Large(ish) and magnum calibers suppressed?

[JB.USMC]

Does shooting large calibers / magnums suppressed make a significantly noticeable difference at the shoulder?

Hello all. I am new here and went on my first western elk hunt in Oct. A diy WY hunt with a cow elk tag. The only rifle I have that is suitable is my 308. Rem 700 sps tactical 16.5" heavy barrel with a silencer co Hybrid 46 on the end. Yes I shoot it good and it would work. That is why I chose to spend my $ on a nice pack, boots, layers ect.. As I Plan ahead for the 2024 season a new rifle and glass that are a little more suited for hunting the mountains for mule deer/elk/moose will be next up. I have little experience with larger calibers and their recoil (grandpas old 06 that probably had a tasco scope and kicked like a mule, and then the Barret 50 that shot like a dream).

I am looking at these caliber at the moment, 30-06, .300 win mag, .338 win mag. I am looking for input specifically shooting these suppressed. Please if there is a thread discussing these calibers suppressed send me to it. I see a little on here about the "push" vs "snap" of the two. recommendations for breaks. But Does anyone shoot these calibers regularly?

I am currently trying to get my hands on these rifles locally and put rounds down range but it is not easy (I am in MI). Recently shot a .280 AI and that sure was a dream but I cant shake the desire for the above cartridge's.

I target shoot steel at 600 (would go further if I could find a place). I am sure that over the next decade a boom stick in each flavor listed above will make it into my safe. Just looking for input from those who have experience shooting these cartridge's with a can. Thank you.

 

[DangerRanger]

Yes it makes a difference. Better than a brake? Depends on what’s making the experience worse for you. Is it all the recoil or is it partly the concussion.

Plus having an extra 3/4 pound out front seems to help with muzzle jump.

Raw recoil brakes are better. But brakes absolutely suck to shoot

 

[JB.USMC]

Thanks for the reply. I really dont have an interest in shooting with a break. I got my hybrid and rarely shoot any rifle without it. I will end up with a dedicated can for the rifle, down the road. Managing recoil for a comfortable 30-50 round shooting session is what I am after if possible.

 

[zrodwyo]

I have a 9 pound 30 nosler that will damn near bring tears to your eyes with no muzzle device. With a 9” thunder beast I spot my own impacts.

With that said, I pretty much abandoned magnum .30 cals in favor of lighter recoiling cartridges.

 

[DangerRanger]

I also have moved away from the big ones but when I did have them the can definitely helped long range sessions and when I dope my dads I notice how much more it sucks with his brake than a can

 

[Mike D Texas]

I shoot a 300 Norma and 338 Norma and suppressed is better than nothing but braked is a world of difference.

A suppressor will never be as effective as a good brake.


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[Smenning]

I’ve shot a 300WSM a lot with a bare muzzle, a brake and now suppressed. I think a lot depends on the gun weight, the load and the suppressor regarding felt recoil. It will probably be better than with a bare muzzle but not significantly. You better have sound fundamentals and low power scope to spot impacts if it’s a hunting weight rifle. Like mentioned above I’ve switched to smaller calibers for hunting. See the 6.5 and .223 killing threads.

 

[wind gypsy]

Not much to add. A suppressor definitely helps over a bare muzzle but doesn't reduce recoil like a brake. 300 mags have a lot of thump to em and burning 70+ grains of powder heats things up in a hurry.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Concur. Makes a good difference. Can’t tell if it’s the lack of noise (at least a lot less) or recoil, but the shooting experience is much better. The cans that have built in brakes IMO do make more of a difference (omega, scythe, nomad Ti/LTi w/ebrake).

I shoot a 8.5lb all in 20” 7WSM with 175s @ 2900fps. That’s a decent amount of muzzle energy out of a light gun. I enjoy shooting it with a can.

 

[JB.USMC]

Thank you all very much. I do very much understand the break will be better at mitigating recoil. Just much more fun to shoot with the can. I dont mind lugging the extra weight around. I will just need to get these rifles in my shoulder and see what they feel like. Looking for an 8ish lb rifle. Drooling over the x-bolt line up currently. I am gonna dig into the 30 nosler as well and see what thats all about.

 

[Cameron.25]

Yes it helps a lot, if you have a good suppressor

 

[Brontosaurus]

What distances are you legitimately hoping to kill animals at?

 

[Lawnboi]

I shoot a 3006 suppressed a decent amount, and shoot it well. It’s a 12 pound all up rifle (scope, suppressor, bipod). Spotting shots prone is not hard. Spotting shots positional is hard. The rifle lives in an eh1 stock.

