I’ve been around suppressors enough to know that I want one. I’ve read enough about the benefit of protecting my hearing to know I want one. And I’ve heard enough about the benefits of hunting with a suppressor to know I really want one.
I’ve hesitated because of questions. So many questions I didn’t really know where to begin. I thought I’d go to the source, a suppressor manufacturer. Specifically a manufacturer who specializes in hunting.
That’s where Gunwerks comes into the picture. Gunwerks has been building large-caliber, long-range hunting rifles for about 15 years. And in the last 3–4 years they have been designing and perfecting suppressors to complete the package.
First, here’s some info straight from the American Suppressor Association, which formed in 2011 to fight for suppressor rights:
- Suppressors reduce the noise of a gunshot by an average of 20 to 35 dB, roughly the same as earplugs or earmuffs.
- Shooting without hearing protection can cause tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss, even from a single unsuppressed shot. Between 70–80% of hunters never wear earplugs or earmuffs, mainly because they want to hear their surroundings as they hunt. Suppressors allow hunters to maintain auditory situational awareness to detect and localize the sounds of animals, other hunters, and potential dangers. These sounds would be muted by plugs or muffs. Electronic hearing protection devices can help detect sound but they are limit the ability to determine the location of sound sources. Detecting a sound, and knowing from where it came, are two different things.
- Although shots can still be heard, suppressed gunfire helps protect the hearing of others in close proximity, at the range or in the field, and can help mitigate complaints from those who live near shooting ranges or hunting areas.
- Suppressors reduce recoil and decrease muzzle flinch, which can lead to improved accuracy and better shot placement.
Wait. What? Stop right there. Suppressors improve accuracy?
I asked Landon Michaels, brand manager at Gunwerks, “Do suppressors affect accuracy?”
“Not negatively,” he said. “If anything, we typically see they improve accuracy. Generally, we say we expect no change in accuracy but if there’s going to be change, it’s most likely to be an improvement.”
For several reasons, he said, including affecting barrel harmonics, “but the bigger thing is you’re training the flinch out of shooters,” he said. (Without getting into technical aspects, harmonics is what is sometimes called whip, torque, contortion, or ringing caused when the pressure of cartridge’s powder ignition sends a shockwave down the barrel and back, repeating but lessening much like a twanged wire. The theory being a suppressor screwed on the end of the barrel helps control or stabilize the twang.)
Back to flinching. “Suppressors are so much more enjoyable and pleasant to shoot with, especially on big hunting rifles,” Michaels said. From previous shooting experiences, especially with large-caliber rifles, people become afraid of the anticipated recoil and loud wallop, and are likely to develop a flinch as they squeeze the trigger.
“We find people just shoot better because they are able to train that flinch out of their shooting process,” he said.
OK, that’s the shooting process.
What about the hunting process? How do suppressors help there?
Gunwerks is all about simplifying the hunting process to be a more effective hunter, Michaels said. Suppressors eliminate the need for hearing protection in the field. “You know the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” he said. “You may carry ear plugs in your pocket or around your neck but when it comes down to it and you’ve got a big buck standing there about ready to go over the hill, ear plugs are the last thing on your mind”. Suppressors eliminate wasting the time to find and putt on ear protection when you could be setting up the shot.
“It’s about making that shot, simplifying things, having fewer variables,” he said. “Obviously there’s the huge benefit of not destroying your ears, of not having ringing ears for a week following a hunt.”
And, yes, suppressors reduce recoil, or more accurately, reduce perceived recoil; not as much as an ear-busting muzzlebrake, but there’s an improvement.
He compared it to shooting a heavy-barreled muzzleloader, which produces more of a push than a punch because the powder is burning slower, still pushing the bullet out hard but not as fast. A suppressor has a similar effect in that the actual force coming back at you is the same, but is slowed down in a way that reduces the sharp punch of an unsuppressed rifle.
Protecting your hearing…check. Improving your shooting…check.
Do suppressors keep game from being spooked?
“It’s not just making the gun quieter, it’s making the blast less potent,” Michaels said. The shot will still seem relatively loud to the shooter’s ear but it will be much quieter for someone a few yards away from the rifle and “an animal a couple hundred yards downrange will very likely not hear anything from that shot,” he said.
