Benefit (or otherwise) of Large Moderators

tjm160

Well-Known Member
What's the benefit (or otherwise) of large moderators, such as the Pez shown on this Sako 75? Do they perform much better than shorter moderators and enough to offset the surely awkward handling?

 
Useless in what sense Pete, no quieter or just not enough to justify such a ridiculously long and heavy chunk of metal on the end of the barrel?
 
I have to disagree there i think the pez is one of the quitest mods available ,atb wayne
 
depends on who is shooting it!

I agree the PES is one of the best for sound attenuation
the trade off is weight (not size).

I have a 6.5mm bore PES T12 scout, not very long, very little of it protrudes past the muzzle, but on a .243 I have yet to come across a moderator that compares for sound reduction.

its a heavy lump though and I use for clubbing seal cubs in the summer......
 
lol and thanks bewsher. The reason for my interest is that my hearing is frankly screwed. Whilst not keen at all to add such a chunk to the end of the rifle, if it contributes to reducing the sound level and stave of the inevitable deafness a while longer, it may be worth considering. Is the type which you say does not extend too far beyond the end of the barrel a different model to the one in the picture above (which appears to extend quite a long way beyond)?
 
Go for something like the Hardy Gen IV. Light and over the barrel. Not as quiet as the PES or a T8, but its a great balance (pardon the pun) between weight and sound reduction as well as not adding too much to the end of the rifle.

If at the range, then ear defenders are mandatpry where I shoot, and the occasional shot in the field isn't too harsh. You could always get some ear protection from Hearing Protection Shooting Ear Plugs from CENS - Ear Defenders when in the field...

This won't be a cheap option, but you'll keep most of what hearing is left!

Cheers
iain
 
Useless in what sense Pete, no quieter or just not enough to justify such a ridiculously long and heavy chunk of metal on the end of the barrel?

For stalking purposes there are mods out there a quarter of the size that will reduce noise
just as well
who wants to be carrying a something as big as that about also I think it also makes the
rifle look awfull just my opinion
I had one of the first lei mods out but it was on a big foxing rig but no bother as eveverything was shot off the
roof so the heavier the better
​regards pete
 
there are other advantages to the heavier mods, muzzle weight significantly reduces muzzle flip and felt recoil, the over barrel design achieve better balance than muzzle cans, so whilst they may be heavier a lot of the additional weight is further back towards the centre of balance. Granted if I was hill stalking and carrying it miles I would look for smaller lighter alternatives but for lowland and high seat stalking, if your hearing is your reason for doing it then it is widely regarded that the PES t12 is one of the best for sound reduction.
 
Thanks gents, much appreciated guidance and food for thought. Returning to shooting in February this year I invested in a fitted pair of ear plugs (by a hearing company) combined with Peltorec Sportac Electronic cans and yet the tinnitus has still got worse. So, I've cut out the clays, have swapped the HMR for a .22 and anything that can help any further at all with the .243, will be most welcome.

Tim
 
Is the type which you say does not extend too far beyond the end of the barrel a different model to the one in the picture above (which appears to extend quite a long way beyond)?


cant quite see what model is on there. it does look very long
the PES range are much narrower than the ATEC, t8 Types,
mine is the T12 scout, only sticks about 3" on the length

​as do the larger longer ones as far as I can see from here:

http://www.stevekershawfirearms.co.uk/moderators.html
 
Thanks again gents, all the perspectives are incredibly helpful and very much appreciated. I keep hearing Ivythorn and clearly the best way to determine what's best is to try and compare. Much to ponder.
 
It is also very important that you understand the 'Decibel' theory when shopping around for moderators. For instance 25 dB doesn't look much louder than 22 dB, but it is actually TWICE as loud!!! A change of 3 dB actually doubles of halves the volume! (All due to Logarithms!);)
MS
 
I think people are forgetting the primary function of a moderator...it's to protect your hearing, if it does that other benefits are secondary. We don't go to plod and say oh I'd like a moderator because my neighbour doesn't like noise or the Deer don't get frightened or I get less recoil...

There's only so much you can suppress a centrefire rifle, you'll never cancel out the super sonic crack or the distant thud of a strike.
 
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Moderators have come a long way over recent years and are probably the only thing NOT driven by the American market. Some of the newer ones are very lightweight and even though they screw on to the end of the barrel, are still shorter than some of the older 'Over the barrel' types! Have a look at the ASE Utra SL range or the Hardy ones. Both are made of very light alloys and only add about 4 inches to your barrel length and yet their noise attenuation is as good as the older and larger types. There are just so many benefits that I wouldn't shoot without one.
MS:)
 
For the original op i will measure how much mine sticks out over the barrel for you for my mind lots to concider for a moderator as the stainless pes is very quite and i think one of the best I have heard quite a few and seeing friends get newer mods and expensive ones they all say similar guff in the print and mags but there is a distictive difference to the ear with all these mods.
some of them sound very tinny and have that high pitched crack to them some have a deeper tone.
the pes on a larger cal does really work well with the benifit of stopping muzzle flip something the lighter mod cannot do as well the pes diameter is alot smaller than most but it is quite a lump. I do own a pes but it is going on holiday as i have no use for it on my stutzen so i have given in my opinion an honest post on what i think is the best mod on the market.
one more thing to add it will be interesting to see how long some of these lightweight
mods last against the heavier models as i feel they wont and some of them i have seen have already have gas cutting on some baffles and at some point you will need to spend more hard earned and i feel alot to do with marketing guff to catch people with the latest greatest thing, atb wayne
 
No matter what mod you use you should still wear ear protection. There is still a pressure wave that can cause damage to the ears.
 
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