Hello, this is my first post here. Excellent forum. I am a 40 year old Norwegian, never been to Africa but plan to go in a couple of years.
My question to you gentlemen is as follows. I have my gun threaded for a silencer. Can I use silencer in Namibia? when go there I have to go trough SA. So If silencer is not allowed in one of them countries, can I get in trouble with having my rifle threaded for one?

STIG

In 2005 my PH had a silencer on a .243 so I assume it was legal. But you should be very sure before taking it.

There is a difference between a "silencer" and a "suppresor". For hunting, I bet you mean suppresor.

I do wonder why anybody would ever want to hunt with a silencer. Seems pretty strange to me.

I have no idea if silencers are illegal in any of the African countries, but I do know that "military" equipment (even military camouflage in some countries) is illegal in more places than it is not.

I wouldn't try to import a silencer into any African country without solid permission in writing from the government(s) involved. I sure wouldn't take any chance of spending any time in an African jail if I could help it.

Why hunt with a silencer?

I've got an answer. This spring I was out bear hunting and forgot my ear plugs. I thought, I will not see a bear anyway. But, there he was, I shot the 375 twice. Immediately my ears were not only ringing, but my voice sounded tinny. That was nearly 3 months ago and my hearing hasn't improved much.

In past years I hunted without ear protection - like one Montana hunt where two each of deer and antelop were on the menu. Ears rang, but returned to non fuzzy hearing after a while. That's what I expected this time.

However, even now when I take a hard step there is a vibration sound. Women and childred sound like they are speaking into a tin can. Lower voices are more clear. Never mind the permanent ringing in the ear than I've had for years, you can learn to live with that. But when sounds are distorted, and increasingly indiscernable - that's a much worse condition.

Sorry for spilling my story - I'm trusing that my hearing will improve over time. Apparently the connection between the little bones in the ear, esp the right ear, are loose, and apparently scar tissue might form, but it would easily be broke loose again.

I think that suppressors should be legal everywhere - a good one will reduce the sound level to about 130 db, below the 140 significant damage threshold. Even a 22 will produce sound at about 155 db, but it is of very short duration. A 375 and larger have a much more significant damage profile. There is evidence that the sound waves striking the head also transmits significant vibrations to the ears producing cumlative damage.

Perhaps some individual's ears are more resistive to damage like I've experienced. I hope most are. This is at the point where I'm asking myself if shooting is worth the damage, but its one of my greatest passions.

Even doubling ear plugs and ear muffs, while significantly reducting the sound level, do not preclude collective and progressive damage. The electronic muffs allow the initial high sound level in initially, but cuts it off so that the full amplified blast duration is short. Continuous use of them, such as at the range, will result in collective damage over extended gun shot sound exposure.

A suppressor plus ear protection would go a long way to preserving one's hearing over the long haul.

Phil

Shooting off and on for 55 years and flying some really loud airplanes for thousands of hours has resulted in my wearing a very expensive brace of hearing aids. Conserve your hearing. Substantial Hearing loss is a very inconvienient condition, particularly when combined with tinnitis.

Okay, lets call it a "suppressor" I doubt any african official would know the difference...
I see that bringing a suppressor can make more trouble than it might be worth, but what about the threads on my barrel, should I change the barrel, anyone know?
As for asking why using a suppressor on a hunt?
Read PRWs post.

STIG

I can not speak for Namibia but its not illegal to have a silencer in SA but you are not allowed to hunt with it

375, under which ordinance is it illegal?

On my most recent trip to RSA this July, I saw 3 suppressors. One of our PH's had a suppressor on his .308 Norma Mag, the outfitter/PH had one on his .243 Win, and one of the landowners had one on a .222 Rem.

All were used for hunting, the smaller rifles mainly for culling and predator control.

If you decide not to take the suppressor, have a knurled thread protector cap made for the barrel threads. Similar ones are available here in the USA for those that choose to remove muzzle brakes.

RCG

I believe it is illegal for anything other than open game and or culling permits. If you hunt on an exempted ranch then you can hunt as you please.
I would suggest you don't bring it based purely on the fact that it may cause you problems at the airport, you may look like a sniper coming in for Mshiniwam JZ.

I am not aware of any difference between a suppressor and a silencer. Neither is Wikipedia.

I thought the word suppressor came in to use for the same reason that watches are now called water "resistant" instead of water "proof".

There is no legal distinction.

I borrowed a silenced 223 in Namibia and was able to shoot 3 jackal in as many minutes. I don't think that would have been possible otherwise. I also think it would work wonders on a troop of baboons.

Anyone who asks why would you want a silencer/moderator, has never used one.

Once you have used one, you wouuld not want to hunt without it.

