when I stopped by the gunshop today there was a smart edit little guy behind the counter who thought he knew everything and I was an idiot. I asked a few simple questions and he told me that unless I was shooting sub sonic ammunition a supressor wouldnt help
I know what you mean. . .
Most gun store clerks I get along with fine, probably vast majority because we start off having some interest in common, and I'm usually there to buy something. But every once in a while you get an odd one.
I was looking at an S &W Mountain Gun .44 revolver, gently used, seemingly, in a shop. I looked for top strap wear, and I dry fired it a few times to get a sense of the trigger pull, double action and single action mode.
The clerk who was showing it then scolded me "not to dry fire the revolver." I dry fire any center fire gun I ask to see, and I don't ask to see unless I'm about 95% sure I intend to purchase.
My late Dad had many, many revolvers. His last gig was as a concealed carry instructor. When I purchased my first revolver, he told me go dry fire it a few hundred times, to help break the action in.
With a rimfire, of course you don't want to dry fire.
Anyway, instead of walking out, I just told him not unkindly, but so that I hoped he'd get the point, "I'm going to buy it, go ahead and run the paperwork and background check." Then, after he ran my form and accepted payment, I dry fired it a few more times, just to make sure it hadn't seized up or gotten out of time
Incidentally, while I liked that shop in general, bought two firearms and scads of ammo, and used their associated range, I was not the only one who remarked they had occasional lapses of customer relations in their clerks.
They went out of business, eventually.
As to suppressors, I don't have one, nor any threaded bbls to accept one.
What I do have is a little recurrent tinnitis. So anything to avoid it is all good.
I often wear inner ear plugs, with a set of Howard Leights over them.
I would expect the posters are correct who say unprotected ears with a high velocity center fire rifle still not a good idea.