Thread: Educate me on bushpigs

Originally Posted by Frodo

"but in my book ear protection is a pain in the arse when bush hunting"

If hearing protection in the bush is a "pain in the arse" and "useless", and suppressors won't actually prevent your hearing from deteriorating - then what is the solution? Isn't it then a matter of compromise?

a) Do I choose not to wear hearing protection (whether the rifle is suppressed or not) and accept that my aural health will inevitably worsen...

b) Do I wear hearing protection, but accept that I may not be as efficient in the bush as I would like to be...

Suppressing a rifle may be a solution to "quite a few issues", and I agree that this is their main selling point. But we're not discussing their other benefits - we're discussing protecting our hearing. And suppressors, while a viable complimentary aid to ear muffs/earplugs (however negligible), aren't sufficient on their own.

Well actually we are discussing "bushpigs" which to my way of thinking means suppressed and short barrel rifles. You must have got lost, this isn't a hearing protection thread.

So yes we are discussing the other benefits of suppressors. One of which is additional protection from hearing loss. A 30DB reduction reduces noise to 1/8 of its unsuppressed effect. To not understand the significance of that in terms of reduced risk seems rather superficial.

Again, suppressors reduce damage and risk, they don't eliminate it. You get to make the call on what strategy you employ to mitigate risk or damage.

But I am sick of those "suppressors don't save your hearing" lines when the next one is, I use my 30/30 in the bush unsuppressed, but its not that often so its OK..

What I know is that firing a shot out a suppressed rifle in the bush, doesn't make my ears ring when an unsuppressed rifle does - with just a single shot.

And that is a positive outcome for having an ugly rifle with a stupid name and a suppressor permanently attached...