only way to hunt

we are behind Europe with suppressor use but they have a hard time buying rifles

I shoot almost exclusively suppressed and I've never seen a cold bore flyer due to a suppressor. I shot these .223 Wylde groups yesterday with my NULA 20S 18" with WC Quell Ti suppressor, 5 shots each from 100yds shooting 3 different bullets. Target grid is 1" squares.

Never heard about the cold bore inaccuracy. If that’s true then I’m out for sure.

I've never experienced cold bore inaccuracy using a suppressor, given the mounting system is sound and correct. I've used them on my 7-08, 6.5CM, and 6.5 PRC.

A guy can nitpick this "game changer" description all he wants to, but IMO/IME the biggest advantages have already been mentioned....the shooter benefits the most. Low recoil, great sound suppression, watching impacts/animal reactions, no ear plugs or muffs required, kids can use 'em effectively, tamed rifles are just way more fun to shoot, period. The rest of the animal's reactions to my suppressed shots are a distant second thought to me.

That all sounds good and sums up good.
The “game changer” term would need to be defined but that will come down to each person. No need to label it-you either like it or you don’t.
All this info is really helping me decide.
Edit…As JG said, the other animals reaction is a distant second thought to me.

I zero on a cold bore and have no shifts. If I ever have one in the future that does shift, I will find the problem and fix it. If I cannot make it right, I will get rid of the rifle.

OK............I have a candidate. A Remington Mohawk 600 that came stock with an 18" barrel. I've done a lot of work on it, barrel channel sanded, bottom metal, Timney trigger......great shooter.

I’m debating buying another suppressor.

This Nosler looks like a really good hunting suppressor given its size and weight. It’s probably not the quietest but good enough for hunting.


https://www.nosler.com/sr-30k-suppressor

“Size matters.”
I like the idea of trading some noise reduction for smaller size.

You got that right. My candidate doesn't measure up. Ø.620"

Is there no need for ear pro on suppressed rifles? I thought it was still at a damaging level?

I still wear ear pro at the range or hunting.

If I'm doing load development, with a suppressed rifle, I wear muffs. I'm shooting from a concrete floor, inside a steel shop. It is likely to be 25 to 35 shots just that morning.

When I'm getting DOPE, I'm on the platform in more open air. I do not wear hearing protection then. I do not wear hearing protection when hunting with a suppressed rifle.

After 3 years of shooting suppressed, I dont even like being around a unsuppressed rifle. I've shot over 100 hogs each of the last 3 years and multiple times I have doubled from three separate groups over a 2 hour period at a feeder. For me, the suppressor has made that possible, as it never happened pre suppressor. The main thing I've changed is shorter barrel length on rifles from 16"-20".

When doing MLD doe harvest, I've tripled on does on at least 7-8 different occasions, and got a quadruple one morning. Some of these are in as little as 15 seconds from first to last, with a bolt rifle. The suppressor makes a giant difference in game response, and it makes rifles a joy to shoot.

As to POI shift, I've never seen it happen on a bolt rifle. My three, Tikka Varmint, Tikka CTR, Win M70-all shoot the second shot right on top of the first. Several of us were shooting suppressed at the last Hunter's Challenge, and just about everybody ran the 5-dot challenge (5 1" dots, 100 yds, 60 seconds). That's where it would have shown up.

My ARs are a different story (.223 Wylde and 6.8 SPC). The first shot is usually 3/8-1/2" from the rest of the group. That shouldn't matter in any sub-200yd hunting situation.

I won't build or buy another rifle in my life that isn't set up to be suppressed.

Was this the challenge at Sr's range, Sanger, Texas, 2021?

I started hunting suppressed this year. I’d have a hard time going back. .300 Ham’r bolt rifle with a Q Trash Panda is not only pleasant to shoot, it is no louder than a .22 LR bolt rifle. I’m looking at buying another for my .350 Legend.

If you only want to shoot a bow then go for it. The same is true for using a rifle with a suppressor. But you cross the line when you expect everyone to do the same, and I have read such comments more than once in various online places.

