Advice on suppressor for Howa 1500 7mm-08

Hi Everyone,

Never had a suppressor before but thinking about investing in one for my Howa1500 7mm-08
The barrel is not threaded so a complete blank canvas - Can anyone offer any advice on which brands I should be looking at or better yet is anyone looking at flogging one off that would suit?
Don’t know much about suppressors and which brands are good etc etc so any advice at all is appreciated. Would also be good to know is anyone could recommend someone to thread the barrel - Located in Auckland.
looking for more than just a brand name, etc why its better than others etc.

Thanks in advance

@DPT job done. Thread in something common (1/2*20 unf) believe dpt can do threading but may be easiest getting somewhere nearby to do it.

Have had a few of their suppressors and happy with them, much better quality than other cheaper brands I have used in the past, but confess I am not a supressor conassuire. Depends what rifle will be used for, always a choice between cost, effectiveness and weight

DPT second that. Dont get a cheapy. Send it direct to get it threaded.

i would also suggest getting it in 30 cal, that way you're covered if you change from 7mm to 308 or 3006 in future. Better resale too.

We use Gunworks and are very happy witht heir service and product.

One piece of advice,though, no matter which one you get: Get whoever you buy the suppressor off to thread the rifle for you. That way if anything goes wrong it all comes back to one company. Otherwise you could end up like one of our unfortunate customers whose suppressor went down range with a bullet. The suppressor maker (All I will say here is it was not Gunworks, MAE or DPT) stated the thread was not straight and this caused the problem, and the person who threaded the rifle said it was a failure in the suppressor that let go rather than an alignment issue. Both refused to fix the others "mistake". Truth be told when we looked at it afterwards, there was no way to say one way of another what caused it.

If you get the suppressor maker to thread it. Then in the unlikely event that you have an issue, it wont matter. It it will still be their problem to fix. Prices between the various suppressor makers are all very close to $70 for threading so it wont make much of a price difference.

I had DPT do my last threading job, did a nice job . Used one of their suppressors also and it was a nice bit of engineering though I do not like the modular baffle system, but that's just a personal thing.
I have also used MAE which I have had an excellent run and service from and a Gunworks can which was a good unit also .

Got a Dpt on my Howa 7mm08
Very good service, good price, well made, light weight and like the idea that you can remove or add baffles to reduce sound more or shorten the suppressor.

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Originally Posted by possum_shooter

Got a Dpt on my Howa 7mm08
Very good service, good price, well made, light weight and like the idea that you can remove or add baffles to reduce sound more or shorten the suppressor.

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+1 Ive got exactly the same set up, DPT for me, i have 3.....:thumbsup:

I had gunworks thread and suppress my 7-08 and I am very happy with the quality of work and havent had any issues. I also run one of their suppressors on my AR (it was already threaded) again a solid unit that does exactly what it should. I also had DPT thread and suppress my .22 upper and again a quality job with zero problems. I chose DPT that time around as I wanted something small and light. I would be happy to use both again.

Get a thread protector to go on the end when you have the rifle in the safe or bumping around in a pack

I have a Hardy suppressor on my .308. Very happy with it. Has improved my shooting a lot.
I also have a 7mm08 in weatherby ultralight. I had Mark Bridgeman fit the .308 can to it and he did a very nice job.
I have friends who recommend Gunworks and they are very happy with them too.
The hardy is pretty light and does make a massive noise reduction. Its a bit fatter and shorter than the gunworks ones.
I think all the well known kiwi brands are good, almost as much choice as a rifle.

I would recommend a Hardy but then haven't had experience with others.

Cheers
Dan

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Originally Posted by 223nut

...Thread in something common (1/2*20 unf) ..

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I wouldn't ever choose that size for a 7mm barrel, especially a hammer forged/ button rifled barrel.
I'd suggest at least a 14mm thread in this instance.

Robbie and gunworks did mine, he tidied up my trigger at the same time for no extra $ so I was extra pleased

Definitely ask for 30 cal bore for flexibility. I use my .308 one on my .223 also.

