Suppression/Silencers On 375HH Rifles

[Rickmt]

Curious to hear your opinions on these devices on big, dangerous game rifles. I see pictures of silencers on the site but don’t hear much about them. Seems to me that if they reduce noise and recoil they would be worthy of consideration especially for practice shooting.

 

[Newboomer]

An abomination on any rifle. Totally ruins the look and screws up the balance.

 

[Sarg]

I used to think same as Newboomer & he is right, but after using other peoples for a while in NZ & SA I came to appreciate them as great for a lot of hunting/shooting uses .

Don't fit one to your Westley Richards (ill join the lynching crew) or H&H .
Hunting over dogs & in areas you don't want all the game spooked up or the locals ringing the Cops or Green Peace on your legal hunt !

But on a modern hunting tool it is Ok, best to shorten the barrel & use a over barrel type of light weight.

I have seen many Tikka T3 lite rifles in 9.3X62 & every second person that shot them got a cut eye or sold them off after a mag full (not uncommon on a lot of big bores) don't know why so bad in the Tikka as I have a few 9.3X62 & a Weatherby UL in 338/06 & the recoil is Ok to me, any way bobbed it off to 18.5in & fitted over barrel suppressor & it is very nice .

Now I can take recoil, my carry around in SA is a .458Win, & have many big rifles (up to 8ga) getting older, can feel it now & the more you use suppressors the more sense they make .

Half the reason new shooters (or experienced) flinch is the noise & the suppressor can help a lot .

 

[Red Leg]

I used to think same as Newboomer & he is right, but after using other peoples for a while in NZ & SA I came to appreciate them as great for a lot of hunting/shooting uses .

Don't fit one to your Westley Richards (ill join the lynching crew) or H&H .
Hunting over dogs & in areas you don't want all the game spooked up or the locals ringing the Cops or Green Peace on your legal hunt !

But on a modern hunting tool it is Ok, best to shorten the barrel & use a over barrel type of light weight.

I have seen many Tikka T3 lite rifles in 9.3X62 & every second person that shot them got a cut eye or sold them off after a mag full (not uncommon on a lot of big bores) don't know why so bad in the Tikka as I have a few 9.3X62 & a Weatherby UL in 338/06 & the recoil is Ok to me, any way bobbed it off to 18.5in & fitted over barrel suppressor & it is very nice .

Now I can take recoil, my carry around in SA is a .458Win, & have many big rifles (up to 8ga) getting older, can feel it now & the more you use suppressors the more sense they make .

Half the reason new shooters (or experienced) flinch is the noise & the suppressor can help a lot .

No need to shout partner.

I am with @Newboomer. Unless their is a legal noise abatement requirement (pretty hard to find in most DG country), then I have no interest in destroying the balance of a perfectly useful rifle and turning it into a surf rod. Smaller calibers for PG being pursued by inexperienced hunters? Sure, who cares. But for working my way through the thick stuff in a wilderness area to poke a hole in something large, hairy, and dangerous? No thanks.

 

[Rickmt]

Ok Newboomer,and Red leg, I hear you but what if you took a 24 inch barrel down to 20 and utilized the suppressor ?
Seems like less recoil , less noise, would be friendlier to practice. I realize aesthetically it is awkward but from a tool standpoint it makes sense.

 

[TTundra]

I don't know, something like this would be cool to try out as long as you plan your logistics right...

 

[Rickmt]

Very interesting TTundra. How much is that sweet little thumper?

 

[Justbryan]

I use a suppressor on my 375 H&H. I use a Bowers Versa50. I did intend on using it but I contacted Bowers and was given the green light to shoot 300 to 350 grain through the can.

I took it to Africa and it was very quite. This is my 375 in picture. Since pic I have different 375 with shorter barrel.

 

[Red Leg]

Ok Newboomer,and Red leg, I hear you but what if you took a 24 inch barrel down to 20 and utilized the suppressor ?
Seems like less recoil , less noise, would be friendlier to practice. I realize aesthetically it is awkward but from a tool standpoint it makes sense.

I think I'll pass on a 20" .375 regardless of what is hanging off the end.

Sorry, I just think they are ridiculous on a DG caliber (maybe someone can come up with a double barrel version for my .470!). And In no way should my comments be taken that you should not use one if that is what makes you happy. You'll just have to put up with me laughing if we are in the same camp together.

