Hard Data on Suppressed Barrel length & Volume (5.56/.223)

[5MilesBack]

A suppressed .22 subsonic from a bolt action is in the 110-120 decibel range.

I don't understand this. They say a vacuum is somewhere around 89 decibels, and a vacuum is WAY louder than any sound coming from shooting suppressed subsonic 22's from my experience.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I'm listening to my wife wash dishes in the sink from 20 feet, and it sounds way louder than me popping off a suppressed subsonic .22 LR from a rifle. I hate to argue with smart people and data gleaned from expensive machines, but I'll trust my ears to tell me when a subsonic suppressed rimfire is too loud to shoot without earpro.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don't understand this. They say a vacuum is somewhere around 89 decibels, and a vacuum is WAY louder than any sound coming from shooting suppressed subsonic 22's from my experience.

I don’t know what to say, man. The testing results show what the sound impulse measures. Last time I checked, the best .22 LR suppressors were around 118 decibels. The fact that you don’t register it as loud may say something about your hearing? I don’t mean that as anything negative towards you. Or maybe it’s just how we register the sound?

I know that when I got my first .22 suppressor, which was the quietest one on the market at the time (per TBAC Suppressor Summit data), I didn’t believe it made much difference at all from behind the rifle. I was shocked at how loud the suppressed shots were (but not when compared with unsuppressed - the difference was obvious there). I can hear the firing pin drop, but I also hear the sound of the shot. I still can’t tell the difference between subs and SuperSonics if I am shooting the rifle. But if I stand about 15 feet away from the shooter, I can tell the difference.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I still can’t tell the difference between subs and SuperSonics if I am shooting the rifle. But if I stand about 15 feet away from the shooter, I can tell the difference.

This can't be possible. Occasionally, a CCI Standard Velocity will break the speed of sound when i'm shooting suppressed, and the sonic boom when you're not expecting it is a deafening sound from a rimfire.

 

[omicron1792]

This can't be possible. Occasionally, a CCI Standard Velocity will break the speed of sound when i'm shooting suppressed, and the sonic boom when you're not expecting it is a deafening sound from a rimfire.

I agree. Subs are not in same stratosphere as supers sound wise.

 

[Caseknife]

I am just impressed that the B&T Tiger 22 Ti has the ability to suppress a bolt action 223 without disintegrating. At least what their site says it can do.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I agree. Subs are not in same stratosphere as supers sound wise.

The supersonic crack is around 125 decibels. Yes, the supersonics sound louder than the subsonic rounds. I am not saying there is no difference. I am just saying that I don’t usually register the difference when I am behind the rifle. As soon as I am observing someone else, the difference becomes apparent.

 

[hibernation]

The supersonic crack is around 125 decibels. Yes, the supersonics sound louder than the subsonic rounds. I am not saying there is no difference. I am just saying that I don’t usually register the difference when I am behind the rifle. As soon as I am observing someone else, the difference becomes apparent.

Was this on a semiauto? On a bolt action 22, it's a night and day difference for me.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Was this on a semiauto? On a bolt action 22, it's a night and day difference for me.

No. CZ 457 with 16” barrel.

 

[StupidLightweight]

I mean no disrespect, because you seem like a very bright guy, but are you certain you've been using subsonic 22 LR ammo? I honestly feel like Helen Keller could register a difference between subs and supers from a CZ 457 with a can. Sonic booms, no matter how small, do not go unnoticed unless you're using incredible hearing protection.

 

[omicron1792]

I mean no disrespect, because you seem like a very bright guy, but are you certain you've been using subsonic 22 LR ammo? I honestly feel like Helen Keller could register a difference between subs and supers from a CZ 457 with a can. Sonic booms, no matter how small, do not go unnoticed unless you're using incredible hearing protection.

Yeah. It’s silly quiet. All you really hear is the firing pin.

 

[wesfromky]

All I can hear with a .22 bolt, subsonic ammo, and my DA mask is the impact sound. Supers are noticeably much louder.

Maybe ear vs muzzle measurements?

 

[Billy Goat]

This isn't scientific, but I was curious. I just ran 4 shots out of a t1x with a B&T tiger ti. Phone with a downloaded db meter, phone facing up on deck railing, infront of the can, within 10".

970 fps ammo, out of 16" barrel.

The cycling on the bolt registered almost as loud as the shot.

Says a max 95 db. The sharp spikes are the shots.

Oh, and @ 50 seconds I burped into the mic out of curiosity, and maybe to piss the wife off.

 

[ElPollo]

Yes, that’s close to the same decibel level. Our ears need time to recover from the sound impulses. I am not talking about continuous magazine dumps either. A suppressed .22 subsonic from a bolt action is in the 110-120 decibel range. If you value your hearing, you don’t want to expose your ears to extended unprotected sessions of those impulses.

Of course, “a rock concert’s volume” also varies depending on environmental factors and your location, but OSHA generally regards a generic rock concert as 100-120 decibels. That’s enough noise for the potential for hearing loss in as little as 15 minutes of exposure. Near the stage at an AC/DC concert might be more like 130 decibels.

I’m not checking your dB figures for subsonic 22 LR here. But duration of exposure is a big part of estimating impacts to your hearing. Being at a concert is more or less constant loud noise for an hour or more. That’s very different than the total exposure of a couple hundred shots (assuming similar dB) over the course of an hour of shooting. I’m not saying you can’t do some damage to yourself that way. Just saying the comparison with a rock concert is not really an apples to apples comparison.