Thread: Suppressors

If recoil reduction is the main motivation then a brake will always be more effective.
The reduction in felt recoil is from the added weight and lessening of the rocket effect at the muzzle. But the gas is still rushing out inline. A brake can direct the gas out at 90 or more deg to rifle.
Horses for courses.

Having used both now I can say definitely a suppressor for me. Can't believe I waited so long

The brake was very effective in reducing recoil. This 7mmrum was like shooting a .243. But loud!!!
Definitely never shot without hearing protection.

The suppressor on the other hand weighs a little more. Like someone else said just harden up. It's worth the carry in my opinion
No recoil , No noise and the ability to spot your own shot when on your own

Supressors are getting lighter and shorter all the time and for normal cailibers and rifles you can offset the gained weight by losing som barrel with no ill affects. Alot of perceived recoil is from noise impulse removing this reduces perceived recoil probably more than actuall recoil. Having said this there is a definite rscoild reduction will all Supressors I have used.

I purchased a muzzle break off Dean Maisey Gunsmith for my .300Win Mag, before that if i shot more than 5rounds i had a sore shoulder. Now i can shoot all day on the range. but it is bloody loud.

Suppressor benefits include:

- Sound suppression from c. 160-170+ dB at the shooters ear unsuppressed, to below 140 dB with quality suppressors ( c. 131-138 dB in various calibres with our products for example )

- Reduced recoil, as mentioned earlier suppressors are usually not as effective as the best muzzle brakes, but they also do not have the drawback of adding c. 5-10 dB to the shooter

- Reduced blast to the side of the shooter, for example if shooting next to a heavier calibre on the range, if that weapon is suppressed then it is easier for the other shooters

- Quality suppressors almost entirely eliminate muzzle flash, so if hunting in darker conditions it is easier to follow up the shot through optics

- Greatly reduces the environmental noise area as well, in some countries shooting ranges and noise levels are under scrutiny, even though the ranges may have been there before housing

- Potential for improved accuracy, suppressors do not always do this, however if there is an effect on the accuracy, with properly installed quality suppressors the effect is positive.


Yes, they do add weight and length, however for example our .30 calibre suppressors are around 400 gram at the lightest ( S series SL5 ) with an all stainless steel construction and providing under 140 dB sound pressure levels at the shooters ear and being the size of your fist. Also, many weapon manufacturers are providing shorter factory threaded rifles and the impact of the suppressor on the length and balance is not very much.

Best Regards!

Tuukka Jokinen
Ase Utra sound suppressors

Another point in favour of suppressors - I take it off, put it in my pack and strap my rifle to the side of my pack for the walk in to my hunting area. Because it is shorter I'm less liable to get caught up on supplejack on the way in. Get in, make camp, put suppressor on, go hunting, no worries.

Also on the .308 it reduces felt recoil by mebbe 40% IMO

I'm no expert but two things helped my shooting heaps. First, a trigger job on all my rifles (either drop in kits of gunsmithed) ... that made me a better shot as you would expect. The second factor was suppressing a lot (most) of my rifles and noise reduction was obvious. Some are bigger and heavier and just add weight and maybe some harmonics and accuracy was improved noticeably. Others (especially my .308) I just became more confident with so maybe I was flinching or something. I have just bought a Dan Hardy .22lr can which is fabulous so looking to send him my Sauer 202 in .223 to him & install his new lightweight can (when I get some money). Summary - I think the suppressors made my rifles better. Keep safe in the hills.

Suppressors also stop debris, mud and rain from getting into the muzzle. This can on my 303 adds a mere 30mm to the overall length. While not a full suppressor it does reduce recoil big time and reduces noise considerably. Just not fully quite.


I tried it in the dark (someone else firing) and only a few sparks were visible. Nothing visible through the scope.

I have a WSM and shoot mainly in the open tops. This rifle has a break (QuattraMax from Dean). It's removable and I keep it off until I see the animals, at which time I also put the hearing protection on.

The reduce recoil is like shooting my 223 and the is no muzzle jump, I can see the flight and bullet impact through the scope. Also, if shooting long strings of bullets on targets etc, it doesn't get as hot as a suppressor.

