Trying to decide on a caliber to suppress.

A full power rifle round in a short barrel will be much louder and cause more wear & tear on a silencer, maybe even causing a catastrophic failure. Silencer manufacturers will publish how short a barrel is ok with their silencers.

If you are hunting at short ranges with subsonic loaded rounds through a silencer, with bullets designed for those subsonic velocities, you should be able to successfully hunt deer & hogs without hearing protection. But modern electronic hearing pro will go a long way at reducing the volume of a rifle shot while still being able to hear game.

You're describing a ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39.
Already threaded.
I like mine well enough to take it to TX next week for a pig hunt


Short and lightweight.
No SBR hoops to jump through.

If hearing preservation were my goal, and I were set on hunting with full house loads, then I would look at adding some form of hearing protection on top of my can, or just relying on hearing protection at the ear. Full power loads simply aren't hearing safe in the calibers you listed, even with most common suppressors.

What game species and what ranges? You have a lot more options for deer at <150 yards that if cross canyon shots on elk may need to be taken.

The best setup from a purely sound perspective would be something like a subsonic .300 Blk from a bolt action. Definitely hearing safe and can be made very short.

Unfortunately anything supersonic is probably going to be between 130-135 dB even with a good suppressor, which I think is right over the edge of being uncomfortable. It’s in the realm where for just a few shots I’ll be ok not wearing ear pro, but anything more than that and I’m wearing ear pro even for suppressed supersonic cartridges, handgun or rifle. For your case where you really want to protect your hearing, I’d recommend always wearing ear pro even with using a suppressed rifle.

A short barrel on a .308 or .270 is going to significantly affect your velocity (which is part of the reason you’re using that cartridge over something like a .300 Blk or 7.62x39) and is also harder on the suppressor. Each suppressor should be rated for a minimum barrel length depending on which cartridge is being fired, but just because a can is rated for a certain length doesn’t mean it will be most effective (or have the longest life) at that length. I generally like to make sure the powder is fully burned before it gets to the can unless I have a very specific reason to do so (like a defensive rifle where I need a short package more than I need the absolute quietest weapon). If you’re looking for the lowest sound level, a longer barrel will help.

For a full power rifle cartridge I’d recommend having a barrel at least 16”, but probably more like 18”-20”.

Unfortunately you’re probably going to end up with a fairy long package. Your can will probably be about 8” long if you’re going for maximum sound reduction, and to keep the velocity you want for terminal ballistics you won’t be able to do a SBR with a full power rifle cartridge.

For long range rifles I like to have a direct thread attachment. It’s a good universal option and if you get a new gun you can usually get it threaded to whatever spec you need (depending on the gun’s barrel diameter). QD attachments aren’t bad but I do recommend getting a mounting type that is well known and widely accepted, or at least get some extra mounts to keep on hand when you buy the can. Nothing is worse than buying a new rifle you want to put the can on and then realizing that the suppressor manufacturer has either gone out of business or changed their QD design and no longer sells the part you need to attach it to your new gun.

Few shotgun suppressors and they are large so I wouldn't go that way.

Can keep the can short but physics rules the game with cans. Smaller is louder as there is less volume. Yes, makers can improve some but the V is still key.

45-70 is a good option but hard to find short/small cans there. .30 cans have had a lot more effort put into them due to the military and demand from the public. If you want to stay short you may be able to get one that comes apart to reduce its size.

Consider a Contender or Encore pistol. Those are nice as they are easy to send out to get threaded. Threading lever guns is harder and more $$ unless they come that way.

Can shoot super in things but get more noise.

Depends a lot on your criteria, patience and skill.

I have worked through picking out options for many people over the years and all ended up at a different point based upon their preferences and use case.

Don't rule out 30-30.

If this is your first can I would say go .30 as it covers a lot of options well. Could go .338 or .45 rifle but they get bigger/heavier. Or, go up to .50 but that is even more of an ask for most of them. You can get away using a quality pistol can of the right caliber IF you stay within the maker's specs (many 9 or 45 cans allow for 300BLK if subsonic).

So like others mentioned. High power rifle rounds+ short barrel probably isn't going to get you where you want. Honestly when I shoot .308 suppressed even out of a 20" barrel I still use ear pro. Big, heavy and slow like a 45-70 could work. But you will be lobbing them in at longer ranges. POI will vary a lot depending on range.

Since your a reloader and you Said you aren't against exotic calibers. I'd look in to 8.6 black out. From what little I know about it. It seems like it was literally made for your situation. Made for short barrel. Made to supress and be hearing safe. Subsonic rounds are effective out to 300 yards from what they are saying. Big heavy bullet spinning super fast.

