Thread: The Cons of Suppressors .........?

Thinking of suppressing my .308 - mainly so my son will be more comfortable shooting it.

But what I would like to know (as the pros of suppressing are fairly well known) is what some of the "possible" cons may be? Accuracy changes?
Velocity changes? Up-keep/Maintenance issues? Muzzle forward vs over barrel?

Are there any of you who have regrets doing this, and if so why?

I'm not looking for a debate on whether or not one should suppress. Just what some of the pitfalls might be, if any.

Thanks

added weight, added length.

Rest are Pro's

Another thing to clean if it's not stainless. If you not lazy like me it's a non issue.

With my muzzle foward dpt there are no cons

It pretty much weighs nothing adds bugger all length. Never tested its accuracy on and off but I doubt it would make it worse.

With my rifle I think it helps balance it out more which makes it seem lighter.

Cons... a bit more weight to carry, and because its out front it may change the balance of the rifle a tad.

Thats about it I think.

Latest gen large diameter ones are visible in the scope at low powers.
The shortest are going to add length (in a 308 no issue, just lop some off the barrel).
You now have a thread at the muzzle you need to protect and
very slightly more maintenance.

I felt it upset the balance and I had a short barrel with an over barrel suppressor. standing shots were horrible.
in 7mm08 I felt I still wanted to use ear muffs.
it held in heat which heats up the barrel faster, and seemed a lot more dirty from chamber to muzzle.

kiwi greg has a video of suppressor vs muzzle brake vs nothing. the suppressor in his video had bugger all recoil reduction over nothing.

I got rid of mine. they just were not for me.

No bang

Holds a lot of heat in barrel when target shooting etc.
heavyer longer etc.
cut it back and you might as well have a 7.62x39

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Originally Posted by bully

I felt it upset the balance and I had a short barrel with an over barrel suppressor. standing shots were horrible.
in 7mm08 I felt I still wanted to use ear muffs.
it held in heat which heats up the barrel faster, and seemed a lot more dirty from chamber to muzzle.

kiwi greg has a video of suppressor vs muzzle brake vs nothing. the suppressor in his video had bugger all recoil reduction over nothing.

I got rid of mine. they just were not for me.

Sorry, not personal but I would have to say I disagree with everything you've brought up

I've had a few rifles with suppressors now. Currently only one, the others sold for make way for better toys! Haha.

My 7-08, was chopped to 16 inches, with DPT suppressor. It had slightly more weight up front, but the overall balance of the rifle was improved as it was butt heavy anyway. It was an excellent 0-400m hunting rifle.

I personally find that more weight upfront is better for off-hand standing shots, they are steadier and swing better. Similar to a longer barrelled shotgun. A light fronted rifle can be a bitch to hold steady off hand freestanding.

How many shots are you firing to heat up the barrel to the point its causing issues? Obviously on the range it might be an issue, but in a hunting situation maybe 4-5 max?

Any of the decent suppressors on the market today WILL reduce recoil and bang.

Cleaning not a problem, two or three extra passes with a copper brush and oily rag is hardly time consuming. Most suppressors are low maintenance, 0-clean and work better with a bit of residue in them anyway.

My .223 chopped and suppressed is 100gms heavier than the factory rifle but is 2 inches shorter than factory length, so its a great carrying rifle.

Fair enough if they weren't for you, everyone's different, but I would be confident in saying you're probably in the minority.

They can make a hell of a tingggggg when you knock them on a tree / branch , so a neoprene sleeve is a must . Mine too is visible on low power .

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm glad to hear no one has had issues with accuracy. One of my biggest concerns is the affect sawing a factory barrel and placing a suppressor on might have on the accuracy of a rifle you know shoots pretty sweet already.

Originally Posted by The Rifleman

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm glad to hear no one has had issues with accuracy. One of my biggest concerns is the affect sawing a factory barrel and placing a suppressor on might have on the accuracy of a rifle you know shoots pretty sweet already.

Most people find cutting a barrel will either maintain accuracy or slightly improve it. The only thing you will lose is a bit of velocity, which the animal you are shooting at normal ranges will not know anyway! A suppressor tends to make people shoot better and more consistently also, as recoil and noise factors are reduced, both which are the main causes of flinching.

Weight and length as most people have stated above. My MAE overbarrel was 700g and my Waitaki Engineering one is 650g, almost need a bipod under the suppressor intsead of the stock

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Holds a lot of heat in barrel when target shooting etc.
heavyer longer etc.
cut it back and you might as well have a 7.62x39

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Is this really a issue? I have never seen someone use a over barrel suppressor at the rage for continuous shooting, and even then you would have so much mirage that you wouldn't be able to see the target before heat was a real issue?
Unless your in high winds or talking an aluminum suppressor?

I put 30 rounds through my 308 in pretty quick succession and although the can was toasty the barrel wasn't.