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Old March 22, 2019, 10:12 PM   #1
Mobuck
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Supressed 22 vs .177 pellet rifle sound level

I was showing my suppressed Ruger RAR 22lr to a friend yesterday. He seemed skeptical as to whether such things were worthwhile. I loaded the RAR and took a single shot at a stump 100 yards away. He sort of shrugged. Then I pulled out my 1000 fps .177 pellet rifle and fired it.
Surprise!! He freely admitted the pellet rifle was at least 2x and maybe 3x louder than the muffled 22 and it's pellet didn't reach the stump.
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Old March 23, 2019, 12:03 AM   #2
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Pellet guns can be surprisingly loud.
Quote:
...it's pellet didn't reach the stump.
Even .177 pellet guns shooting in the mid 600fps range will easily throw a pellet 100+ yards. There is, of course, a lot more drop than there would be with a .22LR so holdover is required if the gun isn't sighted for that range. Getting hits at those distances with any kind of wind can be pretty tricky...
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Old March 23, 2019, 07:18 AM   #3
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I should have said "missed the stump". The difference has little to do with the idea behind the post.
I have nearly ZERO good thoughts about the tiny pellets' performance, BTW. That highly rated pellet rifle is a dismal waste of $150.
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Old March 23, 2019, 09:31 AM   #4
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Airguns

Interestingly enough an air rifle accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition all those years ago.
The PCP air rifles can be more powerful than powder burners, heck they make them in .357 caliber.
That said they are not quiet. They also tend to be expensive. Must invest in several air tanks, or spend about a grand on a high pressure air compressor. A scuba shop can fill PCP air tanks.
They sure look like fun.
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Old March 23, 2019, 09:54 AM   #5
henry bucki
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i bought some cci 22 rounds . would not cycle my suppressed ruger mark 2, but boy they where quite
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Old March 23, 2019, 11:33 AM   #6
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"i bought some cci 22 rounds . would not cycle my suppressed ruger mark 2, but boy they where quite"

I've found the velocity threshold for functioning around 1000fps. Haven't seen reliable cycling below that number even with a clean, well broken in pistol.
The CCI "QUIET" ammo is great for lower noise requirements w/o a suppressor and is one of the most accurate of the low noise types of ammo.
I use CCI SubSonic HP and Aguila SubSonic HP or RN with excellent results and the CCI subsonic reliably cycles the Ruger pistols. The Aguila is right on the edge and sometimes fails to cycle dirty semi-autos. The Aguila from a suppressed bolt action rifle is very quiet and quite accurate.
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Old March 23, 2019, 01:53 PM   #7
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Quote:
The difference has little to do with the idea behind the post.
You are right. The point was that airguns can be quite loud, likely louder than a suppressed rimfire. In fact, my guess is that a powerful airgun could even be louder than an unsuppressed .22LR rifle with a fairly long barrel using the CCI Quiet ammo.
Quote:
That highly rated pellet rifle is a dismal waste of $150.
Conventional airgun pellets are poor projectiles and bleed velocity/energy very rapidly. Even a very powerful "conventional" .177 airgun is going to be quite limited in terms of effective range both from the perspective of wind and terminal performance. Conventional airguns do not compete well with firearms for range and terminal performance. Moving to PCP airguns and more "bullet-like" projectiles can yield black-powder like performance with the larger bores.

IMO, conventional airguns have their own niche and should not be viewed as filling the same requirements as firearms. That kind of approach will lead to an (accurate) assessment of airguns as being a waste of money. On the other hand, for shooting indoors, or in areas where firearms are impractical or illegal, or for a hobby in and of themselves, independent of firearms, they can work very well.
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Old March 24, 2019, 12:18 PM   #8
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I have a Daisy pellet rifle from CMP I bought for one of my children. It's approximately as loud as a semiautomatic 22lr with a suppressor, but it is not 100 yard gun.

It's pretty accurate in my living room (50 feet from one end to the other), and I can keep it on a soda can at 65 feet outside. I've killed pests at a bit past 80 feet, but at that distance the drop was several inches; the experience is comparable to shooting a rimfire at 100 yards.

This daisy even has an OK trigger.

For situations in which the power of a 22lr is out of the question (admittedly a very small niche) it's a reasonable answer. As to noise, I've seen that some air rifles incorporate suppressors, but I've never seen one used.
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Old March 24, 2019, 01:36 PM   #9
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"I have a Daisy pellet rifle from CMP"

Got one for Grandson to use in air gun competition. I shot it some and found it lacking @ 10 meters. Far too many un-explainable "flyers" in the hands of an experienced 10 meter rim fire competitor.
Some may be better than others, so maybe ours is just a bum.
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Old March 24, 2019, 03:41 PM   #10
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My expectations were modest. My prior air rifle experience was a conspicuously adult sized rifle that bragged great speed and power, 1000 fps if I recall correctly. It must have had a 10 pound trigger and I thought the 10 yard groups were hopeless, so I sent it back.

