I’d previously written a very favorable review on the ThunderBeast 30ba, and decided that I wanted to put the 338ba through the paces.
The Rifle: Sako TRG-42 338 Lapua Magnum. It’s been called the “Holy grail of Sniper Rifles” and is arguably the most accurate sniper rifle in the world. Many will argue that it is inferior to the AIAW, but in my experience and from AIAW owners that I have talked to, I believe that the TRG is every bit as good if not better than the AIAW; and that doesn’t even factor in the point of diminished returns. I won’t feed this debate any further, and for the point of this review let’s just say that it’s one heck of a rifle and that it’s accuracy will be dependent on me and not it’s quality.
The Suppressor: If you don’t know about this can or the company, all you need to know is here- http://thunderbeastarms.com/products/338ba I’ve owned this suppressor for about 3 months and have shot with it 5 times.
The Food: Lapua brass, 250 SMK, and Retumbo, CCI primers
The Day: 11/10/12, Central Texas, 1530, 80 degrees, Sunny with a very slight overcast, wind was gusting from 5-15 and was primarily a head wind and very slightly to my right.
There are three things (in my estimation) that are imperative from a suppressor. In order of importance they are: #1 repeatability in POI, #2 accuracy, and #3 sound suppression.
The TB 338ba delivers on all three.
#1: As you can see from the pic of my groups, I hit exactly where I wanted the first time and every time with the exception of one flier (which I will attribute to my misjudgment that the wind had died down and was going to stay down for the shot). So I conclude that there is no shift in POI, or none evident.
#2: The accuracy speaks for itself and is obviously not adversely affected; if anything it improves upon the accuracy of the rifle. Ask anyone who’s shot this round and they’ll confirm that it’s a beast. Being able to tame it to get groups like this takes practice (and a lot of research on SH).
#3: Sound suppression: after shooting my first group the range boss came over and asked about my rifle/can and was very enthusiastic about it. He actually called a cease fire for the entire range just to hear this suppressor at work. He said, “I would have sworn that you had some kind of .22 conversion that you were shooting, that thing is amazing”. This suppressor is incredibly efficient in sound suppression.
Conclusion: I consider the money invested in this suppressor to be money very well spent. I don’t think that you’ll find a better one on the market.
Thanks: To the guys at TB for making the can, Silencershop for the great deal, and SH for all of the help and info.
These were all 5 shot groups with the exception of the upper left which I abandoned after the flier.
The Rifle: Sako TRG-42 338 Lapua Magnum. It’s been called the “Holy grail of Sniper Rifles” and is arguably the most accurate sniper rifle in the world. Many will argue that it is inferior to the AIAW, but in my experience and from AIAW owners that I have talked to, I believe that the TRG is every bit as good if not better than the AIAW; and that doesn’t even factor in the point of diminished returns. I won’t feed this debate any further, and for the point of this review let’s just say that it’s one heck of a rifle and that it’s accuracy will be dependent on me and not it’s quality.
The Suppressor: If you don’t know about this can or the company, all you need to know is here- http://thunderbeastarms.com/products/338ba I’ve owned this suppressor for about 3 months and have shot with it 5 times.
The Food: Lapua brass, 250 SMK, and Retumbo, CCI primers
The Day: 11/10/12, Central Texas, 1530, 80 degrees, Sunny with a very slight overcast, wind was gusting from 5-15 and was primarily a head wind and very slightly to my right.
There are three things (in my estimation) that are imperative from a suppressor. In order of importance they are: #1 repeatability in POI, #2 accuracy, and #3 sound suppression.
The TB 338ba delivers on all three.
#1: As you can see from the pic of my groups, I hit exactly where I wanted the first time and every time with the exception of one flier (which I will attribute to my misjudgment that the wind had died down and was going to stay down for the shot). So I conclude that there is no shift in POI, or none evident.
#2: The accuracy speaks for itself and is obviously not adversely affected; if anything it improves upon the accuracy of the rifle. Ask anyone who’s shot this round and they’ll confirm that it’s a beast. Being able to tame it to get groups like this takes practice (and a lot of research on SH).
#3: Sound suppression: after shooting my first group the range boss came over and asked about my rifle/can and was very enthusiastic about it. He actually called a cease fire for the entire range just to hear this suppressor at work. He said, “I would have sworn that you had some kind of .22 conversion that you were shooting, that thing is amazing”. This suppressor is incredibly efficient in sound suppression.
Conclusion: I consider the money invested in this suppressor to be money very well spent. I don’t think that you’ll find a better one on the market.
Thanks: To the guys at TB for making the can, Silencershop for the great deal, and SH for all of the help and info.
These were all 5 shot groups with the exception of the upper left which I abandoned after the flier.
