HUNTING WITH A SUPPRESSOR - 4 Reasons You Absolutely Should
Suppressors aren’t generally considered a normal part of the typical American hunter’s arsenal, but we here at Griffin believe that needs to change. There are tons of benefits to hunting with a suppressor, which we’ll talk about below, but with whitetail season fast approaching, and the announcement of our newest silencer offerings - the Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ .300 & .36 - we figured now would be a great time to go over this topic!
So, Why Hunt with a Suppressor?
Reason Number 1: Hearing protection. Even one unsuppressed gunshot - especially from some of the larger high-powered hunting calibers - has the ability to permanently affect not only the shooter’s hearing, but anyone in the vicinity of the firearm. Even if you only take that one all-important shot per year, hearing can still be degraded over a lifetime of hunting. This potential for hearing damage is compounded when you add in a few trips to the range each year to check zero on the rifle. When you’re 65 and can’t hear your grandkids, that $600 suppressor you were considering starts to look a whole lot more worth it.
Reason Number 2: Maintaining sensory awareness. Wearing ear plugs while hunting puts one at a disadvantage, so most hunters choose to go without at the expense of their hearing. Using a suppressor eliminates having to make the choice between hunting with ear plugs in or risking your hearing to be more in tune with the environment. Oftentimes the first sign of approaching prey is some auditory clue like crunching of leaves or snow, or a snapped twig. These key markers can easily be missed while using hearing protection, and might cost you your game.
Reason Number 3: Minimal disturbances to wildlife/more room for error. A suppressed shot is far less disturbing to wildlife than an unsuppressed one. Hearing the massive report from an unsuppressed hunting rifle affects the wildlife for hundreds of yards around the shooter, putting stress on the animals, and causing them to flee in all directions. This experience not only affects your target game animals, but everything else in the area that walks, crawls, flies, or slithers. If you’re trying to bag multiple animals, as soon as you take your first shot, you’re broadcasting to the entire forest: DO NOT COME OVER HERE UNLESS YOU WANNA GET SHOT. Suppressed gunshots are far less concussive and stress-inducing to the animals, which gives you a better chance at keeping target game nearby even if you decide to pull the trigger, and reduces the animals’ stress during the hectic hunting season, which ultimately leads to a healthier population.
We have heard many stories from our customers hunting with a suppressor that after taking their first shot, downing a whitetail from a group, they were able to get subsequent shots off at other animals in the group before they picked up on what was going on. Using a suppressor is legitimately a tool to bag more game. Worst case scenario, if you miss the all important shot on a trophy buck, there’s a decent chance he won’t scamper off immediately if you have a suppressor, and could give you a second chance at glory. Not that you need it or anything…
Expert hunters RJ and Aubrey Cianciarulo from Outdoor Channel’s “The Archer’s Choice” have personal insight after using the Sportsman HD .300 on their latest hunting trip to Alaska going after moose. Aubrey bagged a beautiful bull moose, and they had this to say about the experience:
“I recall there were a couple other moose in the area, the moment after Aubrey shot, we still could’ve gone after another bull that was still hanging around after the shot about 400-500 yds away. Unsuppressed, after they hear that shot they usually immediately scatter and they’re like “What the hell?” then they look around, try to figure it out after they run a certain distance. Moose tend to be a little more curious than whitetail, so they’ll typically run out a little ways, stop and try to figure it out. You shoot suppressed, and you see that they kinda hear it, but they’re like, “What?” and cock their head, but it’s not that *crack*, that *bang* from the muzzle device letting all that pressure out of the gun.”
- RJ Cianciarulo, quote taken from Episode 79 of The Dwell Time Podcast.
Reason Number 4: Suppressors make guns much more approachable for younger/smaller shooters. If you are trying to get kids or smaller women into hunting, the loud report and heavy kick of the firearm can be a huge source of anxiety for new shooters. Adding a suppressor makes the firearm much less intimidating, and actually helps to reduce recoil in most instances. Getting over the fear of the firearm going off, or the pain of the kick, can make the sport of hunting much more approachable for people, and can help kickstart a lifelong passion for the activity.