If you wanted to stick with a common caliber maybe look into a bullpup. You can keep a longer barrel, have an overall shorter package. This is my MDRX in .308 with a 16" barrel. It's overall length is something like 27". Even with a 20" your only talking 31 or so overall length.

I think a .350 legend is gonna be your answer. Stuff over .40 cal is difficult to suppress well, it's a big hole. .30 cal and smaller subsonic stuff is anemic. But .35 cal is a sweet spot for subsonic suppressed, bigger projectiles to do more damage than .30 cal, but still a small enough hole for excellent suppression.

Telekinesis said:

Unfortunately anything supersonic is probably going to be between 130-135 dB even with a good suppressor, which I think is right over the edge of being uncomfortable.

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The sonic crack is propagating well in front of you as the shooter, attenuation will cause at ear levels well below that with high velocity rifle rounds. It's supersonic pistol rounds that'll still snap you, the lower velocity causing the inital shockwaves to propagate nearer the shooter and the blunt bullet profile causing their shape and magnitude to be more offensive.

I can shoot my .308s, .300 win mag, .350 rem mag, etc with my Accipiter cans on them all day without ear pro outdoors, they come in mid-high 120s at ear. But 115 gr 9mm loads or (especially) 10mm auto hurt my ears regardless of can, host or environment.

From personal experience the Liberty Mystic X is what I would say to look at.

I use mine on a threaded 77/357 in GA with great success out to 125yds.

Expanding sub-sonic is as easy as switching to 38 special.

If you reload you can run heavy 200's and up.

If you want a smaller setup, look at the Encore. Barrel switching is easy for a different caliber.

ETSU_Gal said:

I lost about half my hearing as an infant due to a severe ear infection that caused inner ear damage so I jealously guard what I have left. For this reason, I want a setup that will let me safely hunt whitetail deer and hogs without hearing protection.

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I was older by the time I achieved a 30 dB loss in my hearing. I don’t know about you but I use noise amplifying head phones often when I am hunting hogs. They truncate any noises above what the little speakers can produce and allow me to hear sounds like the old days.

I also use mostly suppressed rifles these days. I have killed hogs with them from .22 LR up to 308, 458 socom. It took me awhile but I finally found a 300 blk load that works well, the can I have is rather long for it, on an 8.5” barrel, overall the rifle is about the same length as a 16” barrel gun.

As far as centerfire cans go the 9mm integral is probably the quietest one I have, I have killed lots of pigs with it (147 grain “minor” load) but they were all in a trap. Subs out of my 458 work much better but the can I built for it is rather huge to get the attenuation I was looking for.

Armored farmer said:

You're describing a ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39.
Already threaded.
I like mine well enough to take it to TX next week for a pig hunt
View attachment 1058825

Short and lightweight.
No SBR hoops to jump through.

Click to expand...

Talk about a powerful rifle...you knocked the skin right off that buck!

Go for big bullet slze/weight in stead of velocity .
Moon

If shooting full-power / supersonic, I recommend using a smaller caliber round with a barrel long enough to get the uncorking pressure down reasonably (ie, probably 16" or longer). 6.5 Grendel, 6 ARC, 223 (if legal), 6.5x47, 6.5 creed, 257 roberts, etc. Generally speaking the less powder and the smaller diameter bullet (and thus suppressor aperture), the quieter it will be. Also pick a quiet can.

30 caliber will work good with a decent suppressor make sure it is full auto rated and you can shoot a lot of different sub 30 rounds.

starnbar said:

make sure it is full auto rated

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Yeah, because the OP really needs that for his bolt action and single shot hunting rifles......

What caliber? All of them.
Also don't expect to buy a "universal silencer" and have it work very well on 22lr or a 30cal.
Turns out a 10 or 12 inch 308 has more punch than a 30-30 so it will still kill a deer or hog no prob. But you will need a well made 30cal silencer, the muzzle blast on a cut down 308 is about like the muzzle blast off proper 300win.mag.
You can get an actual 7.62x39 silencer that isn't overly big, as a typical 30cal silencer is made to handle a 308.

ETSU_Gal said:

Hi All. I've decided to buy my first suppressor and can't decide on a caliber. A few years ago I took up bow hunting and have come to realize how much I hate wearing hearing protection in the woods. I lost about half my hearing as an infant due to a severe ear infection that caused inner ear damage so I jealously guard what I have left. For this reason, I want a setup that will let me safely hunt whitetail deer and hogs without hearing protection.

