01-26-2020, 11:39 PM
I have to agree with the guys.
I don't use suppressors because they reduce sound for me...I do it for their collateral benefits, and for others.
I always wear double-ears when using suppressors; they just don't reduce the sound enough to be hearing safe. If it's not dangerously high then it turns into a cumulative thing. Over time it builds up regardless of whether it is only one shot here, and one shot there. Seems to me that if you shorten your barrel to make it more compact, then fit a suppressor it kind of defeats the original intention. And if you need to wear ears with a suppressor regardless then you may as well have an unsuppressed barrel length the combined length of the shorter barrel + suppressor - and enjoy the benefits of higher velocity. Or not use a suppressor at all and enjoy the compact length.
A couple of situations where suppressors are actually useful and more than just 'cool factor', 'like the military' or 'forbidden fruit' is when the gun is subsonic or heavy recoiling. Suppressed 338L is a lot more manageable with the suppressor acting as a brake. And of course a super-quiet .22LR or even a subsonic Blackout; which is louder in an AR but still a lot quieter than supersonic bullets. If keeping the noise down from your prey or support animals (e.g. dogs) and neighbours is important then sure, but as a mechanism for your own hearing protection...Meh...
I don't use suppressors because they reduce sound for me...I do it for their collateral benefits, and for others.
I always wear double-ears when using suppressors; they just don't reduce the sound enough to be hearing safe. If it's not dangerously high then it turns into a cumulative thing. Over time it builds up regardless of whether it is only one shot here, and one shot there. Seems to me that if you shorten your barrel to make it more compact, then fit a suppressor it kind of defeats the original intention. And if you need to wear ears with a suppressor regardless then you may as well have an unsuppressed barrel length the combined length of the shorter barrel + suppressor - and enjoy the benefits of higher velocity. Or not use a suppressor at all and enjoy the compact length.
A couple of situations where suppressors are actually useful and more than just 'cool factor', 'like the military' or 'forbidden fruit' is when the gun is subsonic or heavy recoiling. Suppressed 338L is a lot more manageable with the suppressor acting as a brake. And of course a super-quiet .22LR or even a subsonic Blackout; which is louder in an AR but still a lot quieter than supersonic bullets. If keeping the noise down from your prey or support animals (e.g. dogs) and neighbours is important then sure, but as a mechanism for your own hearing protection...Meh...