quietest 22LR

[Vaultman]

I am stepping into the suppressor world. I am going to start with a 22LR can (not set on that yet) but it is FIRST for a new pistol. That got me to thinking, when I use this can on a rifle, I will either need a new barrel or a rifle that is already threaded.

What is the quietest 22 LR rifle. I assume it would be a bolt action. Would a bull barrel be quitter than a thin contour? Accuracy is always important but this is mainly for 50yds and in, more important for this: I want it as quiet as possible.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Yes, a bolt action will be the quietest. The noise will not vary with barrel contour, though with centerfires it can vary with barrel length. With a .22lr I don't think that's the case with non-SBR barrel lengths since all the powder is burned up well within the first 16" of barrel.

With that being said I'd say grab a Tikka T1X 16.5" or maybe a CZ457 Synthetic Suppressor-Ready. I personally have the T1X and it's been great but people also speak highly of the CZ.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Its about velocity and gas expansion which is going to relate to ammo selection and barrel length. Subsonic is going to be quitter than supersonic, some ammo will stay subsonic in a pistol but go supersonic in a rifle.

Without a suppressor CCI "quite" from a 16" barrel rifle sounds like an air rifle, there is enough barrel length that the gasses in that ammo have slowed enough they make low noise leaving the barrel.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

With a .22lr I don't think that's the case with non-SBR barrel lengths since all the powder is burned up well within the first 16" of barrel.

It makes a difference. CCI quite makes less noise than other subsonic stuff from a 16" barrel for instance.

 

[Geewhiz]

The noise will not vary with barrel contour,

Are you sure about this and where do you get your info? Genuinely curious and Ive thought about this a bit. Is any of the sound of the initial detonation heard through the chamber/barrel wall? Or is sound only heard once the gasses exit the barrel?

Kinda seams like +/- 1/4 inch of steel wouldnt stop all of the sound of the round being fired. If there was a room built out of 1/4" steel and a rifle was fired inside of it, would you still be able to hear it?

I really am curious if, everything else being equal, a sporter weight barrel would be louder than the exact same setup in a heavy barrel profile, and if so, how that would compare to CF wrapped barrels?


Just a thought.

 

[Stache Attack]

I have a Bergara that’s threaded, real quiet with super sonic and a can. Know guys like the Christiansen, t1x, and cz’s. Don’t think you can go wrong with a nice 22lr. Might have to try some quiet through mine with and without the can.

 

[WannaBeRambo]

I am stepping into the suppressor world. I am going to start with a 22LR can (not set on that yet) but it is FIRST for a new pistol. That got me to thinking, when I use this can on a rifle, I will either need a new barrel or a rifle that is already threaded.

What is the quietest 22 LR rifle. I assume it would be a bolt action. Would a bull barrel be quitter than a thin contour? Accuracy is always important but this is mainly for 50yds and in, more important for this: I want it as quiet as possible.

Get one already factory threaded. Bolt will be quieter, but my semi auto Marlin Papoose takedown is so quiet I sometimes wonder if it went off. (Cci standard)

the papoose threadding came back not concentric. Nightmare. Took months of wrangling with the gunsmith to get him to make good.

I sent it off to Ahlmans in Minn. and that was almost $200 shipping and threading. That worked out well.

These were guns with sentimental value, otherwise I would have sold them and bought something new already threaded. Any gun I buy will be factory threaded.

 

[WannaBeRambo]

Are you sure about this and where do you get your info? Genuinely curious and Ive thought about this a bit. Is any of the sound of the initial detonation heard through the chamber/barrel wall? Or is sound only heard once the gasses exit the barrel?

Kinda seams like +/- 1/4 inch of steel wouldnt stop all of the sound of the round being fired. If there was a room built out of 1/4" steel and a rifle was fired inside of it, would you still be able to hear it?

I really am curious if, everything else being equal, a sporter weight barrel would be louder than the exact same setup in a heavy barrel profile, and if so, how that would compare to CF wrapped barrels?


Just a thought.

With 22lr its such a lightweight round only the muzzle and receiver will allow sound out. I said earlier sometimes mine $200 rifle is so quiet other than spent shell ejecting, hard to tell it went off.

as far as barrel weight/profile, I think the metric to use is not absolute suppression, as I think they’re all going to be the same, rather will this be a precision bench rifle or do you want to pop squirrel heads off at 60 yards kind of gun.

guns and ammo recently published a “precision rim fire 2023” magazine, it’s mostly an infomercial, but could be useful.

 

[Shortschaf]

Subsonic ammo in a bolt action .22 with any suppressor at all will be basically inaudible.

As for barrel length, going from a 4" pistol to a 22" bolt action (both suppressed), the blast is the same. It's nonexistent. The pistol is the only one that made noise, and it was just because of the bolt cycling.

Even supersonic stuff is really quiet with a can, you'll just have to try out different ammos with whatever you choose.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

This was hung is extremely quiet…

 

[wesfromky]

I have found the ammo makes a difference. I have a 16" t1x and a mark 4, both are super quiet with Aguila 38gn subs. Anything not subsonic still has a noticeable crack to it.

I have a dead air mask (with another in jail), but would buy an otter creek titanium if I was to get a new rimfire can.