I would love a suppressor from my 223 mainly for the noise reduction and no spooking game so much.

These are both different tools and depending on the shooting you do, they each have there own advantages and disadvantages. I do like the portability of the break and the reduced recoil.

At risk of oversimplification would it be fair to say suppressors for calibres up to, say, 7mm RUM and muzzle brakes start to take over from there up to the bigger calibres and beyond?

The problem I find with having the wrong end of the stick is that it feels exactly like the right end of the stick

If one were to discribe the sound of a gunshot as being "Ka, BOOM" the "Ka" being the supersonic crack created as the bullet travels through the air, and the "BOOM" being the sound of the escaping gas that pushes the projectile up the barrel, dose that make sence?
the suppressor acts the same as a exhaust muffler on a car.
It captures the gas and holds it momentarily in the suppressors chamber, alowing it to slow down and stop the "BOOM".
it of course can not affect the sound created as the bullet is in flight and thus why they are refered to as suppressors, because they are not 'silencers'
now, if you have ever been down range during life fireing, say at a full bore shoot or in the defence forces, you would have experenced the sound created by the bullet in flight before the sound of the gas.
you will here "KA................BOOM" the bullet traveling supersonic, travels past you and as it passes the sound barrier is broken and you here the KA sound.
depending on the distance from the shooter the delay between the "KA"and the "BOOM" will vary, but one thing, the ka sound is not directional, you cant tell where it came from or is going. But the boom is, you can tell roughly where and if you are aware, how far by the delay time.
relate this back to a hunting situation, the mob of deer unaware of you, when you shoot, will hear a "KA" and hopefully a Whoop, at about the same time that will spook them as the lift there head the then here a god almighty "BOOOOOOM" and they will usualy bolt flat stick in the opposite direction.
Take the BOOM away and they look up see Fred lieing on his side convulsing, and stop to look at WTF.
giving you the opportunity to get another shot in, if you wish to.
generaly speaking, all other things being equal, the bigger the suppressor, the better it will work.
also the further forward of the end of the barrel, as it will capture more gas and hold it longer, so therfor it will be quieter.
diferent materials work better and that relates to cost and weight, so all are a consideration.
The increse in velocity is caused because the projectile has a small amount of back pressure after it leaves the barrel and as it travels through the suppressor.
The reality is that if your shooting a .308 at 2800fps, I doubt weather 40fps is going to make ANY difference, at theend of the day, but it is interesting all the same.
the reduction of recoil is because the gas escapeing from an unsuppressed barrel travels forward and pushes the rifle backwards. When suppressed it captures it and lets it disipate slowly, so although not as effective as the dedicated muzzle break, it dose a similar job, and as mentioned earlier, a big part of what I call 'felt recoil' is the blast of gas caused by the escaping gas as it passes over you.
such, that I much prefer, personaly, to shoot larger calibers with no muzzle break and accept that I will cop more recoil and less blast.
I think that covers most things but if you have further questions please just ask.
greg

Originally Posted by 308

At risk of oversimplification would it be fair to say suppressors for calibres up to, say, 7mm RUM and muzzle brakes start to take over from there up to the bigger calibres and beyond?

The problem I find with having the wrong end of the stick is that it feels exactly like the right end of the stick

Got a 50bmg with a suppressor on it in the workshop, being built at the moment, so it can be done.
the reality is tho, the suppressor needs to be big enough and strong enough to handle the volume of gas escaping.
the .22lr shooting subs can have a suppressor the size of a cigar on it and it will work well.
a say, 308, well thats gonna need to be a hell of a lot bigger and so they are usualy 300 to 400mm long 30 to 40mm round and built a lot stronger. Weight? 350 to 550 grams
the 50bmg is over a mtr long 80mm round and all stainless, weight? I would need to measure it but atleast 40kg

Bjeasus you are going to have to take that thing to the range on a hiab truck.

Thanks Greg, that was the kind of reasoning I was after.

Iv got a nice big burn on my finger from moving my friends ar15 out of my way after he had shot a string of bullets, but Id never be without them. anything non suppressed dosent get used anymore