To mod or not to mod?

private fraser

Well-Known Member
I'm just wondering how necessary it is to fit a moderator to a stalking rifle. Given that you probably won't fire that many shots reference hearing damage and after the first shot at a deer does it really matter reference disturbance.There's also the extra weight and balance shift with a mod.
I currently use a moderated .22 hornet for foxes but that's really to minimise disturbance to neighbours although it has enabled me to take another fox while the first tries to figure what/where.
I haven't got a stalking rifle yet but I'm looking at probably a .308 and given the cost of mods I'm thinking of initially putting the money into the rifle/scope and leaving the mod till I can afford.
I'm wondering how many do / don't use a mod?

fraser
 
hi fraser
i was in the same frame of mind as you mate,i said i wouldnt need a mod on my .308 ,but guess whats on the end of it now when iam out stalking.after stalking with different people some love them some hate them and some have never had one,it has made such a difference to the recoil on my rifle,which yes you are spot on you wont be firing lots of shots whilst out stalking but it just makes it so much nicer to use.it has made it top heavy when on my shoulder but i just keep my hand on the but and its fine.the other thing is when you fire the rifle you find the deer around dont seem to know where the noise has come from :D (do they fester 2 shots :oops: ) what fest does is fire a warning shot if they are too far away for him then they come in closer for him to shoot one :lol: :lol: . iam very pleased with my rifle now i have put a mod on it.
 
A mod tames noise,recoil and muzzle flip plus you quickly get used to the balance of the rifle/mod set-up. Once you've tried one you won't go back.

So your real dilema is which mod to fit!

Regards
 
I agree that once you try a mod you will not want to go back. I'd no thought of one until I fired another 308 Blaser with a mod on it, then I realised that I was mad not to have one.

In terms of hearing damage (this is a pet subject of mine) then the EU recommended maximum for an impulse type noise is 140dB(C) and your 308 is producing at least 165dB(C). The mod will probably bring you in around the 140dB(C) mark. Even at that I would only take the very occasional moderated shot without hearing protection but I would certainly never take an unmoderated shot without protection.
 
I generally use my moderated .270 for everything, but was out lamping the other night with the unmoderated 22-250 .... I had ringing ears all night after the shot, and the guy holding the lamp (who was slightly forward so I didn't get glare in the scope) had his hearing effected for at least 3 days.

It's amazing how much you get used to having the moderator fitted, I'm planning one for that rifle now too.

PS, I got the fox, so it was ok!
 
This subject has been done to death if you search back through older posts. I was on a range recently where over 90% of rifles were fitted with mods. The pros far outweigh the cons. I certainly won't shoot without one fitted. Try it, you'll like it! ;)
MS :D
 
A moderator is really the way to go for all the above reasons, just the odd d***head disagreed at one military range, he thought the civvies were terrorists in training! :eek:
 
Another thumbs up for the mod..

A point to add and one ive witnessed on several outings on large estates with a good number of rifles in attendance..

When selecting where to site everyone the fella not having the mod always seemed to draw the short straw.. ie definately wasnt sited in the more favourable spots..

Terry
 
PF
you hav already pointed out the pro's and con's for your foxing rifle,
looks like the pro's far outweigh the con's on that score
and as we know there are pro's and cons to both sides of the debate
in stalking too
but this year i hav seen evidence of more pro's than cons
certainly a lot more deer shot because of the moderated rifles
even noticed deer not taking any notice of the initial shot and carry on feeding
where normally they will of left for the next county
plus with the added fact i stalk with a dog, means i hav a responsibility to ensure she does not suffer from the muzzle blast as they don't hav ear plugs or defenders
here are a couple of clips , the rifle is a moderated .308






ATB
 
Why would you want to buy a nice rifle and then stick a thing on the end that looks like a couple of coke cans? When i shoot my rifle i want the report to echo round the forest. I want the trees to bow under the muzzle blast and the sky to light up with the muzzle flash :eek: .
What a lot of countryside snipers you have become in England :lol:
 
Give it a few years Jagare, Sweden was a bit later than the uk in allowing moderators i think. looking at a few of last years swedish hunting mags i see a fair few rifles with mods on.
just think, all that extra weight up front will help your swing on those fast crossing shots!!!!

ATB Ezzy

(aren't Reflex mod's made in Sweden?)
 
Hej Ezzy, moderators have been legal here for the last year+. They may get popular for the short buck season we have here . I was in the local gun shop last week Its the biggest well stocked gun shop in Sweden. They have hundreds of rifles on display and not a mod to be seen. Not even a screw cut barrel could i see. Don't forget when you come and visit your mate to go to Torsbohandel. Drop me a line and I'll buy the coffee.
They may catch on but we arn't so screwed up about keeping our sport a secret from the great unwashed and they don't fit in with the type of hunting we do.
I know that they advertise mods in the shooting mags but they did that years before they were legal here.
 
I won't have a mod on either of my CF rifles, although I have SAK mods on my .22 rimfire and my .17HMR. I use hearing protection and have often taken two or three fallow from a herd without them even looking in my direction. They seem pre-occupied with the deer that have been shot and not the stalker. Even working the bolt and the case hitting the ground or the woodwork of the seat doesn't bother them. I've shot too many deer, before mods became the norm, to be bothered.

Jagare, perhaps it's a UK 'thing'.
 
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