Thread: Quietest firearm possible?

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

what Tim has shown above would be my choice hands down..... all the hard work is already done. running a 151grn hp cast projectile off trademe powered by around 7grns of trail boss is QUIETER than a long barrelled norinco .22 with suppressor (even a big one) Im using a GW Spartan can on the x39mm
Ive shot bunnies with it and its mates don't move unless you cycle the bolt,or mate shoots next one with .22 LOL.
as said above be VERY aware of background as subsonics whizz off into distance rather alarmingly .

Originally Posted by tommygun

Yep I see there is a De Lisle reproduction on trademe at the moment, but they want $2000 for it.... I have a Baikal 7.62x39 and it shares the can on my .308, it is quiet with subsonic loads but not as quiet as some of the .22's i've handled, I think @Friwi must be right, my mate has a Marlin XT22 with a suppressor and it make less noise than an air rifle. Maybe i'll stick with the 7.62x39, I've been using 150 grain Sierra .311 Pro Hunters with 7 grains of Trail Boss, are cast bullets worth trying?

With the cast bullets in 303 cal (7.62x39 is the same as 303 rather than 7.62x51 which in same as 308) the 180gr and 220gr cast with or without gas check hold their energy a bit further than the 150s. They still rise and fall at the same rate as the 150s as long as they are doing the same speed. Definitely worth trying as they are far cheaper than using copper jacketed bullets and at the lower speeds the softer lead seems to mushroom better than the ones designed for higher speeds. (Though deform is probably a better word than mushroom.) You do need just a grain or so more of the trail boss to get the same 1000 fps to stay subsonic. Projectils are around 8 or 9 cents each when you start making your own.....add a 10c primer, and a few cents worth of powder and it makes for cheap shooting too, not that this is the aim of said project...

One advantage of the break open rifles is overall length is not an issue as it is when feeding from a magazine. So the 220gr will fit no matter how long it is.