Hunting With Suppressor in WA

[bigtex]

I'm pretty sure they can add that as a rule right away if they chose to.

What the WDFW Commission could do is ammend the WAC for legal hunting firearms making it unlawful to use the suppressor while hunting. The changing of WAC's is not subject to a vote by the legislature, simply the vote of the commission.

[FALFire]

Well, I certainly hope they don't include it for predator hunting as I prefer to keep a very low profile while working ranches during calving seasons. It may not bother the cows but the calves can get a little nervous at times not to mention scaring the crap out of the rancher when he comes out to feed the herd.    

[addicted]

I was reading an article teh other day.

a 223 blast(uncorking) is abou 120 decibles. This is what you can expect to have muffled by a suppressor due to slower depressurization of the gasses.

the sonic crack from the speed of the bullet produces another 160 decibles. This crack has an inverted sound wave which makes the person who hears it out in the field think that the shot came from the other direction, this has worked well for our troops downrange.

I wonder if you are really saving your ears at all with that second sonic crack.?

[1911fan]

Yeah, you are.  The sonic crack happens further away than the muzzle, and is reflected back by objects downrange.  If you are in a fairly open area, a .223 makes about as much noise as a .22 short, and a .308 is a little louder.  Of course, in more confined areas it's reflected back by closer objects and so louder. 
I have a .223 can, and in open areas on prairie dogs and such I never wear hearing protection.  I've shot a .308 and a .22-250AI in those conditions also, and they are quiet. I'm looking forward to yotes this winter with a suppressed bolt gun in .223, ought to be nicer on the old eardrums.  FWIW, I've got four cans: .22, .17HMR, .223, and .308; don't wear earpro with any of them.


1911fan

[Killercolin]

That just sounds like too much fun! 

[DJ_Mack]

I went to order a suppressor today, and the guy at the shop told me it was illegal in WA to hunt big game but not predator animals with suppressors.  I just looked in the regs and didn't see anything.  Are they still good to be used?

[JimmyHoffa]

As far as I know they are legal.  Unless there was a change recently in the law.  You'd be surprised at the number of guys at sporting goods stores that tell you can't use bait, semiautos, calls, scents, hollow points, fmj, etc.

[grundy53]

As far as I know they are legal.  Unless there was a change recently in the law.  You'd be surprised at the number of guys at sporting goods stores that tell you can't use bait, semiautos, calls, scents, hollow points, fmj, etc.

It's amazing what some people believe.

[DJ_Mack]

Awesome!  Thanks fellas.  There regs don't say anything about rifle barrel length either.  But I agree and how amazing it is that people pass along bad info. 

[b23]

I'm guessing the barrel length comment was in reference to it being 16in. minimum length.  I don't know why you couldn't hunt with a SBR (short barrel rifle) as long as it was in a legal caliber and you had the proper tax stamp for a SBR.  So if you wanted to hunt with a rifle that had a shorter barrel than 16in. I think as long as you had a SBR Tax Stamp for it, you legally could but I don't know that to be fact.  If someone knows for sure, could you post a link to it.

[DJ_Mack]

That is exactly what I was thinking!  I am building an SBR and why not hunt with it if it is lighter and more comfortable to carry rather than a full size ar-10. 

[blackdog]

Apparently ATF has recently begun denying Form 1 SBR's.

[b23]

Apparently ATF has recently begun denying Form 1 SBR's.

As if they ever need one, let alone a good one, but do you know why they are denying them???

[sooperfly]

Here's a cut'n paste from arfcom.   And the 14 page thread here: 

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_8_15/582816_Form_1_DENIED___There_it_is_folks____.html&page=1


So here is what I got from Brian Blake, the original sponsor of the bill.

A staff member at the DOL had a conversation with the ATF a few weeks back and the discussion centered on SB 5956, and lack of clarity and confusion about manufacturing SBR's. This person is not a policy maker, but apparently the ATF person may have taken it that way. The head of Washington DOL Firearms Division will be contacting the ATF to let them know that the conversation was not with a representative allowed to direct policy on behalf of Washington State.

The AG's office has not made any official statements on the bill at this time.

Also, the DOL did not advise the ATF to not approve the forms, nor did the AG's office. The DOL's position is that it isn't their position to interpret the laws, and that it is up to the ATF to make their own interpretation.

Also, Thanks RichM for sending me Ted Clutter's contact information and email addresses. Brian Blake and the DOL have that information now and they will contact Ted. The rest of you may want to not deluge Mr. Clutter with a bunch of emails. Brian says he will work on this. Please let him work through the process.

Thanks.