moderated centre fire rifles , Why ?

[JohnGalway]

[CharlieT]

Harnser,

 

You are of course quite correct, there is little point in fitting a moderator to a stalking rifle where weight is an issue. One or possibly two shots taken during an outing, in my view, just does not warrant lugging round half a drain pipe screwed onto the end of a light stalking rifle.

 

I certainly do not use one for stalking. However, I do use one on my vermin and foxing rifles for the reasons mentioned and swear by them.

 

I am surprised you even posed the question considering you are talking stalking. That is unless you work for the forestry commission who I believe insist on staff using moderators to comply with Health & Safety and do not wish to be sued for hearing injuries which their staff will suffer if they don't use one.

[Evilv]

I doubt a centre fire is made much quieter with a mod really, though I never tried one. I'm sure an expensive meter would show some difference, but I doubt the old lug holes would notice it much. I don't even have a mod on the HMR. Just listening to the difference in a silenced .22 between Elye subs (silent) and stingers (loud as owt) you know there's no point. The sonic crack is outlandish.

 

As for hunting African big game with a scope on - I'd hate to be trying to knock over a charging, close quarters buffalo or lion and groping around in the scope looking for it. Give me a nice military peep sight for that any day. Sometimes, I can hardly find a rabbit in my x14 scope that is obvious with the naked eye. If it was shooting back or charging, I'd be dead meat.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Evilv

[Evilv]

That is unless you work for the forestry commission who I believe insist on staff using moderators to comply with Health & Safety and do not wish to be sued for hearing injuries which their staff will suffer if they don't use one.

 

Ear muffs are cheap and light weight and they really work. I can still hear a bat and I shot tonnes of full bore rifle back in the eighties alongside people who were blazing away with assault rifles of every kind. There was so much hot lead and brass flying at those sessions that I got a bad burn from a hot case that was spat down my shirt neck by the next door shooter's mini 14. Really stung that did.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Evilv

[Harnser]

Ok everybody ,the reason that i posted this thread was because i was genuinly interested in why you would want to put an ugly piece of metal on a loverly looking rifle . Having never used a moderated centre fire until very resently whilst helping my friend to zero in his rifles . I thought a moderator was for deadning sound ,as in moderated .22 rim fire ,and i am sorry but the moderated centre fire rifle (in my opinion ) dos not reduce the noise level enough to be of any real use . As for putting on a stalking rifle (again in my opinion ) a total waist of time and money .

I am sorry that people thought that my views were bombastic or that i was trying to rubbish moderating a centre fire rifle . I do have many years experiance in shooting deer and have decided that to moderate a light weight stalking rifle would not be off any advantage at all to me . In fact it would hinder me having to carry the extra weight around and it would of course cost me money . I apologise if my views have caused anybody any upset . Harnser .

[Evilv]

I apologise if my views have caused anybody any upset . Harnser .

 

You only said what you thought. I wouldn't apologise for that. You are always polite and constructive. People have different views and they are entiltled to them. You don't rate moderated centre fire and some people do. That's fine both ways. In the end, 98% of what is on this forum is just people's opinions. A guy with fifty years of varied experience has opinions that are worth hearing about, I'd say.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Evilv

[Evilv]

So the two people who agree, both admit they have little or no experience of moderated centrfire rifles.

 

strange?

 

Quite a few people agree on both sides of the argument.

 

I was quite impressed by the comment that moderated centre fire when heard from the butts on the range sounds pretty much like un-moderated centre fire. I was also impressed by the point that one shooter said it allowed him to shoot in the early hours without causing too much grief in the neighbourhood. Any edge taken off the sound would be a great asset in that circumstance I can see. Target marking on a full bore range is noisy work even when you can't hear the muzzle report at all. I've done it plenty and the crack of the bullets is loud. Certainly any quarry species in the vicinity of a shot will hear that and be spooked if it wasn't shot itself.

