Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Suppressed hunting rifles ?

In my experience the extra length of a suppressor most definitely interferes with handling. I highly recommend shortening a bolt action rifle barrel to 16-18" if it will be run suppressed, as doing so will keep similar OAL to a "standard" hunting rifle. The balance point will still be pushed out further forward, helping with off-hand shooting, but not so far as to make the rifle unwieldy if a decently heavy scope and mount are used.

What makes for a really nicely balanced and not overly heavy suppressed bolt action hunting rifle is to start light - something like a Barrett Fieldcraft or Kimber Montana or Adirondack. Cut/thread the barrel, or buy one of the 18" Barretts or an Adirondack. Mount a 6-7", 12-14 ounce can. Then use a scope such as an SWFA 3-9, Nightforce SHV 3-10, or similar in good mounts - those scopes weigh 19-21 ounces, brings the balance point back a tad, and most importantly won't need to go back to the factory every couple years due to zero loss or tracking issues. This combination makes for a quiet to shoot, light recoil rifle, which also has a scope setup that will maintain zero. All of this in a rifle with an all-up weight between 7-8 lbs, and an OAL similar to many other 22-24" bolt action rifles.

Cartridge selection for an suppressed hunting rifle (or SHR) should be based on intended game, range of shots, and logistics (just like cartridge choice for any other rifle), but one should keep in mind a velocity range with bullets of interest and choose a cartridge that will match those speeds with a shortened barrel. For instance, a short barreled 30-06 is likely to turn in velocities at or slightly below those of normal factory ammo in a standard length barreled 308. Just something to keep in mind when building an SHR.