Suppressors Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

[Norm]

Admittedly, I'm a total noob to sound suppressors...

Have a hypothetical question: say I'm in an extended SHTF situation and I would need a suppressed urban sniper rifle to keep the ...uh...zombies at bay. Targets out to about 300 meters or so. Would you pick a suppressed .308 or a suppressed 5.56/.223?

I assume quietness would be the main thing in an urban environment, because everybody knows that zombies are attracted to the sound of gun shots ;D.

Is a suppressed 5.56/.223 significantly quieter than a .308 (I've never personally heard either).

Thanks!

 

[07zx6r]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

i would think the 308 is quieter than the 223... could be wrong.

 

[PGG]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I hate the term sniper rifle unless your a sniper and 99.9+% of us are not. However IMHO I dont think there is much difference if you have a good suppressor for either. The smaller calibers are less costly to shoot so if you have hundreds of zombies your worried about and on a budget go with 5.56/.223. I am sure other will have other thoughts. PG

 

[Norm]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PGG</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I hate the term sniper rifle unless your a sniper and 99.9+% of us are not. However IMHO I dont think there is much difference if you have a good suppressor for either. The smaller calibers are less costly to shoot so if you have hundreds of zombies your worried about and on a budget go with 5.56/.223. I am sure other will have other thoughts. PG </div></div>

Am I on the wrong website? I thought this was the SNIPER's hide, not the Plinker's Hide -- just kidding!

Well, if there's no difference in sound level, I'd just as soon have a .308, scoped, sound suppressed, long distance zombie rifle since it obviously has more knockdown & head exploding power on zombies than .223 / 5.56, especially when the zombies are hiding behind cover.

Again, lest anyone get the wrong idea, this is a suppressed, scoped, bolt action ZOMBIE rifle, that we're just hypothetically talking about....I even have a few boxes of Zombie Ammo at my disposal...

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

The fact that you used "zombie", SHTF and "sniper" in the same post pretty much removes the possibility of you getting any serious answers.

Use whatever gets you the most damage points and roll on!

 

[Norm]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The fact that you used "zombie", SHTF and "sniper" in the same post pretty much removes the possibility of you getting any serious answers.

Use whatever gets you the most damage points and roll on! </div></div>

I'm using those terms euphemistically since somebody didn't like me using the term "sniper" for whatever reason.

However, from what I'm hearing here, a suppressed .308 is apparently quieter than a .223/5.56. That sounds counter-intuitive to me, but I'm a noob on this topic.

Serious question, 'cause I really don't know: given suppressors of equal quality, why would a suppressed .308 be quieter than a suppressed .223/5.56?

Thanks!

 

[Searcher]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

Would you be using subsonic ammo? Subsonic at 300 yards and the round will be dropping on the target like a mortar round. If you mis-estimate your range, you can easily miss the target.

Now, firing supersonic, you will eliminate the muzzle blast, masking your location. The zombies will be like, "WTF?". The sound of the supersonic round will sound very much like a .22 rimfire from either .308 or .223 so not many will be alerted to the impending doom.

 

[IronMaidenFan]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

You might want to consider using 300 Whisper suppressed. The only thing you'll hear is the hammer striking the firing pin.

 

[Apex Motorsports]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

Subsonic ammo isn't usually used IRL. The idea behind suppressors is they don't mask the shot being taken. They reduce the muzzle, sound (makes communication within the team easier if everyone is using them), flash and dust signatures increasing the survivability of the war fighter/ law enforcement officer. Using them in an offensive role likely will get your ass thrown in prison for the rest of your natural life, that is if you don't do it in texas (I hear from my brother in law that they like killing you back in texas).

With that said, a super sonic round passing between two people(for arguments sake you hit a pumpkin between them). Each person on the receiving end has a different perception of where the bullet came from. To the man on the right of the bullet, he would think it came from the left, and the man to the left of the bullet would think it came from the right (from the noise signature). Effectively throwing off the perception of origin 90 degrees. Not sure what your STF* acronym was. But you should look into the cost, wait time, and legal implications of purchasing form 4 NFA items before you get to far into your theorizing.