[highseas]

well i feel i will chuck a spanner in the works my .223 can hold the same zero with or with out the mod on it if i go slalking with a client useing my rifle i will ask do they want it on when i go fox slaying i will have it on and when i go stalking on my own i some times have it on the first deer i shot at with the new rifle i had the mod on and i missed it and it looked the other way to where i was shooting from now i dont belive that with no mod i would have got a second shot at it i have takedn out 3-4 foxes with the mod on one after the other and not one moved or sussed the job out untill it was their turn i have shot hares up to 350yrds away with the mod on and i dont think i could have got them with out it (better groups and if i miss i can see where) and on a rifle althou reacoil doesent seem to bother ou you will get a flinch cousing you to shoot low when shooting free hand and what price do you put on your hearing £300 dont sound bad to me

just my 2p worth

[Mungler]

The numbers being quoted are pure fantasy. My Tikka .243 with Mod and S&B 8x65 IR cost £900 delivered to an RFD (second hand).

 

My .223 came screwcut out of the factory and the T8 was £150 new.

 

As above, I don't use them to sneak around and shoot multiple targets "whisper quietly" I do it so as to not **** the neighbours off on the farm.

 

A slightly bizarrrrro thread with no particular place to go

Edited August 30, 2008 by Mungler

[happyhunt]

what ??, the only thing a moderater does is soak up some recoil & muffles the blast, you still get the supersonic crack because its traveling faster than sound and it should not affect accuracy ,if the rifle is zerod with it on ,then shoot with it on all the time. anything you are shooting at is usally dead before it hears anything, it only looks up / round if you have missed, with or without a moderator.

[highseas]

what ??, the only thing a moderater does is soak up some recoil & muffles the blast, you still get the supersonic crack because its traveling faster than sound and it should not affect accuracy ,if the rifle is zerod with it on ,then shoot with it on all the time. anything you are shooting at is usally dead before it hears anything, it only looks up / round if you have missed, with or without a moderator.

the first bit is right but yes they can and do help accracy and if i can shoot with it on or off as a please then i will its helpfull for if the client doesant want it on or i have a long stalk ahead of me and yes something will look up or around if you miss it theirs a bloody great lump of lead wizzed passed it and rooted in to the ground that would put the ***** up me so yes it will ime saying that you have a better chance of a second shot with a mod

[happyhunt]

good shots usally only need one shot ha. ha

[tulkyuk]

good shots usally only need one shot ha. ha

 

 

The guy who says he never misses a shot, is a guy who has never shot or a bloody liar

[grasshopper]

good shots usally only need one shot ha. ha

 

 

The guy who says he never misses a shot, is a guy who has never shot or a bloody liar

 

 

You should know :yp: :yp:

[tulkyuk]

You should know :yp:

thats why i'm up so late - had to go out and shoot that bloody fox you missed the other week

[gdunc]

good shots usally only need one shot ha. ha

 

If you're stalking hinds on the hill they can be in herds where you may get the chance to have several shots - in this instance I believe a mod to be very useful.

I have shot with and without mods - without is positively deafening sans hearing protection and even with it is very noticeable.

When stalking with a moderated rifle you don't need hearing protection at all which allows you to use your full hearing range to detect movement in the trees etc.

 

I'm very much pro moderators!

[gixer1]

I don't actually have a moderator yet (due to a 1/28 unef odd thread!) but i still highly recommend them, I have fired numerous rounds through both my friends Tikka with T8 mod and my local keepers manlicher with T8 and the difference between them and my weatherby is night and day, at night i can actually keep looking through the scope on the moderated rifles but with my rifle i get a dazzling flash which takes fractionaly longer to get your eyes adjusted too and this can make a big difference!

 

Also the health aspect is a no brainer! a few people have said "i don't hear much of a difference" ....thats because you are going deaf

 

just a few decebils can make all the difference between good hearing and poor hearing over the years.

 

I would also agree it improves groupings as i think it reduces the impact both acousticaly and recoils wise the person pulling the trigger feels, i know there are people saying "it doesn't effect me" we the majority of us on here aren't worried about recoil from a gun but the more you can reduce it the easier it is to prevent yourself from subconsciously reacting to the effects firing a rifle has so you can worry more about the target.

 

do a poll with moderators yes? or no? i would think they are becoming very popular and for good reason.

 

Regards,

 

Garry.

[cleaner4hire]

most centrefire mods claim to reduce noise by about 30dB(A). When you consider that 3 dB is an effective doubling of the noise level you begin to see how much they actually help.

 

its been said already - my hearing is more important than how my rifle looks!! and even if your a bit deaf now continued exposure to noise will only make it worse.