Thread: Educate me on bushpigs

Hey guys its me again back at it again with questions.
As from my first centrefire post I was advised to suppress my .308 which Ive got in the pipeline to do so, I didnt mind the noise but it was giving my hunting partners ringing ears so Ive decided to to supress it. From doing some reading on the forum about bushpigs im extremely intrigued. I just would like to hear the thoughts of the guys on here about what lengths are appropriate, I was thinking of shortening the barrel to eith 18in or 16in. Would like to hear the pros and cons from the brothers on the forum. Thanks again team

first off a bush pig is an ugly sheilah form neighbouring township
a short rifle is a carbine.
carbines have always and will always be used where a shorter and sometimes lighter rifle is easier on user...eg in thick bush or on horseback in scabbard.
shorter barrel will/can/sometimes reduce velocity as powder hasnt for want of a better explanation got as long of rail to launch projectile off before it exits....the plunger of syringe dont work if its not in a tube.
back before suppressors a short barrel was a flame thrower with hot loads and plurry noisy,both for reason above,the explosion is still going off outside barrel
my mighty poohseventy came from factory in 80s at 21" she was a beast for flamethrowing and my hearing isnt the best from years of using it....it also used to leave "lovebites" on my shoulder after a few rounds (bad shooting form wouldnt have helped) now it is suppressed she is a pussycat to shoot,my ears dont ring and I dont get bruising.
downside is she a little bit longer when pushing through scrub...BUT I can take can off in really thick stuff knowing POI will still be withing 3" of normal at 100 yards.for a single shot in bush its no big deal......but now I find I leave it on and just go slower which probably has helped my kill rate somewhat as a bonus,slower = quieter and more observant.
all my rifles are now suppressed,only the elcheapho 7.62x39mm was shortened to do so,yes that rifle is a wonder to carry in tight bush because of it BUT as its only ever a short range weapon the velocity decrease isnt an issue.....my other rifles get the nod if Im in open country everytime.
so pros quieter,less recoil,more pleasant to shoot,you still have mates
cons $$$$$$$$$ little bit longer,$$$$$$$balance of rifle more forwards,$$$$$$$to start with you think of boy racers exhaust,$$$$$$$you shoot more ammo because its fun again$$$$

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

first off a bush pig is an ugly sheilah form neighbouring township
a short rifle is a carbine.
carbines have always and will always be used where a shorter and sometimes lighter rifle is easier on user...eg in thick bush or on horseback in scabbard.
shorter barrel will/can/sometimes reduce velocity as powder hasnt for want of a better explanation got as long of rail to launch projectile off before it exits....the plunger of syringe dont work if its not in a tube.
back before suppressors a short barrel was a flame thrower with hot loads and plurry noisy,both for reason above,the explosion is still going off outside barrel
my mighty poohseventy came from factory in 80s at 21" she was a beast for flamethrowing and my hearing isnt the best from years of using it....it also used to leave "lovebites" on my shoulder after a few rounds (bad shooting form wouldnt have helped) now it is suppressed she is a pussycat to shoot,my ears dont ring and I dont get bruising.
downside is she a little bit longer when pushing through scrub...BUT I can take can off in really thick stuff knowing POI will still be withing 3" of normal at 100 yards.for a single shot in bush its no big deal......but now I find I leave it on and just go slower which probably has helped my kill rate somewhat as a bonus,slower = quieter and more observant.
all my rifles are now suppressed,only the elcheapho 7.62x39mm was shortened to do so,yes that rifle is a wonder to carry in tight bush because of it BUT as its only ever a short range weapon the velocity decrease isnt an issue.....my other rifles get the nod if Im in open country everytime.
so pros quieter,less recoil,more pleasant to shoot,you still have mates
cons $$$$$$$$$ little bit longer,$$$$$$$balance of rifle more forwards,$$$$$$$to start with you think of boy racers exhaust,$$$$$$$you shoot more ammo because its fun again$$$$

Lmfao bro your comment is gold. I appreciate the advice. Definitely suppressing it!. Just still undecided with what length I want it at. Thanks duck!

