heypete
Member
On Saturday, the mailman knocked on my door to deliver the stainless, threaded barrel for my 10/22 (it's a factory barrel, threaded by a gunsmith). This in and of itself was unusual (they usually leave parcels at the apartment office), and required that I exit my bed and put on pants before answering the insistent knocks at the door.
I had been planning a review of the silencer for about a week or two, so I had purchased a brick each of Remington Subsonic and Remington Golden Bullet (the boxed round-nose stuff, not the bulk-pack from Wal-Mart), as well as a 100-round pack of CCI CB Longs. My 10/22 is partial to Remington ammo, even the cheap stuff, but seems to work well with most CCI ammunition as well. Today was no exception and I had but one dud out of all the rounds fired.
All testing took place at the Marksman Pistol Institute and Shooting Range in Tucson, AZ. All firing was done indoors between 5 and 25 yards. Sound measurements were done by ear, with 29dB-rated earmuffs. I happen to be a former Army tanker, so while my 24-year-old hearing isn't what it used to be, it's all right.
My testing procedure went as follows:
Calibration/Warming Up (No Silencer)
1. Fire one 10-round magazine of Golden Bullets to warm up and dirty the barrel without the silencer. The noise of the shot itself masks the supersonic crack and flight noise of the bullets. The bolt cycles normally. Flight noise is not heard over the sound of the shot.
2. Fire one 10-round magazine of Subsonics without the silencer. The noise of the shot is reduced, but still rather loud. The bolt cycles slightly slower than with the Golden Bullets, and emits foul fumes and residue (see below).
3. Fire one 10-round magazine of CB Longs without the silencer. There is a "pop" from the muzzle from the gases, but no bullet flight noise. This would be quite comfortable to fire without hearing protection, even without the silencer. The bolt did not cycle.
Supersonic Ammo (With Silencer)
Remington Golden Bullets are definitely supersonic. The silencer almost completely masked the noise of firing, with only a minor "pfft" being emitted from the barrel, followed by a loud "crack" of the bullet in flight. The impact noise of the bullet was not heard. This was particularly noticeable when the rest of the people at the range were not firing -- normally, all one hears is the "boom" of the shot, but never the crack. This sounded extremely odd.
No jams, duds, or other malfunctions were experienced with 100 rounds of Golden Bullets. The bolt cycled noticeably faster with the silencer attached. No excess amount of fumes were detected by the Mark I Nose, Mouth, and Lungs present.
Dime-sized groups were obtained at 25 yards, though nickel- and quarter-sized groups were more common due to the lack of a stable firing platform (I was kneeling, with the stock resting upon a brick of ammunition. This was uncomfortable, and there was a lot of side-to-side sway in the scope) and my chugging a can of Coca-Cola immediately preceding the firing session.
Small flakes of similar color to the gold-colored plating on the bullets ended up all over my fingers, the interior of the receiver, and the bolt.
Subsonic Ammo (With Silencer)
Remington Subsonics are consistently subsonic at the temperature (70-75F) and pressure (2,600 feet above sea level) in Tucson. No supersonic rounds were found in the 150 rounds fired.
Firing noises were almost completely eliminated. Nothing more than a very faint noise that sounded not unlike a pneumatic nailgun (only quieter) was heard. There was no detectable flight noise. The sound of the bullet impacting the trap was heard a fraction of a second after firing, and consisted of a barely-audible "thump".
The loudest sound heard was the "clack-clack" of the bolt cycling. I estimate that none of the sounds emitted would be audible from a distance of 50 yards.
Ammunition cycled reliably, with the only malfunction being a failure-to-fire on one round. It failed on multiple primer strikes, and probably did not contain any priming compound. No other malfunctions occurred.
Perhaps Remington uses a different powder for their subsonic ammunition, but the fumes emitted from the breech were foul, noxious, and choking. I repeatedly had to put the rifle down to cough and wheeze for a few moments. Small chunks of residue were found adhering to my arm. Firing right-handed reduced my exposure to these fumes, but did not eliminate it entirely. Additionally, the subsonic ammo was very dirty. Seriously, Courtney Love's crotch is probably cleaner than this ammo. More on this in the conclusion.
This ammunition grouped similarly to the Golden Bullets, though maybe about 0.25-0.5 inches lower. Due to the unstable firing position, I cannot make any definite conclusions. Small amounts of black residue ended up on my fingers due to handling the ammunition.
CB Long Ammo (With Silencer)
CB Long ammunition is a very low-power ammunition (29gr bullet, 727fps) that was recommended as a "silent" ammo that would not cycle the bolt of the 10/22, reducing sound further.
This is true -- the bolt does not cycle, though it does "bounce" back about half an inch during firing. This did not create any detectable sound.
