Why suppressors?

[geo4061]

Believe me you do not want to listen to a very loud whine that some of us deal with 24/7 for the rest of your lives. While suppressors do greatly reduce the noise they do not reduce it to the point it is safe. Do not believe that sales pitch. Surgeon you said yourself " they still hurt your ears." Wear hearing protection!

 

[Crews]

If you have to ask, you must not have spent any time with one.

I won't shoot a rifle without a suppressor any more. And yes, that means I chose to shoot rifles chambered in rounds that do better out of shorter barrels. I never have to worry about doing more significant damage to my hearing when the opportunity arises and I don't have time to put my ear plugs in. My wife will pick up a suppressed rifle and shoot it as many times as she wants. Without a suppressor, she won't go anywhere near it.

 

[surgeon260]

^^^^ +1. Once you have shot a high powered centerfire rifle suppressed, there is no going back.

 

[cmor]

While suppressors may not make a high-power rifle technically hearing safe, their noise reduction is often as much or more than most earplugs or muffs.

When one is attached to a rifle, it is way more likely to reduce noise than earplugs or muffs that might not be in place when a quick shot opportunity happens.

 

[KyCarl]

No I have never tried one. I was looking because a rifle I bought had this on the build sheet. I had no idea what it meant? So I thought I would get some information?
"Thunderbeast CB Series 5/8″x 24TPI Thread Over Suppressor Ready Brake."

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Thunderbeast gives you the option of a direct thread onto rifle threads or using a brake that is also threaded for their suppressor. So the cb brake is a brake that is inside the suppressor once the suppressor is attached.

 

[cheechin]

The noise reduction is massive. It's a lot more pleasant to shoot in a squad of all/mostly suppressed rifles. There are many stages where it's really nice to shoot next to suppressed rather than braked. Like prone in the dust! The brake dude it throwing crap all over you and I to your action (have to block him with you backpack to mitigate), the suppressor dude is not bothering you one bit.

I think you're kind of right if you were shooting alone. You're not. Suppressor is much more polite to your squadmates IMO.

 

[RevJim]

Thanks guys, that's good info. I've lost half of my hearing they said and I do have the ringing. I was in 8 inch Artillery several years as a young man ( 65) and spent years around heavy machinery/turbos, oilfield equipment and big trucks. I use Peltor electronic muffs at the range, but admit I don't when hunting. I'm thinking of the Walker Game ears that silence gunshots? I can't see myself using a suppressor, but I can see why they are popular. Thanks again...

 

[Mach 1]

I shoot suppressed 80 percent of the time. I realize I got in late to this post but In addition to everything said suppressors will also make your gun a touch more accurate. It seems to be that way on every rifle. I attribute it to barrel harmonics. It's getting to be common to see suppressors at our local benchrest matches since no one wants to sit next to the guy with an effective muzzle break. Also is seems while hunting and shooting at extended ranges if you miss you will get a follow up shot as the animal doesn't hear the report of the gun but does hear the bullet impact and the supersonic crack which more times than not if the critter does spook it will run towards you which is always better than away of Course. Also shooting subs suppressed is a hoot. I've never seen someone shoot one of my blackouts subsonic and suppressed and not smile.

 

[bert2368]

In addition to all the other factors mentioned, it helps keep the (non shooting) neighbors near your range from being quite as irritated by your range noise- This is why suppressors are ENCOURAGED in some other countries.

The ownership and use of the neighboring property running alongside our range changed last year. People are nearby our range every day now, not just during hunting season as it had been for the previous 12 years. The new neighbors don't much like us using our range unsuppressed.

 

[Pdvdh]

They didn't know the shooting range was already there when they decided to develop their property?
Kinda hard to keep that a secret, no?

 

[bert2368]

The range runs for 300 yards along our property line, mostly screened from sight by the mound of picked out field stones overgrown with field edge bushes and saplings. Unless range is active (noisy!) or they were shooters, it would be unlikely someone would notice and figure out what the berm, gongs, target holders and benches at 100, 200 & 300 yards on a mowed lane might mean. We (company owners and employees) are the only users, it's not a public range. In the summer (when property was sold to them) we are out on jobs or working on other side of property preparing for jobs, I seldom have time to hit the range from the end of May until about the middle of September (we are a display fireworks and special effects company).

I am sure the realtor wouldn't disclose what was next door, even if they knew. When the property on the OTHER side changed hands, the buyers didn't know and realtor (who DID know) did not inform them. The new neighbor figured it out after a month or so, and freaked right out. They had moved to the country at least partly so they could have HORSES. Horses are stupid about loud noises, and occasionally we make noises related to our work which are MUCH louder than rifle fire.

Realtors wants to make the sale. Knowing what is next door = maybe they don't make that sale as fast. They walk away with the fees, their ex clients and us have to live with it.

 

[Hatrick]

They didn't know the shooting range was already there when they decided to develop their property?
Kinda hard to keep that a secret, no?

Same as buying next to an airport.

 

[bert2368]

People who live next to airports still try and put political pressure on the airport to abate noise. Happens all the time.

My neighbors just need to drop a match on a dry windy day while we are not on site in order to not have our business next door to them any more (that, and replace some window glass afterwards- but our insurance probably would pay for that).

Bottom line, I don't want ****ed off neighbors.

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(Edit)

Oh, one more thing:

We have 9 low explosives magazines on site. These are not required to be bullet proof as a high explosives magazine must be (HE magazines have to have at least 1/8" of steel and be lined with 3" of solid hardwood or equivalent, sufficient to stop M2 ball 30-06 150gr FMJ from penetrating at high enough velocity to set anything off). We use shipping containers with protected locking systems. These have slightly less than 1/8" thick walls of corten steel. No hardwood liners or Kevlar, if someone shoots them with a deer rifle, they are probably going to go off.

Military and industrial high explosives don't go off when shot with a centerfire rifle. Specifically, they are usually tested for stability against shocks of lower velocity than that provided a blasting cap or det cord by getting shot at close range in a sheet metal box with a 30-06. If they don't ignite or detonate, DOD and DOT (under PHMSA now) judges that they are suitable for transport on public roadways or navigable waters as well as being handled by you service people around unfriendly fire.

Display fireworks? They go off when I shoot 'em with anything that hits them from 1,500 fps up. Some will go from being shot with a .22 LR if I'm close enough. I sometimes dispose of "round tripers" (shells that fail to explode due to time fuse failure) by putting them out in a snowy soybean field with a safe backstop behind them and SHOOTING them with most anything we have. At 100 yards I can use ANY centerfire- .22 Hornet, .221 Fireball, .223 for certain, maybe I'll get out the 220 Swift if it's big enough I'd like to be 200 yards or more away. Shell goes away, disposal problem solved. New neighbor with horses probably calls to complain about earth shattering kaboom.

So if someone decides to shoot at our explosives magazines during deer season? Think 10,000 lb. Tannerite targets. We survive only at the sufferance of our neighbors.