I wouldn't consider staying on a soda can at 20m acceptable for a rimfire, but as an introductory tool that allows showing my daughter the basics of position, sight use and trigger control, I thought it scratched the itch. I think it was $100.

The density in my neighborhood doesn't allow 22lr use. A 600fps air rifle used under adult supervision doesn't raise eyebrows; yes, it could hurt someone but the energy is bled from that little pellet so quickly that I doubt a ricochet would break a window. I think a 22lr and suppressor would cause an epidemic of the vapors amongst the soccer moms.
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Old March 25, 2019, 08:00 AM   #11
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" I think a 22lr and suppressor would cause an epidemic of the vapors amongst the soccer moms."

Most likely.
Even when many shooters first notice the muffler out front there's that "OH SNIT" he's got a silencer moment. Often followed by "Can I shoot it?".
Last fall, I stopped at the neighbor's "deer camp" to check in with them as I usually do. They were blasting away trying to zero their rifles and I pulled out my suppressed AR for the landowner to see. First comment was "Can I shoot it?". I let him send a couple while the others first experience with suppression gave them a surprise. Everyone was donning ear muffs while I just stood behind the shooter watching their expressions. After the first PFFFT, most pulled the muffs to get a real perspective of the sound. One of the guys( a big city cop) commented that his patrol unit was scheduled to get suppressors within a year but now he hoped it was much sooner.
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Old April 14, 2019, 06:00 AM   #12
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I have a Dead Air Mask suppressor and three .22 hosts for it. I also have a Ruger Impact .22 pellet gun. I can safely say that the pellet gun is louder than my bolt gun, shooting subsonic .22LR through the suppressor. Shooting supersonics, probably not, but the DAM still makes a significant dent in the volume level.
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Old April 14, 2019, 07:00 AM   #13
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"Shooting supersonics, probably not, but the DAM still makes a significant dent in the volume level."

I'm learning that "high velocity" 22 lr ammo isn't nearly as important as I thought it was years ago. I'll admit there will be times where the HV will improve performance but for most purposes, SV or sub-sonic does just as well.
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Old April 14, 2019, 07:56 AM   #14
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If you get around someone with a modern PCP airgun, like a Benjamin Marauder or one of the even nicer ones, they typically come from the factory with baffles in the barrel shroud. You might be impressed at the quietness of these guns while still delivering 20-40 foot-pounds of muzzle energy (in the appropriate caliber).
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Old April 14, 2019, 08:18 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mobuck View Post
"Shooting supersonics, probably not, but the DAM still makes a significant dent in the volume level."

I'm learning that "high velocity" 22 lr ammo isn't nearly as important as I thought it was years ago. I'll admit there will be times where the HV will improve performance but for most purposes, SV or sub-sonic does just as well.
No doubt. I bought HV for years, mainly because that's what was on the shelves. I didn't see any need for SV, much less subsonics before I started thinking about buying a suppressor. I won't get fooled again, I guess.
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Old April 14, 2019, 08:21 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by littlebikerider View Post
If you get around someone with a modern PCP airgun, like a Benjamin Marauder or one of the even nicer ones, they typically come from the factory with baffles in the barrel shroud. You might be impressed at the quietness of these guns while still delivering 20-40 foot-pounds of muzzle energy (in the appropriate caliber).
I'm sure that's true. I'm also sure that my Ruger Impact does not qualify as a "high grade" pellet gun. ("You can have good, fast, or cheap. Pick any two.") With that said, when I think "pellet gun," I'm really not thinking of $500+ pellet guns.
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Old April 14, 2019, 08:32 AM   #17
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I had a Beeman R1 for years. Barrel cocking, spring piston pellet rifle. That thing was LOUD. I much prefer my suppressed 22lr rifles for sound reduction.
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Old April 14, 2019, 01:25 PM   #18
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"I didn't see any need for SV, much less subsonics before I started thinking about buying a suppressor"

My learning process began on the trap line and was refined by the challenge of designing the quietest suppressor I could.
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Old May 6, 2019, 01:32 PM   #19
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I recently purchased the Gamo Whisper fusion in .22 and im very impressed at the level of "stealth" . I hear more gas spring twang than actual projectile sound. Im definately subsonic . My average velocity for an 16g projectile is about 860 fps. Im having issues with rabbits around my property and the Gamo and a window hide up in my attic is the solution .
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