Cheap "sub-caliber" rifle?

I wouldn't recommend shooting any firearm without hearing protection or a sound suppressor.

Get a .22wmr and use the Sparrow.

Get a .22wmr and use the Sparrow.

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Agreed. Since you have the suppressor make use of it. The Savage bolt-guns are affordable, accurate, and have nice features. I believe they have a model with a threaded barrel too.

A cheap .22Mag bolt gun is really your only option.

For $200, .22wmr is really your only option. 17hmr perhaps... or maybe one of those Rossi single shot .223s.

.22 Hornet is a pretty nice round on critters, about twice as powerful as the .22hmr, half as powerful as the .223. You're looking at probably at least double the $200, though.

savage bolt action 17 HMR is $250 at Bass Pro Shop;
Ammo is a lot more expensive than the .22 variants, but is available.
If not doing a lot of shooting, this would be a reasonable option.
Good up to at least 100 yards accurately. They say further, but that is just my experience.

Nothing wrong with a good ole mosin nagant of any variety, but you wouldn't want to chance shooting it w/o your 'ears on'. Any way to hang some cheap ones near the door or near the gun?

Love Mosins, that that's about as far as you can get from "quiet" and "sub-caliber."

How about a 9mm carbine? You can probably find a Hi-Point at a reasonable price. Also, a regular 22LR with Yellow Jackets, Stingers, or any hyper-velocity round would give you a little boost, probably halfway to 22WMR.

A Handi-Rifle in .357 should be reasonable, too. However, with the Sparrow it seems like 22 Mag is going to be hard to beat.
RT

I am in there with pistolpositive and the 17 HMR. My brother has one and is making a convert out of me on that caliber. While the ammunition is more expensive than the 22 WMR the 17 has a lot going for it, including fun to shoot. Also, as mentioned, even now the ammunition is plentiful for it. I am beginning to see one in my near future myself.

Ron

High Point 9mm carbine with a cheap 4x scope, I've put thousands of rounds through mine and IMHO think it'd be perfect for your needs...

You could get 7.62x25 pistol inserts for your mosin, I don't know much about them but they are out there I would bet they are pretty quiet coming out of a long barrel.

As the poster and some responders have stated, 357/38spl in one of the cheaper single shot rifles.

I use my Marlin 1894 CP with 16" barrel, shooting 38's. It's like shooting a noisy BB gun. Reasonable when I bought it, but much to expensive these days.

Otherwise like the others, a 22mag with the Can.

Can or ear protection, there really are no other options with firearms. Bows/crossbows or airguns are the only other practical options that come close to accomplishing the mission, within spec.

Go figure.

Fred

Could try to find a decent price on an SKS, but good luck on that. I have a .22 Mag Remington M597 that's quite accurate. The sound level isn't THAT much more than .22LR and it runs velocities up about 700 fps higher on average. I don't think it's enough for big critters like pigs. We have a lot of pigs around here. I'd head shoot one with it if I needed, though, with a solid. I keep a .357 magnum lever gun handy around my house for the odd critter. I keep it loaded with .38, but can slam a magnum in it if I need to, but I'd have to also have time to lower the rear sight. The load I keep in it is a 105 grain cast SWC at 900 fps. It's very quiet. I do have some fairly hot .38s that split the difference. It's a Rossi 92 and they're not 200 bucks anymore, though mine was 25 years ago. Yeah, a little Rossi single shot would be in that price range.

I'd highly suggest trying a 9MM carbine with subsonic ammo. The retort is in the .22LR neighborhood, and while it's reaching at 100 yards, it's just fine inside it.

More than $200, but I fell I love with buddy's Win 94 in 22WMR. One of the prettiest functional guns for what you are talking about. If you could can it...worth the money!!!
Greg

22 mag is the way to go. With the propper bullets, a coyote at 100yards, with propper shot placement has had it, as long as the wind holds out. You got the can for it already, it's inexpensive to shoot, and you can always shoot 22 WRF out of it if you want to get something to eat with it. Out of a rifle the 22 mag would do a number on a human also. I'M NOT ADVOCATING THIS, but the 22 mag is a darling of poachers shooting deer. Unethical and with less than ideal results, but in a worst case senario, it can be done.

I own a 16" 357 lever gun. It's accurate,with plenty of power,but it's LOUD!

I own a 16" 357 lever gun. It's accurate,with plenty of power,but it's LOUD!

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Not with .38s. My load is making about 200 ft lbs at the muzzle, a little more than .22LR makes, but it's subsonic at 900 fps. It's comparable to my .22 mag for noise.

Yeah, the magnums are loud. But, I can load either .357 or .38 brass anywhere in between 200 ft lbs and 1400 ft lbs. Makes for a versatile rifle.

I'm shooting out of a 20" barrel, which makes for more quiet.

The most versatile round is the 32-20 Winchester as for hand loading'' as it can be loaded from 700-800fps ( 200-300flbs) to 1800 fps (750flbs). but the later is only safe in the T/C Contender because of the high pressure.

32-20 is good for 500 yards..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUGeOJ8evpY

When you get your 357 revolver, the convertible Blackhawk is the WTG! 357 & 9 mm out of the same gun!!!
Still think 22 mag or the Savage 17HMR if you save another $200.
Greg

I have a Hi Point carbine in .45 acp, these are handy, reliable and cheap. The company is very responsive, they will honor the no BS guarantee whether you bought it new or used. You should be able to find a 9mm with the old style stock for about $200.

They will shoot +P ammo.

How about a used .30-30? Might be more than $200, and I have not tracked prices with the current gun ban scare, but there are plenty of nice used examples out there and the .30-30 is a great intermediate round that's probably taken more deer in the US than any other caliber.

Ammo is usually affordable and it's also not a miliary cartridge, so ammo might not be as hard to find. Might be a little more than what you are looking for, but it's bette stopping power for the larger critters might be what you are looking for.

SKS in 7.62x39 would be another good choice in a similar power range, but snything military is nots right now.