 

[doc holiday13]

This is definitely a lot more nuanced than you realize.... BUT generally speaking if you find some ammo rated for 950 FPS out of a 22lr pistol, that will be the quietest ammo through a suppressor

I personally have had GREAT success with CCI standard velocity(rated at 1050 fps) and my silencerco sparrow 22. There are apparently a couple other quieter suppressors on the market. I have my sparrow mounted to a sig mosquito. The mosquito always has a weapon mounted light. the mosquito/sparrow/light combo is my go to for just about everything that needs shooting in the dark. For 2 legged critters it can dump 10rds in about 1.5 seconds and the weight of the suppressor keeps your muzzle on target

 

[left hunter]

Barrel diameter and material doesn’t make a difference in sound to my ears. I have threaded bolt guns and single shots with heavy steel barrels, thin steel barrels and carbon fiber wrapped barrels and can’t hear a difference as long as I’m using the same ammo.

Ammo makes a huge difference and the absolute quietest I have ever used through a suppressor is CCI quite ammo. It’s a bit slow but is laughably quit through a suppressed bolt gun or single shot.

 

[WannaBeRambo]

Subsonic ammo in a bolt action .22 with any suppressor at all will be basically inaudible.

As for barrel length, going from a 4" pistol to a 22" bolt action (both suppressed), the blast is the same. It's nonexistent. The pistol is the only one that made noise, and it was just because of the bolt cycling.

Even supersonic stuff is really quiet with a can, you'll just have to try out different ammos with whatever you choose.

Oh, no supersonic crack is quite loud, especially in the woods or other locations where sounds can reflect back. I zeroed my suppressed hunting rifle for 60 yds so I can use cci standard, as the minimag and other supers have a sharp crack.

the good news is I find the cci standard stays subsonic out of pistol and 16” rifle, plus it’s accurate for hunting cheap and widely available. Also cycles my auto loader rifle and pistols. What more can I ask for?

 

[Shortschaf]

Oh, no supersonic crack is quite loud, especially in the woods or other locations where sounds can reflect back.

You're right, "loudness" is subjective to the shooter and the environment. For the record that's why I add the caveat that he just needs to try ammo out when it comes to supersonic ammo. None of us can describe what things sound like with words alone.

Safe to say if OP cares about being quiet, there's no reason to try supersonic ammo at all.

 

[ramsdude47]

This is what you want for the absolute quietest you can get:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1016721870

 

[Shortschaf]

Are you sure about this and where do you get your info? Genuinely curious and Ive thought about this a bit. Is any of the sound of the initial detonation heard through the chamber/barrel wall? Or is sound only heard once the gasses exit the barrel?

The only sound that would propagate through the metal barrel/receiver and then get to your ear would be by the same mechanism that a tuning fork works. Rifles don't vibrate like tuning forks, and I'd wager there is no ammo/rifle combination that you can generate tuning-fork style vibrations

Kinda seams like +/- 1/4 inch of steel wouldnt stop all of the sound of the round being fired. If there was a room built out of 1/4" steel and a rifle was fired inside of it, would you still be able to hear it?

Yes, a sealed, steel shipping container is not soundproof. But that is not the same scenario as a bullet being pushed out of a barrel.

The steel shipping container has air inside of it. The muzzle blast creates sound waves that propagate through the air, then to the steel walls, then the walls vibrate enough to cause new sound waves OUTSIDE the container. If you take the air out of the shipping container (create a vacuum) and fire the gun, it would not be heard by anyone inside or outside the container.

In the case of a fired gun, there is no media for sound waves to propagate between the bullet and the barrel or receiver. The only sound generated by this would be by the tuning-fork example above--AKA, not one at all.

 

[Vaultman]

This is what you want for the absolute quietest you can get:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1016721870

I read that it "used to be true" that an integral suppressed barrel would be quieter, but that some of the 'best suppressors' can come real close to matching that now. Is that a bunch of hogwash? I kind of want to not have to dedicate the suppression to my ONE rifle only.

 

[sram9102]

Any suppressed bolt 22 shooting subs is going to be quiet enough you won't care about barrel contour, length, etc. I have a savage mk II svsr and you can hear the firing pin impact. I have shot muskrats out of my kids window while he was sleeping without waking him up.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[Maverick1]

I am stepping into the suppressor world. I am going to start with a 22LR can (not set on that yet) but it is FIRST for a new pistol. That got me to thinking, when I use this can on a rifle, I will either need a new barrel or a rifle that is already threaded.

What is the quietest 22 LR rifle. I assume it would be a bolt action. Would a bull barrel be quitter than a thin contour? Accuracy is always important but this is mainly for 50yds and in, more important for this: I want it as quiet as possible.

You are going to get a variety of recommendations. One thing to keep in mind is that whatever direction you end up going, their will be some audible sound when shooting a suppressed 22, subsonic, even in a bolt action configuration. It is not going to be totally silent, or even "Hollywood Quiet". It will likely end up with an audible noise level somewhere between a loud pellet gun and the noise you hear when disconnecting an air compressor hose from an air tool. Most suppressors reduce the intensity about 30-50 decibels.