Hunt with silencer/suppressor
02-05-2008, 07:30 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 126
Hunt with silencer/suppressor
Does anyone hunt whitetails with a silencer/suppressor? (WI regs' don't say whether they are legal for hunting or not. They are legalto own in WI with a $200 tax fee.)
If so,
What caliber do you use and on what model gun?
How is your accuracy with the can vs. without?
How different is your POI between having it on and taking it off.
(If it is legal in WI, I may think about getting one for my 7mm-08 Encore pistol.)
Thanks for any experience you can share.
J
If so,
What caliber do you use and on what model gun?
How is your accuracy with the can vs. without?
How different is your POI between having it on and taking it off.
(If it is legal in WI, I may think about getting one for my 7mm-08 Encore pistol.)
Thanks for any experience you can share.
J
02-06-2008, 02:01 AM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Hunt with silencer/suppressor
You can legally own them in most states if you want to go through the hassle of getting one and then plunk down the money for the permit and then more money for the device.
I highly doubt it would be legal to hunt big game with though. Maybe varmint or predators at night. I would not go by what the regs say, I would call around and verify that is indeed legal to hunt with.
I'm not sure if you need a class three license for a silencer or not, but I know its close as far as paper work and price goes.
And a silencer on a centerfire will not be truly quiet. It will take some of the sound of it, and make it harder to locate the direction the sound came from but it can't make it totally quiet because of the sonic crack the bullet makes.
From what I understand some reduce recoil as well.
Paul
I highly doubt it would be legal to hunt big game with though. Maybe varmint or predators at night. I would not go by what the regs say, I would call around and verify that is indeed legal to hunt with.
I'm not sure if you need a class three license for a silencer or not, but I know its close as far as paper work and price goes.
And a silencer on a centerfire will not be truly quiet. It will take some of the sound of it, and make it harder to locate the direction the sound came from but it can't make it totally quiet because of the sonic crack the bullet makes.
From what I understand some reduce recoil as well.
Paul
02-06-2008, 09:26 AM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Montrose, MI
Posts: 713
RE: Hunt with silencer/suppressor
Lot of work to get one. Lots of cash too. $200 for tranfer fee, Cheapest rifle silencer I found was $650, plus having your barrel threaded, thats a lot of cash to make your rifle go "pop" instead of "boom".
Legalities Of Silencer Ownership
Contrary to popular belief, silencers are and always have been legal to own under federal law. There are, however, 16 states, plus the District of Columbia that prohibit the civilian ownership of silencers. At this time, the following statesallowprivate ownership of silencers: AL, AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WY. Of the fifteen states that do not allow civilian ownership, CA, IA, KS, MA, MO, and MI allow Class 3 dealers and Class two manufacturers to possess silencers.
Silencers, like machine-guns, are proscribed under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, and are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The procedure for owning a silencer may seem daunting at first, but actually requires less paperwork than buying an automobile.
To legally purchase a silencer or any item falling under the purview of the NFA, you must be at least 21 years of age, a resident of the United States, and have no felony record. The first step is to locate a Class 3 dealer in your state who either has or will order the item you are interested in. Once a product and price have been settled on, the Class 3 dealer will provide the prospective purchaser with duplicate ATF Form 4's and two sets of fingerprint cards. The Form 4's must be filled out on both sides, with passport photos of the prospective buyer affixed to the backside of the form. The buyer then has the Chief Law-Enforcement officer* sign the rear of the Form 4's attesting the prospective purchaser does not possess a criminal record and is not wanted. The two fingerprint cards must be completed and signed by a Law Enforcement agency. The completed paperwork is then sent to the Department of the Treasury with a check or money order for $200.00. The $200.00 is known as a "transfer tax" because as it must be paid whenever ownership of the silencer is "transferred" (in this case, the dealer to the prospective purchaser). As long as ownership remains with the same person, the tax need not be paid again. Only if the owner sells it will a new transfer tax need to be paid. An owner may will his silencer to a lawful heir with no tax incurred.
Once the paper work is submitted, it normally takes 60 to 120 days to receive the approved, stamped paperwork from NFA Branch. It is only upon the return of the approved paperwork that the dealer can allow the prospective purchaser to take possession of their new silencer. A copy of the approved paperwork must accompany the silencer at all times (the original should be stored in a safe deposit box). Silencers can be transported to other states that allow their ownership, but to transport a silencer into one of the sixteen states which prohibit private ownership can subject the owner to serious state felony charges.
