CO L UMN
•••
How do I make my
HUNTING RIFLE MORE ACCURATE?
I RECEIVE MANY QUES
TIONS ABOUT THE USE
OF A SILENCER. WILL IT
REALLY SILENCE THE RI
FLE? DOES IT LESSEN THE
RECOIL?
PART 8
JACO KRUGER
L
et’s have a look at silencers.
Most shots of my generation (the wrong side of forty), are
not comfortable with silencers.
Firstly they don’t really know it
and secondly, they did not grow
up with silencers. We still believe
that a hunting rifle should have a
wooden butt and not a synthetic
butt.
But let me reassure you - silen
cers really work. Making the
change will be worth your while
- even if it is unpleasant to have
the barrel of your favourite rifle
threaded.
The first fact about a silencer
is that it does not sound the same
as in the movies - particularly not
in James Bond movies. A good
silencer will muffle the sound by
20 - 25 decibels. It will also lessen
the recoil. The recoil of larger calibres, such as the 300 Win Mag,
will be much easier to handle.
Silencers do not affect the accuracy of the fire-arm. However,
most hunters shoot better as a
result of the lessened recoil of the
rifle.
I experimented with my 308.
Chris Hendrik, the 13-year old
son of a good friend is, like myself, crazy about shooting.
He shot at the springbok target from 300 metres with a 308,
without a silencer. One of the
three shots fired was a bull’s-eye
and the other two ... well, we
would have had to look hard to
find the deer.
Then he tried shooting with a
silencer.
Three out of three shots were
bull’s-eyes. Not as a result of the
muffled sound, but due to the
lessened recoil.
So, there is room for silencers
at the shooting range and on the
hunting ground.
Make sure that you get the
right silencer. Silencers come in
steel and aluminium. Weight
plays an important role - find
what is best for you. Avoid the
guy at the braai trying to convince you that it won’t be too
difficult to make a silencer.
Believe me, a lot of work and
technology goes into a good
silencer. The most important
aspect is how to attach it to
the barrel. This determines the
success of the silencer. 90% of
cases where shots lost their confidence in silencers was due to
the fact that the silencer was not
perfectly attached to the barrel.
The threading of the barrel is of
utmost importance. Remember, a
silencer is actually an extension of
the barrel.
Find a good gunsmith to
thread the barrel of your rifle this will determine whether the
silencer will work or not.
To conclude - if you have not
tried a silencer, do so. You will be
pleasantly surprised and yes, you
will get used to the different look
of your hunting rifle. And you
will shoot a lot better.
Hinterland Firearms sell an excellent range of silencers - contact
them for more information.
Hunting greetings, and as the
man in Potch says, don’t shake so
much that you miss the target.
Jaco Kruger obtained his national
colours in Benchrest shooting and represented his county on numerous occasions. He is also an active SA Hunter
member.
SENWES Scenario • Apr/Mei 2016
41