Hunting with a suppressor - dumb idea?

[ljsommer]

I have a Sig Cross Trax (swapped the ridiculous butt stock for something actually usable) with a can on it chambered in 308. I am running a Leupold VX5 HD. My primary hunting rifle is a Tikka T3 Lite also in 308, with a Viper Vortex PST. I zeroed my Tikka once, about a decade ago, and while I still shoot it annually at the range to check zero I've never made a single adjustment to it.

The Cross has been at the range on two occasions now to try to zero it. The first occasion I had to go home after only 5-6 shots because the original butt stock had destroyed my shoulder. Today's visit with the new stock was much better, but I could not for the life of me secure a consistent zero. I would get close and then suddenly a single shot would go wild and I'd be back to square one.

I noticed that the can had started to back itself off, and I wonder if that is contributing to my difficulty. The can backed itself off and loosened up, but in addition to that, the heat buildup on the suppressor (one shot every 60+ seconds) made the visibility out of the scope awful.

A suppressor seems to introduce a lot of unnecessary complexes and nuances. What are the actual "pros" when comparing running a can vs not? I've never owned a can before this so I don't have any experience. I see lots of folks hunting with these things, and from where I am standing I can't see why.

Should I try to sort this out or just go back to my Tikka T3?

[addicted1]

I guess the main advantage would be noise suppression…A loose can would most certainly cause issues with you projectile. You wouldn’t get great results shooting with a barrel that is loose at the action. This isn’t much different, the suppressor will have some impact on the bullet trajectory and if loose it won’t be as consistent.

[coachg]

Hello,

I’ve switched to hunting suppressed a few years ago.  Never will go back, so much better of an experience.  A couple things:

1.  If your suppressor is even a 1/2 turn loose, it can severely affect the accuracy.  Had the exact same thing happen to me when I first started shooting suppressed. A little loctite may help.

2.  If you get a suppressor cover it will massively cut down on the “haze” from the heat.

Hope this helps

[EnglishSetter]

While I'm not "suppressor trained", range day and afield are 2 entirely different environments.  No real opportunity to shoot loose or develop mirage.  At the range you'll have to mitigate those potentials whether you're tuning your hunting rifle or just practicing.

[birdshooter1189]

After hunting coyotes and varmints suppressed for a few years, i cringe at the idea of having to hunt anything unsuppressed.

1. Yes heat build up can affect visibility, but you usually don't shoot more than 5 shots quickly when hunting. Never been an issue for me when hunting.

2. Yes if the suppressor comes loose it will affect accuracy and can even cause baffle strikes.  Just get in the habbit of checking the tightness of the suppressor periodically.  This has never been an issue for me in the field.  Consider wrapping some tape around the joint of the barrel and suppressor to keep it from moving if it's coming loose on its own. Or locktite the threads.

3. When shooting suppressed, especially in the trees, the sound of the shock doesn't stun you like a flash bang just went off in front of you.  Your eyes and ears will be less startled and will increase your awareness and ability for a follow up shot if needed.

4.  When shooting suppressed and the shot is further than 50 yards, you will be able to hear the impact of the bullet and know right away if it's a hit or miss.  A watermellon-like THUMP is a hit on flesh and sounds much different than a bullet striking dirt/rocks/trees.

5.  If you miss, or if there are multiple animals.....the shots won't spook the other animals as much if you are suppressed.

6.  If you are hunting near properties that belong to anti-hunters....you are less likely to catch their attention.

7. Suppressors act like muzzle brakes and reduce recoil; some more effectively than others, but they all help.

[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.