Monkeybear,
.223 out of an AR-15 (11.5" barrel) with a proper suppressor on the barrel sounds like an unsuppressed .22lr 16"-22" barreled rifle firing CCI MiniMags. It's loud, but a lot quieter than an unsuppressed .223 11.5" barrel! Night and day difference.
The Finns have a saying "A silencer does not make a rifleman silent, but it does make him invisible." Most of the noise of a rifle to the shooter and nearby listeners comes from the muzzle blast. The suppressor takes care of most of that and for the most part all you hear is the bullet breaking the sound barrier.
.223 out of an AR-15 (11.5" barrel) with a proper suppressor on the barrel sounds like an unsuppressed .22lr 16"-22" barreled rifle firing CCI MiniMags. It's loud, but a lot quieter than an unsuppressed .223 11.5" barrel! Night and day difference.
The Finns have a saying "A silencer does not make a rifleman silent, but it does make him invisible." Most of the noise of a rifle to the shooter and nearby listeners comes from the muzzle blast. The suppressor takes care of most of that and for the most part all you hear is the bullet breaking the sound barrier.