Practical Suppressed Rifle for Roe deer through Whitetail

[WAB]

@Red Leg do you know why Blaser stopped making that stock configuration? That is one of the best looking Blaser’s I have seen.

 

[WAB]

@Red Leg do you know why Blaser stopped making that stock configuration? That is one of the best looking Blaser’s I have seen.

Never mind, I see where I’ve asked this question before.

 

[AZDAVE]

@Muskox Most of the 6.5 grendel ammo is loaded to semi auto specs. In my bolt gun I have a nice load for 120gr CX at 2550fps. Can push it harder but the group size opens up.

I originally shot the factory ammo just to get the brass when everything was out of stock during covid.

 

[Philip Glass]

I own several suppressed rifles. They range from .22 lr through .308. All are on AR platforms and work fine for their intended purpose which is dealing with squirrels and armadillos at one end of the spectrum and feral hogs at the other (we have pecans). One is equipped with a thermal and one is thermal capable with a Leica clip-on.

However, I have never fully appreciated the value of a suppressor on a true hunting rifle that would be used for any sort of spot and stalk application. A recent roe deer hunt in Hungary where I lugged around a suppressed Mauser in .300 Win Mag with the field balance and maneuverability of a surf rod merely reinforced those impressions.

Thread 'HUNGARY: Roe Deer On The Hungarian Plain And Mouflon Of The Bakony Mountains - Or, How I Came To Despise A Bolt Action Equipped With A Suppressor'

Apr 24, 2025

Not wishing to drive off any Gen X, Z, or tacticool readers immediately, I’ll withhold my rifle evaluation until later.

I had visited Budapest twice before over the last twenty-five years, but I never had the opportunity to see anything of the country. However, thanks to the Cold War, I at least was very familiar with its terrain from map studies and exercises. We had concluded back in those days that it represented excellent tank country once our formations moved east of the Danube. It was to this area, the Great Hungarian Plain (lföld or Nagy Alföld), that a local friend, Rick, and I...

• Red Leg
• Replies: 49
• Forum: Hunting reports Europe

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But theoretically, I could envision the advantages of a more ergonomically useful version of such a rifle particularly stand hunting whitetail or hunting much European game. So, I decided to create one. Fortunately, the R8 makes that a very easy process. I am a great fan of the 6.5 - not the Creedmoor - but the its century old ancestors the 6.5x55 and 6.5x57 which have been doing the same thing only a little better for a century.

I had a sporter weight 6.5x55 barrel without sights that looked like an ideal candidate. After threading, a Nomad Dead Air suppressor was fitted which added six inches and only 14 ounces to the front of the rifle. Thanks to the short action of an R9, even with a full length barrel (which the 6.5x55 appreciates), I was left with a rifle of 46 total inches. That is a bit longer than I normally prefer, but exactly the same length as one of my pre-war .318's. In other words, usable. Oh yes, it shoots 6.5x55 140 gr Hornaday Superformance loads into a single ragged hole.

I have great hopes for it this season out back.

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Nice. I like my Thunderbeast Ultra 5. It ticks all the boxes.
Happy hunting!

 

[Sideshow]

Stewart Island whitetail. Very nice…..any whitetail on SI is a trophy. Well done.

I reckon a T3 bush pig in 308 or 7/08 is close to perfect for SI.

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Been three times twice in the 90’s two blocks were Rakeahua got two. Then Bosom and Kelley’s again got two. Then in 2019 went to Abrahams bay. Tough hunting that one as it gets hit pretty hard as it’s easier to access. Only got one of the two that I saw. As you can see she was really in poor condition. The hole in the ear wasn’t me. Look to be another hunters miss. Anyway you have a very nice set up there. What cal?

 

[R eight]

Been three times twice in the 90’s two blocks were Rakeahua got two. Then Bosom and Kelley’s again got two. Then in 2019 went to Abrahams bay. Tough hunting that one as it gets hit pretty hard as it’s easier to access. Only got one of the two that I saw. As you can see she was really in poor condition. The hole in the ear wasn’t me. Look to be another hunters miss. Anyway you have a very nice set up there. What cal?

Thanks, it’s a nice rifle to hunt with.

I’ve hunted Abrahams Bay twice, but not in the last 5 years. I’ve hunted a few of the blocks. I’ve got my favourites. The hardest part these days is getting a block booked. I reckon that during Covid too many kiwis discovered their third island. I was last there in February. Just love the place.

 

[Bandera]

Just ordered the AB supressors Raptor 10. It is an over the barrel can.
I have a Hybrid 46M that is used on a Marlin 45-70 and a 375 Ruger.
Also there is a 30 cal Rebel Silencer screw on stack. I use it on a Savage 110 Timberline in 308.

I also have my eye on the Savage BOB. It looks interesting also.