10/22 suppressed or bolt action suppressed 22LR

[UpSideDown]

I love my stainless takedown 10/22. It has the magpul stock where the barrel fits into the stock section and it carries three extra mags in the cheek rest. I leave my suppressor on it full time.

I do think that a bolt gun would be quieter, but I like being able to bring that compact .22 rifle with me and pop a grouse when I come across one. It shoots both subs and supers and is accurate enough at small game red-dot distance.

 

[Buckeye32]

Savage mk-ii fvsr with a dead air mask here and I’d say the bolt gun is the way to go.

 

[burborg]

I run cci segmented subsonics through a henry lever action and the loudest part is the hammer falling. After playing around with the subsonics I highly recommend the segmented rounds.

I second this. I shot dozens of squirrels with cci quiet when I was living in dry cabins. The segmented kill better--especially if you do body shots.

 

[Captgary]

I have a Tikka T1x .22 16" barrel with a Rugged Oculus suppressor that I use for squirrel hunting. This is a very accurate setup and a joy to hunt with.

 

[Captains1911]

I have and enjoy using both, just depending on my mood. My 10/22 squirrel gun has a 16.5” KIDD lightweight barrel, and so I take that if I’m waking around more. I shoot A LOT of squirrels off my back deck, and typically prefer the bolt gun for that. Mine are all suppressed too.

Also, standard 22 LR ammo IS subsonic, and functions just fine in a 10/22.

 

[Brackish]

Any 22lr shooting std velocity or lower ammo with a true 22lr can is going to be very quiet. Yes, a bolt action is going to be quieter. Much quieter? Not really in my opinion. Quieter to the shooter, definitely. Is the sound of port pop or bolt slamming buffer going to make a difference for squirrel? I say no.

The real answer has already been posted - buy both and then a couple more.

I run a Dead Air Mask on 10/22 bull barrel, TX22 Gen 2, Savage MK2 FV-SR.

The only thing I would have done differently is buy an OCL Ti 22's over the Dead Air Mask. I'm about to buy another 22lr suppressor and it will definitely be the OCL.

 

[Bottom Rung]

I have a Tikka T1X, 20” barrel, Trijicon Accupower 3-9x40, in .22. It was my first .22 threaded rifle and the first .22 I spent “real” money on. Fantastic accuracy and extremely quiet. For plinking I shoot a mix of American Eagle “Suppressor” 45gr bullet at 945fps, CCI Quiet round nose and HP segmented. That segmented stuff is great decent accuracy and breaks up as advertised. I haven’t had squirrel need a second shot from segmented. I also like it for pruning chipmunks off my numerous stonewalls. Bolt guns are the quiet kings.

That being said, I have a Ruger 10/22 Custom Shop sitting in a Magpul stock, with a Kidd trigger and Trijicon Credo 3-9x40. Fantastic rig. Plenty quiet with a can. Shoots CCI Quiet Semi-Auto brilliantly and gives you fantastic speed in follow up shots for larger vermin. The rubber or poly bolt pins make a big difference in sound to your ear. I have some older Wilson Combat Shok-buff pins and new Volquartsen pins in my various 10/22’s. They all perform the same in my experience. I believe they are must.

CCI has also come out with a 45gr segmented hollow point moving at 950fps. Excellent concept. I have to play with it more but so far it’s not exactly match grade. I haven’t tested it much though.

My advice is set yourself up with both, have fun and see which you prefer.