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I have a Howa 1500 in .204" Ruger calibre which is factory threaded for a moderator, any idea on the thread?

I am also looking for a compact silencer for it to see if I can get away without having to use ear muffs in the field.

Any recomendations?

From what I've seen over the years, factory thread seems to vary based on barrel profile and calibre. If you put a vernier over the diameter of the thread what does it measure? Most seem to be 1/2 or 5/8 UNF.

Raking through my stock I found a Wildcat Predator 8 in .22" calibre which I hope will work well enough on the .204".

Thread size UNF 1/2.

Any one have any experience of these moderators? Good points/bad points things to watch out for?

Will being a bit over calibre be an issue other than perhaps no being so quiet as a .20" calibre moderator?

Well it certainly contains the noise very effectively, no need for the lug flaps.

It will need a re-zero though.

Wildcats are brilliant moderators, especially for the price (when they first came out and for 8 or so years after at least). They've got a bit silly of late but that seems to be across the board. Being able to disassemble them is a big bonus for me and the modularity means you can have a single 'body' and then swap out the bridge section for different thread pitches and different baffle stacks for calibres.

I am certainly very impressed with its silencing ability.

Zero dropped 6" at 100 yrds though with it on!

Couple of rounds got it back "on" and it is now turning the pesky wabbits inside out again with its usual aplomb at a very friendly noise level.