Suppressed fullhouse .357 SIG?

[SunsetMan]

I have a 23 in .40 S&W (1st gen I'd guess) and am thinking about getting a .357 SIG.

In addition to getting a gun in .357 SIG I'm thinking about getting a suppressor to make going to the range more enjoyable. I'm not looking for a silent pistol, just toning down the blast some.

Has anyone fired full house .357 SIG with a suppressor? Does it make any appreciable difference in the noise of the gun?

Also, since I have a .40, can I get a suppressor that will work with both .40 and .357? Will I be compromising somewhere if I get a suppressor that works with both calibers?

[Big_Jim]

Why not just wear ear plugs?

This is a subject I wish ALL gun owners would get together on and support. We ALL need suppressors. Suppressors aren't tools for crime. Think about this, your car; lawn mower, chain saw, motorcycle (except for Harleys) are all suppressed. We put sound insulation in the bodies of cars and other appliances to make them quieter. Quiet is good.

Why not guns? Simple, because we were robbed of the ability in 1934 with the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA 1934) and gun owners, like the general public have been brain washed into thinking that suppressors are evil tools of criminals. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Europe, where there is strict gun control, governments actually INCOURAGE shooters to use suppressors. Next, suppressors don't "silence" firearms, but they do quiet them. A good suppressor can make shooting a 22 rimfire possible without hearing protection, but it will still be louder than a pellet gun. High powered rifles become tolerable on the range, but still require hearing protection to protect your delicate hearing. What most people don't understand is that the best head phones (providing 20-30 db sound reduction) are still allowing sound levels into our ears that damage hearing.

My father is all, but deaf. It's the down side of a life shooting firearms. I have lost a substantial amount of my hearing discrimination. Head phones and ear plugs just don't do it. They don't protect us and in this day of urban sprawl head phones don't cut down on noise pollution.

Most shooters have no experience or exposure to suppressors and think "we don't need them". Imagine not having mufflers on common appliances. How much would the neighbor bother you on Saturday morning mowing his lawn if the government mandated he not muffle his lawnmower?

We would all be happier IF we could muffle our firearms when we wanted. I am not suggesting that suppressors be mandatory, but they should be an option and they should not be taxed. We could keep ranges operational near subdivisions if we quieted our firearms. We would enjoy shooting more if we could quiet our firearms. We would improve our health if we could quiet our firearms.

Think about it, get with the program, talk to your shooting friends, write your congressmen and ask them to remove suppressors from the NFA 1934.

In answer to your question suppressors are caliber specific. You would need a 40 cal and a 9mm because the bore diameter needs to fit tightly around the bullet to function properly.

[SunsetMan]

I agree with you 100% 12oGlockHigh.

Using uppressors seems like a natural progression of gun technology. Handguns have evolved to be much more ergonomic, we have better sights, ballistics continue to improve, we have compensators to decrease muzzle climb and recoil, it is about time suppressing the noise of our firearms became a mainstream improvement and something not percieved as evil and taxed by some antiquated law. I wonder how much the tendency to flinch is reduced by suppressing a gun?

We all (should) use ear protection on the range and whenever we discharge a firearm, but there are always times this may not be possible. I don't hunt, but I imagine hunters don't wear ear plugs. If there comes a time when you have to discharge a firearm to defend your house why must you be subjected to possibly permanent hearing damage?

From what I've read most ear protection removes about 30db and still subjects you to harmful noise from a firearm. I can attest to my ears still ringing after 200 rounds of .40 while wearing earplugs.

More later, I'm off to werk.