*The following is a list of typically encountered Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEO):
[*]Sheriff[*]Chief of Police[*]Head of State Police Agency[*]District Attorney[*]A judge with the power of arrest[*]Any other law enforcement officer approved for this procedure by the National Firearms Act branch of the BATF. [/ul]
Legalities Of Silencer Ownership
Contrary to popular belief, silencers are and always have been legal to own under federal law. There are, however, 16 states, plus the District of Columbia that prohibit the civilian ownership of silencers. At this time, the following statesallowprivate ownership of silencers: AL, AR, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WY. Of the fifteen states that do not allow civilian ownership, CA, IA, KS, MA, MO, and MI allow Class 3 dealers and Class two manufacturers to possess silencers.
Silencers, like machine-guns, are proscribed under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, and are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The procedure for owning a silencer may seem daunting at first, but actually requires less paperwork than buying an automobile.
To legally purchase a silencer or any item falling under the purview of the NFA, you must be at least 21 years of age, a resident of the United States, and have no felony record. The first step is to locate a Class 3 dealer in your state who either has or will order the item you are interested in. Once a product and price have been settled on, the Class 3 dealer will provide the prospective purchaser with duplicate ATF Form 4's and two sets of fingerprint cards. The Form 4's must be filled out on both sides, with passport photos of the prospective buyer affixed to the backside of the form. The buyer then has the Chief Law-Enforcement officer* sign the rear of the Form 4's attesting the prospective purchaser does not possess a criminal record and is not wanted. The two fingerprint cards must be completed and signed by a Law Enforcement agency. The completed paperwork is then sent to the Department of the Treasury with a check or money order for $200.00. The $200.00 is known as a "transfer tax" because as it must be paid whenever ownership of the silencer is "transferred" (in this case, the dealer to the prospective purchaser). As long as ownership remains with the same person, the tax need not be paid again. Only if the owner sells it will a new transfer tax need to be paid. An owner may will his silencer to a lawful heir with no tax incurred.
Once the paper work is submitted, it normally takes 60 to 120 days to receive the approved, stamped paperwork from NFA Branch. It is only upon the return of the approved paperwork that the dealer can allow the prospective purchaser to take possession of their new silencer. A copy of the approved paperwork must accompany the silencer at all times (the original should be stored in a safe deposit box). Silencers can be transported to other states that allow their ownership, but to transport a silencer into one of the sixteen states which prohibit private ownership can subject the owner to serious state felony charges.
*The following is a list of typically encountered Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEO):
[*]Sheriff[*]Chief of Police[*]Head of State Police Agency[*]District Attorney[*]A judge with the power of arrest[*]Any other law enforcement officer approved for this procedure by the National Firearms Act branch of the BATF. [/ul]
02-06-2008, 11:17 AM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Texas and Arkansas
Posts: 1,496
RE: Hunt with silencer/suppressor
In Arkansas where I hunt, I'm pretty sure there is a specific ban on using silencer/suppressors and automatic weapons to hunt.
My BIL use to be a Class III dealer, and could buy and sell automatic weapons and silencers to law enforcement and private owners that could pass the BATF background check and pay the transfer fee. We had a lot of fun shooting M-10 Ingrams w/suppressors when I was a teen ager.All you could hear was the bolt coming back and the bullets impacting down range. Good times.
My BIL use to be a Class III dealer, and could buy and sell automatic weapons and silencers to law enforcement and private owners that could pass the BATF background check and pay the transfer fee. We had a lot of fun shooting M-10 Ingrams w/suppressors when I was a teen ager.All you could hear was the bolt coming back and the bullets impacting down range. Good times.
02-07-2008, 12:42 PM
#9
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Crab Orchard, WV
Posts: 823
RE: Hunt with silencer/suppressor
there is no reason to put one on a center fire rifle. number 1...the crack you here is the bullet breaking the speed of sound. nothing made currently could stop that from happening. 2...an animal is not going to jump out of the way of a bullet anyway. the bullet gets there before the sound, think of lightning. you see it then you here it. same idea. but you could reduce the sound on a .22 cal that is under the speed of sound. but why would you? in wv you can own them. but too pricy for me to full with.
