Thunderbeast Ultra 5

[okiecat]

[grayfox]

they all suppress but not to a level low enough to be "hearing safe." look at the tbac site you'll see the specs.
you never get back the conductive hearing loss you lose. never.

[okiecat]

[Bigs28]

Lrrp uses the ultra 5 on his short barrels and speaks highly of it. I use the ultra 7 like you. I personally wouldn't want anything less then the 7 but i have not heard the 5 to compare.

[Klem]

Okie,

No suppressed high-power centrefire is 'hearing safe'.

This comes up from time to time on the Forum. The temptation after investing so much money and paperwork is to think suppressors do more than they can (pun intended ). High-power centrefires are in the order of 170db and suppressors can shave up to about 30db off the top, leaving 140db at the firing point. Suppressors cannot influence the supersonic crack of the bullet as it heads down range so there is that to consider also.

Bottom line, occupational, health and safety 'hearing safe' in workplaces is around 80-85db, above which you need protection. Ultra 5 or 7 will not make a difference to hearing safe, and no high-power/centrefire suppressor will. What's left of your hearing will be compromised if you use either without muffs.

In the military we used 'double ears' with suppressors. Plugs and muffs - religiously, both indoors and outside. Helmets also help with sound able to transfer through the bones of the skull to the inner ear.

[okiecat]

So I could accomplish the same end with a good compensator and a good set of electronic muffs and save a $1000. I shoot alone 95% of the time so not going to bother anybody else. Ill just use my can on subsonic 300BLK and 22lr.

[biodsl]

I'm right behind you Okie. We need suppressors to protect what little hearing we have left!

[Klem]

So I could accomplish the same end with a good compensator and a good set of electronic muffs and save a $1000. I shoot alone 95% of the time so not going to bother anybody else. Ill just use my can on subsonic 300BLK and 22lr.

Yes, you get more hearing protection from a good set of muffs, and/or plugs, than a suppressor by itself. Suppressor owners who use them without ear protection are wishful thinkers.

Whether you need electronic muffs when on your own is down to whether you want to hear anything else at the time, like wildlife when hunting. Otherwise you can save more $$$ by just using old-school non electronic muffs, and enjoy the silence. I carry both types in my bag and when by myself just use a big set of clunky old-school muffs with extra cotton wool shoved inside. Bilsolm used to stuff their Vikings with proprietary sound absorption material to 'up' the rating until people started to complain it was like fibreglass and made their ears itch. Probably was fibreglass. Cotton wool works too. There are muffs and muffs - Some muffs are only 20db rated, but the larger ones will be closer to 30db.

If you want to think of it as a zero sum game; either one or the other, then definitely go with the muffs and plugs. I prefer to think of suppressors as complementing hearing protection however. Reducing sound at the source (the gun) complements the muffs and plugs you wear at the same time. I use all three when I can, but never suppressors on their own, unless it is a .22LR.

If you have a 30cal Blackout suppressor that fits the threads on your .22LR then why not give it a go for giggles. A bit big for a .22 and there will be more clearance around the bullet but it will diminish sound for sure. The suppressed 22LR will definitely be closer to hearing safe. If you've ever shot a 22LR with subsonic ammo with a suppressor then that is more like Hollywood.

As for projecting the blast back to the firer by using a brake and then expecting your ear muffs to cope. Good quality muffs will, even better when used with plugs.

[Bigs28]

22lr is very dirty. Many 22lr suppressors are easily taken apart for cleaning by the owner. If you don't have a way to clean your suppressor then i wouldn't put it on your 22lr.

[okiecat]

[Fess]

Although a little off topic, I know that traditionally 22lr has left enough residue in suppressors to be an issue, but is any of the current ammo designed to be cleaner? This would make using a single suppressor more appealing. ( I am not a .22lr guy, so I don't keep track of that ammo. I have air rifles for small holes. The caveman part of me wants bigger holes from a bigger boom!)

[Happy2Shoot]

Copper plated will be slightly cleaner because they aren't covered in wax. It may also help with the lead, but I'm just guessing on that.

[LRRPF52]

Lrrp uses the ultra 5 on his short barrels and speaks highly of it. I use the ultra 7 like you. I personally wouldn't want anything less then the 7 but i have not heard the 5 to compare.

[LRRPF52]

[BluntForceTrauma]

My next can is gonna be titanium for my lightweight, light-use can. It'll be direct-threaded and swapped on a variety of weapons.

Got a Dead Air Sandman-S on order for my heavy hard-use.

Always wanted a Thunderbeast cuz I like their decibel ratings and their HONESTY about their decibel ratings. I would, however, like to see TB alter their muzzle device design to mimic DA's, so that there is a coned mating surface preceeding the threads to prevent carbon lock.

Anyway, I'm going back and forth whether to stay in the DA universe and get a DA Nomad-Ti in titanium, or the TB.

The DA Nomad-Ti is bare, uncoated titanium, so I'd probably want it Cerakoted, and it's nice that the TB is already Cerakoted.

Decisions....