Suppressed subgun for HD use?

[Mr. Goodtimes]

While a 5.56 shot from an SBR may not be "hearing safe," it's hearing safe enough that I've done it several time with no measurable hearing loss. With modern 5.56 ammunition and suppressors, I see no reason to go with a pistol caliber rifle.

We're also talking about a situation that is most likely never going to unfold, and if it does, my tinnitus is seriously the least of my concerns. Seriously. People way over do this. If you want a bad ass rifle/carbine/sub gun/death ray for your HD gun, that's cool; but saying you want a hearing safe rifle for home defense because your worried about hearing loss makes about as much sense as ordering a salad at mellow mushrooms.


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[Hauptmann]

Having dealt with many prosecutors and defense attorneys over the years, I would recommend saving your suppressed firearms for hunting, target shooting, and for what ever end of the world scenario suites you fancy. In a self defense situation, you not only have to survive the fight, but then you have to survive the criminal and then civil prosecution. Remember Michael Dunn from the Florida self defense case?......he got life in prison and he was heavily scrutinized for all the firearms he owned, in particular the suppressor that he was characterized as an assassin's tool. Just remember justice is not blind, and the bias of 12 members of your peers will decided your fate, along with that of your family's. A pump action shotgun is an excellent choice for a self defense long gun.

[SamAdams]

Ive suffered some high frequency hearing loss from muzzle blast. (Stocking cap interfered with seal on earmuffs while hunting & I didnt notice.) The ear doc told me people vary in their vulnerability to loud noises; none of my hunting buddies had any problems & they werent wearing earmuffs. And while it may be true that your hearing may be the last thing you think about in a deadly encounter, its also true that in future encounters youre likely to be severely disadvantaged if youre deaf. I keep a pair of electronic ear muffs next to the home defense guns. If 'things go bump in the night' and the dog barks, I can throw the ear muffs on which magnify those noises while protecting my hearing. Of course, if someone kicked our bedroom door in, I wouldn't have time to put the earmuffs on. But, in most cases it only takes a few seconds to have them working for me. - - Hearing loss is accumulative and permanent. Its a good idea to protect your hearing as much as possible.

[Zhurdan]

While a 5.56 shot from an SBR may not be "hearing safe," it's hearing safe enough that I've done it several time with no measurable hearing loss. With modern 5.56 ammunition and suppressors, I see no reason to go with a pistol caliber rifle.

We're also talking about a situation that is most likely never going to unfold, and if it does, my tinnitus is seriously the least of my concerns. Seriously. People way over do this. If you want a bad ass rifle/carbine/sub gun/death ray for your HD gun, that's cool; but saying you want a hearing safe rifle for home defense because your worried about hearing loss makes about as much sense as ordering a salad at mellow mushrooms.


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DING... Winner. I seriously don't care if I can hear or not if the other option is not breathing and being able to touch the occasional wife boob.

[Robinson]

While a 5.56 shot from an SBR may not be "hearing safe," it's hearing safe enough that I've done it several time with no measurable hearing loss. With modern 5.56 ammunition and suppressors, I see no reason to go with a pistol caliber rifle.

We're also talking about a situation that is most likely never going to unfold, and if it does, my tinnitus is seriously the least of my concerns. Seriously. People way over do this. If you want a bad ass rifle/carbine/sub gun/death ray for your HD gun, that's cool; but saying you want a hearing safe rifle for home defense because your worried about hearing loss makes about as much sense as ordering a salad at mellow mushrooms.

Okay, I understand your comments. But to be honest the severity of my hearing loss and tinnitus in one ear has somewhat changed my perspective on guns and shooting. I started this thread in the hopes of gaining an education about the topic. That is how we learn. As stated, my current HD setup is a pistol and electronic earpro. That may not change, or I may explore other things partially as a result of what I've learned from this conversation. Your last statement, in my view, is somewhat overly dismissive.

And while I agree the "situation" we are discussing is unlikely to happen, there have been home invasions in my suburban neighborhood in recent years -- one that involved gunfire. It is not so remote a possibility that it is merely conjecture.

[rob_s]

I'll somewhat counter myself here...

I'm frankly not of the opinion that the carbine is a fully necessary piece of the home-defense "kit". However, IF someone decides that it is, and PROVIDED that doing so doesn't take away from a training/instruction budget, and PROVIDED that said person has sought some instruction, training, and practice in dealing with their particular gun indoors, I don't see anything wrong with putting a suppressor on the gun. Since I don't think people should be clearing houses, and definitely not with a carbine, in a home-defense situation, the added length of a suppressor on to even a 16" gun probably shouldn't matter.

On the flip side, the guy that buys himself a 9mm SBR (or, even worse, 300 WTF), sticks the can du juor on it, neglects to have a handgun easily accessible for more real-world protection, and seeks no training or instruction on the use of his suppressed 9mm "subgun", is probably no better prepared than the housewife with a steak knife in her nightstand drawer.

Unfortunately, I think the latter guy outnumbers the former guy by a factor of about a million.

To sum up, if you think you need a gun to defend your home, get a handgun. If you already carry outside the home, or think you will, get the same make/model (or at least magazine-compatible) gun you carry and secure it near your bed. If you're really paranoid, buy more of the same and secure them all over your house (even if you live alone or without children, you don't want to come home to the barrel of your own gun after someone breaks in and finds it). If you're strapped for cash, secure your carry handgun near your bed when asleep and/or place of plop (sofa, home office, whatever) when awake and be done.

[Hauptmann]

I'll somewhat counter myself here...

I'm frankly not of the opinion that the carbine is a fully necessary piece of the home-defense "kit". However, IF someone decides that it is, and PROVIDED that doing so doesn't take away from a training/instruction budget, and PROVIDED that said person has sought some instruction, training, and practice in dealing with their particular gun indoors, I don't see anything wrong with putting a suppressor on the gun. Since I don't think people should be clearing houses, and definitely not with a carbine, in a home-defense situation, the added length of a suppressor on to even a 16" gun probably shouldn't matter.

On the flip side, the guy that buys himself a 9mm SBR (or, even worse, 300 WTF), sticks the can du juor on it, neglects to have a handgun easily accessible for more real-world protection, and seeks no training or instruction on the use of his suppressed 9mm "subgun", is probably no better prepared than the housewife with a steak knife in her nightstand drawer.

Unfortunately, I think the latter guy outnumbers the former guy by a factor of about a million.

To sum up, if you think you need a gun to defend your home, get a handgun. If you already carry outside the home, or think you will, get the same make/model (or at least magazine-compatible) gun you carry and secure it near your bed. If you're really paranoid, buy more of the same and secure them all over your house (even if you live alone or without children, you don't want to come home to the barrel of your own gun after someone breaks in and finds it). If you're strapped for cash, secure your carry handgun near your bed when asleep and/or place of plop (sofa, home office, whatever) when awake and be done.

I must like this post, and agree that in a non-wartime environment 99% of civilian defense will likely be better served with trained pistol skills. Legally, it will be very difficult to justify shooting an aggressor outside of the effective range of a pistol. There are rare exceptions such as in the case of owning large areas of property with the possibility of extended engagement ranges with intruders, but for the majority of us that isn't a practical scenario.

Everyone's resources are limited, and investing in more costly NFA items will drastically cut into your handgun training time and ammo. I have seen very skilled handgun shooters take on 50yrd rifle courses of fire and actually outscore the average rifle shooter in both time and accuracy, even in .45acp. A handgun can go just about anywhere with you, and it should be 90% of your skill set due to that accessability.