Are suppressors over rated?

[El Jason]

Funny story we have to take hearing tests at work. They take us into a sound proof van with a handful of people and we all put headphones on and a clicker button we are suppose to click when we hear a noise. A friend and I both have terrible hearing in our left ears. At the time we thought they tested us all at same time so him and I thought we’d be able to game the system and watch the others for when they clicked their button. So we start seeing others click so we start clicking ours. All of a sudden the lady comes on over the headphones. “Will occupant #2 and occupant #4 stop clicking your button the test has not started yet for you two”. Oops

I can relate.

 

[JohnCushman]

I still kinda get a chubby when my rifle goes BOOM real loud

 

[crock239]

Tinnitus is way underrated.

Wish i could go back in time and suppress every firearm I ever fired.

I dont have many regrets, but hunting without proper hearing protection is right near the top of the list.

 

[Forkyfinder]

@Big Fin what do you use for rimfire?

 

[brockel]

Tinnitus is way underrated.

Wish i could go back in time and suppress every firearm I ever fired.

I dont have many regrets, but hunting without proper hearing protection is right near the top of the list.

My 5 year old has some speech issues so she is tough to understand sometimes and she gets really frustrated. Me having to say “what?” 5 times to hear what she is saying surely doesn’t help her confidence

 

[Big Fin]

@Big Fin what do you use for rimfire?

Non-suppressed for the time being, so I use electronic muffs. I'm working on solutions to that.

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

I guess I'm in the minority here as I think they are a bit overrated. The only gun I actually appreciate one on is my 300 blackout shooting subsonic.

Imo they don't reduce the noise on a hunting rifle enough that I won't use hearing protection. I don't see a difference in recoil. The concussion is reduced and that is about the only benefit I see for the most part. I also hate the large pipe hanging off the end of the barrel.

Like I said I'm in the minority and I know this.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Suppressors are a waste, just get $35 ear muffs and call it a day. Someone is always trying to sell you something more expensive when there is a good reasonable solution.

 

[Archer86]

I use supressors on every rifle I own i wish my dad would have done it when I was a kid. Not every hunt allows for time to throw plugs in or ear muffs on a supressor may not be Hollywood quit but its a reduction and helps save some hearing. Even my rim fire rifles run a mask 22 can

 

[MO Betta]

Suppressors are fantastic, wish I'd always had ready access to them.

Want to know who really enjoys them? People next to me at public ranges. There's probably more than a few of us here who have been set up next to someone with an obnoxious brake, they sure appreciate shooting next to me.

A couple conversations I've had or overheard while I'm shooting:

Guys standing around behind me waiting their turn at one of the benches: "He has a suppressor on, man that's quiet." "Yeah he's shooting .300 BLK subs" - 55 gr 5.56 supers on my AR15.

"Wow that's neat! Quiet too, is that a 5.56?" "Nope, .308 AR-10". "Man that's awesome, I need to get me one of those!"

One of the only shortcomings is making sure to rest the forbidden popsicle against something that won't melt.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Can't be a cool kid without a magnum. mtmuley

FIFY

 

[Deleted member 16864]

FIFY

Magnums haven’t been cool since the 90’s.

 

[Richard22]

The tinnitus is the worst part of the whole deal. Makes for some long nights in a tent if it’s calm out.

Wife makes me drive when we go somewhere because I don’t hear good enough on the left to have a conversation. And I hate driving because I do a ton of it at work.

Funny story we have to take hearing tests at work. They take us into a sound proof van with a handful of people and we all put headphones on and a clicker button we are suppose to click when we hear a noise. A friend and I both have terrible hearing in our left ears. At the time we thought they tested us all at same time so him and I thought we’d be able to game the system and watch the others for when they clicked their button. So we start seeing others click so we start clicking ours. All of a sudden the lady comes on over the headphones. “Will occupant #2 and occupant #4 stop clicking your button the test has not started yet for you two”. Oops

I suffer from it myself, but it has nothing to do with hunting and shooting but listening to loud music through the years.