Originally Posted by berg243

by trimming barrel to 18 inches from 20 and fitting a suppressor you shouldn't see much decrease in velocity but going shorter will start to see a decrease.if you really want a bush rifle get a single shot cut it to just over legal length then fit a suppressor . if you use same calibre then you only need one suppressor and one load keeps it very simple . I have found the compactness of a single shot great in heavy scrub but have gone to a heavy hitter for my main scrub rifle a 45/70 shooting either 420gr or 500gr cast lead subs.

Sounds like a beast bro!

308 - 16" barrel even suppressed is noisey,18" suppressed far better and still good to 400yds.If you think you only going to fire 1 shot for morning hunt in thick bush.Dont have suppresser on if you hunting alone.18" 308 still a light smallish rifle to cart around.

@Been Upto A thought about your tikka. If you got it new, then I think it might be a bit of a shame to have a brand new barrel cut down.

I suggest that you talk to a gunsmith about getting a second hand barrel, have that cut down and screwed into your tikka's reciever.

Not sure if this is a "best idea" but other people will soon put me right if not.

Judging from other people's writing, you may have to go looking for a different weight of ammo to run through a bush pig.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

@Been Upto A thought about your tikka. If you got it new, then I think it might be a bit of a shame to have a brand new barrel cut down.

I suggest that you talk to a gunsmith about getting a second hand barrel, have that cut down and screwed into your tikka's reciever.

Not sure if this is a "best idea" but other people will soon put me right if not.

Judging from other people's writing, you may have to go looking for a different weight of ammo to run through a bush pig.

Do you reckon bro? Im getting it done from DPT might have to inquire about that. Cheers max

Originally Posted by Trout

308 - 16" barrel even suppressed is noisey,18" suppressed far better and still good to 400yds.If you think you only going to fire 1 shot for morning hunt in thick bush.Dont have suppresser on if you hunting alone.18" 308 still a light smallish rifle to cart around.

Thanks for the advice mate !

16 - 18” with a suppressor will be fine. That makes a great handy little rifle that doesn’t ruin your ears. If your into reloading then absolutely do it, if not well it’s not the end of the world. The rifle will still be nicer to carry and shoot things dead.

Originally Posted by stagstalker

16 - 18” with a suppressor will be fine. That makes a great handy little rifle that doesn’t ruin your ears. If your into reloading then absolutely do it, if not well it’s not the end of the world. The rifle will still be nicer to carry and shoot things dead.

Thanks bro!, also im one of your subscribers on youtube keep up the good content bro. Love the .284 looks real nice

Originally Posted by Been Upto

Do you reckon bro? Im getting it done from DPT might have to inquire about that. Cheers max

Yeah, ask them. What I don't want for you to do is have a large amount cut off your barrel that you'll look at later and say "I wish I hadn't done that."

Thinking about it, if your barrel is a 20, then losing 2 inches and turning it into 18 isn't that much drama.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

Yeah, ask them. What I don't want for you to do is have a large amount cut off your barrel that you'll look at later and say "I wish I hadn't done that."

Thinking about it, if your barrel is a 20, then losing 2 inches and turning it into 18 isn't that much drama.

Sweet bro! Will do!

A few things to note:

1. A suppressor will still not eliminate hearing damage. Depending on the cartridge etc a suppressed rifle will still be around 130-140db. Hearing damage starts at even 85db at prolonged exposure, 120 db is the start of threshold of pain for most people.


2. Your ears and your eyes do not repair themselves over time even like the rest of your body ...(excluding serious trauma like amputation of limbs etc haha) LOOK AFTER THEM. If you havnt noticed already most older hunters, musicians, motorcyclists, people who worked in noisy industry's etc are suffering from the effects of hearing loss. We are alot wiser to hearing damage now days, especially at work with Health and safety etc.


