Suppressors are silly...........oh wait.

[mountainman56]

Interesting toys, that was always my opinion of suppressors. I've only shot a couple suppressed firearms over the years and while I thought the suppressed AR-15 was interesting and a little fun there was no way I was going to spend that much money to hang that big can on the end of my barrel. The suppressed .22 pistol I shot with sub-sonic ammo was definitely cool but the same opinion applies.

Fast forward to last Saturday, my friend brings over a .30 cal suppressor off his AR10 over and informs me; "We had a hunter at the ranch last week with a suppressed 300 Win mag and I loved it. Can you screw this onto my 300"? Well hell, if you have enough meat on the muzzle we can but why would you want to do that to that sweet little lightweight carbine? Long story short he's my pal and if he wants the **** thing screwed his rifle that's what's going to happen.

Sunday morning out to the range with several rifles, his 300 Win mag with brake installed included. Set out new targets and drove back to the bench rest. I had also installed another scope on his rifle so bore sight and fire a round. Holy crap! Got on paper with first shot and was making scope adjustments when Jeff pulled up. First words out of my mouth after only one shot; "You r@t b@[email protected] I gotta have one". Absolutely incredible, no recoil and no hearing protection. I never realized to what level they could reduce recoil. This suppressor is 8 years old and I'm sure they've improved since then but it took this very lightweight 300 mag shooting healthy hand loads with 200 grain bullets down to less recoil than a 243. The sound was, I don't know how to rate it but I was standing beside the bench while he was shooting with absolutely no discomfort.

It's ugly and it makes the rifle 8" too long but now I gotta have at least one. Maybe a 7mm short mag with a carbon fiber barrel....hmmmm. R@t b@st@rd.

 

[StrutNut]

I bought a 300 win mag with a shorter barrel knowing I will be putting a can on the end. I already have tinnitus, no need to make things worse. Just saving up to get it as you had mentioned, they are not making them so most of can afford them yet. Then again, there is a price to keep your hearing!

 

[Str8shooterTX]

One of the many benefits to shooting corked. I prefer to shoot this way every time I am able. Welcome to the club!!
One peice of advice i would offer is find a quality titanium can that can shoot anything from 300WM down to 223. Less amount of cans laying around. Decide if you want QD or DT. The new QD have as good repeat-ability in poi as DT. I prefer the Yankee Hill Titanium Phantom QD. That way you can put on the flash suppressor QD on all your weapons for cheaper then mounting multiple cans. YMMV and again welcome to the club!

 

[FEENIX]

I know exactly what you mean. Mine (already in my LGS just awaiting BATFE clearance --- average wait depending on who is processing it is 6 mos) is the Bravo from EliteIron High Quality Suppressors for my .308 cal rifles ...

It says it is rated up to .300 RUM but when i called, it can also handle 30-378.

Check out these videos ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/vvfQn9_2Ac8[/ame]

[ame]https://youtu.be/0bxpFScaJ70?t=1[/ame]

 

[woodnut]

Mountainman56, I will repeat what has been said, welcome to the club! I have several now, and hate it when either I or someone else on the range is shooting without a can. One day I looked at my 7STW and thought, why not? Best thing I did! No more muzzle brakes for me! I also agree with the recoil reduction. You may also notice you shoot better. Grin more. Shoot more and enjoy it a lot more!
I have a builder here in Va. who makes my screw ons. Oh, and accuracy is better, and if you want light weight, titanium does it. T&J Tactical in Radford, VA is his web site and Jeff is very knowledgeable and pleasant to talk with.
I will give you a word of warning...YOU CAN'T STOP AT JUST ONE!

 

[themadmax]

I will give you a word of warning...YOU CAN'T STOP AT JUST ONE!

