Alright guys, I thought I'd do a follow up to this post after having my suppressor for a summer and a fall hunting season. Here are my take aways from this season:
- Shooting suppressed offers a significant reduction in recoil. My 7 mag kicks like a 243, very shootable.
- Sound reduction was significant, but not to the point you could target shoot w/o hearing protection. At the range, your ears would ring if you did not have any hearing protection in, but when hunting with it, I shot a buck and never noticed it. It might be from the echo in the rifle box that caused my ears to ring. Either way, hunting suppressed definitely saves your ears.
- Slight improvement in accuracy, about a 1/4 MOA. It took my average 3 shot group at 200 yards from 1.5" to 1".
- POI shift going from suppressed to non-suppressed was significant. My 7 mag shifted 3 MOA (+6") at 200 yards! My 270 was a 1.5 MOA shift at 200. So if you do load development, and sight in with a suppressor, you'll need to hunt with it.
- The attachment of the suppressor to the rifle seems like it could definitely be a weak link in the shooting system. I would be afraid damage in rugged country could bring your hunt to a halt.
- This brings me to my final observation, and most significant, hunting with a suppressor is a giant pain in the ass (not to mention the steps one goes through just to get one). The extra weight is noticeable, and it throws the balance of your rifle off. Perhaps the biggest pain, and one I did not account for until it was staring me in the face, was casing and transporting your rifle. Because of the POI shift, the suppressor had to stay on my rifle while hunting, I had to buy a special extra long case for vehicle storage, and never did figure out a decent way to carry it on an ATV (CO Law) or scabbard.
So I got to say, if I am being honest, I do not think the pro's out weight the con's for hunting type applications. A much simpler and user friendly solution would to be to carry a set of plugs around your neck while hunting. I am hunter first, and a target shooter second. If it was the other way around I could definitely consider continuing with a suppressor.
Unfortunately, I'll be going back to unsuppressed rifles for hunting. I did enjoy giving it try though.
If any one wants a SilencerCo Harvester I can make you a good deal, sent to you dealer of course, compliant with all your states laws.
Thanks for all the help from everyone.