Suppressors Thinking ahead for future 300WM vs. 338LM or .260 Rem

[Ultraman550]

I know, three totally different animals. I'm torn between the two suppressors. My good friend owns the gun store I will buy them from and is giving me a ridiculous deal on both cans. I'm actually paying what they pay, pretty awesome.

Suppressors:

1. AAC Cyclone - 7.62 Nato, 300 whisper (6.5 creed, 260 Rem, 7-08 will work as well)

or the

2. TBAC 30P-1 - 7.62 Nato up to 300 WM (6.5 creed, 260 Rem, 7-08 will work as well)

Reasons:

1. I want a screw on as I already have a 7.62 SDN-6 and I am looking for better accuracy
2. I'm leaning towards the Thunder Beast because it is rated for 300 magnum where the AAC is not so at least I will have the option.
3. In your guys opinion, since the max distance I will ever probably shoot is 1200 yards (maybe if I get good enough I would love to attend a training class and hit, 1300-1400+) the .260 Remington will be just fine out to 1200. Inside of that the .338LM is a waste of its potential as is the 300WM (maybe I'm wrong about this)
4. I also know there is a huge price difference between shooting the .260 and rounds like the 300 and 338 plus the recoil on the last two are insane.

For you guys who hit 1000+ and have started out with a .308 then progressed to a 260 or 6.5 creed or even a 7-08 to get out past 1000 yards, was your initial thoughts about building a bigger gun "why not just skip the 300 and go right to 338 since I'm shooting ELR".

Both suppressors are great as I have read but the Cyclone is Heavier. This doesn't matter on one hand because I'm not toting it around but I also want a lighter suppressor for accuracy.

 

[ridenrunwv]

You need to make sure to make up your mind that you're not going to really get the urge for a 338 because that will require a different suppressor.

 

[Ultraman550]

I know, that's why I am iffy about the extra cost for the TBAC that is rated for Magnum. If I never get a 300WM then I will save about $200 getting the AAC and have that $200 to use for something else along the way. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a virgin to hitting 1000 yards but in the future I will want to step it up a notch and will probably think why get the 300WM when I should just buy the 338LM.

 

[ridenrunwv]

200 dollars isn't very much money considering the wait time for getting the suppressor and the fact that you have to pay that much just for the tax stamp. If you get the Cyclops and get a really good deal on a 300 WM or 7mm mag or something you can't just go out and upgrade to the magnum rated Thunder Beast can without a long wait.

I'm in the same situation where I want a Thunder Beast really bad and don't shoot any at high rates of fire but if I were to get into 3 gun type shooting in the next little bit I can't just buy a new can to handle the high rates of fire. I'm between the SWR Specwar and Thunder Beast 30BA. I'll likely do 30BA because I've read Thunder Beast is releasing a 30 can for high rates of fire that uses same BA brake.

Good luck with your choice. I understand how stressful deciding is.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

I don't mean to jump the thread, but are the thread on thunderbeasts not capable of taking rapid rates of fire? Not full auto, but heavy bolt gun cycles?

 

[Ultraman550]

I think they are. All in all I think the TBAC is a more robust suppressor.

 

[ridenrunwv]

I was under the impression that a lighter weight titanium suppressor gets hot much faster.

 

[1slow01z71]

The ti cans do get hot quick but youd be hard pressed to shoot fast enough with a bolt gun at long distance to overheat it.

Get the thunderbeast, no question. Your main decision is will you go 338 later? A heavy pill 300wm will make it to mile decently well from what I've been reading. Im getting into the elr stuff too and chose to start with a 300wm 5r as my 308 5r is a tack driver and damn cheap compared to the custom guns. The 300wm with a hotter 208gr load is still trucking along at well over 1400fps at 1200yds. Basically I decided if I want to shoot at a mile and double my cost to shoot I'll go 338 but at 1400 and in there isnt enough difference for me to justify the added cost.

I recently bought a recce 7 and phs 338 from griffin armament as theyre about 40% cheaper than tbac and theyve got dang good reviews with the few that have made it out of dealers hands. TBAC is the benchmark for long range accuracy but there are plenty of other companies gunning for them and coming out with some real nice stuff.

 

[30mm]

I have a Thunderbeast 30BA and run it on a 6.5 Creedmoor. It is an excellent can and does not negatively effect the accuracy of the weapon. I noticed about a .2 mil POI shift down with the suppressor on versus off. No left or right shift at all. I have also shot the 6.5 Creedmoor out to 1350 yards with the can on at Blue Steel Ranch in NM. The DA was 5000' and it was no problem to reach out to that distance. Depending on where and when you shoot, beyond 1000 is possible with a 6.5 Creedmoor. The other thing to consider is there is a big difference when you go to 300 WM or 338 in recoil and how you will be able to shoot those platforms. I just a attended a 2 day advanced PR course at KM Rifles in FL last weekend and the there was one guy shooting a 300 WM. He had no problem in the prone positions, but in every other position the 300 WM was a lot to handle. He was at a distinct disadvantage over the rest of us shooting 6mm, 6.5mm and .308's. Why go to a drastic increase in recoil if you don't have to if you are looking at up to 1200 yards? You can shoot the 6.5 or 260 all day and feel good at the end of the day. Besides the fact that it is cheaper to shoot and you will get more rounds out of the barrel than a magnum cartridge.