I am a big fan of shorter rifles as I hunt hidden behind brush or in a blind as I don't like heights. I have a Cooper model 54 in 308 that is 41". I absolutely love that rifle but I wouldn't want to go any longer (and really would like it to be shorter). I also have a CZ 527 in 7.62x39 that is 37" which I feel is just about the perfect length. I am thinking about buying a single shot rifle like a Ruger No. 1 as that would save about 4" in length over a bolt action. A Dakota Model 10 would be perfect, but the added cost of a divorce attorney would put me over budget.

I'm not opposed to the idea of an SBR, but I'm not sure if it is legal to hunt with one in Georgia. I also have concerns about how much performance I would lose cutting the barrel of a 270 or 308 down to >12". Besides ballistic performance, how well would a suppressor preform with a short barrel and a full power big game cartridge? I hunt in a swampy area outside of Savannah where a deer running off a fairly short distance can be a problem due to blood trails being lost in water and thick brush make tracking a nightmare. This makes me wary of cartridges like 300 BLK, 6.8 SPC, and 7.62x39.

I am an experienced reloader and not at all afraid of esoteric cartridges, so a more specialized cartridge is an option. I would be willing to sink the extra money into rebarreling a rifle to a different caliber if the performance of the cartridge and sound attenuation is worth it. I am leaning toward just getting a Henry single shot in 308, having it cut to 16" and threaded to keep it simple, cheap, and short. I'm new to suppressors so I'm not sure if I should go with a direct thread, or add one of those fancy threaded flash hiders. Also, recommendations on a specific suppressor would be appreciated too. Thoughts?

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While the popular go to as of late to shoot suppressed is .300 BLK, I think a .300 BLK is a lousy choice to shoot subsonic & suppressed. I have much better luck with the 7.62x39.

At distances under 100…sub 38/357 will outperform Sub 300 blackout loads. Bullet selection on the 357’s is much better for expanding …the 30 cals tend to pinhole in and pinhole out…supersonic 300 blackout is best of both worlds …and still relatively quiet to shooter from a bolt gun

Most any caliber between .22 and .35 with less than 50 grains of powder and a 16"+ barrel will be optimum. Just pick what weight bullet you need for your game. I have been carefully checking every ones experiences with this the last few years that I see shooting suppressed. My idea is a .35 Remington Bolt gun with a twist rate plenty fast for a pointy .358 bullet and using a relatively fast powder on my 18" barreled .35R 600 Remington bolt gun . Around 2100+ FPS could easily be reached with 50,000 psi loads and a good sized all welded suppressor like the Accipiter ! That would make an anything up to Elk at 300 yard gun that would do it for me and mine .

This isn't really as complicated as some of the answers are making it seem, nothing at all wrong with the .308 Henry cut down to 16" idea. Pretty much any medium to full power round cut to 16" will have plenty of power for <150yd Ga deer. I have 18" and 20" 6.5 CMs, 16" 6.5 Grendel and 18.5" .30-06 as my main suppressed hunting rifles, the Grendel honestly sounds the loudest to the shooter because it's a semi auto. Can't say I noticed much difference between the suppressed 16", 18" and 20" .308s I've had in terms of noise to the shooter, the shorter ones do handle better though. For me, they are all quiet enough with a good can for me to be comfortable for a few shots without ear pro during hunting, but I use ear pro all other times I'm shooting.

I'd recommend you get a decent bolt gun or single shot if you'd prefer, in .243, 6.5 CM, 7mm-08, .308, etc, and cut the barrel to 16" (still pretty short, but no state line issues to mess with). @MachIVshooter did an awesome job threading three of my rifles, would strongly recommend talking to him if you go that route, and he's still taking barrel work.

For cans I'd recommend staying light (sub-16oz), don't worry about the ultra-tough machine-gun rated nonsense. Almost all modern cans are more than tough enough for you if you don't have an actual machine-gun or an SBR you're mag dumping. Lots of good cans out there, I like my Nomad Ti the best out of my lineup, although my steel Nomad is another favorite. In addition to those and the Ecco cans previously mentioned, you might also look at cans like the EA Vox/Lux, Rex Silentium MG7, SiCO Omega/Harvester Evo, Griffin Explorr 300, Thunderbeast Ultra 7, etc. Direct thread has worked fine for me for hunting, I now use a Xeno taper mount system, I'd recommend getting a can with the common 1.375"x24 rear mount thread, so you leave your mounting options open.

My Ruger American Ranch in 300 blackout with a Gemtech One shooting 200gr maker Rec is stupid quiet but kinda iffy past 100 yards. A RAR 450 Bushmaster with Silencerco Hybrid 46 or Dead Air Primal and get some Black Butterfly 425gr subsonic loaded with Maker Rex might be better to stretch out to 150.