 

[Searcher]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: USMC_4_life</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Subsonic ammo isn't usually used IRL. The idea behind suppressors is they don't mask the shot being taken. They reduce the muzzle, sound (makes communication within the team easier if everyone is using them), flash and dust signatures increasing the survivability of the war fighter/ law enforcement officer. Using them in an offensive role likely will get your ass thrown in prison for the rest of your natural life, that is if you don't do it in texas (I hear from my brother in law that they like killing you back in texas).

With that said, a super sonic round passing between two people(for arguments sake you hit a pumpkin between them). Each person on the receiving end has a different perception of where the bullet came from. To the man on the right of the bullet, he would think it came from the left, and the man to the left of the bullet would think it came from the right (from the noise signature). Effectively throwing off the perception of origin 90 degrees. Not sure what your STF* acronym was. But you should look into the cost, wait time, and legal implications of purchasing form 4 NFA items before you get to far into your theorizing. </div></div>


The OP is talking about zombies and you go all form 4 on him?

 

[Doogie]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I wouldn't say the .308 is quieter,a lot of it depends on barrel length and type of gun. Most first time buyers (me included) are in the market to make their rifle quieter. But after you get your first can you realize all the other benefits like hey I don't have to wear ear plugs and now I can go coyote hunting and wisper to the person next to me without scarying everything away. Then the quiet factor moves down the list of importance in selection and weight, durability, material, and others become more important.

As USMC_4_life was talking the bullet's flight noise is still loud with a round traveling above the speed of sound. Find some YouTube video where they have a suppressed rifle and a camera next to the target. It's pretty slick when the metal all the sudden rings and you are lik "wtf where did that come from?"

 

[PGG]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I wasnt trying to bust any chops sorry I just personally know I have never shot anything much more threatening then a groundhog and steel targets. Still trying to get a shot off at my first hog. I think you will want several once you get the bug its hard to stop. I love my .338 AWC Thundertrap on everything from a .338-408CT wildcat to a .308 or 300 blackout/whisper. I would guess it would do well on a 5.56 also. However I still got me several 5.56/.223 cans and .308 CANS pending. I personally thing suppressors are more impressive with full powered ammo but thats just me. They also make fantastic recoil reducers for the zombie or for me groundhog or wild pig follow up shot. PG

 

[mtrmn]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: USMC_4_life</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Subsonic ammo isn't usually used IRL. The idea behind suppressors is they don't mask the shot being taken. They reduce the muzzle, sound (makes communication within the team easier if everyone is using them), flash and dust signatures increasing the survivability of the war fighter/ law enforcement officer. Using them in an offensive role likely will get your ass thrown in prison for the rest of your natural life, that is if you don't do it in texas (I hear from my brother in law that they like killing you back in texas).

With that said, a super sonic round passing between two people(for arguments sake you hit a pumpkin between them). Each person on the receiving end has a different perception of where the bullet came from. To the man on the right of the bullet, he would think it came from the left, and the man to the left of the bullet would think it came from the right (from the noise signature). Effectively throwing off the perception of origin 90 degrees. Not sure what your STF* acronym was. But you should look into the cost, wait time, and legal implications of purchasing form 4 NFA items before you get to far into your theorizing. </div></div>

What he said. Either caliber will sound about the same-like a 22 rimfire due to the bullet breaking the sound barrier. The sound will come from the point where the bullet passed by, drowning out any noise from the shooter's location. I tried this at home (against all accepted doctrine) standing 20 ft to the side of my 50-yard target. I had a TRUSTED buddy fire my 308 suppressed, aiming at the 200 yd targets so as not to hit the 50 yd target. The ONLY sound I heard came from the 50 yd line where the bullet passed by me 20 ft away. Sounded just like somebody 20 ft away shooting a 22 rifle. No sound from the shooting bench using an AR10.

