The rifle speaks, but silence is golden

Choice of sound moderator for your stalking rifle can be very personal. Many are bemused by the endless variety. Calibre does play a part, as does the length and the diameter of the barrel contour. 

Here is a selection which I have found cover all the bases for the expectant stalker. You would think noise reduction was at the top of the list for desirable qualities, but if a suppressor weighs a ton it’s not practical, so decibel reduction, weight, longevity, ease of cleaning and good looks are all relevant. 

Ultimately though, you should choose what is best for the calibre, weight of rifle, length of barrel and the frequency at which you shoot the rifle. 

Jet Z Compact and PRS-2   from £426 and £399

Jackson Rifles www.jacksonrifles.com

I include a couple here. The ASE Utra Jet Z Compact remains one of the best all round sound moderators one can purchase for a stalking rifle. It offers excellent noise reduction in a short compact design. The muzzle mounted mod is offered from .25 to .30 calibres including magnum. It only weighs 493g and adds just 155 mm net length to a stalking rifle. With a diameter of 40mm, it is also slim enough to be used with a low mounted telescopic sight. A variety of metric and inch size threads to fit directly onto the rifle muzzle include M14x1, M15x1, M17x1, M18x1, ½”x20 UNF, ½”x28 UNEF.

Alternatively, try the A-Tec PRS -2. When is a sound moderator not a sound moderator? when it’s a muzzle brake too. A-Tec have produced a novel way of combining the noise reducing qualities of a muzzle mounted sound moderator with those of a recoil reducing muzzle brake. This hybrid silencer/muzzle brake combines the advantages of a traditional silencer, using internal baffle stacks to reduce the noise signature with those of a forward venting muzzle brake, to reduce recoil. Thus, you have a combination of decibel reduction for more covert use and far less recoil or muzzle flip for a quick second shot or observation of the bullet strike. The PRS 2 model is 175mm long by 44.5 mm diameter and weighs 465g. A longer PRS 3 is available. The stainless-steel construction aids longevity as it protects it against flame erosion and corrosion from internal acids and deposits. The tough satin black Cerakote finish to resist contact abrasion and shrug off any moisture courtesy of the good old British weather makes it a real winner.

Stalon X108    from £325

GMK Ltd  www.gmk.co.uk

Sako and Tikka test rifles always come fitted with Stalon mods, and I must say, I have been impressed with their noise reduction and lightweight construction. The X108 model is a `reflex` design i.e. over the barrel and as such only adds 100mm past the muzzle. The minimal extra length makes the whole outfit far less cumbersome, especially when slung on the shoulder. The X149 is the longer version for bigger calibres as necessary.

Offered in calibres from .204 Ruger up to .30-06 the Stalon design has calibre specific baffles thus maximising decibel reduction with the ability to separate and exchange threads or baffle sizes to match your rifles cartridge. Threads of M14x1, M15x1, M17x1 , M18x1, 1/2″-28 UNEF 1/2″-20 UNF 5/8″18 UNF 5/8″24 UNEF.

This aluminium moderator is 240mm long and 50mm wide but only weighs 380g, with most of that weight rearward of the muzzle and back over the barrel.

The front primary thick baffle deflects most of the gases away from the bore axis and rearward through the vented forward baffles. This gives the gas time to flow through every part of the moderator and diffuse its energy and thus noise by the time it exits the moderator. Overall, very good noise reduction and minimally affects the balance of the rifle with little weight addition for its size as well as being well priced.

Elite from £495

Wildcat Sound Moderators    www.wildcatmoderators.com

Wildcat Sound Moderators are made in the UK and offer a diverse array of mod`s for any application from rimfire to centrefire, and magnum calibres too. Their flagship Elite sound moderator offers everything a stalker could wish for in three muzzle mounted models, the Elite Compact, Elite and Elite TI. As the name suggests, the Compact is a smaller version of the standard Elite whilst the TI version is made from Titanium. Prices are £495, £635, and £865, respectively.

The Elite in .30 calibre is a very well built, premium product designed completely from scratch with the ethos of making the ultimate rifle moderator. It had to be extremely durable, rated for magnum use if necessary and able to withstand a high shot count. The standard Elite is 44mm in diameter and 187mm long but adds 172mm to the rifle as these are muzzle cans, which I personally prefer. It weighs 635g whilst the Titanium version weighs just 364g with the same overall dimensions, that’s a whopping 271g weight saving.

The rear section has replaceable threaded inserts for differing rifles muzzle threads which are £80 each and the thread options include 14×1, 15×1, 17×1, 18×1, 18×1.5, 1/2×28, 5/8×24, 11/16×24, 3/4×24.

The Elite utilises a combination of 17-4 stainless and grade 5 6Al-4V titanium for its unique single billet manufacturing process that incorporates a front mounted dual core design. This achieves excellent durability, for a high round count or magnum use, and is also highly effective at recoil reduction.

I also like the Compact Elite which I use on short barreled woodland deer rifles as the noise reduction and handling is still excellent.

Ultradome – RRP £210.00

Schultz and Larsen distributed by Alan Rhone Ltd www.alanrhone.com

The Ultradome provides a slim, lightweight moderator for stalking or foxing and weighs only 322g. In its over barrel reflex form, it measures 225mm long, has a 38mm diameter and only adds 120mm to the overall length of the rifle. On a longer barrel this balances it better than a muzzle mounted moderator would, and it’s available in 6, 7 or 8mm calibres and in M14x1, M15x1, 1/2” x 20 UNF and UNEF thread sizes.

The Ultradome forms part of the Hardcore range of moderators which use stainless steel cone inserts within the core of the aluminium moderator. These resist the effects of fire erosion from the hot fast burning powder gases produced and it’s a sensible answer to a question that most people ask me about the longevity of aluminium sound moderators.

The Ultra dome is made as a strippable unit with three differential parts consisting of a rear over barrel section, mid connector section and then baffles. The baffles are 10mm thick threaded sections that all connect to form a linear baffle stack. There is a final large 19mm baffle that then forms the end plug. The number of baffles is governed by the calibre you intend to shoot through them. I had a .223 version and as such had a six-baffle stack. But you can customise it to suit yourself, which is handy and offers a very flexible, versatile sound moderator system.

RCC M48 £249

Highland Outdoors  www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk

From a personal point of view, I do prefer a muzzle can over a reflex type of mod as I tend to use short barrels in my rifles which is why the new RCC M48 sound moderator made in Sweden is ideal. It’s a large aluminium bodied muzzle mounted moderator with changeable muzzle thread and calibre inserts. It is modular in design so you can extend or reduce the segments as you wish. The M48 weighs 375g and is 150mm long with an outside diameter of 48mm. You can choose between threads varying from 1/2×20″ UNF, 1/2×28″ UNEF, 5/8″ x 24 UNEF, M14x1, M15x1, M16x1, M17x1 & M18x1.

The individual baffles of the segmented design are un-screwable and thus replaceable, which is handy. In my .30 cal, I have four individual segments. The baffles enclose stainless steel gauze to maximise noise reduction and retard the expansion of hot expanding gases.

At the rear is the exchangeable stainless steel threaded inset, so there is the option to only change this component if you need to use the mod on another rifle with a different thread size. It’s light, quiet and does not upset your balance on even the lightest stalking rifles that I have used.