Would a 30" 22LR barrel act as a silencer?

[Matt304]

Just a thought of curiosity.

After about 18" of barrel length, 22LRs begin losing velocity as they run out of gas. So what if you exploited that feature with a long enough barrel, like 30", so that 1) you lower muzzle gas pressure and 2) you slow a normally supersonic bullet down to a subsonic? Would that long barrel work as well as a silenced 22LR or even a standard subsonic round?

The only negative thing I could see happening is that you may get some wild deviations in velocity.

Living in Illinois generates these thoughts.

 

[Sinixstar]

ha - no, i don't quite think so.

My understanding is, silencers don't work by eliminating gas pressure, but rather by spreading that pressure out over a greater area as it's released. I think by the time you got to a level equal to that of a silencer, you'd probably have a .22 round sitting somewhere in your barrel.

 

[Maelstrom]

It would doubtless be quieter, but not silent.

Anyone who's ever shot a short barreled rifle, such as a 7.5" AR can attest to how loud it is over the standard rifle. The converse should also be true.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Well with a longer barrel, your shot is going to be quieter. But not silent. The same principles are still applied, just with much less force.

 

[moewadle]

I had a Winchester Model 67

when I was a kid. That model has a 27" barrel. I do not think the CRACK! sound it made when fired was very much quieter than a High Standard .22 revolver I had for a short time at age 16. This is not scientific proof but may give you one tidbit of information toward answering that question. Remember, a lot of the sound of gunfire, at least in a .22 is the bullet breaking the sound barrier. So, regardless of barrel length the sound barrier is still going to be broken.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

My 22LR has a 24" barrel and its not noticeably quieter than the carbines I've shot or heard. Most of what I shoot is below 1100fps though so it's already subsonic. 22LR has a lot less powder to burn up than .223 so if a short barreled AR is belching a fireball, its still burning powder and making a racket. I don't really recall seeing too many 22LR fireballs.

 

[CBS220]

when I was a kid. That model has a 27" barrel. I do not think the CRACK! sound it made when fired was very much quieter than a High Standard .22 revolver I had for a short time at age 16. This is not scientific proof but may give you one tidbit of information toward answering that question. Remember, a lot of the sound of gunfire, at least in a .22 is the bullet breaking the sound barrier. So, regardless of barrel length the sound barrier is still going to be broken.

An awful lot of .22 loads teeter-totter between super and sub sonic, which is probably why you can find so many guns that shoot both sub and super sonic loads so well.

A long enough barrel should be able to get a standard velocity bullet to subsonic... how long long enough is, however, is something I don't have any idea about!

FWIW, if we accept 331 m/s (1075 ft/s or so) as the speed of sound, a .22 moving at a speed of 1200 ft/s is not far away from that velocity at all.

 

[GregGry]

A long enough barrel should be able to get a standard velocity bullet to subsonic

The only way that a barrel would do just that is if the expanding gasses stop propelling the round in the bore and there is enough bore left that the bullet decelerates due to the friction. I don't know an exact number for a 22, but my guess is its going to be a lot more then 30 inches.

 

[deadin]

The only way that a barrel would do just that is if the expanding gasses stop propelling the round in the bore and there is enough bore left that the bullet decelerates due to the friction.

And then you would have to be careful that the barrel isn't too long or the bullet will start pulling a vacuum in the barrel and you will get a "pop" like a cork being pulled out of a bottle when it exits the bore.

 

[moxie]

If in fact you get the bullet down below sonic, somewhere around 1100 fps, depending on temp., then the "CRACK" people mention will be gone, but you will still have the noise of the round going off. Quieter, yes, but still probably a good "pop."

 

[gdonley308]

No, but a suppressor does!

 

[ambidextrous1]

One of the .22 benchrest shooters at the Rod & Gun Club shoots a very expensive bolt-action rifle with a very large diameter barrel; I don't know how long the barrel is, but it's no snubby. He shoots target ammunition, of course, and the sound of his shot is less than a hand clap.

 

[moewadle]

But I never considered a .22 rifle

discharge more than a hand clap anyway. Same with a .22 wheel gun.

 

[jcwit]

Hope you wear hearing protection anyway. This constant ringing in the ears is madding.

 

[ccsniper]

deleted

 

[John Wayne]

.22 shorts out of a 22" or longer barrel are usually quieter than spring powered pellet guns (like the Gamo Hunter, not a Red Ryder or the like). CBs or Super Colibri rounds, while less powerful are also extremely quiet. It doesn't have to be completely silent, so long as it doesn't sound like a gunshot.

You should always treat it as any other firearm though; don't go lobbing rounds at squirrels if your neighbor's house is 25 feet behind them.

 

[Claude Clay]

my 28 & 1/4" cz 452 with cb's is much quiter than my gammo 880.
with 22LR it is less noisy than a ruger 10-22 or henry.
a 30" would be a bit less noisy, but to make it really quiet--dont load it.

 

[matt87]

I shoot a lot of formal .22LR target rifle. Combine subsonic ammo and longish barrels (25"+) and you get some fairly quiet guns. In fact there is no need for anyone other than shooters to wear ear protection outdoors. When someone is using a 'barrel extension' (non-pressure-bearing sleeve which extends sight radius) or a longer barrel such as a BSA Martini (29" barrel) it's noticeably quieter than normal (and a different report) but certainly not silent. To be 'silent' the pressure differential between the air pressure and the barrel pressure would have to be below the threshold of hearing -- I suppose it's possible but it would take a fair amount of work to get it right, and then it would only work with one load.

 

[gdonley308]

Less noisy to the shooter and those standing behind him but just as loud down range.

 

[rodregier]

...quieter provided your ammunition is subsonic for the barrel length. A lot of target ammunition is spec'ed as subsonic.

 

[j.crippler]

Get some CB Longs and shoot them in a .22 rifle. It'll be about as quiet as you can get without using a can.

 

[ccsniper]

deleted

 

[mp510]

I shoot a lot of formal .22LR target rifle. Combine subsonic ammo and longish barrels (25"+) and you get some fairly quiet guns. In fact there is no need for anyone other than shooters to wear ear protection outdoors. When someone is using a 'barrel extension' (non-pressure-bearing sleeve which extends sight radius) or a longer barrel such as a BSA Martini (29" barrel) it's noticeably quieter than normal (and a different report) but certainly not silent. To be 'silent' the pressure differential between the air pressure and the barrel pressure would have to be below the threshold of hearing -- I suppose it's possible but it would take a fair amount of work to get it right, and then it would only work with one load.

When I was in high school, I shot outdoor position rifle one summer. The click from the firing pin strike seemed louder than the report.