Suppressors Is its crazy idea to purchase a 50BMG suppressor for use on a 338LM?

[bhart89]

Currently I have a TRG42 that I would like to suppress. Eventually I'll be purchasing a single shot 50 BMG. Would it be a bad idea to look for a 50 BMg suppressor to use on both 50 and 338 LM?

I realize it would be very heavy but I only shoot on square ranges.

 

[Ring]

only crazy thing is 50 cans are like 2k

 

[PRDRIVER]

Yes. A 50 Cal can will be significantly larger and heavier than a .338 suppressor.

In my mind it is like running a .338 suppressor on a 22 LR. It will most likely work, but there are many more advantages to going with a suppressor specifically designed for a .22 (same thing with a .338 suppressor when comparing it to a 50 cal suppressor).

 

[bhart89]

I've seen a couple 50 bmg cans for around $1600. If I were going to purchase a 338 can I would probably be going with the YHM can for $850 or so. It's more important for me to get the can for the rifle I already have. Who knows maybe the new proposed rule changes will result in prices coming down by the time I'm ready to. Us the 50 bmg can which will be a year or so away.

 

[RFtinkerer]

Why buy 1 when you can get 2 for almost twice the price?

 

[whiterussian74]

Sounds like a GOOD idea to me. I dual purposed a 338 for 300WSM. Sure there are drawbracks, but yiou save a lot of cash. IF you file a Form 1, you can have a FFL 7 make the can for you or have ANY machinist make a custom can under your direct supervision. This means that you must be pressent during machining and take ALL parts home w you.
You should be able to get a machinist to make your can for closer to $1350-1750. Depends on materials cost and what labor cost you can negotiate. The machinist should cut you a good deal since it's the only time he may get to build a suppressor legally.
Taking pics of his work should help him get future jobs at higher wages if he enjoys it.

 

[KYS]

The 50BMG cans are SIGNIFICANTLY larger then any 338 can. I would not want to run around with 5lbs on the end of my rifle if it were not needed.

 

[mallrat]

For a square range shooting off a bench or prone, I don't see a problem. Off-hand might not be as much fun, nor running around during a tactical comp. or hunting. But it ought to quiet it down reasonably, anyway.

 

[RollingThunder51]

Crazy? no. Providing excellent suppression? no. And it could have an impact of accuracy as well.

When one approaches the topic of multi caliber suppression, one has to recognize the following:

1. Overbore produces poor suppression values when the differences between calibers is great. The important point here is that one should think of the suppressor baffle stack as the means of enabling the high pressure trailing gases to be stripped off from behind the projectile. Designers are forever balancing between propellant velocity (volume pressure) and caliber, the larger the projectile's diameter the greater the amount of gas that can escape directly behind the bullet becomes. This fact becomes more critical as "styles" now lean toward ever shorter can designs, all of them poor dB performers in comparison to their longer alternatives. With propellant gas volume equalized, bigger calibers are harder to suppress (>dB) than smaller ones. That is the direct result of the larger area (bore) behind the projectile that gas can just "jet out" un-disrupted by all attempts at creating static turbulence at the baffle's pressure interface. To some extent, much less than most would think, can volume can help "make-up" for overbore tolerance increases, but it is minimal unless the cans get much longer. A great deal of effort goes into designing stacks that have the right stack bore dimensions for a SPECIFIC caliber, that in turn has an impact on chamber spacing in regard to volume and sometimes baffle design "timing" when a can's design employs more than one type of baffle/diverter. All of this goes to hell in a hand basket when these very same high pressure gases have 500% more free space to travel out the stack with the projectile when overbore gapping is present.

No .338 shot through a .50 can will perform anywhere near a .338 shot through a .338 can.

2. Don't forget the impact on the barrel muzzle. This would include weight and barrel frequency in some instances.

Need to see this defacto? Shoot a HV .22 through a .45 can. Suppression will be terrible.

 

[317millhand]

The 50BMG cans are SIGNIFICANTLY larger then any 338 can. I would not want to run around with 5lbs on the end of my rifle if it were not needed.

What he said. 50 BMG cans are huge. Not to mention the thread pitch being totally different.

 

[Ultraman550]

RollingThunder51,

do you think this applies to suppressors like the AAC 7.62 SDN-6 that can be used on .308 and 5.56? Obviously a dedicated suppressor is better as is a screw on but how much is accuracy affected?

 

[RollingThunder51]

The .223 is tough to suppress well as it is. The velocity/pressures are high. Add a short barrel and it is even worse. That is my way of saying the majority of .223 cans I hear are poor to begin with. Since subsonic .223s are just short of worthless, I am a bigger fan of suppressed .30 cans. Sending the .223 through a .308 can does reduce the blast but, as you stated, a dedicated .223 armature is best. QD makes all things worse by burning up precious internal real estate, just where it is most needed, a good 30% is dead space.

Accuracy was mentioned earlier because of the weight of the .50 can.

 

[Colohunter]

A quick comparison of the Thunderbeast 338 and the AAC Cyclops:

Can: Thunderbeast AAC
Caliber: 338 50
Length: 10.4" 15.75"
Diameter: 1.8" 2.5"
Weight: 23.4" 4lbs. 15 oz.
Price: $1,558 $2,208/00

It appears to me that the 50 cal can is significantly larger. Info taken from Silencer Shop.

 

[wakajawaka]

.500 Whisper with Can.
It's big and heavy...

 

[bronson90]

Based on my personal experience, I thought suppressing a 50 BMG is a little overrated... Previously I bought an AWC Turbodyne to use on my EDM Windrunner M96. The only true benefit I felt worthwhile was the significant reduction in recoil, but it was NOT hearing safe. It was in the 140-145 decibel range per the Mil-Std 1474D testing protocol. What I do know is that my Turbodyne was a little over 16" long and weighed over 6 lbs... Based purely on common sense one would think that hanging any 50 BMG suppressor off a TRG42's heavy contour barrel would wreck havoc on the barrel harmonics.


I also had 408CT & 338LM barrels for my Windrunner. I was quite surprised that the 338LM was actually pretty quiet as it was in the 126-126 decibel range (Mil-Std 1474D)... On the other hand the 408CT with the 305gr solid @ 3,485 fps was in the 152-154 decibel range (Mil-Std 1474D).

 

[317millhand]

.500 Whisper with Can.
It's big and heavy...

What suppressor is that? Im not familiar with the 300 whisper, but do you actually need a 50BMG rated can for that round? Why not something like the Bowers Vers50?

 

[bronson90]

What suppressor is that? Im not familiar with the 300 whisper, but do you actually need a 50BMG rated can for that round? Why not something like the Bowers Vers50?

The .500 Whisper is subsonic wildcat developed by SSK Industries that uses the .460 Weatherby Magnum as a parent case cut down to 1.885" with the neck turned down to 0.013"... Using H110, 4227 or even surplus WC820 powder you can launch a 750gr A-Max subsonically and it packs some silly knockdown power with very little noise. I have killed pigs using a .510 Whisper and the bullet impact on the pig was was louder than the shot!!!

 

[wakajawaka]

.500 Whisper

Mostly, I'll shoot cast. It's a lot cheaper.

 

[317millhand]

Wicked. I like it.