 

[Deleted member 16864]

I may have to break out my old Browning A-Bolt 2 w/ Boss and go shoot a couple boxes of 338 win mag through it at the range.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

No I don’t think are not enough by themselves for rifle blasts. With muffs over them yes. I still wear ear protection shooting suppressed when I’m not hunting. They say now that even plugs aren’t enough not to cause some damage just because of the vibration to the inner ear bones from the muzzle blast. These are the plugs I had because this is what dad brought home from work with him
View attachment 378587

Interesting. The only time I’ve thought they weren’t adequate is when they don’t seal. I can hear the difference so don’t begin shooting until I hear the “seal.” Those do look cheap, the ones I use have a more conical shape and flared end, supposed to be 32 or 33 dB reduction which is on par with suppressors from my understanding.

 

[Steve O]

Or just carry a pair of ear plugs. This is what I've been doing. This also helps ensure I don't rush a shot, hunting in the west I can't think of a time I didn't actually have the time to put in plugs (even though it still seems like an unwarranted fear I think of), keep them in my pocket to keep warm, the few seconds it takes for them to expand in my ear is when I'm setting up my rifle etc.

The added weight and length to a rifle is not insignificant. It comes down the the user and what they are willing to compromise and what they want. I don't know if overrated is correct, but I think it's just a preference and the large majority of hunters seem to prefer them now compared to 20 years ago, even 10 years ago. Marketing has sure helped - shorter barrels and CF wrapped barrels and most now being threaded from the factory. A lot of the barriers to entry (or seemingly barriers) have been removed.

I will agree with @Frequently Banned Troll regarding the suppressed .22. And even add to that, that many in the west are missing out on a suppressed fox/gray squirrel hunt in the Midwest. Out west it's fun to snipe grouse out of the trees with them, but not quite as fun as squirrels based generally on opportunity of shots given. However, I've not been impressed with the segmented HP CCI ammo which was designed specifically for hunting and being near "Hollywood quiet." The terminal performance, especially on grouse with their feather protection, is lacking, a head or neck shot is required for prompt dispatch. Same with squirrels so I switched back to using full-octane HP's. Not as quiet but kills on contact.

I've seen some integrally suppressed .22 rifles. Not sure if this is possible on a centerfire, would think if it was someone would have done this as it adds no length to the rifle. Not sure about weight because I wasn't concerned about weight when I saw the rifle at the time.

Blaser has a .308 Win for the R8

 

[Potsie]

Wife makes me drive when we go somewhere because I don’t hear good enough on the left to have a conversation. And I hate driving because I do a ton of it at wirk

I’m in the fan/white noise club too, just in my left ear. Had to recently rearrange our living room so my right side would be towards the kitchen so my wife didn’t think I was ignoring her.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

Now I know this thread is going to ruffle a few feathers, but since when was that not a reason to start a discussion.

After buying a new rifle with a threaded barrel, I've considered buying a suppressor. However, I just can't see the need for one. First off and perhaps for the main reason, it appears they don't make a rifle "Hollwood quiet" but simply reduce the sound of the blast for the shooter. I say this based on my observations when I see guys using them at the range. In my opinion, the downrange noise is not something that I can see having no impact on game animals, as might be the case when trying to get follow up shots. As for hearing protection at the range, I use a pair of earbuds with Bluetooth that allows me to listen to the radio or music at the same time. I can also take them to the woods for both hearing protection and better hearing, something the new generation of earbuds does quite well. I'm also turned off to adding six to eight inches of length to my barrels, and I have no interest to seeing a reduction in velocity from shorter barrels. And while I wouldn't go so far as to call them a fad, there does seem to be a lot of guys who buy them simply because others own them. After all, they've been around for decades.

You are correct, they don't make a gun Hollywood quiet, what they do is make it hearing safe for 1 or 2 shots (ie no permanent ear damage). Most suppressors also reduce recoil at least to some degree. Honestly I hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally getting one and now that I've used one I don't ever want to fire a rifle without it again

 

[Tradewind]

My 5 year old has some speech issues so she is tough to understand sometimes and she gets really frustrated. Me having to say “what?” 5 times to hear what she is saying surely doesn’t help her confidence

Hah, I have a relative who's kids all mumble. don't even come close to enunciating words.
Finally I started mumbling back to them. Now they over-do it. But I can understand them

 

[Tradewind]

I suffer from it myself, but it has nothing to do with hunting and shooting but listening to loud music through the years.

On the bright side, the generations following will be deaf-er at earlier ages and we may all be in the same boat.
Everyone at the gym wears ear buds and a lot of the time I can hear their music