Andy Husek 10.20.22
Over the past two years, I have been spreading the word about the benefits of shooting suppressed, to the point where my friends and family are likely sick of hearing about it! I know that I’m a little late to the suppressor game, but I have quickly caught up and can tell you, if you have never shot suppressed you need to start doing so. The suppressor buying process has never been easier thanks to Silencer Central and the ATF eForms system. To better understand how the buying process works, head over to the how to buy page of Silencer Central’s website.
On my most recent hunt we were chasing hard horned Caribou on the South side of the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska. This trip took months of planning and thankfully, our hard work and preparation paid off. “Sighting In” is a very common term I hear when it comes to hunts or hunting season. Something you do not hear a often is “I went to the range to practice and train.” Being a proficient shooter takes work and it is a perishable art so, maintaining proficiency requires practice and maintenance. This means you can’t just go to the range before hunting season to “check zeroes” or to “sight in” and expect to be your best. Sure, there is an inherent amount of muscle memory and skill but to be true master of the craft you need to spend some time behind the bench.
This is where Silencer Central has really helped me out and made me evolve me into a proficient marksman. Growing up, “groups” meant something very different to me and 100 yards was a bit daunting. Also, lack of “grouping” was clearly a fault of my own and never the equipment I was using. Today, “groups” often mean MOA or sub-MOA assuming all parts and pieces are playing nicely together. I feel proficient at taking game well out to 600-700 yards given the right conditions and I now have the confidence to know that if things are not grouping the way I want, the issue likely lies with my gear. The gun may not like the ammo, the scope may be loose, something is off.
A huge key to the success I have enjoy recently at becoming more proficient is hunting and practicing suppressed. The noise reduction is a nice bonus but to me, the biggest benefit is the reduced recoil. This allows you to be more comfortable practicing with a hunting caliber rifle and aids in follow through and your ability to get back on target should a follow up shot be necessary.
On this latest Caribou hunt, we were using my two favorite suppressors. The Banish 30 and the Banish 30 Gold. Both were mounted on Savage Impulse Big Games chambered in 300 Win Mag. Each suppressor has its benefits, but neither is a bad choice, it just really depends on what your long term goals are and what your current rifle collection demands.
The Banish 30 is the most versatile suppressor in the Banish line and can work with all of your rifle calibers from .17 to .30 caliber magnums. It is a direct thread suppressor that mounts directly to your barrel with a 5/8 x 24 thread pitch. You can get adaptors if you have a rifle with something different and can even send your barrel directly to Silencer Central and have them do it for you! It is also modular in that you can shoot it in either a 9” or 7” configuration. For more information about the Banish 30 you can check it out here.
The second suppressor we were using was the Banish 30 Gold. This has become my favorite but, don’t let my Banish 30 hear that! The Banish 30 Gold is a little different from the Banish 30 in that it threads directly on to a muzzle break that is mounted on the rifle. The Beauty here is that if you have a bunch of different rifles with different thread pitches, you can mount the breaks on your rifles and leave them in place. Then, you can move the Banish 30 Gold form rifle to rifle as you see fit. The Banish 30 Gold is considered a quick-detach, 30 caliber suppressor and is rated for rimfire to .300 RUM. Premium accessory package included. For more information on the Banish 30 Gold head here to check it out.
Ultimately, we had an amazingly successful trip to Alaska and took some awesome animals.
Or, if you want to check out the Caribou hunt in its entirety and see the Suppressors in live action watch our soon to be released episode of ALL In from the Alaskan tundra on Alloutdoor.tv