 

[Killer Spade 13]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I'd get an Air-Soft and put an empty, plastic Co-Cola bottle on the front of it, or maybe just a sweet tater.

 

[10ringping]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

that was also my understanding. Not to silence, but to suppress so no one knows where the shot came from.

 

[Norm]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

Thanks all, for the info!

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, I should get a .338 suppressor to handle anything I might have (basically from .308 down to 5.56). The .300 Whisper sounds intriguing, too, especially if I can get an AR15 upper in that calibre.

The local law enforcement seems friendly towards suppressors as long as you're not a troublemaker.

So, if I did get the proper licensing, etc. for a suppressor, am I free to use it on multiple weapons or am I stuck with one licensed weapon?

Thanks!

 

[Red_SC]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

There are no restrictions on what firearm the suppressor has to be used on.

 

[DarkD]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

Multiple people are making 300 Blackou uppers these days, but to operate the round as designed (subsonic) you should stay with the shorter barrels 9" is the AAC recommended length for subsonic. So that means to do this legally you will need an SBR lower...another form 4. You can take a non-sbr existing lower and have any SOT stamp it and register it as an SBR, or purchase a factory SBR like I did. You can use longer barrels but the round can frequently go supersonic before exiting as they are coming out around 1050-1100 on a 9". I love mine. Shooting at an indoor range with no hearing protection, the sound is barely that of a pneumaic brad nailer! And I have shot steel very effectively out 325 yards as well. All around, one of the funnest guns I have.

 

[tsmoyer13]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

.308 definitely. I've owned both and .308 ous much more satisfying suppressed. Diminished recoil is the stuff. Love watching my bullet impact through the scope!

 

[Twisted .308]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

.308 I like shooting better than my .223 suppressed

If you want a SHTF suppressor just make you an adapter to screw on a Briggs & Stratton muffler to your barrel !

SHTF-Zombies Oh My !! I don't think I'd need no stinkin form 4 if things are this bad already and it wouldn't probably matter anyways

 

[-Nick-]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Norm</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks all, for the info!
So, if I'm understanding this correctly, I should get a .338 suppressor to handle anything I might have (basically from .308 down to 5.56).
</div></div>

If you don't own a .338 then you don't need anything bigger than the .308 as most well made cans are .300WM rated.

As for your initial question... Most humans can't detect the difference in decibel level from a suppressed .223 to a .308, none the less Zombies or Ninjas. Not to say that an actual trained person who has been around both enough wouldn't be able to know.

 

[HPLLC]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

If I was shooting Zombies out to 300 meters, I think the 5.56mm would have the edge.

Lighter ammo = more ammo can be carried per lb. That's more zombie killing before you get over-run and eaten

5.56mm = more quiet for reduced zombie awareness of your presence

Accuracy approximately = to .308 inside 300meters

Power factor = Not a consideration because zombies require head shots as far as Hollywood has been able to suggest with their movies

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

Professional zombie killers use suppressed 22LRs....duh.

Savage TRR-SRs and ARs with dedicated uppers and vest upon vest of Black Dog magazines provide the utmost in discreet Zed elimination.

 

[freerangevoter]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I'd go with .300 Blackout. With light bullets it's on-par with the 7.62*39 AK47 round and it will shoot .220g subsonic. You can get up to 100 of them into the new Surefire mag and Zombies seldom travel in groups exceeding the seats in an Astro van.

 

[HPLLC]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: freerangevoter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You can get up to 100 of them into the new Surefire mag and Zombies seldom travel in groups exceeding the seats in an Astro van. </div></div>

I guess that depends on whether you live in an urban or rural area.... Some of the zombie movies portray some pretty crazy situations in areas with high population density.

 

[traderpats]

Re: Pros & Cons: suppressed .308 vs. 5.56/.223?

I got a couple of the yhm .308 suppressors. Can get mounts for use on either .308 or .223. I've shot both with these cans and the sound between them is just ..... different is all. Can't really say much change in "loudness" from one to the other.