Kampframmer wrote:
Name one use for them that doesn't involve harming other people.
RAIMIUS wrote:
Not giving yourself long-term hearing damage.
Not pissing off the neighbors.
Easier to hear commands from range safety
Easier to communicate & coordinate with spotters, other shooters near you
Better situational awareness with lighter earplugs in
Better marksmanship (people develop flinches and poor trigger control, more from the blast and noise and less from the actual recoil "kick")
More pleasant shooting experience, with less noise and blast
When shooting predators & varmints, a suppressed weapon tends to cause the pack of animals to move towards the suppressed weapon
(They hear the crack of the bullet nearby, but not the boom of the weapon)
You can hear hits on steel targets at range (furthest target I've heard "ring" from a hit is 1200 yards)
Personally, I think an overly loud firearm is more a tool of posturing and intimidation, and thus more useful in a criminal context.
Nothing like a burst from an assault rifle to let a group of people know
"we're in charge now, do as we say!"(Think of any Hollywood bank robbery movie - generally a bunch of loud shouting, and bursts of weapons fire to take command of the victims)
To put it another way, how many people have been robbed by someone wielding a bow and arrow (in the last 200 years)?