 

[MLC]

Last January I went shooting not very far outside Vegas so I cannot see how you'd limit yourself to 1200.
The spot I shot had capability for 1500 easily.

I would go TBAC and plan on shooting heavier offerings in a 300 for the ELR stuff that your 260 can't do.

 

[Zak Smith]

Without going into a lot detail of the physics, figure that heat input is proportional to the amount of powder and that the temperature rise of the suppressor is inversely proportional to the mass (weight) of the suppressor. A can that is 1/2 the weight will heat up approx 2x faster.

Our Ti cans are fine for pretty much any conceivable bolt rifle firing schedule. You'll be worried about toasting your good barrel or have too much mirage to get a sight picture before it's a problem. If you are using a thermal shield, remember that it's retaining all that heat!

 

[PRDRIVER]

Ultraman550 - I would go with a 30BA. i have one and love it. It does not have an adverse affect on accuracy (like my AAC M4 2000), is light weight, and has a great sound/tone. I have people come up to me all the time and ask what I am shooting, because it is so much quieter than their suppressors. I would shoot your .260 unless you are shooting 1200 plus a majority of the time.

RidenrunWV - The 30BA is a fantastic can. It can be run semi auto, though you will not want to do multiple mag dumps in a row with it. If you are going to get into 3 gun and want to run a suppressor, go with a 5.56 suppressor (that is if you are shooting a .223/5.56). Most 3 Gun competitors do not run suppressors on their rifles for a few reasons. It adds a lot of forward weight and length to their rifles, and it typically makes your gun run much dirtier (especially if you are running a direct impingement system) which will increase your probability of having a malfunction during competition. The 5.56 suppressors an much shorter and lighter than .308 suppressors. My favorite suppressors for AR type rifles are OPS Inc 12th and 16th models. I have yet to hear a better performing suppressor on a 5.56 AR than the OPS Inc 12th model. Comparable suppressors are now being made by Allen Engineering.

 

[Ultraman550]

Well shit, you guys make it too easy. TBAC it is. I guess really the only way to know about the .260 and 300wm is to actually shoot them. Yeah, there's miles and miles of land to shoot on so I really should not be limited. The only thing that will limit me is.....well...me. I'll compare the 30BA and 30P-1

 

[PRDRIVER]

Well shit, you guys make it too easy. TBAC it is. I guess really the only way to know about the .260 and 300wm is to actually shoot them. Yeah, there's miles and miles of land to shoot on so I really should not be limited. The only thing that will limit me is.....well...me. I'll compare the 30BA and 30P-1

Sent you a PM on this.

I like the BA models for two main reasons. One the brake takes the initial hit of the unburnt powder and gasses coming out of the barrel, instead of the blast baffle of the suppressor. And two, it allows me to mount the suppressor on rifles with different thread pitches by buying brakes with matching thread pitches.

Give me a call if you are ever in SLC, UT and want to demo one.

 

[Ultraman550]

Rob, thank you very much for your help. All of you guys, thank you.

 

[ridenrunwv]

Thanks for your help to me as well everyone. I've also decided to go with 30BA. Even if I get into shooting higher rates of fire semi auto I will always want a Thunder Beast on my bolt rifles.
Thanks for your clarification on the heat also Zak. Your knowledge and helpfulness further seals the deal for my future purchases being Thunder Beast.

 

[steve123]

Will you be reloading?

If you want a do it all caliber, a compromise between recoil, cost of components, FPS with high BC and decent barrel life you might want to look into something like a 7 SAUM - 180's/.67BC/2950-3000 fps.

Just commenting...I run a big 30 cal at 2925 fps with Berger 230's/.743 BC and the recoil is much less than the 338's with 300 grainers but almost the same in the wind and there wasn't much difference in the wind out to a mile between my 7mag/176gr/3040 fps and the 30-375/230gr/2925 fps and the 7's recoil was much less than the 30's.

Yes a 260 will do 1200Y but every step down in BC and velocity means the projectile will be affected by wind even more. Since I have my 6x47L to shoot regular matches with I kept the 30 for ELR and sold the 7mm, but if I had to choose one rifle I'd stayed with 7mm.

Oh, and you could always work up a light load with 162's and 168's for tactical matches in a 7mm.

 

[Shoottothrill]

Steve123 gives good advice. Many guys are running the 225's or 230's in the .300 WM and can come very close in performance to the .338 out to 1760 yards. After that the .338 will take over. If you don't plan on shooting over a mile then you can save alot of money and recoil by going with the .300 WM.