dakota.potts
New member
SilencerCo held a "quiet riot" event at my shooting range today to allow the public to fire some of their selection and provide education and sales opportunities. All guns and ammo were paid for by the dealers on hand and there were no entry fees
I stepped up and from left to right were rimfire, handgun, shotgun, bolt action, and semi automatic rifles set up. I'm talking with them now to get the exact product names that I shot, but I know I shot a Spectre, Sparrow, Octane, Salvo, Harvester, Osprey, and either the Saker or the Omega.
I had previously put a couple of rounds through a 5.56 SBR suppressed that a range member shooting next to me had, but shooting the guns I did today made a huge impression.
Everything from a .22LR handgun to the 12 gauge shotgun and .300 win mag bolt actions benefited hugely from the suppressors. I shot the whole line without hearing protection (my ear muffs actually broke in half as I was stepping up to the first pistol and they assured me all of the guns were OSHA hearing safe). There were a couple of "ear ringers" where my ears were still a little muffled after shooting. The worst offenders were the semi automatics (whether handgun, shotgun or rifle) and the .300 win mag. I'm told the semi autos affected me most because I'm a left handed shooter so I was getting a lot of ejection port gas. I will say the .300 win mag still left me really wishing for a set of ear plugs, but for a shot or two once in a while would not have been awful at all. Just below painful levels. I was told it clocks about 136 dB, and as a musician I have been told anything over 130 causes hearing loss. I was told by the reps on hand that they consider 140 hearing safe.
All that aside, the Harvester turned the .300 win mag into a kitty cat of a shooter. In a lightweight Tikka rifle it had very similar recoil to a heavy Remington 700 SPS in .308. Very, very controllable and I wouldn't hesitate at all to shoot it even for an extended period. Any bit of recoil that was left was a very smooth push with no sharp jarring.
The semi automatic carbines were actually the least impressive over all, but being able to shoot a 10.5" SCAR with no hearing protection and no discomfort is a feat in and of itself. I can see how silencers on those rifles would be very practical, but they weren't as smooth as on the bolt action platforms.
I know I'm ranting, but it was a very positive experience and I'm glad SilencerCo was kind enough to put it on and provide the ammo. It wasn't cheap ammo either -- the .300 BLK was loaded with 220 grain Sierra Match Kings even though we were just blasting at a 20 yard target.
I'm glad they're a company pushing for more legislation and access. Even though I was already convinced that silencers were a great safety tool, it's hard to make the comparison without having actually done it yourself. They greatly enhanced every aspect of the shooting experience for me, and when I finally do turn 21 and have a little more of a stable financial situation, it's hard for me to see not at least picking up a .22 and .30 caliber can, although I'm sure that will be just the beginning.
Pictures will be forthcoming for anybody interested
I stepped up and from left to right were rimfire, handgun, shotgun, bolt action, and semi automatic rifles set up. I'm talking with them now to get the exact product names that I shot, but I know I shot a Spectre, Sparrow, Octane, Salvo, Harvester, Osprey, and either the Saker or the Omega.
I had previously put a couple of rounds through a 5.56 SBR suppressed that a range member shooting next to me had, but shooting the guns I did today made a huge impression.
Everything from a .22LR handgun to the 12 gauge shotgun and .300 win mag bolt actions benefited hugely from the suppressors. I shot the whole line without hearing protection (my ear muffs actually broke in half as I was stepping up to the first pistol and they assured me all of the guns were OSHA hearing safe). There were a couple of "ear ringers" where my ears were still a little muffled after shooting. The worst offenders were the semi automatics (whether handgun, shotgun or rifle) and the .300 win mag. I'm told the semi autos affected me most because I'm a left handed shooter so I was getting a lot of ejection port gas. I will say the .300 win mag still left me really wishing for a set of ear plugs, but for a shot or two once in a while would not have been awful at all. Just below painful levels. I was told it clocks about 136 dB, and as a musician I have been told anything over 130 causes hearing loss. I was told by the reps on hand that they consider 140 hearing safe.
All that aside, the Harvester turned the .300 win mag into a kitty cat of a shooter. In a lightweight Tikka rifle it had very similar recoil to a heavy Remington 700 SPS in .308. Very, very controllable and I wouldn't hesitate at all to shoot it even for an extended period. Any bit of recoil that was left was a very smooth push with no sharp jarring.
The semi automatic carbines were actually the least impressive over all, but being able to shoot a 10.5" SCAR with no hearing protection and no discomfort is a feat in and of itself. I can see how silencers on those rifles would be very practical, but they weren't as smooth as on the bolt action platforms.
I know I'm ranting, but it was a very positive experience and I'm glad SilencerCo was kind enough to put it on and provide the ammo. It wasn't cheap ammo either -- the .300 BLK was loaded with 220 grain Sierra Match Kings even though we were just blasting at a 20 yard target.
I'm glad they're a company pushing for more legislation and access. Even though I was already convinced that silencers were a great safety tool, it's hard to make the comparison without having actually done it yourself. They greatly enhanced every aspect of the shooting experience for me, and when I finally do turn 21 and have a little more of a stable financial situation, it's hard for me to see not at least picking up a .22 and .30 caliber can, although I'm sure that will be just the beginning.
Pictures will be forthcoming for anybody interested
Last edited: