Suppressor caliber question

[Typants]

Looking at getting a suppressor for my 6.5 PRC.

Would a .30 cal can be louder than a 6.5 can on a 6.5mm rifle?

It would be nice to have a suppressor that I can switch between rifles considering their cost and time it takes to get them. But I can't find any information if the larger hole would allow more gas out/be louder and if so...how much louder it would be.

Thanks for the help!

 

[ramsdude47]

Yes it would be louder than a dedicated .264 can. For real life hunting purposes, your answer is negligibly louder. IMO your solution is the logical way to go.

In ivory tower land - youtube videos with high end decibel equipment will prove it can be a pretty significant difference. I haven't nerded out down that rabbit hole enough, but maybe 145 decibels with the 30 cal can vs 140 with the .264?

There is pretty good decibel info on the Rex Silentium website. Compare the .223 data listed on the 308 can/6.5 can/.223 can. I was very tempted to grab the MG7 because HansohnBros had (has?) a good coupon code COVID19.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I've been having a similar debate myself and am leaning toward a 30 cal suppressor. My wife's hunting rifle is a 308 and I have plans to add a 300 Win Mag to the arsenal someday, but right now the can would get used most on my 223's and 270 WSM.

The short answer to your question is yes, a 30 cal can on a 6.5mm rifle will be louder than a 6.5mm can on a 6.5mm rifle. Suppression is maximized if the can caliber matches the rifle caliber. From what I've read and been told, you'll still get "good" noise suppression with a 30 cal can used on smaller caliber rifles, but I haven't seen any actual data to quantify that. Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences.

As a side note, you might enjoy this podcast interview with a guy from Thunder Beast Arms Corporation:

https://soundcloud.com/stream%2F725776336-huntbackcountry-203-hunting-with-a-silencer-or-suppressor

 

[justinspicher]

My omega keeps my grendel fairly quiet, at least enough to not need hearing protection when I shoot it. The omega can run a fairly wife range of calibers, 5.56-300WM.

 

[rob86jeep]

Get the .30 cal can. I have a .30 cal SilencerCo Omega that I use on my .308s, 6.5 cm, and .556 AR. With the Omega you can even buy different end caps for when you want to use it on different calibers, but I don't think it's really necessary. The biggest difference you'll have in a .30 cal can vs a smaller cal can is going to be the weight/size of it as opposed to the sound output.

 

[UpWndFrt]

In a past life I had the chance to play with some flavor of sound measuring device used for OHSA safety inspections (no idea what type, gov property). We set it up on a firing line behind about 15 silencers and even more guns. My takeaway was that some things sounded louder but weren't, some sounded quieter but weren't. Across platforms, the constant was "bigger can, less bang."

Semi-auto's produced more action noise (gas popping from the vents on at AR's BCG, mostly) that contributed a ton to the noise recorded, as expected.

The only unique observation that I find interesting is that the oversized cans would often be louder than a caliber-correct pairing, but actually had a more pleasant pitch to them (deeper). I would NOT expect those results to translate if the diameters and lengths were identical between silencers, but it was common that a 30 caliber model would be an inch or so longer than its 5.56 cousin at the time. The same was true of .45 cans on 9mm blasters. The size disparity was likely the culprit, but I suspect the same size differences are going to be seen on many current offerings and might still be relevant.

Getting a bit sidetracked, but in short, big silencers, non-repeating actions, and subsonic ammo equals quiet, and we start walking toward ringing ears once those variables change.

 

[Typants]

This is all great information and I appreciate the input. I plan on adding a 300 WM to the arsenal at some point as well so that definitely helps me choose a 30 cal can. Besides all the great info everyone listed...saving money and another year wait will be nice!

 

[Kimber7man]

Looking at getting a suppressor for my 6.5 PRC.

Would a .30 cal can be louder than a 6.5 can on a 6.5mm rifle?

It would be nice to have a suppressor that I can switch between rifles considering their cost and time it takes to get them. But I can't find any information if the larger hole would allow more gas out/be louder and if so...how much louder it would be.

Thanks for the help!

If you start with the 6.5 Ultra, you will end up buying a 30 because you will want to shoot your 7mm and 30 cal rifles suppressed. Ask me how I know.....

 

[cjl2010]

If you start with the 6.5 Ultra, you will end up buying a 30 because you will want to shoot your 7mm and 30 cal rifles suppressed. Ask me how I know.....

That’s why I went 6.5 ultra 5 and 30 cal ultra 7. Suppressors are addicting!

 

[Typants]

If you start with the 6.5 Ultra, you will end up buying a 30 because you will want to shoot your 7mm and 30 cal rifles suppressed. Ask me how I know.....

haha sage advice! I would probably do the same thing. Guess I'll just have to start with the 30 cal!

 

[Crowmangler]

I did tons of research & you get the most sound reduction by going longer & caliber matched.