My question is for those that have hunted with suppressed rifles. What calibers are you using, are you using subsonic or supersonic loads, how do the animals react and how are the terminal results. It is legal to hunt with suppressors here in Virginia but I would like to get some real world experience to help pick a caliber as my only suppressor right now is .223. I am thinking about .300 Whisper, .308, and .458 SOCOM right now.
Thanks!

I do believe it's illegal in most states to hunt critters with suppressed firearms. You need a federal permit to even have one legally. Where i'm at(Qadisiyah Province) they're perfectly legal on the M-24's and the Brit 338 Lapuas I've seen. If you got the permit 308's are hard to beat and readily available.

you can use your 223 can on a 1in 9 twist long rifle bbl and shoot the aguila 60 gr sss works great on pigs and largegame from bow ranges20to40 yds and small game to 100 yds

sub sonic is the only way to go if you dont want everything to freak out when you shoot I also use 45 cal 250 and 500 gr sub sonic with plain lead blts to great effect you just lose distance without dialing in dope or holdover. plus figure 3 times blt weight in grns of the rifle you would use for that animal i.e. 100 gr 25-06 for deer size game will be 300 gr 45 csl sub sonic, good rule of thumb.

Crusher,
Do you have any problem with leading in the suppressor? I'm not looking to hunt in the back yard so the main thing I would expect from the suppressor is the hearing protection.

no problems with wipeless can the bullets dont actualy touch the can we just soak them in diesel and rinse them out about every thousand rounds or so to clear the powder fouling and lead dust etc. if you just want hearing protection the sonic boom off the bullet is still pretty loud but just go with a 308 and normal loads.

we are useing them to crop animals when we dont want to alarm the group so we can kill them all. or to solve problems close to peoples houses or in town. but just for 120 db reduction the standard loads will be fine. its cheaper to use a military/police ctg because you can buy the off the shelf unit and do not need to have one custom made .

300 whisper is ok and so is socom but I read into that that you want an auto loader I dont recomend that as the bolt gun or single shot is much more efficient and quiet. but if its just a toy buy what makes you happy

Crusher,
Since I have a suppressed AR15 I am actually looking at building a bolt action, either on a Mauser action or maybe a Savage. I have a gunsmith buddy set up to do either action, he has a .450 Marlin reamer which I guess I could load simliar to the .458 SOCOM, hmm that might be interesting. I can buy a ready to go barrel for the Savage in .458 SOCOM but the .450 Marlin brass might be around longer. The smartest thing to do is just buy a .308 and run with that but I wanted to look at all the options.

I have also considered a 7.62x39, I could use cheap factory or handload heavy bullets (I should be able to use .303 British bullets I believe) for subsonic loads similar to the 300 Whisper. Since is will be a bolt I could just do a .308 barrel and only shoot handloads from it.

Sharps you could always use a .308 diameter barrel with the 7.62 X 39... I did. Heavy bullets shoot very well indeed.

308Sako,
Do you just shoot hand loads through yours? I don't have any other rifles in 7.62x39 and this is a project (read "toy") rifle so I don't mind only using hand loads, just curious if you have tried any of the larger diameter factory loads or not. If not did whoever chambered your barrel have any concerns of marking it so future owners would know not to use factory ammo? Also what rate twist did you use for it? Thanks, I really like the idea of readily available brass and smaller powder capacity then .308 for subsonic loads, this is one of the top choices at the moment.

Sharps,

I have a Remington Model 700 .300 Whisper and am using a Gemtech suppressor. I have a 1 in 8 twist barrel to stabilize the heavy bullets. Sierra 240 grain matchkings work well at subsonic velocities. You can also buy factory ammo from Corbon. I also have an M16 upper in the same caliber that I can use since the suppresor is detachable. I need to play with it some more as it won't run right in full auto but it should be the cat's meow once the bugs are worked out.

Sharps54, The rifle was built for me by Bill Wiseman in College Station, Tx. a little over a decade ago. I do use almost exclusively reloads for all my shooting as I want the best!

