Random Thoughts
About Hunting With A Suppressor Member Paul Branchfi eld
pressed 223 rifl e. Several other members of the Umpqua Valley Critter Gitters also are using suppressors and, so far, we all have been pretty happy with the performance.
R Hollywood notwithstanding,
they are not perfectly quiet. Hollywood would have you believe that you just get a nice quiet thud when you shoot. With a 223 rifl e, you get the sound of the gases coming out of the suppressor, followed by what I presume is the sonic snap of the bullet traveling through the air. To me, it is just slightly louder than a 22 Long Rifl e. It certainly is much quieter than either my 17 HMR or 22 Hornet. I can comfortably shoot my 223 using foam earplugs alone. Several of our club members shoot without any hearing protection. I have had some hearing loss already because of noise from construc- tion equipment and shooting. I don’t want any more loss, so I continue to at least wear earplugs. I have had my suppressor only
about four months and still have some more work to do with it. I did fi nd that it signifi cantly changed my 223 rifl e’s point of impact, dropping it about 2 inches at 100 yards. When I put the sup- pressor on my 17 HMR, I noted a similar change in my impact point. Windage did not seem to be affected very much. I went back to the range and made a new range card out to 300 yards. It appeared to me that my accuracy stayed about the same, but the drop in impact point was consistent at all ranges. I made up a new range card, with unsuppressed scope settings on one side of the card and suppressed scope settings on the other. This makes transition back and forth easy. The primary thread on the barrel
for my suppressor is ½"x28 (28 threads per inch). This is a fairly standard thread for fl ash and sound suppressors on 22 caliber rifl es. On 30 cal., 9mm and 45 caliber arms, there are different thread patterns. With my suppressor, an
Page 144 Spring 2012
ecently I completed a varmint hunt using an externally sup-
adapter screws on the ½"x28 threads. This allows a quick attachment of the suppressor with only three or four turns. I purchased several adapters to put on different rifl es, so it is pretty quick to switch the suppressor among them. My adapter also has a detent system that locks the suppressor in place, prevent- ing it from coming unscrewed during use. The most common cause of bullet strikes on the baffl e plates is a suppres- sor coming loose during fi ring. I use Loctite on the quick-change adapter. If you buy a suppressor, be sure
your gunsmith cuts the threads exactly concentric and parallel to the bore. The spacing between the path of the bullet and the baffl es is measured in thou- sandths of an inch. A nonconcentric series of threads could lead to bullets striking the baffl e. A “suppressed” advantage that
Mac Scott told me about is the diffi culty of a person (or animal) to determine the point of a shot’s origin. Also, with less muzzle sound, we have noticed that the squirrels are much less spooked by our shooting. My main reason for going suppressed is to be able to shoot nearer houses or livestock. Even the Wicked Witch of the West, in the housecoat and pink slippers, didn’t complain this year. My main fi eld this year at Christ-
mas Valley (Oregon) is bordered on one side by about a dozen houses, two of which have horses. As I began working closer to them, I watched the horses for signs that my shooting was beginning to bother them. I never noticed that they even cared about what I was doing, even though I fi nished about 100 yards away from the edge of their corral. I fi gured that if the horses could stand it, so could the people. Probably the biggest surprise I had
when I started using my suppressor was the number of ricochets I was hearing. When I was shooting unsuppressed, I knew that I was getting an occasional ricochet. It really surprised me how many I was actually getting. It made me even more aware of my shooting
direction, and the background I was shooting into. The statistics may show an average of one person per square mile in Lake County, Oregon, but in the settled agricultural areas there are a lot of residences and other buildings surrounding our fi elds, not to mention farmers on tractors in the fi elds. I also used my suppressor on my
AR-15 at our department’s range when training and qualifying. I noticed that my AR-15 is louder than my bolt action 223 rifl e. I am assuming the reason is the gases venting from the bolt assembly are adding to the muzzle sound. I am still comfortable wearing only earplugs, but it is noticeably louder. I would be interested in hearing my suppressor on a piston operated AR-15, to see if there is less sound generated from the action. If you decide to add a suppres-
sor to your collection, there are a few things you need to be aware of. If you can legally own fi rearms, you probably can also own a suppressor, if you live in the United States. Check state and local laws, however, as some states totally ban NFA weapons. In some areas you might be legal to own a suppressor, but there could be restrictions about hunting with it. I have seen costs from about $500 to $1,300 plus. You can save yourself a lot of money if you don’t need one for full-auto shooting. Titanium will cer- tainly make it lighter, but it also greatly adds to the cost. Ask around before you plunk down your money. Mine is from Yankee Hill Machine and was in the $550 range, but there are a number of high quality manufacturers around. You will need to work with a
dealer in your state, as this is just like buying a fi rearm. The dealer must have a Class III/SOT fi rearms license. BATF considers suppressors as “weapons.” Find a dealer that is familiar with the paperwork so they can help you get started. You will need two copies of BATF Form 4, which the dealer should be able to supply, or you can fi nd it on the Internet. Fill them out neatly. Yes, you do need to fi ll out two copies. The
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