MothAndRust
Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2012
- Messages
- 1
Hi all.
I'd like to know what my options are for a short rifle for hog hunting in brush, that is not-unusually-loud. By not-unusually-loud, I mean something that sounds like my 22" .308, or maybe quieter. I know some options, and I know nothing's perfect, I just want to know what my options are.
I don't mean silenced, subsonic stuff. I'm not talking about stealth; I just want to lose my hearing more slowly than I would with, say, a 12"-barreled 7mm magnum. And I don't mean optimum power from the short barrel; I expect to sacrifice some power to achieve this.
Questions first, then options I already know about, then context:
(1) What do y'all know about reloading for not-unusual-loudness in a short rifle, for a beginner? (In fact, I haven't actually begun yet. So, for a possible-future-beginner.) Obviously less powder means less energy and noise, but I read that too little power can lead to misfires and inaccuracy. It seems like fast powders should work well -- moving the pressure peak earlier is probably what I want to do. "Modern slow-burning powders" is probably the opposite of what I want. Or maybe if I take a .243 powder load and put it in an 18" .308, the bigger-but-shorter barrel should give similar expansion by the time the bullet exits . . . . Does anyone have some experience and expertise to replace this aimless conjecture?
(2) How about calibers that are inherently quieter, but are still adequate for mean hogs? I heard that 6.8 Rem SPC and 6.5 Grendell are quiet in short barrels -- How "quiet" is this relative to 22" hunting rifles? What about necked-up cartridges like .338 Federal and .358 Winchester? As above, it would seem that the larger caliber would provide more expansion volume before the bullet exits; does anyone have experience to support or reject this? How about 7x57 Mauser or other euromilitaries? Preferably the cartridge would be affordable, or at least affordable to handload, since I can't afford to practice enough with expensive cartridges? (For that matter, I'm not sure I can afford to shoot my .308, but I digress.)
(3) Anything I'm overlooking, besides the following? (a) .30/30 w/ 20" barrel is pretty short, but I was disappointed to read (and experience) that the sound is about the same -- I hoped for more quietness if I give up that much power to the .308. Still, this seems like a decent option. (b) .44 and .357 leverguns should be quiet enough I think, for even less power. (c) Ruger's No. 1 light sporter puts a 22" barrel on a gun as short as an 18" bolt-action. Oh these guns are sweet, imho. But I might like a followup shot for a charging hog. I'd wish for more quietness in exchange for the followup shots. Still, a decent option. (d) Silencers -- besides the licensing thing -- seem too long to work in this application. 16" barrel + 6" silencer = no improvement in length. Are there maybe mild 3" silencers . . . . (e) electronic muffs -- seem that they would ruin the woods experience for me.
Forgive a first poster for a particular question, but I've looked a bit and I can't find this addressed. What I saw about really-quiet-rifles did not seem to be moderate-able to my application.
I feel like when going through dense stuff with a buddy, I spend 90% of my attention keeping the muzzle in a safe direction. But when I start reading about short rifles, I quickly see warnings about loudness. And to underscore it, one day at the range, I asked the shooter next to me what he was shooting -- which sounded like a cannon. It was a .308 too, but with a 16" barrel. This is not what I want.
Sound information I drew from Dr. Krammer's stuff on page 5 of here (and elsewhere):
http://www.rdsindustrie.com/images/stories/mesure bruits stand tir.pdf
Any information about options would be appreciated by this newbie.
I'd like to know what my options are for a short rifle for hog hunting in brush, that is not-unusually-loud. By not-unusually-loud, I mean something that sounds like my 22" .308, or maybe quieter. I know some options, and I know nothing's perfect, I just want to know what my options are.
I don't mean silenced, subsonic stuff. I'm not talking about stealth; I just want to lose my hearing more slowly than I would with, say, a 12"-barreled 7mm magnum. And I don't mean optimum power from the short barrel; I expect to sacrifice some power to achieve this.
Questions first, then options I already know about, then context:
(1) What do y'all know about reloading for not-unusual-loudness in a short rifle, for a beginner? (In fact, I haven't actually begun yet. So, for a possible-future-beginner.) Obviously less powder means less energy and noise, but I read that too little power can lead to misfires and inaccuracy. It seems like fast powders should work well -- moving the pressure peak earlier is probably what I want to do. "Modern slow-burning powders" is probably the opposite of what I want. Or maybe if I take a .243 powder load and put it in an 18" .308, the bigger-but-shorter barrel should give similar expansion by the time the bullet exits . . . . Does anyone have some experience and expertise to replace this aimless conjecture?
(2) How about calibers that are inherently quieter, but are still adequate for mean hogs? I heard that 6.8 Rem SPC and 6.5 Grendell are quiet in short barrels -- How "quiet" is this relative to 22" hunting rifles? What about necked-up cartridges like .338 Federal and .358 Winchester? As above, it would seem that the larger caliber would provide more expansion volume before the bullet exits; does anyone have experience to support or reject this? How about 7x57 Mauser or other euromilitaries? Preferably the cartridge would be affordable, or at least affordable to handload, since I can't afford to practice enough with expensive cartridges? (For that matter, I'm not sure I can afford to shoot my .308, but I digress.)
(3) Anything I'm overlooking, besides the following? (a) .30/30 w/ 20" barrel is pretty short, but I was disappointed to read (and experience) that the sound is about the same -- I hoped for more quietness if I give up that much power to the .308. Still, this seems like a decent option. (b) .44 and .357 leverguns should be quiet enough I think, for even less power. (c) Ruger's No. 1 light sporter puts a 22" barrel on a gun as short as an 18" bolt-action. Oh these guns are sweet, imho. But I might like a followup shot for a charging hog. I'd wish for more quietness in exchange for the followup shots. Still, a decent option. (d) Silencers -- besides the licensing thing -- seem too long to work in this application. 16" barrel + 6" silencer = no improvement in length. Are there maybe mild 3" silencers . . . . (e) electronic muffs -- seem that they would ruin the woods experience for me.
Forgive a first poster for a particular question, but I've looked a bit and I can't find this addressed. What I saw about really-quiet-rifles did not seem to be moderate-able to my application.
I feel like when going through dense stuff with a buddy, I spend 90% of my attention keeping the muzzle in a safe direction. But when I start reading about short rifles, I quickly see warnings about loudness. And to underscore it, one day at the range, I asked the shooter next to me what he was shooting -- which sounded like a cannon. It was a .308 too, but with a 16" barrel. This is not what I want.
Sound information I drew from Dr. Krammer's stuff on page 5 of here (and elsewhere):
http://www.rdsindustrie.com/images/stories/mesure bruits stand tir.pdf
Any information about options would be appreciated by this newbie.