Suppressing Deer Rifle

[Captains1911]

As a side note. A suppressor is not sufficient to prevent hearing damage from a high powered rifle.

Practical sized suppressors for a hunting rifle cut the sound a lot, but sound is logarithmic, not linear. Even cutting the sound to 1/10 is only 10dB.

A .22 is around 140dB while a 308 is more like 160dB. Hearing damage starts around 120dB for short bursts.

true, but a suppressed high power rifle will do LESS hearing damage than unsuppressed.

 

[hq]

As a side note. A suppressor is not sufficient to prevent hearing damage from a high powered rifle.

In an environment like open field or forest it often is. Suppressed rifle shot is in most cases below 137dB, measured at shooter's ear, which is in medical terms considered the damage limit for impact sound. As some people already mentioned, it's still far less likely to damage your hearing while using any kind of suppressor than shooting without. Rifle suppressors used in hunting average 26-32dB in peak noise reduction.

The majority of hunters around here seem to think that they're well worth the cost and additional weight and now when suppressors have been legal in hunting for just over 19 years, they seem to gain popularity faster than ever.

 

[Telekinesis]

A .22 is around 140dB while a 308 is more like 160dB. Hearing damage starts around 120dB for short bursts.

I'd just like to note that those values are for unsuppressed weapons. A good .22 suppressor should reduce the sound signature to roughly between 110-120db depending on factors such as rifle or pistol and which type of suppressor used. A .308 suppressor should reduce the sound signature to around the low to mid 120s for subsonic ammo and should be near the mid 130s for supersonic ammo (measured at the shooter's ear).

"Hearing safe" is usually considered to be around 130db for impulse sounds.

As hq said, the environment that you're shooting in has a lot to do with how sound is perceived. If you're shooting in an open field (or even just outside), the weapon will sound much quieter than if you are shooting inside a building where you have lots of flat surfaces to reflect sound back at you.

 

[Swampman]

Originally Posted by Pistol Ranch
"Please help me understand why anyone would put a supressor on a deer rifle"

Why don't you direct your question to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Commissioners that recently voted to approve hunting deer with suppressed weapons?
They apparently understand even if you don't...

Aside from cost, prejudice and nonsensical laws, please help me understand why anyone WOULDN'T put a supressor on a deer rifle.

It's the polite thing to do.

Do you run straight pipes on your car or ATV?
Do you enjoy it when others do so?