Not everyone, just everyone some of them actually hunt with. It's their choice to not be in the presence of someone shooting unsuppressed.

The Best Suppressor purchase is a .30 cal can, but the most Fun Can is a .22LR.

What people refer to as "cold bore" for initial shot from rifle is different then the "cold bore" referenced for suppressors. Cold Bore for standard rifle is result of slower combustion rate related to cold chamber & barrel, with subsequent shots being greater velocity as result of increased rate of combustion from warm/hot chamber and barrel. However, "Cold Bore" for a suppressor has more to do with noise volume then shot performance. The cause of the "cold bore Pop" is the pocket of air trapped inside of the suppressor that gets ignited as bullet/flame enters the suppressor. It doesn't impact the bullet's velocity or trajectory, but rather increases the noise level of the first shot. All subsequent shots fired no longer encounter this pocket of additional oxygen and so the noise level is lower. Depending on the design of the suppressor, this first shot "pop" varies from suppressor to suppressor. As far as performance on paper I can't distinguish the 1st shot from the last shot in a group.

There is something to be said about Point of Impact shift. There is some truth in this, but it largely has to do with the rigidity of the barrel. Thin barrel profiles (sporter / pencil barrels) are only good for 2-3 shots at most before the metal warms up too much and becomes a noodle (shots start grouping loose). This only becomes amplified by attaching a weight (suppressor) to the end of the barred. Adding the weight of suppressor to a springy barrel means that the initial shot will be different than the zero that rifle was set for without a suppressor attached. However, this adverse effect can be offset or mitigated by using a thicker/ stiffer barrel, short barrel length, and also a lighter suppressor.

The latest evolution of suppressors are significantly lighter with best of class being as much as 30%-40% less than earlier models. Now with better material and design suppressors getting lighter as well as being offered in shorter lengths. We are talking centerfire cans now weighing 8oz-15oz down from 15oz-25oz just 10 years ago.

You owe yourself something special for Christmas!!!

It (mostly) is for supersonic rifle calibers. We're just very bad at evaluating single impulse sound levels and whether they're damaging based on our own perception. Things like TBAC's Silencer Summit & PewScience results can help you make an informed decision about your own exposure to high noise levels based on a particular suppressor's performance on various calibers.

If you're doing any amount of regular shooting with suppressed rifles, I'd still recommend ear protection. Even though something like a Dead Air Nomad might meter as "hearing safe" at the shooter's ear in ideal conditions, things like brush in front of your shooting position, whether you're in a blind, whether you're shooting a semi-auto rifle, environmental conditions, what the ground cover is like, etc, all influence the real pressure at your eardrum.

I've got no judgment towards those that choose to go without earpro, but I really do hope that people still have their kids wear earpro even when shooting suppressed. Hearing damage is cumulative and irreversible.

I have a nice eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee as the backing track to my life now, and would do everything in my power to protect a kid I was responsible for from that.

Smoked Pork I don't agree with this statement:

"There is something to be said about Point of Impact shift. There is some truth in this, but it largely has to do with the rigidity of the barrel. Thin barrel profiles (sporter / pencil barrels) are only good for 2-3 shots at most before the metal warms up too much and becomes a noodle (shots start grouping loose). This only becomes amplified by attaching a weight (suppressor) to the end of the barred. Adding the weight of suppressor to a springy barrel means that the initial shot will be different than the zero that rifle was set for without a suppressor attached. However, this adverse effect can be offset or mitigated by using a thicker/ stiffer barrel, short barrel length, and also a lighter suppressor."

I mostly shoot very light profile barrels because I don't like heavy rifles, some have wall thickness down to .120" which is really thin. If the barrel is high quality and has been properly stress relieved I regularly shoot sub .75" 5 shot groups at 100yds. Even two consecutive 5 shot groups will normally both be under 1", for hunting that's good enough for me!

In your opinion, what % of barrel makers (of the thickness you refer to) meet your criteria of high quality and are properly stress relieved?

Wilson, how quickly are you shooting the five shot groups?

I'm not aware of anyone who actually gives a crap what you think.