SIGforum
Are fixed action .22LR guns significantly quieter than semi-auto?

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/380105858/m/2650098864

April 13, 2020, 05:44 PM
RichardC
Are fixed action .22LR guns significantly quieter than semi-auto?
I am interested in objective and subjective observations about the loudness of subsonic .22LR ammunition from semi-auto rifles and handguns versus
fixed action, like bolt, lever, pump,, break action, etc.

What do you know?


____________________
April 13, 2020, 06:08 PM
Rustpot
It depends on what you define as "significant"

I got my first .22 can last year. I had a 15-22 and a MkIII 22/45 for hosts (semi auto 16" rifle and pistol).

The next time I went to a gun shop I bought a Savage MkII FV-SR (16" bolt action).

The bolt action is quieter. There's no clack of the bolt, there's no pop coming from the chamber, etc. Both of the autos have a little flash from the ejection port when firing (easy to see as a lefty).

The suppressor I have is a Q Erector. I leave it at full length or close to it for the autos. They also need a bit hotter ammo to function. I only use a few of the baffles on the bolt gun to keep the length down, and it's plenty quiet to shoot in the yard in that configuration.
April 13, 2020, 06:49 PM
DSgrouse
yes if you are using the correct ammo.

IE standard vel pistol ammo in a pistol, standard vel rifle in a rifle.

Some times using standard vel pistol ammo in a rifle you might see it go supersonic. Not always but a round here and there.
April 13, 2020, 08:50 PM
SigM4
Yes, shooting my CZ 455 alongside my buddy’s 10/22 using the same cans (SiCo Sparrows) and same ammo (CCI SV) the bolt gun is decidedly quieter. The firing pin and sound of impact on the berm being the major sources of sound on the CZ.



Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.

Complacency sucks…
April 29, 2020, 08:24 PM
heavyd
All else equal, absolutely. “Port pop” is significant on every 22lr host I have ever heard.


H. Dean Phillips
$99 Gun Trusts
https://nfalawyers.com
April 30, 2020, 08:53 AM
MattW
quote:
Originally posted by SigM4:
Yes, shooting my CZ 455 alongside my buddy’s 10/22 using the same cans (SiCo Sparrows) and same ammo (CCI SV) the bolt gun is decidedly quieter. The firing pin and sound of impact on the berm being the major sources of sound on the CZ.



Same experience with my 455, Sparrow or Warlock II. I've had more than one person stop me at the range asking if I was actually shooting the thing.
April 30, 2020, 10:13 AM
RHINOWSO
My CZ452 16" with Original SiCo Sparrow is quieter than a pellet gun with Aguilla Standards and especially subsonics.

I can get the Ruger 10/22s to run on the same subsonics and they are pretty quiet but you do get added noise of the bolt moving and some chamber noise. The Ruger 10/22s are still very quiet, but side by side, you can easily tell which is which just by the sound.
April 30, 2020, 11:25 AM
DaBigBR
I think it depends as much on your expectations as anything else. Most .22 bolts are very low mass, so they tend not to cycle very loudly. Most .22 ammo in a long gun is supersonic, though, so sonic crack is louder than the bolt generally would be anyway. Subsonics in a bolt .22 are amazingly quiet (as close to dry firing as you can get), but won't cycle most semis.
May 01, 2020, 04:00 PM
dmac82
Id say no. Not significantly. If you have the right ammo, gun, can combo.

I have a Tactical Solutions style 10/22 w/ Element. I shoot standard velocity CCI and its impressively quiet. Hitting a gong at 100yrds is a lot of fun. The problem with your statement is it's soo subjective. Are we talking, sound as the shooter hears, a target down range, from the parking lot 50' behind you.

Now if I shoot the same gun with bulk federal, the round will usually have a sonic Crack. If your gun and ammo allow for this, its not going to make a lick of difference if you have a bolt action.

Take the same Bulk Federal, and the 22/45 w/element and it is no louder sounds like a Pellet gun. If you've got the right combo, I would not consider the action cycling on a 10/22 significantly louder then a bolt or break action.


___________________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER
May 01, 2020, 04:07 PM
dmac82
Now I want to see Data on how loud different actions are. Racking a 10/22 vs AR15 vs P226.

Another Issue being Tone! Everyone wants the best and quietest, (Myself Included) but as I found through chasing the decibels, its not that straight forward.


___________________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER
May 06, 2020, 01:01 AM
photoman12001
This has been my experience. I’ve got several rimfire hosts in auto and manual actions. Manual actions with CCI SV are the quietest. It’s not a huge difference but it’s noticeable.

I shoot a PWS T3 in this video. It’s a neat manual action.


This is a crappy video of my favorite all-around rimfire rifle host, a Ruger 77/22.



============================================
Photographs: https://photobucket.com/u/photoman12001
-----------------------------------
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photoman12001/
-----------------------------------
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/photoman12001/videos
May 12, 2020, 02:56 PM
Boxer9
Yes, there absolutely is a difference, and it is significant all else equal such as velocity. Most of the sound difference is caused by the actuation of the bolt slamming rearward and back home, as well as some gasses escaping from the ejection port.
Bolt, break barrel, lever, etc actions are obviously quieter because of that.


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
May 12, 2020, 06:54 PM
RHINOWSO
quote:
Originally posted by dmac82:
Id say no. Not significantly. If you have the right ammo, gun, can combo.

I have a Tactical Solutions style 10/22 w/ Element. I shoot standard velocity CCI and its impressively quiet. Hitting a gong at 100yrds is a lot of fun. The problem with your statement is it's soo subjective. Are we talking, sound as the shooter hears, a target down range, from the parking lot 50' behind you.

Now if I shoot the same gun with bulk federal, the round will usually have a sonic Crack. If your gun and ammo allow for this, its not going to make a lick of difference if you have a bolt action.

Take the same Bulk Federal, and the 22/45 w/element and it is no louder sounds like a Pellet gun. If you've got the right combo, I would not consider the action cycling on a 10/22 significantly louder then a bolt or break action.

What is your bolt action experience like?
May 12, 2020, 07:05 PM
dmac82
It’s a 308, the .22 puts it to shame. Wink


___________________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER
May 12, 2020, 10:49 PM
Killer Instincts
The short answer is yes. While the signature at the muzzle may be similar or identical between a fixed action rifle and a semi-automatic, the report from the fixed action at the shooter's ear will be much quieter than with the auto. It's somewhat less pronounced with .22s than with say, a 5.56 AR vs. a bolt rifle in the same caliber, but it's still very noticeable to me.




May 12, 2020, 11:23 PM
RHINOWSO
quote:
Originally posted by dmac82:
It’s a 308, the .22 puts it to shame. Wink
22 bolt action, specifically... Razz
May 13, 2020, 07:07 AM
dmac82
No I don’t have .22 silenced bolt action experience. If a silencer gets ~25-30db reduction, will a bolt action double that? Decibels are logarithmic, so that makes the second set of 25db less than the first,no?


___________________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER
May 13, 2020, 08:35 AM
RHINOWSO
Well, since you admittedly have no experience with suppressed 22LR bolt action, your opinion really doesn't count. Wink

I think those of us with both semi auto (10/22, MP-15/22, etc) and bolt action rimfires have it covered.