The most important thing for what you’re looking at is a stock designed to help you spot shots. Imo that 3006 above, shooting 185 grain bullets at 2800 is at my peak for being able to really spot hits with low magnification, most of the time. The rifle is comfortable to shoot, I could easily shoot it all day. A stock like the eh1 with a good vertical grip, flat rear end and high butt pad takes a rifle from being able to see almost nothing, to something that is usable imo.

No doubt a suppressor helps with recoil, not what a brake does but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Personally if I were to make a 300 whatever to shoot suppressed, it would be a purpose built rifle for shooting prone in the 12-15 pound range.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have an 8lb 30-06 that shoot with a silencer. Recoil is not bad at all. I’ve handed it over to a fairly frail 70 year old friend of mine and he loved it.

I wouldn’t say I can easily spot my shots with it but almost.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

A suppressor definitely made my lightweight 338 WM more manageable. The biggest difference was in the speed of the recoil, as it is now much more of a push. The suppressor is an AB raptor with a reflex mount that adds volume in front of the baffles that might play a large role in that.

On the topic of caliber, I recommend sticking with a 30 or smaller. There are many more lightweight suppressor options and a medium bore is certainly not necessary. Side note, I predict they’ll go extinct except for the super magnum ones built for extreme long range on 20+lb platforms. Today’s bullets in a 30, and faster twist 7’s that can stabilize 175+gr bullets for that matter, will do anything that our daddy’s or granpa’s 8mm, 338, 35, and 375 (in some respects) did in the 20th century to earn their reputation. The only thing, in my opinion, the medium bores have on a heavy 7 or 30 is extreme penetration that may or may not be needed.

Additionally, a magnum isn’t necessary either. Check with the hunters who’ve gone into the moose area you’re headed to to find out the likely shooting distance.

 

[JB.USMC]

What distances are you legitimately hoping to kill animals at?

500-700 would be the goal of cartridge capability if possible. This is of course dependent on my proficiency and conditions.

 

[JB.USMC]

A suppressor definitely made my lightweight 338 WM more manageable. The biggest difference was in the speed of the recoil, as it is now much more of a push. The suppressor is an AB raptor with a reflex mount that adds volume in front of the baffles that might play a large role in that.

On the topic of caliber, I recommend sticking with a 30 or smaller. There are many more lightweight suppressor options and a medium bore is certainly not necessary. Side note, I predict they’ll go extinct except for the super magnum ones built for extreme long range on 20+lb platforms. Today’s bullets in a 30, and faster twist 7’s that can stabilize 175+gr bullets for that matter, will do anything that our daddy’s or granpa’s 8mm, 338, 35, and 375 (in some respects) did in the 20th century to earn their reputation. The only thing, in my opinion, the medium bores have on a heavy 7 or 30 is extreme penetration that may or may not be needed.

Additionally, a magnum isn’t necessary either. Check with the hunters who’ve gone into the moose area you’re headed to to find out the likely shooting distance.

Thank you. Interesting. I was dead set on the 300wm for some time, but in truth I dont have a specific reason other than "i want one". There seems to be SO many options out there for a rifle that are capable of taking large game at distances. Need to start a "try before you buy" program with a plethora of platforms and cartridge's haha.

 

[Brontosaurus]

500-700 would be the goal of cartridge capability if possible. This is of course dependent on my proficiency and conditions.

Awesome. Don't decide on anything till you've seen what some cartridge bullet combos are capable of. There's a body of evidence here suggesting that bullets matter more than anything.

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DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

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6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

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Ice/snow comparison between rifles

I have been asked by multiple people to do an ice and snow reliability eval between rifles/actions/triggers. Tthis is not a “test”, it is just a view at what generally happens. Doing a legitimate test requires more rifles and consistent conditions than I have. So… The rifles: 1). Tikka T3...

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[JB.USMC]

Awesome. Don't decide on anything till you've seen what some cartridge bullet combos are capable of. There's a body of evidence here suggesting that bullets matter more than anything.

.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....

Seeing that the 223 thread is such a success, I thought maybe I would start one for the Creedmoor/260. Seems like people are asking a lot about using them and various bullets, especially for elk. I've used mine for the last few years almost exclusively. I have some pics of bullet damage, albeit...

rokslide.com

6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix. Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

rokslide.com

Ice/snow comparison between rifles

I have been asked by multiple people to do an ice and snow reliability eval between rifles/actions/triggers. Tthis is not a “test”, it is just a view at what generally happens. Doing a legitimate test requires more rifles and consistent conditions than I have. So… The rifles: 1). Tikka T3...

rokslide.com

Thank you for taking the time to past these links.

 

[TheHammer]

My 300wm has a 200gr lrx moving at 3056, I run an omega 300 on it with direct thread and end cap, not abr mount or baffle attachment on. The biggest thing with magnums and brakes is the pressure from the muzzle blast. The difference made from that alone makes the can all the more worth while. I would high suggest one.