Equipment & Gear > Guns and Ammo

Hunting with a suppressor - dumb idea?

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Wolfdog2314:
I’ve got the Sig cross Trax in 308 also and was running in to the same issues of inconsistent groups. I’d have a couple group up and then be way off. Long story short there was too much run out in my barrel from the factory. (Alignment of barrel to my suppressor is the easiest terms I can explain it in). I sent the rifle to Thunderbeast and they fixed it. They said the runout was .006”. I now have .9” consistent groups with a 168 Berger. This is setup as my blacktail brush gun.

Of course I didn’t find this out initially until I got a bullet strike at the end of my supressor. I had seen the slightest of marks on the exit hole before, but I attributed that to the suppressor being lose after a shooting session my first time out with it.

That inconsistent of groups you’re having, I’d want that checked. Any good gunsmith should be able to, but Thunderbeast was amazing to deal with. They said they “fix” twice as many barrels as they thread themselves.

I won’t hunt without a suppressor anymore. The hearing protection and animal reaction (at times) is well worth it.

pickardjw:
Similar to others, I don't hunt unsuppressed anymore except for muzzy and shotgun. An neither do most of my hunting buddies. Love this pic from Idaho spring bear this year with a couple new guys in the group. Knew I'd like them when I saw their rifles!

1. Crank that can on when everything is cold. As it heats up at the range it may loosen a bit. Make sure it's tight after the first mag and periodically after. Some guys have an oven mitt in their range bag for this express purpose  :chuckle:

2. Cover for the range is a must. LS Wild makes a minimalist, low profile cover that keeps mirage down for about 10 shots. Tons of other options that'll get you out to ~20 shots or so before mirage is unavoidable. All depending on timing of course.

3. So many other things that can be contributing to poor grouping, but should be pretty easy to verify shooting some 10 round groups with and without the can.

Pros: Ear pro not necessary (to a certain extent), easier to communicate with a partner in the field quietly (shooter/spotter), very different game reaction to shots, reduced recoil, reduced muzzle blast. I also like that it reduces my profile to other hunters in the area.

Cons: Added weight, added length, added potential failure point, cost.

Sneaky:
suppressor model?

A mirage cover is needed for the range. LS wild is cheap and does what you need to get shoot a ten shot group. You will want to let the barrel cool off anyway before developing significant mirage.

The tikka is a better rifle. That being said, taking the suppressor off is likely to make your issues worse before it makes them better. Recoil, noise, and lightweight are all factors working against accuracy that a suppressor helps mitigate. I won't hunt or shoot for that matter without one if I can avoid it.

When you tighten on your suppressor, get it tight, back it off a half turn or so, and then snap it tight again. This could help with any loosening you might be experiencing. I have more issues getting mine to come off than keeping them tight.

STEVO85:
First thing I'd do is zero your Cross without your can and make sure it is shooting consistent groups. If it still isn't grouping then you have other issues like a bad scope, loose mounts, or the gun itself. If that checks out get an alignment rod and make sure your can and your bore are aligned correctly when tight. If your can is backing off when shooting they make locking muzzle devices for most cans that you can use. If your can isn't tight it will mess with the barrel harmonics and screw up your accuracy. If it is loose enough or not aligned properly then you have a bad day coming when you get a baffle or endcap strike and destroy your can. As far as mirage off the can and barrel, in most hunting scenarios that won't be an issue because you are only taking a single shot or maybe a couple. For a range day either get a suppressor cover or slow down your course of fire, plus for a hunting gun you will want to zero for a cold bore shot as you can get impact shift as the barrel warms up. I assume you know that you will almost certainly have poa to poi shift when shooting with or without the can so make sure you zero for how you plan to shoot. Almost everything I have is shot suppressed because it is that much more pleasant of an experience and the positives surpass the negatives for me. You just need to get your system figured out with your can and commit to shooting it that way 100% of the time because switching back and forth will cause frustrations.

ljsommer:
Thanks for all the info folks. The suppressor is a CAT ODB A1. I called the store that my wife bought the rifle from (it was a gift) and asked them some questions and got some answers I did not expect. They told me that you should *not* zero a rifle with the suppressor on, and that a loose suppressor would *not* negatively affect the trajectory of a round. Both of these pieces of information contradict the admittedly limited research I'd done on the issue.

I appreciate everyone's feedback, and #Wolfdog2314 I will keep that in mind. My next plan is to take it back to the range and remove the suppressor and start from scratch and try to secure a steady zero and then go back to the can and re-zero if necessary. I am not one of those guys that likes to fiddle with their guns. To me this thing is just a tool and I don't want it to become a big time sink. I like to confirm zero each season and then put the rifle back until I go into the field, but otherwise it stays stored. I am way, way too busy for my tools to not function properly.

Thanks all,

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