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Suppressors Couple of questions about suppressors...

AtownBcat

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 19, 2009
127
1
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Aledo, Texas
I am completely new to this concept but with Texas making it legal to hunt game animals with a can, Im trying to learn as much as I can.

1. Is a suppressor as effective reducing recoil as a muzzle brake? I have a Radial discharge brake on my 300WM and although it is loud, I can shoot it all day with no problem with recoil.

2. Does a suppressor have any negative side effects? Slower MV, reduced accuracy, and so on...?

3. How much does a suppressor need to reduce the volume to be able to shoot without ear plugs or muffs (and not damage your hearing)

4. How do I know that I am looking at a quality product? Im sure fit and finish will tell you alot, but does the rated reduction in DB tell the story. Like if a company says that they can reduce a 30 cal gun (308-300WM) 25-29 DB does this tell me what I need to know?

I hope these are not ask everyday....

Atown
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

1: yes

2: no

3: below 140dbs

4: a LOT of the price difference is due to materials... relating to size and weight... look at Thunderbeast for the 300WM and great quality.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

I do not own a suppressor so I have not experienced the ballistics effects of guns with/without.

From my experiences with shooting suppressed it is about just as effective as a muzzle brake. Since muzzle brakes and suppressors have a wide range of designs and effectiveness I have no comparisons to make. Some do better jobs than others.

Most suppressor's will direct sound toward the muzzle where brakes will move air toward the shooter. Almost all suppressed guns with properly designed cans are safe to shoot without hearing protection. However, some aren't as safe to stand near than others.

Someone was shooting a 5.56 SBR (9", I believe) with a can designed for a .308. My ears are still in pretty good shape (I can hear up to about 17k HZ), and I took my ears off for a couple shots while standing at different angles without any discomfort.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

Also, keep in mind that that the sound intensity drops off inversely to the square of the distance from the source so if people are 30+ feet away a suppressed Ma-Duece would be acceptable to the ears (this I have first hand experience with while shooting a MP5SD about 30ft from a suppressed M-2 with no hearing protection).
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AtownBcat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">1. Is a suppressor <span style="color: #FF0000">as effective</span> reducing recoil as a muzzle brake? </div></div>

No. The can will reduce recoil but not as effectively as a well designed brake. The can will give more of a push when using it.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AtownBcat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
1. Is a suppressor as effective reducing recoil as a muzzle brake? I have a Radial discharge brake on my 300WM and although it is loud, I can shoot it all day with no problem with recoil.</div></div>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Nearly- about 85% as efficient as the best muzzle brakes.</span>


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">2. Does a suppressor have any negative side effects? Slower MV, reduced accuracy, and so on...?</div></div>
Increased weight. Generally accuracy and muzzle velocity increase slightly.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">3. How much does a suppressor need to reduce the volume to be able to shoot without ear plugs or muffs (and not damage your hearing)</div></div>

With a Bolt operated rifle - a suppressor will provide performance very similar to an equally rated set of ear plugs. So if you use 25DB plugs, then a 25DB sound suppressor would be similar in performance.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">4. How do I know that I am looking at a quality product? Im sure fit and finish will tell you alot</div></div>

That's not always the case. A product could be "Welded" and that could mean two end caps got circumferentially welded. Another identical suppressor could get 90 seperate welds and the same machining and you would not know the difference from looking at the product, despite welding plans with $90+ of cost difference and major strength and durability differentials.

A pretty exterior doesn't mean a quality product. KAC makes some fairly rough looking suppressors and they are some of the best suppressors made in the USA.


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">does the rated reduction in DB tell the story. Like if a company says that they can reduce a 30 cal gun (308-300WM) 25-29 DB does this tell me what I need to know?</div></div>

A lot of companies inflate figures drastically. So company ethics are important to accurate reporting.

Independent test results are helpful in cutting through the bullshit.

There is no hard and fast rule for who is and is not inflating or missrepresenting numbers. So it's anyone's guess.

25-29DB in your example is a sliding scale for instance. I would take that to mean... "25DB". It doesn't matter if the company can take a 30caliber (.308) can and put it on a .300 BLK subsonic and by virtue of 60% reduced powder charge get a sound reduction to be 4 or even 6 DB's higher with the .308 Winchester size suppressor.

That is not going to reflect the manner in which most people use their .308 suppressor.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

Wear your plugs with your new can when shooting full loads.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

A suppressor does significantly reduce the recoil. It does that by slowing the rate of the escaping gas and by adding weight to the rifle. The downside to a suppressor in a hunting application is the added weight to the rifle. Keep that in mind when shopping around.

Generally speaking suppressors can actually increase accuracy by maybe .25 - .50 MOA and increase muzzle velocity by 5-15 fps. Again this is just generally speaking. A lot goes into how much the suppressor with affect the performance of your rifle, but it's usually on the positive side. You will have a point of impact shift shooting suppressed. The shift should be around 1-2 MOA depending on the suppressor. Some manufactures claim 0 POI shift.

If you are going to be shooting standard loads for a couple hours, I would suggest wearing ear plugs due to the sonic crack that cannot be avoided. If you are just going to check zero or shoot at an animal then most suppressors are good to go without hearing protection.

Like most things, you get what you pay for. I suggest doing a lot of research before you buy a can. It seems some cheaper suppressors can give good perfomance, but with extra weight. If you want light weight with performance, generally you are going to be around $800 or more. Also consider if you want quick detach or direct thread on. Are you putting together a dedicated suppressed rifle? Maybe suppressing other rifles?

Hope this helped.
 
Re: Couple of questions about suppressors...

thanks for the replys. The two rifles that I would like to run a can on are a 300WM and a 6.5x47. My plan is to buy a can rated for the 300 and then use it on the 6.5(the other way around would not work all that great...lol). I realize that a can that is a .308 my not do as good of a job on the 6.5 as a can that is actually 6.5, but for starters this is the plan.