I avoid any gun shots without ear protection. I will let goats get away if i dont have my ear pro on. Probably would do the same with a deer, im 28 and occasionally i already get tinnitus (ringing / buzzing noises in my ears) especially when its really quiet. It could of just been ear wax build up but its not nice at all when it happens couple of times a year. I would hate to have that going on 24/7.
Its not hard at all, i have hear muffs that sit around my neck or on my head if stalking. Or ear plugs on long string that i wrap around my neck, including a few loose in my pockets if lose them. Takes a only a few moments to slip the muffs on, a bit longer for the plugs but they are more comfortable. Sometimes ill have one plug already in my ear and just have to slip the other one in.

Look after yours and your friends hearing. Some people laugh or dont care about how cautious i am but seriously ringing of the ears is a pain in the ass.

Okay now BUSHPIGS.... I have a sweet spot for short handy rifles.

Cons:
You will lose velocity when you remove barrel length, cant beat physics. Some people run hot loads to counter this but then decrease brass life.
Less velocity means less energy (hitting power), more drop and more wind drift over the same distance.

Shorter barrels will wear suppressor baffles out faster. - Said fireball coming out of the barrel someone mentioned earlier is un-burnt powder burning off outside the barrel. This will erode the first baffle over time. How bad this is on a 16" 308 i dont know as i have a Hardy that you cant dissemble for cleaning and check it out, i have had at least 1500 rounds down it from me + how ever many previous owner/owners fired and its still going strong so probably not to bad. Maybe someone else can comment on that or ask DPT how much of an issue it is. Its much more of an issue on semi autos. I know 2 people with Short barreled Ar 15s who have worn out standard DPT baffles and gone with Stainless first baffle. Heat accelerates that process and when you have a semi auto and doing mag dumps will put alot of heat into the suppressor.

Pros:
Short and handy
Quieter than a non suppressed rifle
Less recoil than a non suppressed rifle

How short you go depends on what you are wanting to achieve. (also remember you can always chop more off later, cant get more added on without getting a new barrel)

What distance are you shooting animals out to? <300m my preference is 16" just for the handiness
Someone else mentioned single shot, this means you can get the shortness of a bushpig but retain 20" barrel length. A very nice compromise but im often shooting mobs of goats 10+ so bolt action is nice.

I had someone in a shop ask why the heck would i do that i basically turned it into a 30/30 and its no good after 150m..they proceeded to tell me they shoot goats at 600m+ with their 22" hunting rifle.....go figure...
I love my 16" bush and think its about perfect out to 300m okay to 400m. 80% of my hunting is probably less than 50m with 95% inside 100m I have little need to take shots longer than that. Longest kill being 280m and it dropped on the spot, 150gr sst going 2550fps at the muzzle ~2000 ish at impact.
Had it on gongs out to 650m
If i build another in 308 i might go 12-14" as i hardly take a shot at animals over 150m when hunting doc land, If im going private land i can always take another rifle.

18" will make it slightly quieter and increase muzzle velocity while still retaining the short and handy feel. This tends to be middle ground most people settle on.

If you havnt sent your rifle away yet let me know you can have a shot with my 308. might be able to get my hands on a 18" 7mm08 you can could compare it to. Also have a 22" 280Ai thats supressed so you can see and feel what a standard barrel feels like with a suppressor on the end.

Originally Posted by Been Upto

Thanks bro!, also im one of your subscribers on youtube keep up the good content bro. Love the .284 looks real nice

Awesome thanks mate! At the end of the day it depends on what you use it for mostly. If your shots are generellay under 250 - 300m then 16” suppressed is fine. If you are a pure bush hobbit then 16” and suppressed is a no brainer. But if you do a bit of shooting at further distances then you will want to retain some length for velocity with heavier projectiles. 18 - 20” is a good compromise between short and handy with enough length to retain some more velocity and then you can always go shorter again later if you want. This obviously being directed at the 308, 7mm08, 260 type calibres.

