Silencers are often a Hollywood staple for spy thrillers or military action movies, but in real life their benefits for practice and hearing protection make them valuable tools for us shooting enthusiasts who are not James Bond.
Big Horn Trading is the only Class III Firearms dealer around Sheridan authorized to sell silencers. We’ve put together the following notes on the practical benefits of silencers, and we hope you find this information interesting. We encourage you to browse our selection of silencers online, or contact us with any questions you might have.
Training Aid: Focusing On Fundamentals
In addition to reducing noise, silencers also cut down on recoil. With less distraction from noise and recoil, practice can more easily focus on shooting fundamentals like sight alignment, sight picture, proper trigger pull, and more. For less experienced shooters, noise and recoil often contribute to anticipating the shot – flinching, closing one’s eyes, losing sight alignment, etc. – which invariably affects both accuracy and the shooter’s focus on building those fundamental skills. Although more experienced shooters have stronger fundamentals, repeated recoil from higher-powered firearms during an extended practice can detract from fundamentals as the practice goes on.
Regardless of experience level, using a silencer during practice will help maintain your focus on those skills that are ultimately what put a round on target every time, making these a valuable training aid for the marksman truly interested in developing his or her skills.
Safety: Protect Your Hearing
Although more accurately referred to as sound suppressors since they do not fully silence a gunshot, silencers first and foremost reduce the noise from discharging a firearm. Beyond the advantages described above for training purposes, noise reduction provides a marked safety advantage in protecting the hearing of the shooter.
A silencer can reduce the noise level of a shotgun or larger caliber rifles and handguns to the equivalent of a standard .22-caliber shot. Coupled with proper hearing protection equipment, this makes a significant difference in preserving the hearing of people who spend a lot of time on the shooting range.
Hear for yourself as SilencerCo demonstrates the volume of an unsuppressed shotgun vs. one fitted with a SilencerCo product:
Courtesy: Minding Fellow Hunters Or Neighbors
The significant reduction in noise also means that silencers extend courtesy to fellow hunters or even neighbors. Particularly if hunting in a group, using a silencer lowers the chance that your shot will spook other animals – increasing the opportunity for your friends and fellow hunters to harvest an animal of their own. For residents who live outside of town limits and are permitted to shoot on their property, using a silencer becomes a much-appreciated matter of courtesy for your neighbors and everyone on those middle-of-the-night spotlighting adventures.
Interchangeability: Maximizing Your Investment
Because threaded silencers can be easily changed from one firearm to another, their advantages are multiplied across however many firearms you may have within the appropriate caliber.
Purchasing: Knowing Where And How To Buy
Possession and use of silencers is entirely legal in the state of Wyoming. However, because they tend to be highly regulated, they must be purchased through a registered Class III Firearms Dealer. Not only is Big Horn Trading a Class III dealer (and the only one within roughly 100 miles), but John’s experience as a marksman and firearms instructor means our customers get first-hand knowledge to assist with selecting and ordering the right silencer for their needs.
You can browse and order through our online selection of silencers, or contact us today with any questions you might have. If you haven’t yet been to our store, we encourage you to stop by. Between our silencers, firearms, high-capacity water filtration, long-term food storage, knives, books and survival manuals and our pawn shop, you’re bound to find something that triggers your interest.