Quietest 22lr bolt/lever

Many moons ago an infestation of skunks and I went toe to toe, my weapon of choice was Marlin Golden 39A with its 24" tube and CB's, wasn't pretty but could kill a skunk without making it spray which made it a valuable tool.
 
I also second the Marlin 39A. I don't know why it seems quieter than my Win 69A with a bit longer barrel.

The .22LR reaches top velocity in about 16" of barrel. Perhaps the micro-groove barrel has more resistance, slowing the bullet more than other rifles of comparable barrel length?
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm a big fan if CZ as I own a 9mm 75 P-01 handgun.

I love the lever actions as I own a Win 94AE 30/30 so I'm partial to the Browning or the Marlin lever 22s.

I appreciate the pellet gun suggestions but I already own 2 .177 caliber air rifles and there is not enough oomph to take down larger critters.

I'd probably only use the low power ammo on smaller creatures and step up to higher power ammo on larges ones. Gotta be better then breaking out the 870 like I had to do on a rabid raccoon a couple of months ago.

- mike
 
Pick up a box of Agulia super colibri. Out of my 1906 pump, all you hear is the hammer drop. It takes multiple hits to bring down a possum, but it will. I don't think it would bother a groundhog, or penetrate the hide of a cat or dog. One shot 1 kill on ground squirrels.
 
I've got an old Winchester single shot model 67, pre A. It's got a stinkin' long barrel, like 26" & change. It's very quiet with subsonic ammunition like the Remington hollow points or the Gemtech stuff made just for silencers.

I tried short hollow points, but they just broke the sound barrier & are throwing less bullet out there to boot.

I'd imagine with some CBs it'd be laughably quiet. I thought about getting a silenver for it but really can't see the point, it's that quiet. You can shoot things where shooting things is frowned upon, long as no one sees you.

So I've been told, at least.

Crazy accurate too.
 
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Any rifle with a 24" barrel is good enough to get the sound of CB shorts down to BB gun sound.

There is 0.45 gr of powder, and a barrel of that length has enough volume to get the gas escapement pressure down to less than one atmosphere above ambient [threshold of super sonic gas].

29 gr 768 fps.

With this low power, I need a brain shot on raccoons, but only a head, neck, or spine shot on Eastern Gray squirrels.

It will shoot a 0.426" 3 shot group at 14 yards.

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Many of the so called "quiet" 22 loads say do NOT use them in long barreled guns.

If you do, make sure they exit the barrel on each shot

Aguila Super Colibri Ammo 22 Long Rifle 20 Grain Lead Solid …
www.midwayusa.com › … › 22 Long Rifle › Subsonic
WARNING: These rounds are ... If fired in rifles, the bullet may remain lodged in the barrel.
 
The nice thing about pump 22s is that wimpy loads, that will not cycle a semi auto reliably, can be used.
But I bought one used a week ago, that I see [from looking down the muzzle] once had a stuck bullet removed by Bubba.
 

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Many moons ago an infestation of skunks and I went toe to toe, my weapon of choice was Marlin Golden 39A with its 24" tube and CB's, wasn't pretty but could killa skunk without making it spray which made it a valuable tool.

When I was a kid my Dad and I used a 39A with CB's to save my grandmas fruit trees from annihilation by tweety birds. The thing was so quiet you could drop 10 or 12 of them before they even noticed you were shooting at them.

I still prefer the Aguila SSS for larger critters because they don't compromise performance like most subsonic rounds do. Compare them to a 36 grain high velocity, the Aguila actually has higher retained energy down range.

36g 1255 fps, muzzle energy- 126 ft-lbs, @50 yrds- 96 ft-lbs, @100 yrds- 80 ft-lbs

SSS 60g 900 fps, muzzle energy- 120 ft-lbs, @50 yrds- 100 ft-lbs, @100 yrds- 86 ft-lbs

Boomer
 
Add an airgun to your arsenal

Firstly, Your old Ithaca .22. is pretty cool. When I earned my first gun from my dad, it was on the short list. I chose a Benjamin 312 air rifle. My first firearm would be an Ithaca 66 shotgun.

Never tested .22 rf's for quietude, since I use airguns for most .22 tasks. I suspect you are using this for suburban pest control, so the report is the problem. Action noise is irrelevant except for assassinations.

The short barrel on the Ithaca is likely a problem in that regard. The CZ 452 is offered with some REALLY long barrels, so I recommend them.

Still, the best choice is a spring piston air rifle. I've decimated flocks of crows with them because they are so quiet and what little noise they do make they can't recognize.

A greater concern than your neighbors is John Law. If shooting is illegal where you live and you get caught they will be pretty angry about a firearm. They might ignore an airgun.

I use a Beeman R9 et al, but the RWS 34 is commonly available at the big sports stores.
 
Bait them close to the house then shoot from inside the house out through a slightly opened window or door. One idea is replace the the screen or glass in a screen door with a piece of card board and align a small hole in the cardboard to the bait. Then leave the interior door open a crack. Back a few yards away from the opening and fire away. Use subsonic 22 ammo. That will be quiet enough and with more stopping power than cb ammo. Nobody will be the wiser when there's just one shot now and then.
 
I've tried most everything that has come along but keep going back to the CCI 22 short sub sonic. The Super Calibre by Aguila is quieter but not as consistent in accuracy and won't even make it out of the barrel of some of my 22 rifles. I shoot an old Win 61 pump and know exactly how it is going to shoot every time. My only complaint is that it (the CCI CB) is maybe a little too strong and goes thru a squirrel so I have to be extra careful of the background. Every once in a while a round seems to be louder than usual but it may be my imagination.
 
I have used CCI quiet 40 gr in my savage model 64 on many raccoons and squirrels at ranges under 25 yards. It sounds like a BB gun and it works well with head shots. I have yet to have a misfire with CCI quiets.
 
A greater concern than your neighbors is John Law. If shooting is illegal where you live and you get caught they will be pretty angry about a firearm. They might ignore an airgun.


I live in a rural area with neighbors that are no closer than hundreds of yards and shooting is lawful as there is lots of farm land around as well as wooded areas.

If I'm going to buy a new rifle I just want it to be quiet as to not bother others. Neighbors shoot all the time but it's a little annoying sometimes.
 
For squirrel hunting , my pardner and I,

used bolt action and auto-loader. The favorite rounds are the CCI standard and he like the velocitors.

Have tried the "quiet report" CCI and like them, just need to find more.

The squirrels do not seem to notice either reports.

Get what you like to shoot either bolt or other action type.
 
Shooting standard subsonic 22 LR out of a CZ 452 Ultra Lux (29" barrrel length) sounds like a loud door slam.

Shooting CB longs out of the same gun sounds like a mouse fart. I think it's probably quieter than most air rifles.

It's a great quality gun and I recommend it for your purpose. By the way, I've chrono'd some factory ammo out of the same gun. You may be interested in the results:

CCI Blazer (40gr) = 1210 fps ave

Remington Subsonic (38gr) = 1010 fps ave
PMC Moderator (which is subsonic, 38gr) = 952 fps ave

CB Long (29gr) = 558 fps ave

So even a CB Long will hit much harder than a pellet out of an air rifle.

I also shot a CZ452 Lux (with a 25" barrel length) side by side with the longer barrel Ultra Lux. The 25" barrel gun was almost as quiet (with subsonic and standard ammo, we did not test CB longs) which surprised me. There was also a slight difference in sound pitch. But I doubt I would be able to tell the difference in sound volume or pitch unless they were fired side by side.

Joe Mamma
 
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