“If animals downrange react at all, they are probably hearing the bullet impact, rather than the muzzle blast,” he said.
“I always want to make first-round hits,” he said, “but very often I’ve seen the animals simply are not spooked. You’ll shoot an animal that will lie down and die and its buddies will stand there wondering what’s going on.”
Michaels told me a story about hunting elk in Colorado a few years ago. He shot a bull, which fell and died. “And rather than running away, the herd just stood there and stared.” So his buddy shot his own bull. “We tagged two elk out of one herd in the matter of a minute,” he said.
And if the first shot is a miss or a less-than-lethal hit, the animals are less likely to be spooked, so you may get a chance at a follow-up shot. “I’ve even seen animals stand there and bleed out rather than run because they just felt a sting rather than hearing a muzzle blast,” he said.
Now, if you’re going to be doing a lot of shooting at the range or elsewhere, he recommends wearing ear protection.
Can I own and hunt with a suppressor in my state?
According to the American Suppressor Association, suppressors can be owned in 42 states, and 41 of those states allow hunting with suppressors. Connecticut is the only state where suppressor ownership is allowed, but not hunting with suppressors.
Acquiring a suppressor is still a lengthy, but not insurmountable, process. Suppressors are regulated by the National Firearms Act, much like full-auto machine guns. Essentially, you need a federal tax stamp to own a suppressor and the process of getting one may seem a bit backward, in that the first step is to buy a suppressor, Michaels said.
The catch is you can’t walk out of the store with it. It has to sit in “jail,” in the dealer’s possession, while you apply for and then receive the tax stamp.
If buying from Gunwerks or your local gun shop, you can pick out your suppressor and pay for it. If you live out of state (Gunwerks is located in Cody, Wyoming), it will have to be shipped to a licensed dealer in your state. “We’ll ship it to a dealer near you,” Michaels said. “The dealer is likely experienced with the process and will help you fill out and submit the paperwork. The process includes a background check, submitting fingerprints and photos, and waiting.”
The process has taken from 8–12 months in the past but recent implementation of an electronic filing system seems to have speeded that up to 3–5 months.
What’s unique about Gunwerks suppressors?
Suppressors were originally for military use, so traditionally they were designed for military calibers like 5.56mm and .308. Then manufacturers started adapting them specifically to hunting, target shooting, and other applications.
“What’s unique about Gunwerks suppressors is they are 100% hunting purposed,” Michael’s said. “They are designed and engineered for precision bolt-action rifles and not just that, they are specifically optimized for large magnum hunting rifles.”
All Gunwerks suppressors are 30-caliber, so they’ll fit on any firearm of 30 caliber or smaller.
Gunwerks builds two models: the 6IX and 8IGHT. Their spelling not mine.
“When people ask which they should buy, I ask, ‘Are you buying it for hunting or the range?’ And a follow-up question is, ‘Is your primary objective to have something good for hunting and good enough to keep from blowing out your eardrums or do you want the absolute quietest suppressor you can get?’”
Volume and weight are the big difference, he said.
The 6IX weighs 12.4 ounces and is 6.18 inches long and 1.48 inches in diameter. The 8IGHT weighs 18.5 ounces and measures 8.25 inches long, with a 1.73-inch diameter.
“The 8IGHT is going to be very, very quiet but the tradeoff is it is bigger and bulkier,” Michaels said. “You probably don’t want to put it on the sheep gun you’re going to carry into the backcountry.”
“If you want something that is convenient to carry and takes the edge off so you don’t ruin your hearing but you’ll give up a little bit of that supreme sound suppression, the 6IX is going to be quiet enough and much easier to pack than the 8IGHT.”
At $849 for the 6IX and $899 for the 8IGHT, there’s not a lot of cost difference, so you really need to think about how and where you’re going to use it. That’s what I’m doing. Right now.
Check out Gunwerks.com for more about their rifles, suppressors, and other products. And for more information about suppressors in general, visit AmericanSuppressorAssociation.com.
