Thread: Educate me on bushpigs

Originally Posted by Frodo

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I don't have anything against bushpigs. I just think they look ugly and that there are better options out there if maximum manoeverability is your requirement. And as far as hearing loss is concerned, again, I think there are better options.

I use hearing protection whenever I'm shooting my unsuppressed centerfire. It works.

When I owned my suppressed .270 MKV and suppressed and shortened Sako 75 7mm-08, I still wore hearing protection. It worked well.

My choice of firearm does not have any bearing on how rigorously I follow safety protocols.

You could argue that by using hearing protection AND a suppressor, you're taking all the possible precautions (short of not shooting a firearm in the first place ) against hearing loss - but I don't think the difference in noise reduction between using ear muffs with a suppressor VS ear muffs without a suppressor, makes much of a difference in typical hunting situations - where only one or two shots may be fired. And you can always use ear plugs in conjunction with muffs if you're overly anxious about it.

But I get your point. If you're not willing to fork out on quality electronic ear plugs, and you're hunting in very thick terrain where you have to rely on your hearing - a suppressed rifle is obviously going to do less damage than an unsuppressed rifle. But 'less' damage is still a form of damage, right? You could say it's a better middle ground, but it's not completely mitigating the risk of hearing loss. In that sense, suppressors could contribute to a false sense of security.

In general, I think they're a good idea. But there are ways around it without putting your ears at risk. And it may even work in your favour, because, as I said in my previous post, if maximum manoeverability is your priority, there are rifles out there which are more suited to that type of use (by design) than a chopped up Tikka, Remington, Sako, whatever.

Of course ear protection will do a better job.. but in my book ear protection is a pain in the arse when bush hunting. I have fitted electronic earpieces that I wear wallaby shooting where there are a number of shooters in close proximatey and the shooting is spasmodic and unpredictable. Ear muffs when hunting are stupid.

But in the bush both are useless. On the tops with time I use foam earbuds over my suppressed rifle. You usually have time.

Suppressors are on my rifles whether I have other ear protection or not.

I can't help you with ugly. A rifle is a tool. It has to be functional. Suppressors add to that utility but the are a curse if they create unbalanced rifles. Shortening rifles is a solution to that and allows for that utility.

I can't help you with a name. I don't care what people call shortened suppressed rifles.

You get to choose for you.. but don't kid yourself, suppressing a rifle is a solution to quite a few issues... the fact that you can't quite seem to understand that people enjoy shooting suppressed rifles more than unsuppressed is clearly difficult for you. Shortening them is peripheral to that and is not the principal issue...