My introduction to shotgun suppressors was more than a decade ago, just after SilencerCo debuted the Salvo 12 by taking a group of gun writers on an Eastern Shore Canada goose hunt to test and promote its new cans. A colleague was on the hunt and told me about the suppressor. Soon after, I had the opportunity to shoot skeet and pattern the Salvo. It mitigated felt recoil, tempered muzzle rise, and the sound reduction was noticeable. But at 12 inches long, which extended a standard 28” barrel to 40”, the Salvo wasn’t ideal if you were hunting from a duck blind.
Recently, Silencer Central, another suppressor manufacturer, unveiled the Banish 12, a 17.6-ounce titanium shotgun suppressor designed for bird hunters and clay shooters. It looks much different than the rectangular Salvo, featuring two cuts on the top side of the suppressor with a rounded underbelly. The shape is unique, offering a clear line of sight to the target.
The length of suppressors has long been an issue for hunters, but modern cans are becoming increasingly shorter, thus less cumbersome. The Salvo 12 is now available in multiple sizes, including a 6” option, and the Banish 12 measures under 9”. JK Armament’s VersaX suppressor can be configured as short as 3.75”.
Still, suppressors can be pricey, costing as much or more than a shotgun. Plus, they are not yet legal in every state, and there is a process you must go through to be approved to purchase a suppressor. However, as suppressor technology progresses, hunters and shooters may find a can to be a worthwhile investment.
How Much Sound Do Suppressors Actually Dampen?
A 12-gauge shotgun produces around 160 decibels of sound when fired, though that varies depending on the load you’re shooting. Suppressors reduce sound levels by 15 to 25 decibels. Again, there is a variance with ammunition and the performance of the can itself. Hearing loss can occur when you’re exposed to sustained noise levels of 80 to 90 decibels (lawnmowers fall in this range) and above, so hearing protection is still required when shooting a suppressor.
That doesn’t mean shotgun suppressors aren’t beneficial. They still reduce your overall exposure to elevated noise levels (the same applies to your gun dog, if you hunt with one). Additionally, any amount of noise reduction will help alleviate hunting pressure. For those who can legally hunt near residential areas or commercial buildings, the people who live and work in those urban settings should be less likely to log a complaint about shotgun reports.
Less Recoil
Gun weight and the shotshell you’re shooting determine free recoil, which can be calculated using this mathematical formula. Felt recoil is subjective. It differs depending on who is behind the gun. For instance, a 12-year-old is likely to feel more recoil than their father if they are both shooting the same gun with the same load because the kid is smaller than their dad. The bigger you are, the more recoil you soak up.
Because they shoot multiple times during a hunt, most wingshooters only notice the aftereffects of felt recoil—a sore shoulder. But turkey and deer slug gun hunters (hopefully) only take one shot. If you have hunted either species, you know that the felt recoil produced by turkey loads and slugs is significant, plus you have more time to anticipate the recoil as a tom or buck walks into gun range, which could cause you to flinch and pull the shot. Clay shooters also experience issues with flinching. When you shoot at volume, recoil from dozens to hundreds of shotshells will result in a bruised shoulder. That may cause an anticipation of recoil, the result of which is flinching.
Suppressors help tame felt recoil (and muzzle rise) because their internal baffles capture the expanding gases produced by the powder that ignites the shotshell. Suppressors also allow gases to cool and expand slowly instead of pushing the gas rearward into your shoulder. It’s similar to how gas-driven shotguns typically produce less felt recoil than inertia shotguns. The gas guns use the gas produced by the propellant to run the bolt and then bleed off any excess. When the firing pin strikes the primer of an inertia gun, the gas is sent directly towards your shoulder and the shot towards the muzzle.
Suppressor Patterns
Suppressors screw into the muzzle of your shotgun the same way a choke does. So, a Beretta with an Optima HP choke system needs the same mount to affix the suppressor. Most shotgun cans now come with their own chokes as well, so you can swap them in and out depending on the kind of shooting or hunting you’re doing.
There can be a change in the point of impact when a suppressor is used versus a non-suppressed shotgun. You can expect to see varied pattern densities with a suppressor at the pattern board as well. Different stock and aftermarket chokes perform better and worse with different types of shotshells. The same holds true for suppressors.
Will Suppressors Become Mainstream?
Shotgun suppressors remain a niche product, but there may come a day when more hunters find them useful. If manufacturers can advance suppressors to the point where they lower sound levels to a level where hunters can safely shoot without the need for hearing protection, there will be a place for cans in pheasant fields, duck blinds, the turkey woods, and on clay ranges for those who shoot autoloaders or pump-action guns.
Suppressors do add length to your shotgun barrel, but if the game changes and cans dampen shotgun reports to safe levels, expect to see shotgun manufacturers designing shorter barrels for sporting shotguns.
If suppressors continue to evolve, they will not only save our hearing but also minimize pressure on wild game, especially waterfowl, which are extremely averse to the blast from a 12-gauge. Public-land hunters will be able to keep their secret spots secret. And fewer non-hunters will be apt to complain about the noise of shotgun fodder… because there won’t be any.
Feature image of Banish 12 Suppressor via Silencer Central.
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