Thursday, March 29, 2012

Texas legalizes hunting game animals... with suppressors

Omigosh, omigosh, I'm so excited.  This will be so cool.  <----- Clicky, Clicky.
Today, after hearing your support for this NRA-backed common sense hunting reform, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to legalize suppressor use while hunting.
I'm so excited.  Now, the thing is that suppressors are legal in Texas and hunting "non-game" animals with them has not been illegal.  Game animals are defined specifically in the law and include Whitetail Deer and Turkey, but not wild pigs or exotics.  Yes, they are technically game, but in the legal sense exotics are classified as livestock since they are non-indigenous and pigs are just a freaking invasive, destructive mess.  Why this is so cool is that you generally don't want to be hunting for something like Axis Deer with a suppressor during Whitetail hunting season.  Is it legal?  Sure.  Would you have to explain to Mr. Game Warden that you really were just hunting Axis (I swear, officer).  Probably.  It's just a dumb hassle.  Now, no worries.  It will also make the hunting much more pleasant for everyone involved and make taking younger kids hunting a lot more enjoyable.  Anyways, I'm excited, but a little nervous.

I'm excited because I'm going to do this in the near future.  I'm nervous because now I need to figure out how to get authorization to buy a suppressor for my next new gun.  I had plans and was working towards getting an AR chambered in .308 that I was going to use for a standard caliber hunting rifle.  Now, I need to set up a trust and figure out how to fit a rifle-grade suppressor into the budget...   $$$$



12 comments:

  1. They don't help with hogs... trust me... and unless you're shooting sub-sonic rounds, the crack of the round is STILL gonna set everything to running!

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    1. You're right, NFO. I have fired rifle suppressors with super-sonic rounds and no animal is going to stick around for that if they're smart. However, saying that I've been able to get two or three down in a single sitting with a severely loud braked rifle. I'm hoping to be able to do the same thing without being punished for it in the blind. We also live in an area that has property, but also quite a few people and I'll be able to practice my low-light shooting and still be considerate of them. Also, pig and Axis hunting at night will be much more likely and still be a considerate neighbor.

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  2. If you haven't already researched it - the FATF (F-ing ATF as opposed to BATF) is running abt 6 months from receipt of suppressor paperwork to approval (I submitted my paperwork at the beginning of March and am praying for approval by next November). If you are looking to make this happen for next hunting season you timeline is evaporating faster then our faith in the government. Good luck.

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    1. Numb, I don't think it's on the schedule or budget by this hunting season. I still have to get the .308 I want to put it on and right now that's actually quite a feat with the same run on firearms we had before the last election. If I had the money and trust in place right now, I'd barely get it in time for November. I'm hoping I can at least get my DPMS by that time. Thanks.

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    2. I hear you on that. I got the paperwork started on the suppressor before I have the .308 that I want to put it on. I am waiting for my local gun runner to find me a Ruger Scout Rifle. Ruger is not producing these in enough volume to supply the needs right now. I must make myself be patient for the ATF and Ruger....sigh......(patience is not one of my virtues).

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    3. Hmmm, I have a friend that got the Ruger Scout (just before Gunsite put out their model) and it is a pretty sweet set up. I have a feeling if I end up with a can he may get the barrel threaded for when we are hunting together. :) If you end up getting the regular Ruger Scout Frontier, I've seen a supposedly easy modification using an M1A/M 14 magazine that looks pretty cool.

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  3. I don't know anything about hunting or suppressors, but if your excited, I'm excited!!!

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    1. Agirl, if you ever want to know about hunting, I'll be glad to help. As far as suppressors I have a little bit of experience shooting them, but this will be my first one. I can tell you that there are a lot of factors that go into making the firing of a round really a quiet affair. Most super-sonic rounds are still going to crack quite loudly, but the muzzle blast is reduced significantly in both noise and concussion. I live in an area where people live within a mile or so of where we hunt and shoot and it will just be nice to shoot whenever we want (such as hunting at night for pigs) without bothering them. Also, hunting with more sensitive ears in the blind, this can make it much more enjoyable, especially with concussion reduction. For a .308 with a suppressor and super-sonic ammo, I would probably still use hearing protection for the kids which would make the noise almost a non-event. Weer'd has some videos on his website that do a good job of explaining suppressors, kind of how they work, and have some really neat comparison of using sub-sonic vs supersonic ammunition. I probably wouldn't seek out sub-sonic ammo for the .308 except for rare use. That stuff can be costly unless you reload it yourself.

      Here is a video of a comparison between suppressed super and sub-sonic ammunition. The bullet not breaking the sound barrier (and reduced powder load) makes all the difference in the world.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taL7Vmip39s

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  4. Replies
    1. I know, Flier. Pipe dreams for now, but I plan on slowly and steadily winning the race.

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  5. Reading all your comments. Have owned diff suppressed guns for years. Recently threaded a custom rifle to accept a Gemtech suppressor. My .308 w subsonic ammo sounds like a .22 short.

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    1. I can't wait to get there, Anon. It is in the plans. Thanks for stopping by.

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