Quietest centerfire round possible?

[mattri]

Interesting idea:

Without getting into suppressors, how quiet can you make a centerfire round, and which one?

Buddy and I were talking about this today and it got me thinking. For at least 1" accuracy at 50 yards, say 1.5-2" @ 100 from a re-loadable cartridge with the lowest amount of noise from a rifle what would be best?

He was talking about using pistol cartridges like the 45 ACP, I was thinking more like the 22 Hornet or similar.

Assuming low powered rounds with pistol powder or similar, is this about right?

 

[Phil]

I would guess something based off of the .22 Hornet case....

Shortened of course

I think the Squirrel was one version,there are 2 shortened versions.

PM abentley

Adam has owned both shortened versions and will give you first hand experience with them.

Phil.l

 

[Minesweeper3433]

300 blackout is very quit even without a suppressor if you are shooting sub loads out of a longer barrel then normal and have your gas system turned off. Heck even my 16" upper is comfortable to hear as a bystander without my can and it is semi.

 

[mmcu]

You should check out James Calhoon's reduced .223 loads.

 

[wvlongshot]

I just traded up one of the reproduction 1873 winchester by uberti in 45long colt with 30" barrel. That thing is a hoot to shoot and I can't get over how quiet it is. But large bore and 250gr bullet below 950fps or so is why.

 

[mattri]

Interesting replies thanks.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

nothing will match the performance of a good suppressor. my 10.5" SBR is hearing safe all day with full power loads wiht my Liberty Torch suppressor on it. It's worth the money and VERY small amount of work to get it going.

 

[Toolbreaker]

It doesn't answer your question, but I remember reading about Lee-Enfield building a few short-barreled bolt rifles for special ops in WW2. They were chambered in 45 acp, but I can't remember if they were suppressed or not. Made specifically to be quiet & accurate. Kinda struck me as a neat idea for a future toy to play with

Edit: Yep, it was suppressed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lisle_carbine

 

[mattri]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lisle_carbine

An excellent idea but the required permitting is a bit cost prohibitive at the moment, especially for such an academic exercise.

A reduced power round is certainly the leader at this point.

 

[civil82]

Don't overlook Trail Boss for reduced loads.

 

[SS427]

A guy was shooting a .17 Fireball next to me one time. Had a 26 inch barrel. I was amazed at how quiet it was. I doubt it is the quietest around, but considering the ratio of performance to decibels I was impressed.

 

[Dans40X]

I prefer the.221 FireBall w/ reduced loads.
The .22 Hornet would be my second consideration.

.17's & .20's aren't my cup of tea, as I will not use tweezers to pick up projectiles while reloading!

 

[madderg]

The comparatively light charge, the .32-40 and .38-55 cartridges use in Pope rifles were said to be low noise, and the accuracy is not to be matched, even today.

 

[matthias]

Mauser in 45 acp really quiet. Especially with 300 or 260 bullets

 

[Nomad47]

300 Whisper

 

[Minesweeper3433]

And don't be mistaken about barrel length. Longer barrels burn more powder before the bullet exits, this reduces report. I love my SBR and suppressor but the two must go together to be bearable to listen to with hearing protection. My quietest 22lr is 26 inch barreled kimber.

 

[matthias]

I have both 22 hornets and 45 acp rifles. between the two there is about the report , but with the 45 it is much easier to get the reduced sound signature. longer barrel and less powder ends up quite quiet. with the hornets I have not messed around with reduced loads. I think the same theory should work if you use a heavier bullet with less powder and stay under the sound barrier it should be petty quiet.

have you thought about using a 5.7x28 with sub loads and heavy bullets?

 

[jghoghunter]

A friend of mine uses a 380 with 90gr. lead bullets under 1000 fps in a t/c rifle and you hear the gun working, trigger, hammer fall, etc. Short and compact would be great for those pesky little rabbits in the garden without bothering the neighbors. Pretty cool at the range to not have to wear hearing protection.

 

[Outrider27]

The 147gr. 9mm subsonic loads were originally developed for this scenario and work quite well in suppressed firearms, according to the reports of the GIs I supplied tech support for at the time. Their preference for achieving low sound was large bore, heavy bullet for the caliber and low velocity.

 

[fredhorace77]

+1 for trailboss in 223. i can go from 22LR to 22 Mag to full power loads all in one cartridge. my most versatile cart.