Silencer and the 300Winmag

[Sweet 6.5]

This a clip of a guy shooting a 300 winmag with a silencer - I ordered one for
me and I should have it back from the gunsmith end of Feb...  can't wait!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqlBlf_6UFc

[Brithunter]

OK so what is the excitement  ?

Lets look at what a sound moderator does, they are not silencers, only moderators. It's all to do with amount of noise reduction and control.

Firstly they do reduce the recoil, how much depends on the actual design it seems and there are plenty of different designs out there.

Secondly they do quieten it down to the point where wearing muffs is not really needed unless it's a very poor design. The bigger the cartridge so bigger the moderator needs to be to deal with the amount of gases produced and of course the more noise you still get.

Ok that's what they do now we come back to the drawbacks.

Weight............. they unbalance the rifle and add length. Yep even the Reflex types that come back over the barrel add length. Just try carry the rifle slung on the shoulder with a moderator fitted. It will end up pointing at anyone walking behind you if muzzle up. If muzzle down there is the added risk of hitting the muzzle end into the ground and plugging it due to the added length.

The "Ting or Ping" sound a lot produce upon firing. Some designs only seem to do this on the first shot. A lot also make this sound when the moderator comes into contact with twigs or branches when stalking.

Mirage............. due tot eh moderator heating up very quickly they do give mirage problems hence the healthy market in moderator covers here in the UK.

Barrel damage...................... oh yes leave the moderator screwed onto the barrel after shooting it and very soon you will need a new barrel. As the moferator cools the gases condense and then are drawn back into the muzzle where theu rot the bore.

It's not an uncommon problem here in the UK and many have discovered that the crown is all pitted and quite a few that the first few inches of the bore is rotten.

Oh yes I do have experience of using moderators and have two of them. One for the rimfire and one for centre fire up to 6.5mm calibre. here it is:-






Fitted to my Parker-Hale 1200C in 25-06.


Stripped for cleaning.

[Dave in WV]

BH, the excitement over here is supressors aren't common and require a class 3 tax fee and an in depth back ground check by the federal government. Most folks have never actally seen a supressor. There most likely never be a day here they are considered proper to use even though they are.
The liberals don't want us to have firearms or be allowed to hunt. Allowing the common person to own a supressor is over the top with them.

[Brithunter]

Dave,

           If I recall correctly Sweet is in Soth Africa and I don't know what the situation there is. I know about the US and silemcers  . Anyway here is a health and safety thing and to control noise pollution. No I kid you not  . I brought mine as I stalk (Deer Hunt) by buying outings and some palces are insisting on their use on those grounds. Didn't use it on my last one as I took the .270 instead.

[Sweet 6.5]

No law against them.(yet - they first trying to take our firearms away)

OK so what is the excitement  ? 

The answer is in the question :
Firstly they do reduce the recoil, secondly they do quieten it down to the point where wearing muffs is not really needed.
This means I can do load development without the noise and the recoil. I wait for the barrel to cool of between groups anyway, so that will help sort out the heat of the silencer.
Once I have the load I want to hunt with, it will take less than 5 shots to sight the rifle again.
I will hunt without the silencer anyway, so the size or weight will never be an issue.

[Brithunter]

Oh dear I fear your in for soem disappointment:_

No law against them.(yet - they first trying to take our firearms away)

OK so what is the excitement  ? 

The answer is in the question :
Firstly they do reduce the recoil, secondly they do quieten it down to the point where wearing muffs is not really needed.
This means I can do load development without the noise and the recoil. I wait for the barrel to cool of between groups anyway, so that will help sort out the heat of the silencer.
It will be very unlikely that you can shoot  a 5 round group without serious mirage problems. The Moderator will also retain the heat and keep the barrel hot. After 5 rounds unless you wrap a heavy cloth around the Moderator I doubt you'll be able to grip it to unscrew it due to heat.

Once I have the load I want to hunt with, it will take less than 5 shots to sight the rifle again.
I will hunt without the silencer anyway, so the size or weight will never be an issue.

OH dear unless your very ............................. very lucky the POI will be different with the mod fitted to with out it. The POI can move several inches depending upon the rifle. The moderator alters the barrel harmonics.

Yes I found it all out the hard way except the barrel damage. Was warned about that and to keep the muzzle thread greased. Yes they have their uses but they don't work anything like the movies show. Just be aware of that. Oh yes once you figure out the POI change you might find it remain a constant unless something on the rifle changes. Of course you will have to test to find out.

[Sweet 6.5]

The POI can move several inches depending upon the rifle. The moderator alters the barrel harmonics.
 Oh yes once you figure out the POI change you might find it remain a constant unless something on the rifle changes. Of course you will have to test to find out.

I know and I hope it stays the same everytime (will make life much easier) - that is why I said I
will re-sight before the hunt without the silencer.

[Brithunter]

Although Sound Moderators have a place and use they are not as simple to use as some think as I found out. Some in the UK are pushing for their use for target shooting to reduce Noise Pollution  however as I found out they do retain the heat and cause their own problems. This year I intend to make up my own, a muzzle can rather than the reflex Predator 8 that I have now, for use on the .280. I am also thinking of making a muzzle brake for it as well.

Will have to re-check the 6.5x55 as I seem to recall that this rifle didn't have much of a change in POI if any but cannot remember for sure  the 25-06 moves and a fair bit too.

[Sweet 6.5]

Hi - forgot to say the silencer is for my 300 winmag and not the 6.5x55 (lost it in a house fire )

I decided on the silencer after joining a forum on jackel controll and there are a bunch
of these guys using the specific silencer in the clip (same as I ordered). I heard not one complain
from any off them. Thank you for warning me, I will ask them about all the points you
mentioned.

99 % of the postings on the forum are Afrikaans otherwise I would have posted for you.

Cheers
Sweet

[Brithunter]

No Problems. I have just agreed to buy a used Husher Muzzle can for use on the .280 the price is about £80 delivered but of course I have to get a space on my licence for another moderator.

[Sweet 6.5]

Just a update, the silencer : it works like a dream. It's a sealed unit so I don't have
to worry about cleaning it (I will put it in the ultasonic cleaner at some stage)

I use it for load development and then take it off before I go hunting. POI change by 30 clicks (up and down)
so I change  the scope and it takes 2-3 shots to get me on target again.

[Brithunter]

Sorry to have to inform you but you WILL HAVE TO CLEAN IT SOMEHOW. the amount of crud the powder in a .300 Win mag produces has to be seen to believed. It will clog the moderator up quickly as this photos shows:-





That's using it on a 25-06 and 6.5x55. The blast baffle plate in the photo is stainless steel and it's begun to pit with around 500 rounds through the moderator. I clean it after about every 50 or so.



That is the centre tube and was jet black when new the grey is the powder residue burnt on.