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Posted: 5/17/2007 8:35:22 AM EDT
| Has anyone tried suppressing a .17 HMR or a .17 Mach 2? How well did it work or not work? What was your platform? I am considering a Ruger 10/22, Ruger 77/22 or maybe a Marlin. |
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I am in the process of purchasing a .17 HMR suppressor from Jet suppressors. They make them out of titanium. I own a .308 can made by them, and it is astonishing. You can only hear the firing pin hit the primer with subsonics. According to Mike at Jet, the sound is about that of a Colibri SS, 500 fps round, that is shot by the primer alone. the 17 grain bullet is so small, that the sonic crack is almost inaudible, if there is a little wind blowing. I am going to use it for plucking raccoons off my deer feeders, which they terrorize regularly. Why didn't I just go with .22, where I could get SS? Because my NEF .17 HMR literally puts 5 shots into a .2 inch hole at 50 yards, that's why. Where in TX are you?? HTR |
| Thanks for the reply. I am in DFW. I still have a Jet .22lr suppressor, and I used to have a Jet .308 suppressor until I sold it because my Shark .308 suppressor (also made of Titanium) is lighter, quieter and can be disassembled for cleaning and maintenance. The Jet .22lr suppressor is ok, but IMHO Titanium is not necessary for a .22lr suppressor, and there are less expensive and quieter options. Also, given Jet's recent issues with customer service and communications, I am apt to avoid them for any new purchases. With that said, I would nonetheless still be interested in the performance of your .17 Cal. suppressor on your NEF .17HMR rifle. |
I have a NEF 17hmr and use a Trident 9 can. It has a noticeable sonic crack but it perfectly hearing safe to fire. I also just had a Tompson Contender pistol in 17hmr threaded for this can as well. I haven't shot it yet though. I am in DFW and shoot at Mickeys a lot.
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We at Gemtech make a dedicated suppressor for .17HMR (& .17HM2). Ours is 100% stainless. I think there are a couple of others doing the same thing. Ours is 7/8 inch diameter and 5 inches long. The .17 is a lightweight bullet (17 gr) traveling very fast at around 2,600 fps. It does not take much turbulence to upset it enough to harm the precision accuracy it is capable of. This means that there must be no asymmetry in the suppressor, and the average .22 can built with the industry standard K-baffle generates too much turbulence. The 9mm suppressors have enough clearance to where this is not an issue, and the only potential accuracy affecting issue I can think of is related to the weight of the suppressor affecting barrel vibrations. There is nothing that will eliminate or reduce the ballistic crack of the .17 projectile. That is generated downrange and is simply the shock wave of a supersonic projectile. It is a simple law of physics. However, the target (my favorite being the prairie dog) is confused as to the origin of the shot and a bystander cannot place the origin without the muzzle blast. The .17 is loud, measuring 155 dB 1 meter to the left of the muzzle. At 25-27 dB reduction, the weapon is hearing safe. On a prairie dog or ground squirrel hunt, it is not unusual to shoot over 500 rounds a day. Without hearing protection (a real pain in the ass in the field) or sound suppression, this is not good for hearing. A suggestion was made about building an integral. The plus is cosmetics in that it looks like a bull barrel. There are negatives. The purpose of an integral (and why they sound so wonderful in .22LR) is to control velocity so that the bullet does not produce the ballistic crack of a supersonic projectile. This works in .22LR where you have only a slight reduction in velocity to keep it subsonic. Considering kinetic energy is proportional to the bullet weight and square of velocity, trying the same trick in a .17HMR will net you results far less satisfactory than a Crossman CO2 pellet gun. This cartridge was designed for accuracy, and it is phenomenal. I shoot a Ruger 77/17 with the factory barrel. With our HMR suppressor, I found I had the best accuracy shortening the barrel to 16” before threading. I can consistently (using the Hornady ammo) get a 5/8 inch group at 100 meters. While I love my Ruger .17 with the HMR suppressor and have killed more than my share of magpies with it (best shot documented and witnessed 175 yards), for urban vermin shooting my suggestion would be a bolt action .22LR with one of the common, small .22LR cans and standard velocity .22 ammo. This is closest to Hollywood and works well. Hope this helps. |
He is blowing smoke bigtime. I have sold two of the Gemtech HMR suppressors on Remington 597 Magnums, shortened and threaded. Like PHD said, the 17HMR is a loud round and there is considerable sonic crack and noise with the suppressor mounted. The 17HMR will ring my ears without a suppressor and is hearing safe with one, but it is not much quieter than a suppressed full power 5.56mm. |
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Philip, Thanks for the fine write up on it. I was wondering about that. I always thought a sonic crack was a sonic crack. TO a human ear, a .17 crack wouldn't be any different than a .22 crack I wouldn't think. I'm no physics major but breaking the sound barrier is breaking the sound barrier. Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Philip for continuing to help us out. His posts always seem to be somewhat neutral and always insightful. I personally don't own a Gemtech product, however, I have heard Gemtech products and they are great products. I think it is absolutely priceless to have the folks that make our beloved NFA items here on the board to help us out. Thanks Philip. |
think outside the box. why not get 1 can to do different calibers (almost) i use my Halo unit off my sbr's 11.5" AR, on my 77/22 mag. while shooting it into some dirt after threading the bbl all you heard was the woomph of the 22 mag hitting the dirt.  this baby is as quiet as shooting it in its 77/22lr config, with my TAC-65. very impressed that the .223 Halo does as well as it has shooting FMJ and JHP .22mag so give that option some consideration |
My only concern about using a suppressor stressed for .223 is one of group size when mounting a relatively heavy suppressor on a lightweight barrel. Dedicated .17 rimfire suppressors are really light (under 5 ounces). |
Nope, not blowing any smoke. This is pure physics. The .17 HMR suppressed IS quieter in a bolt or break open action (as is the NEF .17 HMR.) than it would be in a 597. Anyone who deals in suppressors will tell you that semi-autos will allow more of the blast noise to escape, because some of the gas is used for cycling, versus with a bolt or break-open gun, all the gas escapes at the muzzle only, and blast noise can be more efficiently controlled with a muzzle-mounted suppressor. Mass determines the overall volume of the sound in a sonic crack. Nobody can convince me that an F-16 makes the same sound as a 17 grain bullet, when each of them breaks the sound barrier. Larger mass = greater distortion of air = louder noise. I am sure you have heard full-power .308's through a Gemtech or Jet suppressor?? You do not have to wear hearing protection. I have heard the NEF .17 HMR with suppressor mounted, and it is at least 20 dB less than the full report. Remember, dB are measured in a logarhithmic scale. 1 dB changes sound on a factor of 10 essentially. 20dB suppression of a .17 HMR is real, but you need a bolt or break open single shot action. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words "almost inaudible..." I was not after "hollywood" quiet, just to keep varmints from easily locating the source of the sound, when hunting them. With any wind blowing, the air is moving, and thus the sound /shock waves generated by the 17 grain bullet are more easily dissipated. Try it sometime and get back to me.... Please get your facts straight before you start accusing people of blowing smoke.... 
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