Thread: Suppressors - POI Change and Sound Reduction.

Although I need to do some more experimenting to test my ideas, it seems that when I was resting my rifle directly on the benchrest 'sandbag" I had accuracy problems when shooting my faster .357 loads.

My 158 grain bullets travelling at 1520 fps create a relatively savage recoil compared to my slower loads. I went to the range for my latest session and there is a bench with a scissors-jack sitting on it. On the jack platform there is a small, stiff bag filled with gravel. I used it like I've seen others using it (I didn't grow up with bench rests) and my grouping was poor with the faster loads. I feel, quite strongly, that it is better to hold the fore-end firmly... just as I would try to do when shooting in the scrub.

So next time I go out for a shooting session, I'm wondering how different my point of impact might be (suppressor or no suppressor) if I stop using the hard front support and instead hold the front of the rifle while resting against something softer. Sometimes when I have tested a rifle on private land, I have simply sat down and used either my knees or a set of two kanuka shooting sticks for support and the results have been more than adequate. I prefer to lie down and rest on a pack or something, but the steep land... and the requirement to shoot in a safe direction... makes it more convenient to use the sticks.

Fortunately I love going to the range. And it is good to have a challenge. I am likely to learn something from all this.