Thread: Educate me on bushpigs

Originally Posted by northdude

i just think its a dumb name to call a carbine kind of like reinventing the wheel and giving it a new name

It was a commercial decision, designed to make a lot of money, and it has! Have you seen their price list?

Good on them too!

Not forgetting of course, that using a suppressor helps to not overly disturb other game animals or stock in adjacent gullies, I have a rifle that will never be suppressed and I have no drama shooting an animal in open country with it, would have muffs on if target/gong shooting though. I like having a suppressor on (my current favorite hunting rifle, .243 18" shorty) , but only on a shorter barrel, quite apart from how odd it looks on a long barrel, they just balance and carry better short.

Yes damage is still done to the hearing even when using a suppressor BUT not to the same level.. my ears will ring from a bare rifle and is quite uncomfortable. I’m only 24 and have hearing damage from growing up hunting with traditional rifles.. all my rifles are suppressed now except a traditional Sako 243 that I keep looking traditional. If you substitute a suppressor for elec earmuffs then that’s a good way to attack the problem but then what about your mate beside you or the dog you are shooting directly over top of? Or the gully just over the rise holding animals? I have had animals 100metres away not be spooked by my suppressed 7mm08 with the way it captured the sound in the space I was in. Yes a lever type gun will do the same short thing without modification.. but again, loud! and short range. A short suppressed 308, 7mm08 etc is still capable of taking shots to 3 - 400. My new short rifle is a 284 with 17” barrel. The places I generally hunt even when bushstalking will provide the opportunity to take a shot at 400. With my suppressed rifle I can do that. With a lever gun I don’t think so.

Browning BLR being the exception to the rule.......and YES I have hunted and shot deer with one recently and YES it was suppressed,suppressor fitted snug up to forestock and added only a couple of inches to overall length,was much more pleasant to shoot.

"but in my book ear protection is a pain in the arse when bush hunting"

If hearing protection in the bush is a "pain in the arse" and "useless", and suppressors won't actually prevent your hearing from deteriorating - then what is the solution? Isn't it then a matter of compromise?

a) Do I choose not to wear hearing protection (whether the rifle is suppressed or not) and accept that my aural health will inevitably worsen...

b) Do I wear hearing protection, but accept that I may not be as efficient in the bush as I would like to be...

Suppressing a rifle may be a solution to "quite a few issues", and I agree that this is their main selling point. But we're not discussing their other benefits - we're discussing protecting our hearing. And suppressors, while a viable complimentary aid to ear muffs/earplugs (however negligible), aren't sufficient on their own.

Originally Posted by Frodo

"but in my book ear protection is a pain in the arse when bush hunting"

If hearing protection in the bush is a "pain in the arse" and "useless", and suppressors won't actually prevent your hearing from deteriorating - then what is the solution? Isn't it then a matter of compromise?

a) Do I choose not to wear hearing protection (whether the rifle is suppressed or not) and accept that my aural health will inevitably worsen...

b) Do I wear hearing protection, but accept that I may not be as efficient in the bush as I would like to be...

Suppressing a rifle may be a solution to "quite a few issues", and I agree that this is their main selling point. But we're not discussing their other benefits - we're discussing protecting our hearing. And suppressors, while a viable complimentary aid to ear muffs/earplugs (however negligible), aren't sufficient on their own.

Well actually we are discussing "bushpigs" which to my way of thinking means suppressed and short barrel rifles. You must have got lost, this isn't a hearing protection thread.

So yes we are discussing the other benefits of suppressors. One of which is additional protection from hearing loss. A 30DB reduction reduces noise to 1/8 of its unsuppressed effect. To not understand the significance of that in terms of reduced risk seems rather superficial.

Again, suppressors reduce damage and risk, they don't eliminate it. You get to make the call on what strategy you employ to mitigate risk or damage.

But I am sick of those "suppressors don't save your hearing" lines when the next one is, I use my 30/30 in the bush unsuppressed, but its not that often so its OK..

What I know is that firing a shot out a suppressed rifle in the bush, doesn't make my ears ring when an unsuppressed rifle does - with just a single shot.

And that is a positive outcome for having an ugly rifle with a stupid name and a suppressor permanently attached...

Originally Posted by Sidney

Well actually we are discussing "bushpigs" which to my way of thinking means suppressed and short barrel rifles. You must have got lost, this isn't a hearing protection thread.

So yes we are discussing the other benefits of suppressors. One of which is additional protection from hearing loss. A 30DB reduction reduces noise to 1/8 of its unsuppressed effect. To not understand the significance of that in terms of reduced risk seems rather superficial.

Again, suppressors reduce damage and risk, they don't eliminate it. You get to make the call on what strategy you employ to mitigate risk or damage.

But I am sick of those "suppressors don't save your hearing" lines when the next one is, I use my 30/30 in the bush unsuppressed, but its not that often so its OK..

What I know is that firing a shot out a suppressed rifle in the bush, doesn't make my ears ring when an unsuppressed rifle does - with just a single shot.

And that is a positive outcome for having an ugly rifle with a stupid name and a suppressor permanently attached...

Attachment 98688

The rifle in the photo with the coral/sea sponge pattern: it just looks like an ordinary suppressed rifle. I don't think it deserves the honourable title of 'bushpig'? Maybe if you chopped a few more inches off it? As of now, it looks more like a wannabe bushpig.

Originally Posted by Frodo

The rifle in the photo with the coral/sea sponge pattern: it just looks like an ordinary suppressed rifle. I don't think it deserves the honourable title of 'bushpig'? Maybe if you chopped a few more inches off it? As of now, it looks more like a wannabe bushpig.

Well looks might be deceiving - It has a 16.5inch barrel and the stock forend is shorter than most. As setup it is a 22" overall barrel length with suppressor on it. The can is 80mm back and 150mm forward and it is that way to enable it to be used in a MDT ESS chassis with a 12" forend.

I might end up using another can on it for bush work at 80mm forward and 150mm back. That will end up at <20" overall barrel length with suppressor and the gap between stock and can will be small.

Is it just the small gap that makes it a bush pig do you think? Or is it the overall length?

Originally Posted by Sidney

Well looks might be deceiving - It has a 16.5inch barrel and the stock forend is shorter than most. As setup it is a 22" overall barrel length with suppressor on it. The can is 80mm back and 150mm forward and it is that way to enable it to be used in a MDT ESS chassis with a 12" forend.

I might end up using another can on it for bush work at 80mm forward and 150mm back. That will end up at <20" overall barrel length with suppressor and the gap between stock and can will be small.

Is it just the small gap that makes it a bush pig do you think? Or is it the overall length?

It's got nothing to do with looks or genetic predisposition. If your rifle "feels" like a bushpig, that's all that matters.

Waikato Bush Pig

....and you would definitely need a couple of boxes of Waikato to “slay” this.....

Originally Posted by Bonecrusher

Attachment 98684

Waikato Bush Pig

Id eat it 😣

Barring all other comments and opinions(stated as fact(s)),I find this to be true myself!


Quote..What I know is that firing a shot out a suppressed rifle in the bush, doesn't make my ears ring when an unsuppressed rifle does - with just a single shot.

.... honey,get me some popcorn

14.5” 308. Owned the same rifle unsuppressed before this one, and it was a dog to shoot.