Thread: Why have a suppressor?

Useful post!

Interested in how you manage you longer shots with those rifles? In asking that I'm assuming the trajectory has been adversely affected by docking the barrels. Do you 'dial' your scopes, hold over, or use a reticule other than a plex ?

Originally Posted by GWH

I was originally very slow to catch on to the suppressor fad as well, thinking we spend a lot more time carrying our rifles than we do shooting them. Wearing ear protection when at the range, and only normally needing one shot to tip a deer over, i didnt really see the point of suppressors.

However i have finally come around to the idea, two of my rifles are now short barreled (bushpig style) rifles that are designed to be only fired with the suppressor on. They really are a pleasure to use in the field compared to my un-suppressed rifles. No fuss, no ringing ears after a shot.

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Top one is a T3 rechambered in 284 win, cut to 17", 162 Amax at 2740 fps, holds 1000 ft lbs to 900 yards

Bottom one is a Rem Model 7 in 7mm-08, cut to 15", 140 NBT at 2720 fps, holds 1000 ft lbs to 600 yards

Both are balanced perfectly, total lengths are shorter than they were originally, both extremely capable of dropping animals at ranges far beyond where the average hunter is capable of making a good shot. They are nice to carry, easy to shoot with reduced recoil, and of course much easier on the ears. I'm starting to take one of the kids on hunts now, so its even more important to look after their ears.

Im finding the short suppressed rifles are the ones that are getting used most these days.

Originally Posted by Maxx

Useful post!

Interested in how you manage you longer shots with those rifles? In asking that I'm assuming the trajectory has been adversely affected by docking the barrels. Do you 'dial' your scopes, hold over, or use a reticule other than a plex ?

Thanks @Maxx,

Yes the velocity is obviously less with the shorter barrel, but the change in trajectory is very easily allowed for by dialing the scope turret to adjust for the bullet drop. In the case of the 17" 284win, by running a high bc projectile, even tho it starts out slower than it would if i run a 140gr, due to the high bc projectile slipping through the air better it hangs onto its velocity longer and therefore hangs onto its retained energy, hence the 1000 ft-lbs at 900 yards (that's at my normal hunting altitudes).

Heres a little recent video of some gong shooting with a couple of my rifles, one being a 22" barreled 7mm SAUM, and my 17" barreled 284.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeoqULlzDN8

Both rifles using the 162gr Amax, only difference is the SAUM pushs it at 3,005 fps as opposed to the short 284 at 2,740 fps. In this video we shoot a gong at 637 yards with both rifles.

The 7mmSAUM required 9.75 MOA of up adjustment on the turret, while the 17" 284 required an adjustment of 12.5 MOA. In theroy the SAUM hit the target with 1,674 ft-lbs of energy, while the short 284 had 1,355 ft-lbs. Obviously there is a windage advantage to the faster bullet too.

Once you get the hang of dialing, it makes it pretty easy, the hardest part is always the wind.

I have dial-able scopes on all my rifles now, and even the .223 with a 55gr bullet is no drama to hit little gongs at 600 yards. Dial-able scopes dont have to be super expensive to work well. I have $300 Vortex diamondback scopes on 3 rifles including the .223 and they dial very accurately and repeatably. They dont have big exposed target turrets, but for rifles that are mostly bush hunters you dont really want that, but having the ability to dial up the correction for a shot across a gully at 450 yards when needed is bloody good. Of course if you want to spend more $ on a scope the sky is the limit, but its not essential to get into dialing.