Silenced .22 air rifle. How loud?

[HardDrive]

I see Gamo has some silenced options for .22 air rifles. But with a pellet moving 950 fps, there has to be a snap. Anyone heard one in person? How does it compare to .22lr from a rifle?

Tired of the damn squirrels eating my tomatoes.

[Embraer]

use a CB round. sounds not any louder than a pellet gun. this is the round of choice back home for dispatching rabbits that eat the garden

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Embraer

use a CB round. sounds not any louder than a pellet gun. this is the round of choice back home for dispatching rabbits that eat the garden

Out of my 26.5" barreled Mossberg 44US a CCI Quiet (40grn LRN at 710fps) is quieter than a CB Short (29grn at 710fps). And quieter than a few spring powered air rifles I've shot.

[Jolly Amaranto]

Here is a target for you.

[Rot 911]

Just YouTube "plastic bottle silencer" to see how they work and then try that first if you don't want to spend money on a silencer.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Just YouTube "plastic bottle silencer" to see how they work and then try that first if you don't want to spend money on a silencer.

If on a non-air gun, a good way to get a visit from the ATFE.

And of course, constructive intent, etc.

[Aerkuld]

I have one, but it's the mechanical spring version. The spring & piston make more noise than anything. By comparison, we have used a sub-sonic .22LR round from a single shot rifle and I think that is significantly quieter.

However, the sound from the .22 is definitely a shot, whereas the air rifle sounds as though someone dropped a pogo stick.

I think the way to go on the Gamo Whisper (if I were to do it again) may be to buy the gas-spring suppressed version, but I don't have any experience of that.

[Jim Bremner]

The Gamo Whisper is pretty loud. I would look at spending more $$$ to buy a air rifle with a larger can.

[afterburn 549]

Most guns riffles all you will hear is a click..with the "deal' on the end

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Can't you just get a pack of bottle rockets? That's what I've done. Fun and non lethal (and works - scares the heck out of em!)

[gtc]

Is it illegal to fire an air rifle out there in OH?
Or is this just so people don't notice that you're reducing the squirrel population?

[jyl]

Wrist Rocket would be more fun.

Failing that, I've plinked in the backyard with a CO2 powered air (BB) pistol, and in my very urban neighborhood no-one heard or said a thing. Admittedly the stopping power is barely sufficient for a charging soda can, but we're only talking squirrels here, and probably not even ninja squirrels.

[lane912]

look up "solvent trap adapters"- several you tube demos of this product
this is a registered adapter that allows you to screw a oil filter onto a threaded barrel....
it think the part with the serial numbers is only 75 bucks then you just need a new unused oil filter-

[id10t]

Originally Posted by lane912

look up "solvent trap adapters"- several you tube demos of this product
this is a registered adapter that allows you to screw a oil filter onto a threaded barrel....
it think the part with the serial numbers is only 75 bucks then you just need a new unused oil filter-

And a $200 tax stamp and a few months wait and ....


Or a long jail term. Your choice.

[island911]

sling-shots work great.

[lane912]

Originally Posted by id10t

And a $200 tax stamp and a few months wait and ....


Or a long jail term. Your choice.

still less than the tax stamp + 2-$$$800

[HHI944]

Pretty sure you could form 1 a 'solvent trap adapter' and efiled form 1s seem to be rocketing through right now....that said, oil filters are big, block sight picture and lose effectiveness rapidly...

[Flat Six]

I have a Gamo Bone Collector in .22; it's the quietest air gun I've ever fired.

At 950 fps (with ultra lightweight alloy pellets) it's subsonic. Uses a gas piston rather than a wire spring (smoother, quieter mechanism), but is still a barrel-cocking gun. Little over 20 ft./lbs. of energy at the muzzle; with the right pellets, good glass, and proper technique I've taken crows at up to 60 yards.

I'll measure sound next time I have my sound meter out and handy, but for reference it produces less noise than the pneumatic narrow-crown stapler I use in the garage. The 'thwack' of a pellet hitting pine is louder than the report from this rifle.

Gamo Bone Collector Bull Whisper IGT Air Rifle. Air rifles

[Jeff Higgins]

Squirrels are notorious in the airgunning community as being one of the most difficult animals to kill. Most will tell you that it takes a good deal more power to cleanly dispatch one than it does a similar sized rat or even a much larger rabbit.

The super light for caliber pellets that outfits like Gamo employ to artificially boost the velocities of their cheap air rifles are all but worthless for dispatching pests. Airgun pellets are ballistically challenged anyway, even the heavier for caliber examples. Remember, a standard .22 long rifle bullet weighs 40 grains. A standard .22 pellet goes about 14 grains, with "really heavy" pellets going maybe 25 grains. Their ballistic coefficients are very, very low - they slow down and run out of steam very quickly. The super light pellets make this bad situation even worse.

I've been amassing a bit of an airgun collection over the last few years. I've arrived at several conclusions. First and foremost, like anything else in life, you really do get what you pay for. The Gamos and other Chinese, Spanish, or Turkish airguns are simply junk. They are sold on two merits - their "gee whiz" velocities and low prices. They simply cannot compete with better made guns when it comes to velocity with reasonable pellet weights or when it comes to longevity and lasting quality.

My favorites are the German made RWS and Weihrauch lines. Both make high quality spring-piston guns that are more than up to the task accuracy and power wise for dispatching squirrels. They are significantly more expensive than the Gamos and what not, but they are truly lifetime investments.

At the low end of the price scale is the RWS 34 - the biggest selling "adult" airgun of all time. And for good reason. Mine is now almost two years old, has surpassed 5,000 rounds, and is as solid as the day I bought it. It really, really got quiet as is broke in, too. The loudest sound is the pellet hitting something solid. I paid less than $250 for it through Airguns of Arizona. Mine is a .22, shoots a 14.5 grain pellet at 570 fps, and is instant death on our squirrels, rats, crows, and bunnies. I would highly recommend it as a first or only airgun. Quiet enough that I shoot it in my backyard without any neighbors having any idea I'm doing it.

[Cajundaddy]

+1 on the RWS Model 34. I have the .177 version with scope and over 15 years have bagged around 80 rats, 1/2 dozen squirrels and she still shoots like new. A fine air rifle.
RWS Air Rifles and Pistols - Model 34, 48, 52, 54, 350, 460, LP8, 5G

As for squirels in the tomatoes, a simple protective netting might be more effective because it is on duty 24/7. These are a must in the grape vineyards around here to keep the birds and squirrels out of the fruit.