Truer words never spoken. Rules for suppressors:
1) DO NOT GET ONE! It will start you on a long and dark path...
2) Do not shoot one, even if a friend offers you to try his. (See above) He is not a true friend (see below).
3) If you violate the above, do not let your friends shoot them. YOU will be responsible for their downfall.
4) Cans, like horses, cost more than you think. The pain of shooting full power .300WM limits the cost of ammo. Suppressed...no recoil, muted thumps, ringing steel (not ears) = more in ammo. This leads to more reloading components, reloading and shooting more calibers suppressed, and increased reloading equipment. In turn, more family members (including small/petite ones) shoot with you, exacerbating this vicious cycle.
4a) You will never again be able to buy a gun that is not threaded, and those that you have will spend quality time at the gunsmith getting threaded. More money...
5) There is always another, more versatile, lighter, quieter, nicer suppressor that just came out. Even though you still have 2 (3,4,10) in NFA jail, this next one is a must have. Back to rule #1...

 

[woodnut]

Themadmax, you are spot on! You summed it up so well! Everything you said is the gospel truth! I am even going to take my beautiful Cooper with a blued octagon barrel in .222 to have my man thread it and cap it with an octagon cap. Yes! Even the sweet little .222 now sounds awful and kicks like a mule! That's how much shooting suppressed has changed me! I want ALL my rifles suppressed! I don't shoot some of my pistols because I can't suppress them...unless I re-barrel them.... hummmm...let me think a bit on that.....hummm..maybe.......yeeessss.

 

[themadmax]

Oh man, I have not gone that far! Yet... I do have an octagon Win 94 30-30. Hmmm. But yes, from the 17HMR (beastly recoil!) to the 45-70, most now sport threads. And the only pistols I still have not threaded or bought new barrels for, are a couple of classic revolvers, two of the kids competition .22s, and a couple of G42s (those will be getting them soon). Even have a couple of suppressed shotguns. Do I need help?

 

[woodnut]

Themadmax, no, you don't need help....you need support! I do have one 22 pistol suppressed, but my custom built 1911s have integral brakes. Bummer!
I pity those who jumped on the suppressor wagon late to beat the changes this month. The massive volume of applicants will bog the system down and they will be lucky to get their cans in a year. Hopefully, our government will(?) add personnel to help it move quicker, but I won't hold my breathe!

 

[fatski]

Hey guys a quick question on suppressors. I hunt in some pretty rough terrain and usually put at least 6 miles under my feet daily. I love my mountain gun in 300 wsm but the recoil sucks! What do suppressors typically weigh and would it be worth hauling it around in the mountains? My gun right now is right around 6 pounds. There is also the length issue and how does that effect how fast I can get the gun up if a quick shot is needed?

Thanks for the help

 

[themadmax]

Weight varies. My lightest for my 300WM is about 12oz, length is about 7 inches. My heaviest is 24oz and 10 inches. If I am using my heavy can (Specwar 762), I carry it in and attach when I get to my area. A solid QD mount really helps with this, but adds a bit of weight. The lighter ones (like the Omega and some homemade/Form 1 ones) generally stay on the gun unless I am in heavy brush and carrying on my shoulder. As far as quick shots, it depends on the weight and barrel length. I have moved to shorter barrels and lighter suppressors (thread on, not QD) for this reason: 16" or 18" for .308, .223, 45-70, 300BO, .243, and 20" for 300WM. My last elk hunt I averaged 6-7 miles a day for several days, in snow and high Colorado mountains, so I know what you mean. Lighter is definitely better, but I will not hunt without a can now, no matter how far/high I have to go. I don't even notice the length/weight of the light ones on my packing guns anymore.

 

[Hookturnr]

I only share this now that mine is already on order and about to go on form 3.

Get yourself a Thunderbeast Ultra series can.

You can get them in 5-7-9inch varieties and .223 6.5 and .308 flavors along with a few color options.
They're rated to 300RUM in a titanium monocore can with QD and DT options.
Superlight and effective. I know I sound like an ad, but once I shot 8 different 30 cal cans and the the ultra was just plain quieter and looked better than the rest, it made me a convert.

The only downfalls, not cheap and take forever to get unless you find someone with one in stock.

 

[fatski]

thanks for the feedback. unfortunately I should have realized that the state I live in does not allow suppressors before I got all excited!!

 

[woodnut]

Fatski, sure am sorry about that! What communistic state are you in? I know there's only 4-5 states that don't allow them, and a small number that don't allow them to be used for hunting. Bummer!