This is my 222rem with a PES "can":

quote:

Originally posted by 500nitro:
375, under which ordinance is it illegal?

mpumalanga act no 10 of 1998 nr11.1subject to provisions of this act, no person shall hunt game with-
a)semi automatic weapon
b)rimfire cartridge of.22 or smaller
......
f)a weapon fitted with a silencer or any other device which is intended to mute the sound thereof when its fired

500 nitro i think its in the kzn ordinance aswell ill just check

quote:

Originally posted by 375 fanatic:

quote:

Originally posted by 500nitro:
375, under which ordinance is it illegal?

mpumalanga act no 10 of 1998 nr11.1subject to provisions of this act, no person shall hunt game with-
a)semi automatic weapon
b)rimfire cartridge of.22 or smaller
......
f)a weapon fitted with a silencer or any other device which is intended to mute the sound thereof when its fired

500 nitro i think its in the kzn ordinance aswell ill just check

Mpumulanga bowhunters beware! A bow & arrow is a 'weapon' and if fitted with a device to suppress the string noise .. it's illegal?

375fanatic,

Just scanned a few other Ordinances for similar. Nothing mentioned in my copies of Free State, Eastern Cape, Western Cape or Northern Cape. Also nothing in the 'Old Transvaal' Ordinance, thus not likely to be in Limpopo, North West or Gauteng, but I do not have copies of these at hand.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Hmm a lot of opinions here. 375fanatic, seems like you have found out something about SA.
Maybe best course of action is to leave Silencer home, and use earmuffs , I use them in Norway, but as temperatures in africa tends to be higher I might find it too sweaty/uncomfortable.
Those earmuffs is active, and give you better hearing right in front of you but on the sides it is not as good as without.

STIG

.22 lr are murder on your hearing, just cause they are puny little bullets do not underestimate the damage they can do to your hearing.
It's not just sound pressure levels you need to be aware of, but the frequencies that your ears are especially vulnerable to.
Usually 4k goes first, then it gets hard to distinguish speech from background noise, then you can't hear the birds in the mourning, soon your telling the girlfriend to stop mumbling and turning up the TV till everyone else is driven from the room.

You probably wont notice the loss of hearing till it's way too late.
The damage is cumulative and PERMANENT.
The ringing in you ears will go away, but the functionality will not return.

If you can get a silencer, suppressor, moderator or whatever you want to call it, do so and use it. If not, get some good ear defenders and use them.

It's not fun being deaf as a post, you can trust me on that.

Absolutely, I will take care of my hearing in some way, be it silencer, earmuffs or earplugs, I am seeking the best way to do that while I still can hear the nature around me and what the PH is saying to me. I shoot a lot on the range and in competitons, but have not hunted that much.

STIG

quote:

The ringing in you ears will go away, but the functionality will not return.

I agree with everything you said. In fact your description of symptoms sounds just like me. There's a "but" however...

The ringing certainly didn't go away in my case. It's permanent.

I won't weary everyone here with the whole long story, but to cut it down, I'm now 63 and have had the ringing/hissing/whistling/buzzing in the ears CONTINUOUSLY since the mid 1970s, which was caused solely by unprotected exposure to gunfire. At times there's also extreme pain and hearing distortions.

Now, when it first set in (it was after shooting a black powder muzzleloader) it did following some weeks go away. So, I thought it was over. Then I did a rather foolish thing. I fired a shotgun without hearing protection and it returned immediately, and this time for good.

Just consider that "news you can use" and hopefully you too won't have to endure a lifetime of hearing misery.

On the silencers, there's no way I'd even consider risking travelling with one to any other country. I probably wouldn't even use one here in the generally gun friendly Southern U.S. I don't want to have to explain it or answer any questions from curious game wardens, local cops (some would arrest their own mother if they got the chance) or state police who likely would be suspicious and at the same time definitely not up on whatever the laws are on those. Why take chances?? Or to put it another way, when in doubt leave it out..

It is a shame we all can not use what ever you want to call the thing on the end of the barrel.
I have a Ruger 10/22 with suppressor and wish every firearm I owned was as quite and I would not have the hearing problems I have today.
You ever shoot the quite ones you will not go back to the loud ones!

I went to the doctor and told him that my wife is death . He asked me how death and i could not answer.

he told me to go back and do the following exercise:

when i get home and open the front door i must ask her a question. If she doesn't answer i must give 2 steps closer and ask again.do this until she answers.

so i did this and asked the old question "honey what are we eating tonight " eventually i was right up against her and asked again. she turned around and said "CHIKEN FOR THE FUCKING 20TH TIME"

Dont you think its a bit harsh response for doing a hearing test

quote:

Originally posted by OldHandgunHunter:
I do wonder why anybody would ever want to hunt with a silencer. Seems pretty strange to me.

I have no idea if silencers are illegal in any of the African countries, but I do know that "military" equipment (even military camouflage in some countries) is illegal in more places than it is not.

Why is it strange? Is the noise part of the experience? I do not know what country you are in, but in the USA silencers were first made and marketed for civilian sportsman use over 100 years ago. It took a while before the military adopted them for use in battle.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana1:
There is a difference between a "silencer" and a "suppresor". For hunting, I bet you mean suppresor.

What is the difference? In the USA anything that attaches to the muzzle and is intended to lower the noise is a silencer. The word is a legal term even if it is not as accurate as the word suppressor. You have an authoritative source that says there is a difference between silencers and suppressors? I have run into this argument from others, but they never come back with anything to support their arguments.

Spell check is your friend.

Ranb

Gents.

You must also consider that a 'moderated' rifle will have much less recoil.

My .270win has a signature like a .22wmr and less felt recoil than a .243.

Rgds

Ian