In fact it is used for many target sports, including a majority of olympic shooting events. Match-grade loads from a suitable rifle can produce 1-inch groups at 100 yards. Quality loads can be found for under $.05/round. It is very cheap and widely available.

22LR ammunition is attractive for several reasons: However there is some evidence that this cartridge is underestimated. Common wisdom holds that it is too weak to use for defense against humans or for hunting any animal larger than a raccoon. A thoroughly optimized combination can be incredibly quiet.22LR is the smallest firearm cartridge in common use today. A pellet gun is a fairly good analog and the overall sound signature can be recognized as some kind of shot being fired within approximately 100'.įor best results it's advisable to experiment with handloads using very high burn rate powders, use a high-volume suppressor of modern (late 80's or newer) design and if the gun in question is semiautomatic, the heaviest bolt/buffer and most restricted gas valve/orifice that will still allow the gun to function reliably. The click of the firing pin is audible mainly on bolt and lever action rimfire rifles when the action is close to shooter's ear and tip of the muzzle a couple of feet away. The noise level depends on the caliber and bullet shape. I wonder if they're still available.Ī properly suppressed subsonic round of any caliber will create a 'plop!' sound from the barrel and an audible hiss of the bullet in flight, providing that the powder is fast enough and gas pressure at the muzzle is sufficiently low for the suppressor to muffle the bang completely. He told me he touched off a round in his back garden (he had houses five feet to each side of his place) and, in his words, 'a six foot ball of flame erupted from the end of the barrel and it sounded like the New Jersey shelling North Vietnam.' Apparently barrel length had had a significant moderating effect.įunny, I haven't fired a CB cap since then. Except he had a four inch barrelled revolver. A year or so later he had a bunny situation at his house and decided to try one to dispatch it. Next morning, it was still sitting in the driveway and the neighbor told my grandmother 'it must've just died there.' I was impressed and told my cousin about the James Bond-level stealth of the CB cap. It didn't run, and the round was really quiet, but I figured that if I couldn't hit it with one shot I didn't need to keep trying. Twenty year old eyes are a lot different than mine today. 22, took aim from around 80 feet, and let fly. This rabbit was eating plants in my grandmother' garden, and one night it was out on the neighbors' driveway when I got home from work at around midnight.

I have never fired a gun with supressor, but the comment about subsonic. My other rifle is a 16 inch 300blk bolt action. VERY handy, and quiet enough for its purpose. I have a short handy ar15 in 300blk with a 10 inch barrel. If you try to make it be quiet AND super short you will probably be unhappy with the results as it will be a compromise rifle. Gotta figure out and focus on what you want the rifle to do. Bring that length up to 18 or 20 inches you you will be much happier at the expense of that nice handy little barrel. The rifle with 11 inches of barrel will be louder than you like, guaranteed. Best way is to actually see and hear a few if you can. it never sounds right and seems to be a poor way to judge how much sound you are really making imo. Videos of suppressed shooting tend to be garbage for comparison. On game animals at distance they tend to pay very little attention in my experience. One isolated shot will probably not be noted as a shot by most folks, say in a hunting scenario. Other things like moisture can be added to some suppressors to help make them quieter, but this depends on application.Īs far as hearing the shot, that is hard to say. A slower bullet, say 800 fps vs 1000 fps can make a difference as well with less bullet noise whipping through the air. Faster powders tend to be quieter, and are an option in the bolt rifle. A closed action is a good deal quieter than a semi auto. Longer barrel has a very noticeable effect on how loud it is, as do the powder used and how much of it. that is a very optimistic assertion in any case.

You will assuredly hear more than a firing pin drop. It will sound like an airgun in most cases, a nice airgun lol.

Subsonic rounds with suppressor