Why I Use a Suppressor for PRS Long Range Shooting

Originally posted on Accurate Ordnance, by Mark Kuczka

Why I Use a Suppressor
Why I Use a Suppressor

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- It must have been the road noise. I thought I was having a hard time hearing my five year old daughter speaking to me on my cell phone because of the road noise. That old SUV was kind of loud inside. Until I switched the phone to my left ear and suddenly I could hear her just fine. Wait, what just happened? I moved the phone back to the right ear and there was that muffled voice again. That’s when I knew I had a problem.

“What?” Lots of us in the shooting community have lost some hearing along the way due to our time on the range or in the field. Those of us who hunt have certainly discharged a firearm or three without ear protection and without concern for our hearing. After all, it’s just one shot, right? How much can it hurt?

Actually, that one shot DOES hurt your hearing. Any sound over 140 dB is immediate hearing loss. It just happens to be killing a small amount of our hearing so most of us continued the practice without a care. Living with hearing loss now makes me wish I could go back 20 years and better protect my hearing. I can’t change what I did in the past, but going forward I can certainly do the most to protect the hearing I still have.

Did you know you can damage your hearing even if you are wearing the best hearing protection available?
Did you know you can damage your hearing even if you are wearing the best hearing protection available?

I shot my first suppressed firearm, a 22lr pistol, in 2003. After a few rounds I wondered why everyone didn’t shoot suppressed? No one drives without a muffler. Why would you? The legalities of suppressor ownership is out of scope of this article. Point is I immediately appreciated the hearing protection benefits of suppressors. That passion got me into the business of selling suppressors and it wasn’t long before I was one of the biggest retailers for companies like AAC, SWR, SilencerCo, Ops Inc and others. I’ve owned quite a few different suppressors over the years and have shot just about everything out there. I’m still as big a fan as ever. However, I wanted to see if using a suppressor in PRS (Precision Rifle Series) and similar matches was actually a hindrance. Some people feel the added length and weight of a suppressor can make getting into some shooting positions slower or problematic. So I decided to shoot about a year with a muzzle brake instead of a suppressor.

Did you know you can damage your hearing even if you are wearing the best hearing protection available? You’ve heard guys say, “I’ll wear plugs and muffs, so I’ll be just fine shooting that .50!” Well, ever heard of concussion (or concussive) hearing loss? Yeah, I hadn’t either. I’ll sum it up the way the last audiologist I spoke with about my hearing loss did – there is no amount of anything you can put in or over your ears to protect you from concussion loss.

A hand grenade went off right next to a buddy of mine. He lost some hearing as a result of the blast. No one is really surprised by that. I mean it is an EXPLOSION. It’s loud. Duh. But I had no idea the blast from a muzzle brake could basically hurt my hearing the same way. The doctor explained to me the concussion comes through the facial bone structure and damages the ear’s tiny bones. Same thing as what can happen through any TBI (traumatic brain injury).

It is fairly common in PRS matches to shoot through pipes, vehicles, inside “shoot houses” and around other obstacles that echo a rifle’s blast. I noticed I was starting to get headaches about halfway through a day of PRS match shooting. I knew the issue wasn’t hydration. I mean look, if you are peeing every other stage down at the amazing CORE range facility in mid-summer you are NOT dehydrated. So, what was causing the headaches? It wasn’t until I went back to shooting suppressed in those same environments that it became clear the little mini concussions from that muzzle brake was causing my headaches. And of course the doctors confirmed that.

Let me stop here and say I am NOT anti-brake. Muzzle brakes are a very useful tool and for some situations are the best tools to use.
Let me stop here and say I am NOT anti-brake. Muzzle brakes are a very useful tool and for some situations are the best tools to use.

Let me stop here and say I am NOT anti-brake. Muzzle brakes are a very useful tool and for some situations are the best tools to use. An aggressive brake in generally more effective at reducing recoil than a good suppressor. A suppressor does add some recoil reduction, just not as much as most quality brakes. Don’t forget to factor other variables, such as caliber and rifle weight, into the equation though. For example, a 15# rifle chambered in 6mm Creedmoor doesn’t need much recoil reduction in the first place.

