rblum
AH senior member
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Messages
- 92
- Reaction score
- 144
- Hunted
- Tanzania, Korea, Canada, South Africa, Alaska
When I went to South Africa to hunt, I used a .308 Winchester with a sound suppressor. I had heard frequent stories about them, being recommended by hunters, firearms enthusiasts, and of course manufacturers : a sound suppressor, or silencer, on rifles. The idea seemed compelling. Less noise would be easier on my ears, more comfortable for the hunting party, not alert other game, and perhaps make the rifle more pleasant to shoot. After using the combination in the field, however, I came away with a decidedly different opinion.
My experience was that the silencer provided only a modest reduction in perceived noise. I would estimate that the rifle sounded perhaps 30 percent quieter than it did without the suppressor. That is certainly an improvement, but it was nowhere near the dramatic difference I had expected from all the enthusiasm surrounding these devices.
The more significant problem was what the silencer did to the rifle’s handling.
A suppressor adds considerable weight to the very end of the barrel. That may not sound like much on paper, but the effect on a hunting rifle is substantial. A rifle that normally feels lively and well balanced suddenly becomes muzzle-heavy. Carrying it over long distances becomes decidedly less comfortable.
For me, the biggest concern was safety. In African hunting, as in any hunting environment, controlling the direction of the muzzle is fundamental. A rifle should naturally point where you want it to point, and it should be easy to maintain control while walking, climbing, negotiating obstacles, or moving around other members of the hunting party. The added weight at the muzzle made that much more difficult.
The problem was not simply that the rifle became heavier. It was that the weight was in the wrong place. A few ounces added close to the shooter’s shoulder would have a very different effect than the same weight hanging several inches beyond the end of the barrel. The suppressor changed the rifle’s balance and handling characteristics in a way I found distinctly unpleasant.
This raises an important question: What are hunters actually gaining in exchange for that compromise?
There are legitimate advantages to suppressors. They can reduce the sound reaching the shooter’s ears and may reduce recoil and muzzle blast. In some circumstances, those benefits can be significant. But hunting is not conducted on a shooting range. A hunting rifle must be carried for hours, handled safely around people, and brought quickly and naturally into a firing position. Those considerations matter enormously.
My South African experience convinced me that the benefits did not outweigh the disadvantages for me. The reduction in noise was relatively modest, while the deterioration in balance and handling was immediately apparent.
I suspect the current enthusiasm for hunting suppressors will eventually prove to be something of a marketing phenomenon. As more hunters gain experience with them in the field, rather than simply evaluating them on a shooting bench, some may reach the same conclusion I did: a suppressor solves a problem, but creates another one that may be more important.
For my next African hunt, I expect to nix the silencer. I would rather carry a well-balanced rifle that handles naturally and allows me to maintain easy positive control of the muzzle than sacrifice those characteristics for a relatively small reduction in noise.
In hunting, control, balance, and safety outweigh any modest reduction in noise.
My experience was that the silencer provided only a modest reduction in perceived noise. I would estimate that the rifle sounded perhaps 30 percent quieter than it did without the suppressor. That is certainly an improvement, but it was nowhere near the dramatic difference I had expected from all the enthusiasm surrounding these devices.
The more significant problem was what the silencer did to the rifle’s handling.
A suppressor adds considerable weight to the very end of the barrel. That may not sound like much on paper, but the effect on a hunting rifle is substantial. A rifle that normally feels lively and well balanced suddenly becomes muzzle-heavy. Carrying it over long distances becomes decidedly less comfortable.
For me, the biggest concern was safety. In African hunting, as in any hunting environment, controlling the direction of the muzzle is fundamental. A rifle should naturally point where you want it to point, and it should be easy to maintain control while walking, climbing, negotiating obstacles, or moving around other members of the hunting party. The added weight at the muzzle made that much more difficult.
The problem was not simply that the rifle became heavier. It was that the weight was in the wrong place. A few ounces added close to the shooter’s shoulder would have a very different effect than the same weight hanging several inches beyond the end of the barrel. The suppressor changed the rifle’s balance and handling characteristics in a way I found distinctly unpleasant.
This raises an important question: What are hunters actually gaining in exchange for that compromise?
There are legitimate advantages to suppressors. They can reduce the sound reaching the shooter’s ears and may reduce recoil and muzzle blast. In some circumstances, those benefits can be significant. But hunting is not conducted on a shooting range. A hunting rifle must be carried for hours, handled safely around people, and brought quickly and naturally into a firing position. Those considerations matter enormously.
My South African experience convinced me that the benefits did not outweigh the disadvantages for me. The reduction in noise was relatively modest, while the deterioration in balance and handling was immediately apparent.
I suspect the current enthusiasm for hunting suppressors will eventually prove to be something of a marketing phenomenon. As more hunters gain experience with them in the field, rather than simply evaluating them on a shooting bench, some may reach the same conclusion I did: a suppressor solves a problem, but creates another one that may be more important.
For my next African hunt, I expect to nix the silencer. I would rather carry a well-balanced rifle that handles naturally and allows me to maintain easy positive control of the muzzle than sacrifice those characteristics for a relatively small reduction in noise.
In hunting, control, balance, and safety outweigh any modest reduction in noise.