Originally Posted by Nugget connaisseur

A few things to note:

1. A suppressor will still not eliminate hearing damage. Depending on the cartridge etc a suppressed rifle will still be around 130-140db. Hearing damage starts at even 85db at prolonged exposure, 120 db is the start of threshold of pain for most people.
Attachment 98532

2. Your ears and your eyes do not repair themselves over time even like the rest of your body ...(excluding serious trauma like amputation of limbs etc haha) LOOK AFTER THEM. If you havnt noticed already most older hunters, musicians, motorcyclists, people who worked in noisy industry's etc are suffering from the effects of hearing loss. We are alot wiser to hearing damage now days, especially at work with Health and safety etc.


I avoid any gun shots without ear protection. I will let goats get away if i dont have my ear pro on. Probably would do the same with a deer, im 28 and occasionally i already get tinnitus (ringing / buzzing noises in my ears) especially when its really quiet. It could of just been ear wax build up but its not nice at all when it happens couple of times a year. I would hate to have that going on 24/7.
Its not hard at all, i have hear muffs that sit around my neck or on my head if stalking. Or ear plugs on long string that i wrap around my neck, including a few loose in my pockets if lose them. Takes a only a few moments to slip the muffs on, a bit longer for the plugs but they are more comfortable. Sometimes ill have one plug already in my ear and just have to slip the other one in.

Look after yours and your friends hearing. Some people laugh or dont care about how cautious i am but seriously ringing of the ears is a pain in the ass.

Okay now BUSHPIGS.... I have a sweet spot for short handy rifles.

Cons:
You will lose velocity when you remove barrel length, cant beat physics. Some people run hot loads to counter this but then decrease brass life.
Less velocity means less energy (hitting power), more drop and more wind drift over the same distance.

Shorter barrels will wear suppressor baffles out faster. - Said fireball coming out of the barrel someone mentioned earlier is un-burnt powder burning off outside the barrel. This will erode the first baffle over time. How bad this is on a 16" 308 i dont know as i have a Hardy that you cant dissemble for cleaning and check it out, i have had at least 1500 rounds down it from me + how ever many previous owner/owners fired and its still going strong so probably not to bad. Maybe someone else can comment on that or ask DPT how much of an issue it is. Its much more of an issue on semi autos. I know 2 people with Short barreled Ar 15s who have worn out standard DPT baffles and gone with Stainless first baffle. Heat accelerates that process and when you have a semi auto and doing mag dumps will put alot of heat into the suppressor.

Pros:
Short and handy
Quieter than a non suppressed rifle
Less recoil than a non suppressed rifle

How short you go depends on what you are wanting to achieve. (also remember you can always chop more off later, cant get more added on without getting a new barrel)

What distance are you shooting animals out to? <300m my preference is 16" just for the handiness
Someone else mentioned single shot, this means you can get the shortness of a bushpig but retain 20" barrel length. A very nice compromise but im often shooting mobs of goats 10+ so bolt action is nice.

I had someone in a shop ask why the heck would i do that i basically turned it into a 30/30 and its no good after 150m..they proceeded to tell me they shoot goats at 600m+ with their 22" hunting rifle.....go figure...
I love my 16" bush and think its about perfect out to 300m okay to 400m. 80% of my hunting is probably less than 50m with 95% inside 100m I have little need to take shots longer than that. Longest kill being 280m and it dropped on the spot, 150gr sst going 2550fps at the muzzle ~2000 ish at impact.
Had it on gongs out to 650m
If i build another in 308 i might go 12-14" as i hardly take a shot at animals over 150m when hunting doc land, If im going private land i can always take another rifle.

18" will make it slightly quieter and increase muzzle velocity while still retaining the short and handy feel. This tends to be middle ground most people settle on.

If you havnt sent your rifle away yet let me know you can have a shot with my 308. might be able to get my hands on a 18" 7mm08 you can could compare it to. Also have a 22" 280Ai thats supressed so you can see and feel what a standard barrel feels like with a suppressor on the end.

Bro thats honestly awesome youd be willing to let me have a shot with your bushpig thats wicked. Im sending my rifle away tomorrow as im leaving to aussie on wednesday for a week. I really enjoyed this through information youve given me once again! Thanks alot mate. I also took me rifle out yesterday for one last hunt unsuppressed haha it was mad fun, smashed some goats over for some dog tucker. Cheers bro