Okay, so I have hearing loss that I can’t get back and realize I need to go back to shooting matches with a suppressor. But which one? With quite a few things already in my safe and not being opposed to buying something new, I needed to decide. Long story short, I picked the Rugged Suppressors Razor 762. At only 6.4″ long and weighing only 15.3 ounces, it is not a long, heavy weight on the end of my barrel. I already own the Rugged Suppressors Surge 762, which is a longer, heavier suppressor. Because of the added volume the Surge 762 is a quieter suppressor. For my needs though I wanted something a little lighter weight and shorter. I’ll still be shooting matches with custom fit plugs so I just need something to add a little recoil reduction and kill that concussion.

At the shop we generally recommend direct-thread suppressor solutions to our customers. The main reason for that is all the problems we’ve seen with other fast-attach muzzle devices. It doesn’t take much tolerance stacking to result in accuracy issues. There are a few exceptions for us and the Rugged Suppressors products top the list. Since the Razor 762 uses a muzzle brake adapter on the rifle to attach the suppressor, I can use the same suppressor on my 223 training rifle. My primary match rifles are chambered in 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor and the muzzle threads on those is a standard 5/8×24. My .223 Rem training rifle has .5×28 threads on the muzzle, which is standard for that caliber. Thus, the muzzle adapter interface lets me share the suppressors between all the rifles. And on that .223 Rem training rifle I have the option of switching the end cap on any of the Rugged products to a .223 aperture size, which makes the suppressors slightly more sound efficient (meaning quieter).

My primary match rifles are chambered in 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor and the muzzle threads on those is a standard 5/8×24. My .223 Rem training rifle has .5×28 threads on the muzzle, which is standard for that caliber.
My primary match rifles are chambered in 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor and the muzzle threads on those is a standard 5/8×24. My .223 Rem training rifle has .5×28 threads on the muzzle, which is standard for that caliber.

So, I started shooting matches long before the PRS even existed and always shot suppressed in those days. The suppressors made communication with a partner or RO easier and it was just a more pleasant shooting experience. On the recommendations of a few people I decided to shoot about a year’s worth of matches with just braked rifles. That year is when I lost significant hearing in my right ear and some in the left. I’ve gone back to shooting only suppressed rifles whenever possible and especially at matches. I’ve only once or twice found the extra length of the suppressor made it a little more inconvenient to run a stage, but not by much. Trust me, the points I missed were not because I took two extra seconds getting the muzzle in a port or window.

My hearing is something I value and will do everything to protect from this point forward. You’ll never again see me on a match field with an un-suppressed rifle. To me the minimal gains of running a braked rifle aren’t worth losing more hearing.


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Mark Kuczka

Thanks for posting the article I wrote. However, would have been nice to at least have you give the author (me) credit or at least link to our website where I posted this. I appears like “Duncan Johnson” wrote this. Or a call asking permission wouldn’t have sucked. 😉

So, thanks for posting my article, I guess.

Cheers.

Timothy Votaw

Well, imagine those of us who spent a tour or more in gunfighting, e.g. combat. Hearing protection? Wha? Full auto M-60’s, an entire squad firing at once in sometimes confined space for often 10, 20, 30 minutes at a time in an extended engagement. Incoming rocket, mortars, grenades, etc. You get the picture. No amount of hearing aid really compensates, but the rub comes in with available hearing protection, though that technology is a damned sight better than foam plugs now. It lends credence to suppressor use, even now among military shooters, trying to help with the inevitable hearing loss… Read more »

Vanns40

I started shooting in 1961 or ‘62. I am living proof that every word he’s said is true and there’s not a thing that can be done. It was all fun and games back then. Not so much anymore.

JS

And of course in the land of the loons, that would be Crappyfornia, suppressors are also banned. Im honestly surprised my state legislators didnt go berserk the other way and mandate we are to have suppressors, just to make it a little more inconvenient and costly for us. Facts dont matter to them, they are infected with some sort of disease, called liberal socialists…

Scott

As a child we spent our Wisconsin winters shooting NRA .22 rifles indoors. We also used outdoor ranges when temperatures cooperated and hunted without any hearing protection. Unfortunately at age 68 I have lost 60% of my hearing and the audiologist has warned me that I will continue to lose the remaining 40% by 10% per year. While not happy about probably being deaf in four more years, I will continue to feel lucky that my eyesight remains constant. Given a choice as to which critical sense to lose, I have (not) chosen the comfort of sight. If you are… Read more »

Michael Velsmid

When will the suppressor tax be revoked?

Hunter LR

I live in Delaware and we are banned from owning suppressers of any kind !

Michael Velsmid

Time to get rid of your Delaware politicians. They could care less if you blow out your eardrums.