Ever since my first trip to Africa and I got to shoot a rifle that had a suppressor attached to the barrel I knew it was something I had to have someday. It was the coolest thing I'd ever used up 'til then, and the most important effect of the silencer (something I'd never even thought about) wasn't the noise reduction, it was the recoil take-off. At least 85-90% of the felt recoil is obliterated by a suppressor!
Don't get me wrong, it was very cool to have the blast percussion reduced too, making it easy on the ears for me and everyone close by whenever I pulled the trigger, but it's the recoil reduction that is the prize here.
Fast forward several years and the state of Texas made it legal to use a suppressor on your rifle for big game hunting. When I heard this, I started thinking right away about a new rifle. With a suppressor, I could get something bigger like a 7mm-mag now and not worry about recoil. Heck, I could get a 300 ultra-mag if I wanted, something I swore I'd never shoot before the law change.
It wasn't until I found out that 24 other states had also made it legal to use silencers when hunting that I made the move. I didn't want to pay the expense if I wasn't going to be able to use it in the western states on elk & mule deer. So I went to my local gun shop to get the wheels in motion. To own a suppressor, you first have to create a Trust, costs about $200. They took care of the paperwork and told me it'd take about 6 months for it to clear government approval. In 4 months, I got the call.
I was a proud new owner of an Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) Cyclone 7.62mm silencer which retails for about $1000. This was a model big enough for a .30 caliber gun if in case I get one someday. For now, I had them thread the barrel of my 7mm-08 so I could use it while I get a new barrel for my 7 mag.
$160 later and it was ready to roll. And if you read my first blog, my first 2 shots through it were used to take both of those deer in south Texas. I'd forgotten how cool it was to have a silencer on the barrel. You have this crack (like a 22 firing) and then you hear the bullet sizzling through the air until it hits, and there's zero kick! For a disabled hunter, that is a huge deal. I can't wait to screw it on my 7 mag someday.
* It's removable so I'll only need one to use on multiple rifles. And it does make noise. When people hear the word silencer they think that it doesn't make any sound at all, well maybe that's true is you shoot special sub-sonic ammunition, but not when shooting high-powered rifles. It still goes bang, but not with nearly as much force as it used to. I can't wait to take it to the range. It's going to make sighting in your gun a joy to do without having to deal with recoil or ear plugs.
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