed once they start.

 

[isocyanate]

I shot some prs a few years back, enough to burn up about 10k rounds between a 6.5 creed, 260 rem, 223, and 6 dasher. Bunch of it through a brake and always with foam plugs or muffs. Haven’t had any testing done, but I think I lost a little hearing over that time just from the concussion. No problem to get a ringing in the ears after firing 10 braked rounds stuffed into a concrete culvert, or conex box. No matter what earpro.

I don’t play those games any more, but exclusively use my suppressor now. Brakes suck.