 

[CBH Australia]

This is interesting. They are not an option on Australia so using one in SA was a chance to do something different. I have a .300wm and .375H&H that I'm happy to shoot.
Putting suppressors on a DG rifle I'm not sure. I agree it's not traditional and looks odd there will probably be 2 opinions in the thread.
Why do it? And Why not?
I think I would expect a DG rifle would need a pretty big can to get maximum effect and probably requires a heavy duty construction increasing the weight.
I used a supressor on a 7mm mag but would probably have hired the 7mmMag anyway, I think the other options were like .308 and stuff I own. I had not used a 7mag previously bit it also seemed like a good choice for PG.
If we could have them in Australia I would maybe have one for use where reducing noise would benefit taking pigs etc from a hide where it's just culling numbers and want every advantage.

 

[Rickmt]

Thanx Redleg, appreciate the simple answer. I read your posts and appreciate what I have learned

 

[CBH Australia]

No DG nearby to me and no DG experience. Hoping to try, fascinated by DG.
I own a .375H&H because I get a kick out of it.

 

[Red Leg]

I use a suppressor on my 375 H&H. I use a Bowers Versa50. I did intend on using it but I contacted Bowers and was given the green light to shoot 300 to 350 grain through the can.

I took it to Africa and it was very quite. This is my 375 in picture. Since pic I have different 375 with shorter barrel.View attachment 385813

Nice. I wonder if a Penn International VISX would fit in lieu of the scope?

Seriously though, just not my thing.

I suspect the full length models (maybe not a .375) like the one in the clip or the Blaser R8 Silence would be of real value in a lot of heavily populated hunting areas. And of course we use them a lot around here where multiple shots at pigs are possible. But those are typically AR platforms.

 

[Red Leg]

Thanx Redleg, appreciate the simple answer. I read your posts and appreciate what I have learned

Again, absolutely nothing wrong with them if that is something someone wants. Whenever I see a hunter posing behind a dead whatever with one sticking seemingly six-feet in the air my immediate thought is it should have a guidon hanging from it.

 

[BeeMaa]

I believe they (like most things) have a place and time for proper use.
The OP didn't mention hunting DG, only using DG calibers.

I'm not willing to alter the balance of a stalking rifle for the sake of adding a moderator.
IMO, they are best used if the hunter is stationary.
Hunting from a blind or perhaps a tree stand.
A purpose built rifle for ambush hunting is what I'm thinking.

I own 2 moderators..22 rimfire and 7.62mm/.30 caliber.
The 22 moderator gets used for pest control on both a pistol and rifle.
The 7.62mm is growing dust at the moment, but could find a home on an AR-10.
I have no experience with a moderator used for mid-bores like the 375 caliber.

I'll take the $1K it cost for 375 or larger moderator and sink it into electronic hearing protection.

 

[smokepole]

It"s just not right-- especially older vintage guns like p-64. But all look strange and in the way to me. That is just me and I am old and don"t want fitted with one--

 

[JKS]

I don't currently plan on using one on my 375 H&H or 416 Rem Mag purely for the weight issue. That being said, I do have a Dead Air Sandman that I currently have set-up to run on my 300 Win Mag, 308 Win, and 6.5 Creedmoor. And truthfully I could also run it on my 5.56 and 300 Blackout rifles if I would spend some moldy money on the key mount brake. And I could expand that further to my 300 WSM, 30-06, and 270 Win if I would have the barrels threaded.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Bigger bore cans never seem to work well in my experience (limited noise reduction), but it could be of some help for target practice.

 

[TTundra]

Very interesting TTundra. How much is that sweet little thumper?

Between 2500-3000 it looks like, depending on your build specs. Arguably some decent recoil reduction. Barring interstate transit concerns, integrally surpressed bigger bores do have some nice features to them.

 

[Rickmt]

Justbryan, what are downsides to using a suppressor.?
what I hear so far is balance ,weight, tradition, manliness, appearance . Any others ?
Cleaning? Accuracy? Please tell me your experience ! I actually have one on order for my coyote gun 204 which came threaded for the purpose. I shoot a lot of the fawn eating varmints and I’m thinking it will improve my sneaky factor!