Ruger American Gen 2 vs Ruger American Gen 2 Rancher

To me the point of using a suppressor is to not have to wear hearing protection, with subsonic ammunition. What would be your point?

There are plenty of suppressors out there that reduce the noise below 140db at the shooters ear with supersonic ammo making it hearing safe. I have several and shoot without ear pro all the time, was just doing it again this weekend.

Have you ever even shot with a suppressor?
 
To me the point of using a suppressor is to not have to wear hearing protection, with subsonic ammunition. What would be your point?
Suppressors will reduce recoil some, noise a lot, and concussive wave even more so. They aren't intended to make things Hollywood quiet, but their benefits are so much beyond just the noise reduction. Shooting with any volume, the concussive wave of a muzzle blast will start to wear on a shooter. I am not really recoil sensitive, but if I'm shooting a RUM unsuppressed, I start loosing my fundamentals in a hurry.

There really is an axiom amongst those with suppressors to say to those without: If you don't want to buy a bunch and wait for the approvals, don't shoot one. Once you have shot with one, you will not want to shoot without one.
 
I only have a little experience with 2 RAR's vs loads and loads of experience with Tikka's, so maybe I've missed some nuance of what makes the RAR's appealing; however, based on my experience with the aforementioned rifles and some other budget oriented offerings, I'd have a really hard time not buying a Tikka compact for the purposes listed by the OP.

To cite a few differences, the Tikka has a vastly better trigger than the G1 RAR's, greater bottom metal availability for multiple magazine configurations - in addition to a flawless feeding OEM set up, higher quality OEM stocks with broader aftermarket stock and accoutrement availability, better barrels that stay cleaner longer, and overall better fit and finish.The Compact varient also offers LOP shims.

It's not to say that the RAR's are necessarily a bad rifle; I know plenty of guys who run them and are happy. Instead, its more to say that the Tikkas are that much better for not a lot more money in the grand scheme of things.
 
The 6.5 Creedmoor produces about 13 ft-lbs of recoil vs 17 ft-lbs for the 7mm08. If this is a deer only rifle go with the 6.5 CM. AMMO is readily available and lower recoil will enhance the shooting experience for the young shooter. Specialty rounds are OK if you're an avid reloader. However, small town retailers in hunt country usually only carry ammo for the most popular cartridges. If the rifle gets dropped, you might use ammo to rezero the rifle. Over the years, our wildcat rifles stayed in camp occasionally because we couldn't replenish ammo in remote areas.
 
I personally would choose the 20" 6.5 Creedmoor. We have a 22" 6.5 Creedmoor and it has been used by both my sons to shoot their first 5 deer combined from ages 11-15. Distances from 100-250, all suppressed. All supported on shooting sticks for shorter shots, prone over backpack, all with a 6" suppressor. 20" with 7" suppressor is still pretty handy to me, and will have better velocity vs the 16".

I have a 6.8 Western with a 20" barrel and I wish it was a 22" just to get a bit more velocity out of it.

Recoil is very tame with our 22" 6.5 C and suppressor. The beauty of the suppressor is that it reduces recoil, and noise and blast. It's one of the best things you can do for young hunters.
 
It seems like a bullet at 2000 FPS negates the silencer completely. What's the point of that if it's not working?
It works amazingly well to reduce the noise and blast of a rifle report, and also reduces recoil which is great for young hunters especially. No big boom, no percussion like a brake, and less recoil means more confidence when pulling the trigger and much less likely to flinch.

Suppressors and dry fire practice are the two biggest things that have led to success in my two son's hunting.

If there wasn't any real benefit to suppressors on supersonic rifle rounds, a significant chunk of this forum's members that use suppressors for hunting wouldn't bother with the added cost, the added weight, the added length, and added headache of acquiring them.

Sure, you still hear the supersonic crack, but it is significantly different than unsuppressed.
 
I'm loving the 7mm-08 for kids, ladies and first timers. Plenty of Jack to put down animals and low recoil and muzzle blast. I have Browing A-Bolt Micro Medallion that I won at a Ducks Unlimited convention when I was stationed at Moody AFB in Valdosta Gerogia. It weighs about 6-6.5 pounds about 7.5 with optics and 20" barrel. My boyz (and student newbies) started using it in 1991 and have killed about 70 animals, 1 shot, DRT kills. It is very handy with that 20" pipe...After the boys grew up and traded up to "blingy" new cartridges, I started using it several years ago myself. Out of a gun safe(s) full of every caliber you can imagine and that little stick (I call it my "pocket rifle") became my "go to" for deer and hogs out of stands in south Texas. A few years ago I developed a load for my wife's Weatherby Camila in 7mm-08 (20" BBL) and she smoked the plains game in Africa with it. 145 gr Barnes LRX, 46 gr RL-17, CCI BR-2 Primer, Lapua brass. Turns out three other rifles like that load and it really upped the ante in the "pocket rifle". Personally, I'd go with the 20" barrel and forgo the can. If you are enamored with the can, I might cut to 18" but no shorter--I've seen barrels cut from 24" to 18 inches with only about 40 FPS loss-- a well-known local gunsmith and custom rifle builder did the work for his brother so he could use a short can on hogs out of his UTV. I actually shot that rifle over the chrony and got 2770 with factory loads with 140 gr Nosler partition bullet. He attributes the performance to the efficiency of the .308 parent case and burn rate of modern powders suitable for that caliber. IMO, the 20" barrel is already pretty handy, and I have killed an elk at 500 yds and mule deer at 475 with it.
 
I'm loving the 7mm-08 for kids, ladies and first timers. Plenty of Jack to put down animals and low recoil and muzzle blast. I have Browing A-Bolt Micro Medallion that I won at a Ducks Unlimited convention when I was stationed at Moody AFB in Valdosta Gerogia. It weighs about 6-6.5 pounds about 7.5 with optics and 20" barrel. My boyz (and student newbies) started using it in 1991 and have killed about 70 animals, 1 shot, DRT kills. It is very handy with that 20" pipe...After the boys grew up and traded up to "blingy" new cartridges, I started using it several years ago myself. Out of a gun safe(s) full of every caliber you can imagine and that little stick (I call it my "pocket rifle") became my "go to" for deer and hogs out of stands in south Texas. A few years ago I developed a load for my wife's Weatherby Camila in 7mm-08 (20" BBL) and she smoked the plains game in Africa with it. 145 gr Barnes LRX, 46 gr RL-17, CCI BR-2 Primer, Lapua brass. Turns out three other rifles like that load and it really upped the ante in the "pocket rifle". Personally, I'd go with the 20" barrel and forgo the can. If you are enamored with the can, I might cut to 18" but no shorter--I've seen barrels cut from 24" to 18 inches with only about 40 FPS loss-- a well-known local gunsmith and custom rifle builder did the work for his brother so he could use a short can on hogs out of his UTV. I actually shot that rifle over the chrony and got 2770 with factory loads with 140 gr Nosler partition bullet. He attributes the performance to the efficiency of the .308 parent case and burn rate of modern powders suitable for that caliber. IMO, the 20" barrel is already pretty handy, and I have killed an elk at 500 yds and mule deer at 475 with it.
Concur!
 
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