DPT for me and never looked back.
Great product and great service: Read the information that comes with it!!!

I will say it again: Read the information that comes with it!!! ;)

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Originally Posted by 6x47

I wouldn't ever choose that size for a 7mm barrel, especially a hammer forged/ button rifled barrel.
I'd suggest at least a 14mm thread in this instance.

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Hmmm have above thread on the 308 and no problems with 50 or so rounds, any reason for a different thread? Could do with losing a few inches off he barrel as it doesn't fit in the car wih the supressor on...

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Originally Posted by 223nut

Hmmm have above thread on the 308 and no problems with 50 or so rounds, any reason for a different thread? Could do with losing a few inches off he barrel as it doesn't fit in the car wih the supressor on...

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1/2x20 on a 308 barrel is a bit too narrow. If you get the measurement from the deepest cut in the thread to the centre x2 (IE the minor diameter of the deepest part of the cut for the thread) and subtract the bore size for 30cal then the amount of metal between the projectile in the barrel and the outside is very very thin. Minor diameter is 11.14mm- 7.62mm bore size = 3.52mm, divided by two (half each side) = a barrel wall thickness of 1.76mm on each side of the bullet......

I am not an engineer so if my measurements are not 100%exact I apologise, but it does illustrate the point for a larger diameter thread.

Most of the gunsmiths I have spoken too now recommend 9/16ths for a 30cal.

There are two issues around this.
The first one as Tim mentions is that wall thickness becomes marginal with a half inch thread. This probably isn't a huge safety issue as muzzle exit pressure is way down on peak pressure but it's not clever to run anything close to the edge.

The other issue is a potential accuracy one, especially with button rifled barrels. Swaging the rifling into a barrel leaves (outward directed) stress in the area around the bore and if you cut away too much of the surrounding diameter, there is the definite risk the bore dimensions will grow at the muzzle. A belled outlet will never be helpful for accuracy.

Hmmm ok cheers folks, it's behaving itself at the moment (3shots cloverleafing at 100m with factory ammo) but will bear it in mind if I change it

I have a sonic suppressor on my 7-08, works for me, nothing to compare it to but it sure quietens it down

Thanks for all the advice guys. Think I might get a DPT and give it a go for a while. The modular design sounds pretty nifty to me.

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Originally Posted by StagDown

Thanks for all the advice guys. Think I might get a DPT and give it a go for a while. The modular design sounds pretty nifty to me.

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Makes for easy cleaning

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Originally Posted by 6x47

There are two issues around this.
The first one as Tim mentions is that wall thickness becomes marginal with a half inch thread. This probably isn't a huge safety issue as muzzle exit pressure is way down on peak pressure but it's not clever to run anything close to the edge.

The other issue is a potential accuracy one, especially with button rifled barrels. Swaging the rifling into a barrel leaves (outward directed) stress in the area around the bore and if you cut away too much of the surrounding diameter, there is the definite risk the bore dimensions will grow at the muzzle. A belled outlet will never be helpful for accuracy.

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So what would be the largest thread that can be cut on a 14,5 mm .308 barrel? Was thinking to get my Savage LWH threaded in the future.
I also see the Kimber Adirondack muzzle brake .308 Win. comes in 7/16 x 28 from the factory. @6x47

I'm a MAE fan, they're Auckland based, they certainly know their stuff, and have a varity of options for you.
You're best to talk to them, yes they are heavier than many but you get top notch gear, I run them on all my rifles .22 - .300 Magnum and certainly won't be changing anytime soon.
Worth checking them out, Gary and Geoff are both very knowledgable and will make to suit your rifle and needs.

Cheers C

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Originally Posted by Boar Freak

So what would be the largest thread that can be cut on a 14,5 mm .308 barrel? ...

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My "advisor" says a 13x1 would be probably the best you could do as you need to have some shoulder to pull up on. This thread would be way better than a 1/2-20 as the metric one would take less meat out with the lesser threading depth.