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We had the opportunity to test some suppressors in various calibers at the range with Storesafepeople. The suppressors were from Ase Utra, Klymax, and A-TEC, all European products. Since January 2019, a new gun law has come into force in Austria, allowing hunters to use suppressors, which also boosts the business of these practical "whisper bags." Previously, suppressors were reserved for authorities as prohibited items. Now we can use them too. So let's begin, working our way up from small to large.
When we say small, we mean small, namely 22.LR - also known as small caliber. An inexpensive cartridge that is very widespread and often underestimated in terms of noise levels.
Bang, without the suppressor. Compared to the larger cartridges, it is relatively quiet, but still beyond the 130 decibels (dB) that can be harmful to the ears. After a few hundred shots without hearing protection - unfortunately a common sight among hunters and other shooters - the ears can already be significantly affected.
In our case, it was especially quiet because special subsonic ammunition was used with a muzzle velocity of under 330 m/s. This eliminates the supersonic crack, which is one of the major noise sources during shooting.
This small suppressor from the Norwegian company A-TEC is specifically designed for small caliber firearms and weighs only 98g with a length of 15 cm. It also works perfectly with standard supersonic ammunition. On the linked website, you can find all the statistics and specifications related to the suppressor.
It is simply screwed onto the muzzle thread. Well, not quite so simple. You need to have a thread on the barrel, and the threads should also match. The devil is in the details. Here it's a 1/2" x 28 UNEF thread, for those who want to know the specifics. If you need help with the purchase, professional advice is available at Storesafepeople.
A few turns later, we are ready to fire again. What was a loud bang before is now barely noticeable. Small calibers can become extremely quiet. From a distance of 50m, we could barely hear it without hearing protection, and we didn't even recognize it as a shot. So your hearing is safely protected even without earplugs.
On to the next larger caliber, although the increase from .22 to .223 is not very significant. What matters here is the significantly larger amount of powder per cartridge and a different projectile.
Concealed under the cover is a suppressor from Ase Utra in Finland.
What's better than one suppressor? Right, two. Here you can see Jet-Z CQB and CQBS, with the "S" indicating Short. These suppressors are made of steel and weigh between 410 and just under 500g, extending your firearm by 125mm and 96mm, respectively.
To attach the "cans" - English nickname for suppressors - to the rifle, in our case an AR15 from Hera, it has been equipped with a Ase Utra Bore Lock muzzle brake.
To install it, simply screw it on, then engage the lock, and you are ready to fire with around 30 dB less noise. 
With a 5.56 caliber, there is a noticeable reduction in the noise level, but silence is still far away. From 150dB down to 120dB, almost like on the highway. As mentioned earlier, we are now at the noise level of an undamped small caliber rifle. The suppressor mainly eliminates the high frequencies from the gunshot, which is much more pleasant for the ears to endure.
The military term "suppressor" also suggests that the muzzle flash is suppressed, and together with the distorted noise, the shooter's position is not revealed - but that's not as important for hunters.
And on to .308, a very classic and widely used hunting caliber.
Testing on a Mauser M18. At the muzzle, a KlySPARTANAT is the online magazine for Military News, Tactical Life, Gear & Reviews.
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