Suppressors for Hunting and A New Badass Vortex Rangefinder | Big Hunt Guys Podcast, Ep. 95

A friend of GOHUNT, Jaryd Bernstein from Bernstein Outdoor Sales stops by to discuss Vortex Optics' new Impact 4000 Ballistic Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder and what’s new at Vortex. The Impact 4000 is an all-in-one range and ballistic problem solver that delivers point-and-shoot solutions without coming off the gun. Brady and Jaryd also have a friendly debate and compare the pros and cons of using suppressors for hunting. The guys also talk about new gear coming from Mystery Ranch packs in 2024.
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[@user-iv9zw8cl6y]

I would love to hear a podcast where the topic is hunting with kids and family. As someone who’s never hunted before it would be cool to get some insight on how to do that well.

[@phild9813]

I disagree about animals not reacting to suppressed shots, but reacting to unsuppressed. My experience has not that. It’s more the circumstances of the shot that matters, and I actually suspect they can determine the source of the shot when it is quieter. I like suppressors though :)

[@kirbywhite2442]

One way I’m not sold on the rifle mounted LRF for hunting is that I’m always using my range finder to range stuff that I’m not shooting. That can include an animal, a tree, a rock face, or another person. Not a fan of having to slave my range finder to the muzzle of my rifle.

[@Michaeldpress14]

Helped my buddy on an elk hunt this season and he didn’t have a silencer . My ears are still ringing 😂

[@callmecamo2]

Some rounds are just better suited for shorter barrels. I don't have a 6.5 anything but I would be quite puckered to have less than a 22" barrel. Glad you've had success though.

[@phild9813]

I’m not following your language. I think you’re saying you wouldn’t have a 6.5 caliber with a barrel shorter than 22”? What’s your reasoning, if that’s the case? I run a couple of 6.5 creedmoors with 20” barrels that I love for hunting. More than enough velocity for hunting at reasonable ranges.

[@DavidRod.]

Happy Thanksgiving. I'm greatfull for all the great educational information you guys put out. Great Podcast.

[@wjc308]

It’s okay Brady I also made it 30+ years without having chicken parm

[@brady_j_miller]

I'm glad I'm not alone! Haha. Did we just become best friends? :)

[@jarrodroberson5358]

Lorenzo's mind is blown his face expressions crack me up. Cool product

[@MrYbeaudoin]

Swarovski DS scope, 1/2 the size and it dials itself.

[@johnspach9703]

I love my 16 inch 6.5 cm.... that is unsuppressed!!!

[@jakesmith8093]

Always enjoy the videos!

[@B_Pizzle_4_Shizzle]

The one thing I dont hear anyone say about that rangefinder is that you have to range with your reticle elevation at zero. So if you range, then dial and shoot but miss, you cant just rerange without dialing back to zero. Not a huge issue, but something that should be acknowledged.

[@phild9813]

Brady definitely didn’t hear that either, he doesn’t hunt with a suppressor.

[@jero1918]

Thanx

[@daviddemand6856]

Suppressors, yes, I’m never hunting without them. It’s nice to not have to carry a set of plugs and have to get them in the ear when I can now, simply shoot and not blow my, or my buddy’s ears out. That rangefinder though, nah. I’ll keep my handheld and save the bulk.

[@matte5365]

So what are the specs on that nice looking rifle?

[@johnsimonelli9988]

Brady, What cost would you put on permanent ear damage? I carry my suppressor in my cargo pocket and screw it on when I need to use it and the point of impact is always the same on three different rifles that I use it for. If you are that concerned about point of impact change then you should reload your own bullets. It is a fact that properly loaded bullets specifically designed for just your rifle will out perform factory rounds every time. Finally, suppressed rifles give you instant feedback on hits. You can not hear the hit running a muzzle break.

