Suppressor hunting??

M

Mausermolt

New member
anyone ever do any hunting with a suppressed firearm? just wondering how well it would work and if its even practical/ legal.
 
Some do it here in Texas for pigs. It's a combo of ammo design and modifications to the rifles, its not a case of screw a suppressor to the barrel and go. The ammo has to be sub sonic. I believe you have to have a permit to own such a rifle.

As for practicality a bow would be cheaper
 
The ammo doesn't absolutely have to be subsonic. It's much quieter if it is but it doesn't have to be.

A suppressor in the USA requires a tax stamp ($200 I think) from the ATF, in addition to the actual purchase price. Might be some local paperwork too.

As for the hunting, I was thinking big game type hunting where I would guess it is mostly illegal, though I'm not sure. For "pest" hunting, unprotected species, invasive species and the like, it's probably legal assuming owning the suppressor is legal in the state.
 
The ammo has to be sub-sonic one way or the other. It is either loaded down or the gas ports in the suppressor slow the bullet down. If that is not done you will get a snapping sound ( What you hear when a bullet passes you). The noise of the initial explosion can be eliminated, but breaking the sound barrier can not unless they really made improvements in the last 30 years. You are working with low pressure ammo and would be restricted as to the size of your game.
 
The gun will be louder with super sonic ammo. That's all. Some countries require suppressors for big game hunting. I guarantee they're not using subsonic ammo. Muzzle blast is a HUGE part of the noise, much worse than the sonic boom of the bullet. Hunting with a suppressor is not primarily about not scaring game, it's about "noise pollution".

If your intent is to try not to spook game, subsonic ammo might be necessary but that's the only reason.
 
I don't think the baffling in a suppressor would be capable of slowing a high speed round to sub-sonic speed.

I do know that sub-sonic ammo is quite quiet and the few times I heard a couple sizes of higher speed rifle rounds, the report was VERY significantly reduced to levels that I think would have much less affect on the wildlife and game critters compared to unabated muzzle blast.

Brent
 
The legal acquisition for a suppressor is the same as for a full-auto weapon. $200 tax stamp and the full BATFE routine.

I watched Zak Smith shoot a suppressed .308 on steel at Whittington. Much quieter than without a suppressor. Maybe more like a .22 rimfire from a 10/22.

To a hog at 100 yards, odds are that the sound of the bullet strike would be louder than the muzzle blast. Could be that other hogs wouldn't know the direction from which the shot came, being more focussed on the sound of the bullet strike. Maybe...
 
Perfectly legal in Kentucky, and you can benefit greatly by suppressing supersonic ammo. Subsonic is even quieter (at the muzzle AND downrange due to lack of sonic "crack.") Suppressors do very little in reducing muzzle velocity unless the barrel is ported massively ahead of the muzzle and in a few cases a suppressor can actually add velocity (i.e. 9" .300 AAC Blackout with 762SDN can.)
 
Last edited:
hogdog said:
I don't think the baffling in a suppressor would be capable of slowing a high speed round to sub-sonic speed.

I do know that sub-sonic ammo is quite quiet and the few times I heard a couple sizes of higher speed rifle rounds, the report was VERY significantly reduced to levels that I think would have much less affect on the wildlife and game critters compared to unabated muzzle blast.

Brent
Click to expand...

Modern day suppressors don't slow the bullet they actually aid in velocity. And yeah hunting with subsonic ammunition isn't recommended. With todays suppressors with titanium baffles there aren't really any downfalls unless your using a gas gun or counting the fact the suppressor actually degrades over time, you might can throw length increase in there i guess. Suppressors advantages include recoil reduction, flash suppression, gain in velocity, and obviously sound suppression.

It's completely legal to hunt any game here with a suppressor, as i'm not sure why it wouldn't be. I see people take deer, hogs, coyotes, etc. with suppressors all the time, not only is practical as hunter (no hearing damage) but its also very efficient.

Only downside to a suppressor is the wait, paying a 200$ tax, and having to go through all the BS. None the less i'm going through it all in 15 days, cause yeah i want my SBRs, Suppressors, and all that stuff each state should allow.

http://demigodllc.com/articles/brief-introduction-to-high-power-rifle-suppressors/
 
Thanks for all the reply's! another question, and this most likely your personal opinion but lets give it a shot: Say Billy Joe Hunter just got his new 300 Blackout and AR-10 Suppressed. what would be your bullet, maximum range, limitations? Any other cartridge suggestions would be nice to. and lets say he is hunting big game in the afternoon but varmints in the morning (2 different ammo suggestions).
 
Well the .300 blackout isn't of the 10 family it uses the same bolt face/carrier as a .223. So in that essence it's an AR15. So using supersonic ammunition with that gun my limits would put me at 200yds for me personally.
 
Illegal in most (or all) of the USA, I think.
Click to expand...

Legal in Nebraska ....I'm looking at putting a can on the "kiddie gun" (Ruger Frontier in 7-08, stoked with reduced loads, launcing a 139 gr bullet @2400) ..... just to reduce percieved recoil and muzzle blast even further.


As far as hog hunting with a suprressor ..... this guy is of the opinion that pigs are smart enough to recognize the sound of a bullet striking home .....


http://frankwjames.blogspot.com/2010/04/suppressors-and-feral-hogs.html
 
legality will vary from state to state. I hear about guys that do it all the time but I dont simply because I'm too cheap to pay the ATF fees to have one, also POI changes with a suppressor so you either need to swap optics with the suppressor or you need to re sight every time you remove or add it. you'll have to check with your local F&G, F&W, DNR, P&W, whatever agency you have in your state that deals with hunting.
 
As Art said, the NFA rule apply and I shoot a 7mm mag suppressed its a wonderful thing it does increase FPS as much as 10-25fps, (as I have read some ballistics) and you would not want to choose a sub-par round you shoot what you hunt with. And it is only true about the POI's with suppressor but for the life of me why? Would you not want to use it each time you shoot. I use it always each time I shoot and no I don't have to resight it at all, its setup with the suppressor always on the firearm that way you can enjoy shooting and by the way shooting the 7mag is just like shooting a AR recoil wise its just fun.
 
There's a guy, WestForkArmory, on The High Road who posted about hunting pigs in Texas with a suppressor. Here's the thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=597755&highlight=Pigs

The gist of his comments is that although the rounds are supersonic, the suppressor makes it difficult for the pigs to determine where the shots are coming from. It also masks the muzzle flash.

After the first shot, the pigs freeze for a moment trying to figure out which way to run. This gives him an opportunity for a couple more shots before the hogs scatter.

I plan to visit Texas in a couple of weeks. I'm going to try to meet this guy and try my hand at hog hunting in the dark.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top