Is Hunting with a Suppressor Legal?
Hunting with a suppressor is legal in every state where suppressor ownership is legal, except for Connecticut. The states where suppressors are illegal for civilian ownership are: California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, Hawaii, & Rhode Island.
Which Suppressor Should I Choose?
The latest additions to the Griffin Armament suppressor lineup are the Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ .300 & the Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ .36. These suppressors were specifically designed for hunters of all types and were designed as a medium backpressure suppressor ideal for use on bolt guns typically used by hunters. We realized the market for hunting-specific suppressors was practically untouched, and having focused much of our product development on the tactical market, we wanted to offer a lightweight, robust, and, most importantly, quiet suppressor at a really affordable price.
The original Sportsman Ultra Light suppressors were constructed out of aluminum and therefore had to be relegated to sporting use, allowing only a handful of rounds to be fired in quick succession, and then needing time to allow the suppressor to cool. This was tolerated by most hunters, but lacked a level of confidence in the product knowing it could handle more than it would ever need to. With the newly designed Sportsman Ultra Light HD (High Durability) family being made entirely of 17-4 Stainless Steel, we’ve done away with those restrictions, giving hunters peace of mind that their suppressor can handle whatever they throw at it, even full-auto!
Using tubeless laser-welding and stainless steel construction, we were able to create a suppressor that is highly durable and simultaneously lightweight. Titanium was avoided due to the incredibly high material and machining costs, which would have put these suppressors into a price bracket that would not be seen as practical for the average American hunter. The Sportsman also features our patented ECO-FLOW™ baffle system which minimizes user exposure to toxic particulates,and decreases overall system backpressure to allow better functioning on gas operated hosts. The use of industry standard 1.375x24 HUB threading gives users the option to use any HUB mount adapters from Griffin or even from other manufacturers. Direct Thread and Plan-A™ interfaces can be chosen with the suppressor at no additional cost. Additionally, the Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ .36 can be configured with a booster assembly (Nielsen device), piston, and barrel adapter to be run on tilt-barrel pistols.
Key Points:
- Industry-Standard 1.375x24 HUB Rear Threading
- Full 17-4 H900 Heat-Treated Stainless Steel Construction
- Tubeless Laser-Welded Design
- Patented ECO-FLOW™ baffle system for reduced gas blow back
- Choice of HUB adapter (DT inserts included at no extra cost)
- High-Temp Cerakote Finish
- Available in Black or FDE
- Perpetual™ Lifetime Warranty
Sportsman Ultra Light HD .300 Specs:
- Diameter: 1.5”
- Length: 6.09”
- Weight: 10 oz
- Materials: 17-4 H900 Stainless Steel
- Attachment System: 1.375x24 Industry Standard HUB Threading
- Finish: High Temp Cerakote Finish (Black or FDE)
- Full Auto Rated (Up to 60 rds then allow to cool)
- Rated up to .300 RUM.
Sportsman Ultra Light HD .36 Specs:
- Diameter: 1.5”
- Length: 6.09”
- Weight: 10.4 oz
- Materials: 17-4 H900 Stainless Steel
- Attachment System: 1.375x24 Industry Standard HUB Threading
- Finish: High Temp Cerakote Finish (Black or FDE)
- Full Auto Rated (Up to 60 rds then allow to cool)
- Rated up to .338 LM and 9mm pistol cartridges.
Sportsman Ultra Light HD™ suppressors do not have minimum barrel length restrictions or constraints for magnum rifle calibers. While longer barrels promote longer service life, there are no barrel length restrictions with these suppressors!
CONCLUSION
Thanks for reading this article, and hopefully you found something useful! If you decide to pick up a suppressor for your upcoming hunts, we hope you will choose Griffin Armament, and we truly appreciate your business and support. We aim to bring people incredible products at the best price possible, backed by our ironclad Perpetual™ Lifetime Warranty. Our Silencers To Your Door™ Program makes getting a silencer super easy, especially for folks who may not have a Griffin dealer near their home residence.
From all of us here at Griffin, good luck this hunting season, and stay safe!
Written by: Brendan Kushman