[@brady_j_miller]

All great points, John. I do put great thought in protecting my hearing! Really wish I did things better when I was younger even with a 12 gauge shotgun waterfowl hunting. I do wear ear protection though in hunting and range situations. So the sound side of things being quieter doesn't matter to me, as I am protecting my ears. I've been around suppressors, have shot some big rifles with supressors and I still felt like I should have ear protection on. When I'm at the range practicing, I'll use foam in the ear, ear protection and then put muffs on. So I'm not damaging my hearing by not shooting suppressed. I don't feel the need to do something to my rifle that doesn't directly gain me anything in the accuracy arena. I'm not really concerned about point of impact shift as I fully know I'd have to re-sight in, and re-calibrate my dope charts and ballistic data. But I'm more concerned about point of impact shift by taking on and off a suppressor, or having to take one off to clean and now that barrel harmonics have been slightly moved. That doesn't sit right in my head when I'm very concerned about accuracy. I do currently reload my own ammo right now and am very, very detailed on building the best ammo for my rifle. I will agree that hearing impacts with a suppressor is a little easier than hearing an impact with a muzzle break. But again, I shoot big 30 cals, and so if I put a suppressor on, I'll still need ear protection. I'm glad people can get suppressors, I wish they were easier to get, but I still don't really see the need for me to use on hunting. A sniper situation in war, I agree on, but in hunting, I don't see much of a direct benefit to make me want to switch and use one.

[@johnsimonelli9988]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, I have a lot of respect and admiration for you and your team. Because of your efforts I have been able to find some great area's to hunt and obtain very good tags. Keep up the good work!!

[@jimothy-johnson]

@@brady_j_miller The POI shift taking it on/off is nonexistent if you're using a quality suppressor + mounting system. I have 6 different suppressors from TBAC and they show no evidence of that. Last range session I took my Ultra-9 on/off at least 5-6 times in 25 rounds or so due to weird circumstances where I kept having to lend my shooting partner my mirage cover since his hadn't come in the mail yet. It never changed anything. There are also videos available testing POI shift in that exact situation so no need to take my word for it. Also the harmonics thing is a non-issue, since when you take the suppressor on/off the weight of the suppressor is not changing so that has no bearing at all on changing harmonics of the barrel when you remount the suppressor. To double up on the "use a good suppressor" thing, we have numbers for what is and is not hearing safe for a couple shots. I'd recommend looking at "TBAC Silencer Summit" results for more info but a bunch of manufacturers got together, agreed on how they wanted their cans tested, and then tested them all together then posted the results. So as long as it's under about 135db at shooters' ear it's perfectly fine for a couple of shots. Especially since you said you only really need one shot. TBAC for instance has videos testing their suppressors at both muzzle and shooters' ear for almost every flavor of cartridge you could want (300 Win Mag, 338 LM, 300 Norma, etc). In short, you absolutely do not need hearing protection with a good suppressor in a hunting situation, even with a big 30 cal. I really encourage you to check out the Silencer Summit results though. I don't think you intend to be saying incorrect things about this stuff.

[@brady_j_miller]

@@jimothy-johnson Discussions like these are why I love the internet! I greatly appreciate the perspective from you. It's just small things like this that keep me up at night when trying to decide if a suppressor is worth it to me on a hunting only rifle. I understand I'm hard headed and old school in my thinking lol and probably need to be better about having an open mind. I really like your explanation of your experience in taking on and off a suppressor and it not changing anything. That is a big deal to me (maybe one of the bigger considerations for me), and I'm glad you have tested and verified. I'll take that as solid proof! So thank you. I'm have that TBAC Silencer Summit report open right now and I'm diving into what they are presenting and learning how to interpret the data. Again, thanks for providing data and sending that information. I had no clue that report existed and I'm glad you shared it.

[@BrennenRugger]

You couldn't have said it. Any better, Brady. A suppressor does not add anything to accuracy. Be a part of being an ethical hunter. Is consistency, repeatability, and that comes with eliminating all variables period. Anything removable is an unnecessary variable. Longer barrels offer more bullet twist options, velocity, and accuracy than shorter barrels. The proof is in the physics! You should always use hearing protection while shooting. Can a suppressor fail? Don't feel bad or obligated at the range for telling other shooters you are going to shoot your unsuppressed rifle. It's a shooting range!!! There are tons of ear muffs that allow you to speak and cancel out damaging audio. A must for any range conversation. I think it is a bad idea to teach your kids to shoot without hearing protection! What do you think will happen to their hearing when they go shoot with their friends unsuppressed guns. Always use protection and teach kids to use hearing protection. That is a basic part of gun safety and hunter education.

[@HistoriasyCuriosidadesES]

Rabbit