Thread: Educate me on bushpigs

Originally Posted by Cigar

I don't have any suppressed centrefire but I agree they have their place. I do struggle with the logic behind cutting down a rifle to make it handier in the bush then adding a suppressor which makes it less handier.
I usually take my Winchester M94 Trapper lever action when bush hunting, which is less than 10cm off being classed as a pistol so can't get much handier. Yes, it is loud, but I'm not firing many shots without hearing protection.

Dude you must have missed the memo about single loud noise exposure creating lasting and ongoing cumulative damage. If you are any good as a hunter you will be firing more shots that will damage your hearing, than you might be prepared to live with whilst getting old. I know its bloody annoying not hearing animals sneaking around that my young mates can hear. Suppressors are the single most important discretionary choice that you can make to protect your hearing, so consider it an investment in your future hunting. I just wish they were an option for me in my teens and twenties. Might not have that perpetual ringing noise that accompanies me all of the time now days if they had of been.

Come on do the maths.. no one is cutting down rifles to make them handier outside of suppressor use. 20-22 inch unsuppressed barrels are fine for bush hunting, if you prefer deafness from noise, lessened shootability, less confusion from game, more neighbour disturbance and more perceived recoil.

Rifles are being cut down to make suppressor equipped rifles the same sort of length as those 20-22 inch factory length barrels. As handy with a suppressor at the same overall length. And that is perfectly logical.

The benefits of suppressors more than justify the loss of 4 inches of barrel and 100fps. Worrying about that appears to be entirely illogical. Besides, reloaders using faster powders can make up most of any speed lost from shortened barrels. And that is still logical.

The fascinating thing about those with negative opinions about well set up shortened and suppressed rifles, is that those holding such opinions usually don't have, or haven't owned a well set up shortened and suppressed rifle to enable them to form a creditable opinion. You know actually knowing something about what they want to share with the rest of us.

Its the world we live in...