Quiet .22 rd for 700-800 FPS

[mick53]

hi,

Roof rats, palm rats, tree rats... part and parcel of living in this part of Florida.

I'm looking for a round to take a few of them out, something that will fly at 700-900 FPS out of a 24" barrel (Marlin Golden 39A).

I've done the research here and it gets a little confusing. Need something quiet 'cause they come around at dawn and dusk.

CB Longs, CB Shorts, .plain ol' 22 Short, Aguila and other subsonic rounds are mentioned a lot but I never seem to see how many FPS these rounds travel.

So, in summation, I need a quiet .22 rd that'll move at 700-900 FPS out of a '24" barrel.

Thank you,

mike

 

[boatbod]

Most tree rats I've encountered can be subdued with an air rifle, either .177 or .22 cal. Much quieter than a .22LR, and often legal in places where a firearm isn't.

 

[mick53]

I don't have an air rifle. Someone told me some of these subsonic rounds travel at (powerful) air rifle speeds and are actually quieter out of a 24" .22rifle barrel than an air rifle.

This guy mentioned the CCI CB Longs in particular. He said that out of a tight lever action rifle like the 39a all you'd hear was the firing pin clicking on the casing and the thunk when the round hits.

True or no?

Mike

 

[jakemccoy]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but would my pellet air gun do the trick? The pellets are .177 cal.

 

[mick53]

Dunno, Jake.

HELP! I'VE BEEN 'JACKED!

Jut kidding, Jake. I do know that .177s can really fly out of some of the more powerful air rifles but I have no idea of foot pounds of energy they have.

I'm trying to find out about quiet .22 rounds.

mike

 

[Triphammer]

According to the lastest "Cheaper than Dirt" catalog, the Aguilla Super Quiet are listed @ 500 FPS but no mention of barrel length. I've not had a probleb but one guy I know had Super quiets get stuck in a rifle barrel. I believe the baxes are marked "For handgun only".

 

[Steven1281]

CB rounds are very quiet from a rifle, noisy from a pistol. The CB round is available in different case lengths (Short and LR - but both are basically primer only loads). Very quiet - less noise than a pellet gun generally. Pick up a box and test - you will like the results.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Oddly enough, you might try a .30-06.

When deer hunting, I carry a Hammond Game Getter for those pesky squirrels that try to carry me off my stand. This is a .30-06 case (you can get them in other calibers, too) with a steel head and an off-center "primer pocket."

The "primer pocket" is really a .22 chamber, and being off-center, it puts the rim right where the firing pin impacts. The Game Getter comes with a sizing die -- I use 00 buckshot, lubricated and pushed through the die for bullets. Simply seat a .22 nail-setting blank in the chamber, put a sized buckshot in the mouth of the case, and you have a cat-sneeze round, but with enough oomph to knock down any squirrel.

 

[C96]

CCI used to make two versions of a "short". One of those is a target short. Much quieter than the non target short. Both of these are in the true short cartridge lengths, not in the "long" length. They made these target shorts a few years ago, don't know if they still make them. RWS did make a good target grade short as well, quite a bit more expensive than the CCI stuff and harder to find.

Used to do some small critter weeding out and the CCI works quit well. Used a Browning BL22 which handled the shorts quite nicely.

 

[stickslinger]

Funny you should ask, I just came in from my back yard where I was experimenting with some rounds due to the same problem.

I'm using a winchester model 74 chambered for .22 short. The CB short rounds with the lead round nose bullets are pretty quiet and as long as you don't have a shooting marathon they are a good choice. Don't know about FPS but I have killed some tree rats with this round loaded in the single shot mode in a marlin semi auto.

The CB shorts high velocity with the copper round nose bullets out of the same rifle are just as loud as a regular .22. I imagine if you're accurate you can have a dead squirrell before the neighbors figure out what that sound was.

Remington .22 LR "subsonic rounds" I've tried in a Browning semi auto chambered for LR and are still pretty loud if you have some close neighbors, info on the box list velocity at 1050 fps at the muzzle, no mention of barrell length but I would guess it to be 20 - 22"..

 

[mick53]

I found something made by CCI called a "Target Shot." Lists at 830 FPS and 37 ft-lbs.

The CCI CB Long is listed at 727 FPS and 28 ft-lbs.

Each sounds perfect for the job. Does anyone have any idea which one will be quieter out of a 24" barrel?

I'll be buying one or the other. If the amount of noise between the two is insignificant, I'll get the more powerful Target Short.

Thanks guys,

mike

 

[ThomasT]

If your using a 24" barrel i would stay away from the Aquila colibris. Both powers are not enough to reliably come out of a 24" barrel. I have a Remington bolt action with a ring in the barrel to prove it.

I also have a Marlin 39 with a 24" barrel and it shoots the CCI CBs just fine with very little noise. An air gun is also good. I have a pump 22 Crossman that is fine for squirrels.

The colibris are OK in the shorter barrels. Just do a lot of checking befor you use them. A new barrel is a lot more than a new air gun.

 

[ThomasT]

Damn computers!!!! First i double post. Then it says i'm not logged in. What the heck is going on?

 

[myusername]

A little off topic but do those aguilla sub-sonic rounds cycle autos?

I have a spring-piston RWS air rifle that I shoot the mice and rats with behind my house. Works great but at closer ranges. It shoots a 177 at about 600 fps.

 

[Bentonville]

I too can vouch for not using Aquila out of a 24in. barrel. They will not cycle the action of a semi-auto. The CBs work nicely with a bolt or single action.

 

[mick53]

Can anyone provide a noise comparison between:

CCI Target Shot (830 FPS and 37 ft-lbs.)
and
CCI CB Long (727 FPS and 28 ft-lbs.)

Thanks,

Mike

 

[C96]

Mick - My experience was quite a while back, ten plus years, I tried the CB Longs, the CB shorts and the CB target shorts. The target shorts were the quietest of the three. The CB Longs and CB Shorts sounded about the same and a bit noisier than the Target shorts. I don't know if they have changed anything in any of the three. Best way is to get some of each and try them for noise and accuracy. What your gun likes to shoot needs to be considered.

 

[ishida]

Using my Marlin Golden 39 (I don't know if it's A or what, it's 40+ years old and I inherited it), and some CCI or Remington plain 'ol .22 Shorts, it's pretty damn quiet. Maybe it's because I use hearing protection, but all I hear is the click of the hammer and then an impact.

 

[bhk]

I shoot cci cb longs quite a bit. They are no noisier than my air rifle. I have killed a number of squirrels with them and they work very well. The Aguilas work well out of a short barrels rifle, but their range is very short. Get the CCI cb longs and don't look back. The CCI CB longs are also readily available, a big plus.

 

[cyclist]

The quietest .22 I found in a revolver are the CB-Longs, haven't tried them in a rifle though. Got no data on fps or power or impact though, mostly just punch paper with them. Sorry for not adding data.

 

[gcpd]

I spent about an hour shooting in my backyard yesterday. I was shooting CCI CB shorts out of my Remington 550-1 and they were no louder then my air rifle. I have used these in the past on tree rats and they will do the job.

 

[Mike128]

I have a remington 541s, longer barrel but can't remember the length. Using both CB short and CB longs out of it and found that the CB longs are definitely quieter. I think it has something to do with sealing the chamber better and shorter bullet jump. I haven't shot a live animal with it but it will go through 2 inches of pressure treated wood easy enough. My friend's wife, who was in house, did not hear us shooting it.