Muzzle sounds were completely eliminated, as were all flight noises. The only sound emitted by the gun was that of the hammer falling on the firing pin. This was a mere "click". A manually-operated stapler is louder than the gun.
Due to the short OAL, repeated failures to feed were experienced. The round would get stuck on the feedramp and not enter the chamber properly. This resulted in gouges on the nose of the bullet. When properly inserted into the chamber, the rounds fired normally. Feeding problems were reduced, but not eliminated, by pulling the charging handle completely to the rear and letting it fly forwards. "Riding" the bolt forward, or not pulling it completely to the rear resulted in failures to feed.
CB Longs grouped about 3-4 inches lower than the Golden Bullets or Subsonics, indicating their far slower velocity. Using "Kentucky Elevation", quarter-sized groups were obtained. It was challenging to consistently aim, as I had to dismount the rifle from my shoulder, cycle the bolt, ensure the spent case was removed and the fresh round chambered, re-mount the rifle, and find the target again.
Hyper-Velocity Ammunition (With Silencer)
When I was fishing for a round I dropped on the floor, I found an unfired round of CCI Stinger ammunition. When fired, it produced a higher-pitched, louder supersonic "crack" than the Golden Bullets. Muzzle noise was similar to the Golden Bullets.
Conclusions/Observations
1. Range staff are excited when one produces a Form 4 (a copy, of course) for their perusal. Many enthusiastic questions were asked and answered.
2. On that note, range staff have minimal knowledge of Form 4s. The gentleman I showed it too looked only at the side with my picture, not the other side with the tax stamp and description of the NFA article.
3. CB Longs are exceedingly quiet, though probably more suited for a bolt-action gun. The small ejection port on the side of the 10/22 receiver makes it difficult to fish out jammed rounds. I need to practice more to see if I can reduce failures-to-feed when manually cycling the bolt.
4. Remington Subsonic ammunition produces extremely noxious fumes, powder residue, and other such crap. This did not affect the reliability of the gun, only the comfort of a left-handed shooter. This residue cleaned up very quickly with Break-Free CLP, q-tips, a nylon and bronze brush, and cotton patches.
5. Remington Golden Bullet ammunition produces a lot of golden-colored flakes and particles when fired. Oddly enough, none were found in the barrel or within the visible portions of the interior of the silencer (it's sealed, so I cannot open it to examine the baffle stack more closely), only around on my hands and near the breech.
6. A silencer increases the backpressure in the barrel after firing. The bolt cycled faster and harder with the silencer attached, and more residue was expelled from the breech of the gun.
7. Shooting stuff is fun.
8. Shooting stuff quietly is more fun.
I had been planning a review of the silencer for about a week or two, so I had purchased a brick each of Remington Subsonic and Remington Golden Bullet (the boxed round-nose stuff, not the bulk-pack from Wal-Mart), as well as a 100-round pack of CCI CB Longs. My 10/22 is partial to Remington ammo, even the cheap stuff, but seems to work well with most CCI ammunition as well. Today was no exception and I had but one dud out of all the rounds fired.
All testing took place at the Marksman Pistol Institute and Shooting Range in Tucson, AZ. All firing was done indoors between 5 and 25 yards. Sound measurements were done by ear, with 29dB-rated earmuffs. I happen to be a former Army tanker, so while my 24-year-old hearing isn't what it used to be, it's all right.
My testing procedure went as follows:
Calibration/Warming Up (No Silencer)
1. Fire one 10-round magazine of Golden Bullets to warm up and dirty the barrel without the silencer. The noise of the shot itself masks the supersonic crack and flight noise of the bullets. The bolt cycles normally. Flight noise is not heard over the sound of the shot.
2. Fire one 10-round magazine of Subsonics without the silencer. The noise of the shot is reduced, but still rather loud. The bolt cycles slightly slower than with the Golden Bullets, and emits foul fumes and residue (see below).
3. Fire one 10-round magazine of CB Longs without the silencer. There is a "pop" from the muzzle from the gases, but no bullet flight noise. This would be quite comfortable to fire without hearing protection, even without the silencer. The bolt did not cycle.
Supersonic Ammo (With Silencer)
Remington Golden Bullets are definitely supersonic. The silencer almost completely masked the noise of firing, with only a minor "pfft" being emitted from the barrel, followed by a loud "crack" of the bullet in flight. The impact noise of the bullet was not heard. This was particularly noticeable when the rest of the people at the range were not firing -- normally, all one hears is the "boom" of the shot, but never the crack. This sounded extremely odd.
No jams, duds, or other malfunctions were experienced with 100 rounds of Golden Bullets. The bolt cycled noticeably faster with the silencer attached. No excess amount of fumes were detected by the Mark I Nose, Mouth, and Lungs present.