The rifle has a .308 diameter barrel and I did ask to have it marked as .308 x 39 but as you can see... I have shot a small amount of 7.62 x 39 factory ammunition, but do not recall being satisfied with the results on target. I mainly now shoot AA 1680 or VV 130 powder and 125, & 150 grain Nosler Ballistic tips for game (whitetails.) I have loaded 165 and 180 grain bullets as well and while accurate I don't feel that the velocity window is as well utilized. Even the 180's can do 1800 ft/sec or better, well supersonic. This makes a wonderful rifle for my young nephews and would suit a lady hunter if was required a shorter lighter weapon. I load using Redding dies and mainly neck size. It is a wonderfully accurate cartridge and a delight to play with.

M16 and 308Sako,
Thanks for the feedback, I think I am going to go with either the 7.62x39 or 300 Whisper for this project.
M16 I can see an advantage to the Whisper for your use (especially once you get your upper working 100% ) but for a bolt action I wonder if 7.62x39 doesn't make more sense. Cheaper dies, cheaper brass you don't have to form, and if you want to use it cheap factory ammo for plinking.
I think I will try to track down one the CZ 527s in 7.62x39 and play with it. If I am not happy with the original .311 bore I can always send it off to be rebarreled. The other option is the same rifle in .221 or .223 to rebarrel to 300 Whisper. I believe Robert Silvers over at silencertests.com prefers the 7.62x39 for a bolt action.

quote:

Originally posted by sharps54:
My question is for those that have hunted with suppressed rifles. What calibers are you using, are you using subsonic or supersonic loads, how do the animals react and how are the terminal results. It is legal to hunt with suppressors here in Virginia but I would like to get some real world experience to help pick a caliber as my only suppressor right now is .223. I am thinking about .300 Whisper, .308, and .458 SOCOM right now.
Thanks!

I've spent countless hours pulling targets in the butts at Quantico. When pulling targets for those shooting 1000 yards I needed to remove my hearing protection because I no longer could hear the shot from the firing point. Even at 1000 yards, the crack of a 30+ caliber bullet hurts my ears. I've used a supressed .308 rifle on a few occasions to cull deer on special permits/licenses at night near populated areas. Other than that, I see no advantage/use for a supressed rifle to hunt game animals. In addition, I believe it is NOT legal in the state of Virginia with only their state and big game permits.

As far as deer reacting to the shot. I've culled deer as part of a state licensed management program every year since 1994. I have taken as many as 26 whitetail deer within one years license. I'm convinced that "whitetail deer reacting to the sound of gunfire" is not an issue and should be given no consideration whatsoever.

GVA

GaryVA,
The big advantage to me would be the hearing protection it offers. If you can cite where it is illegal to hunt with a suppressor in VA I would appreciate it. I have looked and only see where it is illegal to hunt with machine guns. I have no desire to break the law but I can't find where it is.
Thanks!

If one wants to limits ones range to 100yards or under Try a long barrel rifle shooting a heavy bullet at 1000 fps.

I been playing with a 14 in contender with a 315 gr cast ahead of 8 grs of herco for 996fps. I would say it is lounder then a 22 rifle but not as lound as a 22 pistol.

5 grs gives 700 fps and is less lound then a 22 rifle HV.

Iam betting out of a 24 or 26 barrel it would be very quite. Iam going to place a 12 inch extension on it or buy handi rifle with a longer barrel.

This would be plenty to kill to 100 yards or so. Farther if one firgure the drop out.

No permits no hassles.

Too bad we have to jump through so many hoops to keep are hearing.

Here is another option. A friend of mine has a Ruger 77/44 that has been suppressed. If you are going subsonic you are limited to a range of say 100 yards. A .44 magnum is an excellent choice at this distance. Pistol bullets will expand at lower velocities and you can use a 300 grain hollowpoint bullet. Ammunition is fairly cheap and easily available. I think is was made by John's Guns in Tyler Texas. Check out the forums at www.subguns.com . You can find a wealth of information there on suppressed guns.

p dog shooter,
Since I already have one suppressor (.223, too small to hunt with here in VA) I'm not too fussed about another one, it's not as much hassle as many think.
M16,
Thanks, I have looked quite a bit on AR15.com and silencertests.com, not so much on subguns but I have seen it. Too many forums and too little time!

Well off to a 5 day trip to visit friends in FL, I'll let you guys know what I come up with.