Tikka with Suppressor Questions

[westernrover]

I want a Tikka for mule deer and pronghorn hunting. I was going to get a T3X Stainless Super Lite which are $699 at the moment, but then I started considering using a suppressor. Everyone in my family/hunting partners has been using electronic muffs and we could ditch those on the hunt if we had a can. I realize we'd still need ear pro for practice even with the suppressor. So I started looking at Tikkas with the threaded barrel.

What's in-stock right now are the Veil camo and Cerakote rifles with the muzzle break. I understand they come with a weight. I'd never use the brake, but would use the weight through next season unless the Form 1 and suppressor came through earlier.

Are these Cerakoted Tikkas stainless steel under the Cerakote? The Cerakote doesn't line the chamber or bore so I'd like to know what kind of surface is in there.

They're $500 more. That's a lot to pay for muzzle threads. I'm mostly ambivalent towards camo, Cerakote, and a fluted bolt. I could try to get a gunsmith to thread the less expensive Super Lite -- there's a chance their wait times will be less than the ATF's -- but is the muzzle the same diameter? Can I put 5/8x24 on there?

Is there anything to convince me the Veil rifles are worth it? Are uncoated stainless steel rifles too bright?

How awesome is hunting with a suppressor? Besides the ~$1500 it looks like it's going to add to the cost of my family's next rifle for the upgraded rifle, suppressor, tax stamp, trust, etc., I would also end up replacing/retiring my classic Winchester (won't thread it), probably with another one of those $1200 Tikkas. It could end up costing thousands more for another scope because the Winchester's isn't suitable to move over, and maybe even a second can. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Swampman]

Welcome to the wonderful (but not cheap) world of NFA!

...and maybe even a second can...

I predict at least 3 more within the next 5 years!

 

[Skoghund]

Suppressors are almost a must have in the UK on hunting rifles. Here in Sweden they are popular with the younger generation of hunters. There is talk of them being taken off licence in the near future like they are in Norway. I'm one of those old farts who won't have one on any of my rifles.

 

[greyling22]

They are really nice. Especially for snap shots where you don't have time to don ear protection.
Most competent smiths can thread a barrel for $100-$150. You probably won't have enough meat in the super light barrel for 5/8x24 threads. Probably have to do 1/2x28, then a mount of some sort. Or an adapter.

If you're doing a form 1 can, use a back mou t threaded for 1/2x28. Easy.

 

[Spats McGee]

I've never hunted with a suppressor, so I can't speak to that. However . . . . I can assure you that a .22 suppressor is an absolute barrel of monkeys. I don't even look at .22s without threaded barrels any more!

 

[greyling22]

You could also get a Ruger American predator for $400. Lightweight, already threaded 5/8x24, accurate. It's not as nice a gun as the tika, but it's a fine hunting rifle, and only a few bucks more than having a Smith threaded Tikka barrel and using a suppressor compatible mount

 

[3850remhep]

A suppressor will alter the sound signature of a firearm, but will not eliminate the super sonic crack of high velocity ammo. This is true whether considering .22LR or .45-70.

 

[mcb]

I love shooting suppressed. With super sonic ammo the muzzle blast and recoil reduction is so nice, especially with the magnum cartridges. A suppressor turns magnums like 300 Norma Mag and 338 Lapua into gentle giants. With sub-sonic ammo they are even more wonderful. Love shooting armadillos with 300 BO subsonic. No hearing protection needed and the bullet hitting the armadillo is nearly as loud as the gun going off.

 

[hso]

we could ditch those on the hunt if we had a can

No, the report won't be reduced to a safe level.

 

[hso]

muzzle break

Ahhh, the "loudener". Breaks make a lot more noise.

Any competent smith can thread a barrel for a suppressor, but you should know what suppressor you have on the way and give the specs to the gunsmith.

 

[z7]

Figure out how to start getting a suppressor asap. The wait times are absurd (320 since I purchased and 284 days since the atf cashed my check and I still don’t have it

supposedly the wait times are reducing with a new Eform but who knows

I don’t have much comment on the rifle itself, find one you like and can/want to afford and make it happen and then shoot the crap out of it and smile

if you hunt with ear pro already, don’t stop with a suppressor. If you halfway hunt with ear pro and have been around quite a few rifle shots with no ear pro, a suppressor will help for sure but 135db impact is still damaging to your hearing

I have one suppressor in jail, and I am about to start the wait on a second. My kids will hunt suppressed wherever legal, forever

 

[Zak Smith]

No, the report won't be reduced to a safe level.

I guess it depends on what the definition of "safe" is, and I wouldn't tell anyone to not wear ears if they wanted to protect all their (remaining) hearing as much as possible. However. Shooter's ear ("SE") dB numbers in the low 120's are totally achievable with good, modern suppressors.

 

[Armorer 101]

A 22 LR will produce DB levels that do permanent hearing damage without ear protection, if the circumstances are right. So safe becomes a matter of location and exposure. Hearing damage starts at 69-70 not 120, that is based on tests conducted by the NRA and the IHMSA Directors of Safety, in the same year, by coincidence
Read about sound levels that damage hearing, prolonged 70 DB will damage your hearing, according to the CDC. And at 120 DB produces immediate hearing damage.
Hearing protection is a must, damage never stops, until you just stop hearing all together. It is cumlative.

 

[Zak Smith]

Those numbers have no bearing on the reality of suppressed gunshots and "hearing safe" levels. A slightly louder than normal conversation will be 70 dB. By that logic we shouldn't listen to old people who talk slightly loud without earpro.

OSHA lists 140 dB as the impulse maximum.

There are references all over the place but here's one https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2018-08-13

 

[hq]

How awesome is hunting with a suppressor?

Well... where should I start. It's awesome to a point but not without downsides. It'll still be loud with full power ammo, but the majority of the report is directed away from the shooter, so in field/forest environment most non-magnum rifles are bearable (if not recommended) to shoot without hearing protection. Around here most people use suppressors (they're available over the counter, no paperwork) and you notice immediately when someone shoots in a nearby treestand with one. The "splat" of bullet hitting the target is as loud as the muzzle report and you can hear a distinct supersonic crack of the bullet several hundreds of yards away.

Myself? I have a can or two for most of my hunting rifles. I'd say I use them 70% of the time. They also reduce recoil so it makes shooting more comfortable overall. A can adds weight to the end of the barrel so in driven and moving hunts I rarely use one; be it for saving weight you have to carry around or keeping the rifle as light and nimble as possible for (multiple consecutive) shots at running game. When there are hunting dogs nearby a suppressor is a good idea to protect their hearing.

Even though a can rarely affects accuracy, POI will change a bit due to added weight affecting barrel harmonics. You'll want to sight the gun in with a can in place to make sure. Sadly the rifle that would benefit the most from a can, my Remington R25 I use for treestand and blind hunting, loses its excellent accuracy once a suppressor is installed. I haven't had that happen with any of the other dozen or so suppressed rifles I hunt with. A real bummer. Then again my other go-to rifle, a Remington 7600 carbine in .35 Whelen, is a proverbial tack driver with a can and 200gr Core-Lokts, so YMMV.

Good luck. I'd do it even if it required jumping through some bureaucratic hoops. There are lots of situations when it's well worth it.