Dime-sized groups were obtained at 25 yards, though nickel- and quarter-sized groups were more common due to the lack of a stable firing platform (I was kneeling, with the stock resting upon a brick of ammunition. This was uncomfortable, and there was a lot of side-to-side sway in the scope) and my chugging a can of Coca-Cola immediately preceding the firing session.
Small flakes of similar color to the gold-colored plating on the bullets ended up all over my fingers, the interior of the receiver, and the bolt.
Subsonic Ammo (With Silencer)
Remington Subsonics are consistently subsonic at the temperature (70-75F) and pressure (2,600 feet above sea level) in Tucson. No supersonic rounds were found in the 150 rounds fired.
Firing noises were almost completely eliminated. Nothing more than a very faint noise that sounded not unlike a pneumatic nailgun (only quieter) was heard. There was no detectable flight noise. The sound of the bullet impacting the trap was heard a fraction of a second after firing, and consisted of a barely-audible "thump".
The loudest sound heard was the "clack-clack" of the bolt cycling. I estimate that none of the sounds emitted would be audible from a distance of 50 yards.
Ammunition cycled reliably, with the only malfunction being a failure-to-fire on one round. It failed on multiple primer strikes, and probably did not contain any priming compound. No other malfunctions occurred.
Perhaps Remington uses a different powder for their subsonic ammunition, but the fumes emitted from the breech were foul, noxious, and choking. I repeatedly had to put the rifle down to cough and wheeze for a few moments. Small chunks of residue were found adhering to my arm. Firing right-handed reduced my exposure to these fumes, but did not eliminate it entirely. Additionally, the subsonic ammo was very dirty. Seriously, Courtney Love's crotch is probably cleaner than this ammo. More on this in the conclusion.
This ammunition grouped similarly to the Golden Bullets, though maybe about 0.25-0.5 inches lower. Due to the unstable firing position, I cannot make any definite conclusions. Small amounts of black residue ended up on my fingers due to handling the ammunition.
CB Long Ammo (With Silencer)
CB Long ammunition is a very low-power ammunition (29gr bullet, 727fps) that was recommended as a "silent" ammo that would not cycle the bolt of the 10/22, reducing sound further.
This is true -- the bolt does not cycle, though it does "bounce" back about half an inch during firing. This did not create any detectable sound.
Muzzle sounds were completely eliminated, as were all flight noises. The only sound emitted by the gun was that of the hammer falling on the firing pin. This was a mere "click". A manually-operated stapler is louder than the gun.
Due to the short OAL, repeated failures to feed were experienced. The round would get stuck on the feedramp and not enter the chamber properly. This resulted in gouges on the nose of the bullet. When properly inserted into the chamber, the rounds fired normally. Feeding problems were reduced, but not eliminated, by pulling the charging handle completely to the rear and letting it fly forwards. "Riding" the bolt forward, or not pulling it completely to the rear resulted in failures to feed.
CB Longs grouped about 3-4 inches lower than the Golden Bullets or Subsonics, indicating their far slower velocity. Using "Kentucky Elevation", quarter-sized groups were obtained. It was challenging to consistently aim, as I had to dismount the rifle from my shoulder, cycle the bolt, ensure the spent case was removed and the fresh round chambered, re-mount the rifle, and find the target again.
Hyper-Velocity Ammunition (With Silencer)
When I was fishing for a round I dropped on the floor, I found an unfired round of CCI Stinger ammunition. When fired, it produced a higher-pitched, louder supersonic "crack" than the Golden Bullets. Muzzle noise was similar to the Golden Bullets.
Conclusions/Observations
1. Range staff are excited when one produces a Form 4 (a copy, of course) for their perusal. Many enthusiastic questions were asked and answered.
2. On that note, range staff have minimal knowledge of Form 4s. The gentleman I showed it too looked only at the side with my picture, not the other side with the tax stamp and description of the NFA article.
3. CB Longs are exceedingly quiet, though probably more suited for a bolt-action gun. The small ejection port on the side of the 10/22 receiver makes it difficult to fish out jammed rounds. I need to practice more to see if I can reduce failures-to-feed when manually cycling the bolt.
4. Remington Subsonic ammunition produces extremely noxious fumes, powder residue, and other such crap. This did not affect the reliability of the gun, only the comfort of a left-handed shooter. This residue cleaned up very quickly with Break-Free CLP, q-tips, a nylon and bronze brush, and cotton patches.
5. Remington Golden Bullet ammunition produces a lot of golden-colored flakes and particles when fired. Oddly enough, none were found in the barrel or within the visible portions of the interior of the silencer (it's sealed, so I cannot open it to examine the baffle stack more closely), only around on my hands and near the breech.
6. A silencer increases the backpressure in the barrel after firing. The bolt cycled faster and harder with the silencer attached, and more residue was expelled from the breech of the gun.
7. Shooting stuff is fun.
8. Shooting stuff quietly is more fun.
