Why Are Suppressors So Popular?

I'd vote noise reduction, but never been interested myself.

Because loud noises hurt, and less-loud noises hurt less. A gun that makes less noise is easier to shoot (especially for new shooters) and much more polite to the people around you. But for a few political hacks portraying them as evil, they'd be expected (and possibly required) while hunting, for the same reason we put mufflers on cars.

A suppressor is also approximately the most effective muzzle brake that it is possible to design.

It is mostly the USA that suppressors are portrayed as being evil. As strict as gun laws are in Europe, most countries either highly recommend or require the use of suppressors for hunting. And in most of those countries, suppressors are very cheap to buy and unregulated.

In reality a suppressor is nothing more than a muffler just like on your car. Yes it will lower the sound level but you still need to wear hearing protection when using one. A suppressor is absolutely nothing like how Hollywood portrays them.

I won't get into the politics since this is in the general discussion section, but I do feel that firearm suppressors should be deregulated and treated just like any other type of muffler. Try operating a motor vehicle without a muffler and see what happens.

Because hearing is also popular, and the culture in general is more safety conscious than in years past.

The gain in popularity is more likely just that more people have the disposable income. Also the process of approval and purchase is much easier to find information on and has been streamlined in somewhat recent years.

I have multiple suppressors for a range of different calibers. Sound reduction and reduction of concussive blast are my major factors. I rarely look at a firearm these days that can not mount a suppressor. They make shooting a firearm much more enjoyable as well as much more enjoyable for those around me when shooting.

They are not impulse purchases. They are generally not cheap and you have to add on $200 for each stamp. I’m currently getting to 6 months wait for my stamps.

I'd like to have one for for the noise reduction. There are a few guys that come to the range that have them and the difference is quite dramatic. They add so much to the overall length of my rifles that I just don't see one being practical for me to hunt with. Especially where I hunt.

But at current prices along with the extra legalities I won't spend the money, nor jump through the hoops to buy one. I can't think of any logical reason for them to be a restricted item. Even with the restrictive gun laws in most of Europe they are encouraged, even required in many places to reduce noise from hunters and shooting ranges. If they were readily available prices would become much more reasonable and I might consider one.

I have shot suppressed pistols and though it was fun and cool, but they never seemed practical to me simply due to the issue with carrying them and how unwieldy they are compared to the same gun unsuppressed. But on a rifle the advantages are greater in my opinion and become greater the more more energy we are dealing with. I personally own a 30 cal rifle suppressor and I love shooting my 300 BO pistol and carbine suppressed with sub-sonic ammo, very quiet to shoot but very handy. Move up to more standard rifle cartridges like 308 win and similar, they are no longer ear safe but the recoil reduction and muzzle blast reduction become noticeable making them far more pleasant to shoot. Once you start shooting the big center fire rifles like 300 Norma Mag and 338 Lapua Mag with and without a suppressor you will never want to go back to unsuppressed. I can shoot 3-4 four times more shots with a suppressed 338 LM before fatigue sets in compared to the same gun without.

Not allowed in the disciplines I compete in.

I would very much like to have one (or more) specifically for noise reduction but the well-made ones command prices that are much more than I am willing to pay.

If I could have only one it would best fit a home defense firearm.

Shooting a rifle without a suppressor is like driving a Harley without a muffler.
Why does our government force us to go without mufflers?

WisBorn said:

I am trying to understand why suppressors have gained the popularity that they have?

Cool factor?
Noise reduction?
Other?

Why have you bought one (or more)?

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Sort of like why mufflers got popular for cars. As edwardware said, loud noises hurt, not to mention the hearing loss created.

I have a buddy I have to laugh at regarding suppressors. He wasn't going to jump through the hoops to buy a suppressor, not with the almost certain deregulation of the hearing protection act if Trump gets elected to office. No way he was going to wait for 6 months to a year. Well, Trump got elected. There is no HPA. Now my buddy has been waiting well over 4 years. His argument still? He doesn't want to jump through hoops and wait all that time for a suppressor.

As a lifelong hunter who never wore hearing protection, his hearing has suffered.

Eh, I'd probably have several if it was not for the paperwork, I'm sure they make things quieter but they take up space / length, they are not weightless and they are definitely not free.

jmr40 said:

But at current prices along with the extra legalities I won't spend the money, nor jump through the hoops to buy one. I can't think of any logical reason for them to be a restricted item. Even with the restrictive gun laws in most of Europe they are encouraged, even required in many places to reduce noise from hunters and shooting ranges. If they were readily available prices would become much more reasonable and I might consider one.

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+1. I've wanted one for a number of years but just do not want the extra hassle.

I currently have 7 silencers. I bought them to knock down or eliminate sound for various reasons. I certainly didn't feel that they have any "cool factor" to them, although almost everyone who sees or shoots with mine thinks they are very cool.

Some I bought to reduce noise and over-pressure in the unlikely event I need to defend myself indoors. Some were purchased to help me with new shooters since it is much easier to communicate without ears on. The lack of noise also gets them shooting better and faster. Only one of mine was bought purely as a range toy.

I would say the reason they are so popular now is affordability, more guns being offered from the factory with threaded barrels and marketing/exposure - either via word of mouth, dealer displays or seeing them on the next lane over. These things were likely caused in part by several silencer designers/insiders breaking away from their parent companies to form new ones. More companies mean more competition and increased production and this creates lower prices and more inventory appearing on the shelves of local gun shops. Not to mention all the people who have bought one, loved it, and set out to buy (many) more.

Yes for noise reduction but also reduction in felt recoil and improved accuracy.

The noise reduction would be nice when shooting in more densely populated areas to be polite to the neighbors but my rifles and revolvers are things of beauty and I ain’t putting something as ugly as a suppressor on em

I've bought two, both for noise reduction (still waiting to receive them, so no real experience yet). I wear hearing protection when I use any power tool, blender, shop vac, even when dumping bottles and cans into the recycling tote. At the range I double up, but there is still room for improvement. I wish the indoor range I go to would reserve one of their four bays for quieter weapons. Lately I've been wanting an AR15 but the noise is a big concern.

Spats McGee said:

I own one .22 suppressor. I got it for noise reduction, but I can't deny that there's a cool factor to it for me.

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I find it funny, how so many of the folks I know that have a suppressor on their gun to make them quieter, have also taken the baffles out of their stock pipes or have installed louder, after market pipes on their Harleys. The fact that they once were highly restricted and had that "bad guy" image, like with Harleys, makes for the "cool" factor. Still, my philosophy is, "as log as it's legal".

The rise in popularity is because they are easier to get now than they used to be.

I have several
They are simply tools that help improve my shooting!

SC45-70

I've gotten to the point that I don't like to shoot with people that don't use supressors. It is just too easy to form 1 a can.