This question took a bit of thinking about because after so many years of hunting and shooting there are many items I'm glad I purchased in the pursuit of happiness. However I think I have the answer:
A suppressor.
It took me years to be convinced. My mate was on at me every trip... "put a suppressor on it...". My list of reasons for not doing it were short - basically I just couldn't bring myself to thread the barrels on what I considered to be heirloom rifles. Times change... I horse-traded my BRNO Fox Model 2 and my M70 Featherweight for a Sako A7, cut a thread on it and never looked back. These days wouldn't own an non-suppressed rifle and I can't believe how stubborn I was.
Ironically, we were spotlighting from the SxS just before lockdown when my mate decided to take his fathers old Parker Hale .222 for a shot. This rifle is original and non-suppressed. The first shot gave my daughter and I sore ears for the rest of the night. FFS!!!! In no uncertain terms I told him to put a suppressor on it. I now believe they should be mandatory.
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