Silenced Air Rifle

[Mencius]

I have been thinking of getting a silencer for a .22, but with all of the regulation, paperwork, and cost I am considering a suppressed air rifle. I saw Gamo had the "Whisper" which really intrigued me.

Do any of you have any experience with these? It looks like it can shoot a ~8 grain .177 pellet 960 fps and a 16 grain .22 pellet around 680 fps at the muzzle. Think either of these would be enough for squirrels out to maybe 15 yards or so? I was also thinking of using it for stray cat control.

Any thoughts?

 

[rcmodel]

No experience with the Whisper as far as noise reduction goes.

But I can tell you for a fact either one will kill squirrels way further then 15 yards. I have Beeman's in both calibers, and a squirrel problem at times!

You can hit them a little further out with the .177 because it shoots flatter. Maybe 45 - 50 yards.
But the .22 will knock their socks off better at 30 - 40 yards.

As for stray cats?
That might get you a trip to the slammer if the cat makes it home to it's owner.
SPCA and local laws generally take a very dim view on shooting or wounding cats.

Very unlikely they are strays anyway.
Wandering around all over the place is just what pet cats do.

rc

 

[Beaux Nehr]

If you're looking for something very quiet, you should look into the new spring technology that uses the "nitro piston."

 

[hso]

Contact your local animal control officer for a life trap for cat problems. They'll deal with the critter and its owner.

 

[Sniper X]

the stray cats, call animal control and they will provide a couple of traps. One can get a lawsuit or convicted of a felony for shooting domesticated ( or even feral) cats in most states. For feral cats on my land ( i live way out of the city) I use a powerful Airsoft gun, it's fun and doesn't harm the cat. It just scares the heejeebus out of them and they never come back.

 

[zoom6zoom]

I have a Whisper, and can confirm that it's very effective on tree rats, and at longer ranges than the 15 yards you listed. Your velocity is also low... the .177 does 1200fps with alloy pellets.

 

[Sniper X]

Is the suppressor removable? That would be cool to not only see how different it is with and without, but to have a short barrel pellet gun with that kind of power!

 

[Mencius]

How does the noise compare on the various models? When ridding the house of the marauding tree rats noise is a huge consideration. I want to make sure I don't cause too much of a ruckus with it.

Btw, think an alloy pellet would be same as/more effective a lead one? Also, .22 caliber vs .177? I would think the .22 would be a little heavier and be better, but the extra speed of the .177 might get a little better penetration.

 

[rcmodel]

See post #2 again about .177 vs .22 effectiveness.

rc

 

[Dionysusigma]

What about an integrally suppressed air rifle?

http://www.airforceairguns.com/talonss.html

 

[Gryffydd]

I would think the .22 would be a little heavier and be better, but the extra speed of the .177 might get a little better penetration.

You've got it backwards. Weight gives you penetration. Speed often robs you of it.

 

[JShirley]

Well, that also depends on expansion. More velocity in expanding rounds can equal violent expansion and sometimes fragmentation. This is why lightweight, expanding rifle rounds are less likely to overpenetrate a home invader than handgun rounds.

 

[bikerdoc]

Just a caution, even feral cats are protected by gooberment, so be careful. Also look to local ordinances aabout discharging within city limits and proximity to roads and dwelling places.

Just my .02

 

[sherman123]

My solution is DON'T SHOOT CATS!!!!! Cougars and bobcats are one thing but most domestic cat owners don't put collars on their cats because they can get hung up on trees while roaming around outside. I know I don't. You don't even know if they're stray cats anyway. Seriously, what are you thinking?!

 

[Beaux Nehr]

Is the suppressor removable? That would be cool to not only see how different it is with and without, but to have a short barrel pellet gun with that kind of power!

The way I understand it, the fact that you cannot remove the airgun suppressor makes it legal to own without the paperwork.

 

[BruiseLee]

Do a search. Myself and 3 friends shot a Gamo Whisper versus a Gamo Big Cat 1200. There was zero noise reduction by the suppressor in all our opinions. I also had an airgun "silencer" that was given to me. It did nothing except screw up the guns accuracy.

I have to agree with sherman123. Don't shoot stray cats! If my sister saw you do that she would call the police on you at the very least. Remember, a lot of people like animals better than people. Sherman is right, a lot of cats lose their collars and a lot of owners don't put them on their cats for fear of them getting hung up.

At the very most, you could try buying felt pellets for your airgun. They are really made to be a quick way to clean out a barrel, but then can shoo feral cats away, too, without killing.

Killing cats is not going to make gun owners look good in the eyes of the public.

 

[Dionysusigma]

Indeed. I've used an airsoft gun, aimed at the tail (usually 30' or farther away), to shoo away unfamiliar cats. Having a couple myself, I don't want any harm to come to others', and when the pellet makes contact, it does no damage and gets them shuffling away.

Inside of 30' I usually just toss a pine cone or something.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

As for stray cats?
That might get you a trip to the slammer if the cat makes it home to it's owner.

Cats are not owned by anyone. It is a good thing cats cannot read the internet, or this thread would be flamed by felines.

I make a distinction between feral cats and cats whose irresponsible caretakers allow to roam about the neighboorhood killing birds and peeing on the neighbors porch furniture. But not much.

Our cat never goes further than the back deck, no matter how much he thinks he owns us, there are rules even for his majesty. As for actual free roaming stray cats or dogs, they can be discouraged nonlethally.

 

[rattletrap1970]

GRYF,

You've got it backwards. Weight gives you penetration. Speed often robs you of it.

Umm, No. That is incorrect. Penetration is a result of force applied. F=MA
That is Force = Mass * Acceleration.
A light object that is moving sufficiently fast will penetrate, as will a heavier object going slower. Projectile shape does come into play.

 

[highorder]

A light object that is moving sufficiently fast will penetrate, as will a heavier object going slower. Projectile shape does come into play.

Too vague to make a point.

Weight gives you penetration. Speed often robs you of it.

Sorry rattletrap, in the realm of bullets and ballistics, this is correct. For a given diameter, a heavier bullet of the same construction will typically penetrate further. Lighter bullets, even at higher velocities, will shed energy faster and lack penetration.

 

[rattletrap1970]

I believe I said that.
Without a velocity the argument is moot.
If you had a 10 grain projectile going 1000 ft/sec and a 100 grain projectile going 1000 ft/sec AND the 10 grain projectile was shot at a target (say gelatin) at a distance in which the 10 grain hasn't lost it's velocity significantly the heavier one wins. Now if you speed up that 10 grain projectile to 4000 ft/sec it will potentially penetrate better than the heavier one going slower. To make the statement that speed robs penetration in and of itself is incorrect.

 

[Grey Morel]

You've got it backwards. Weight gives you penetration. Speed often robs you of it.

That is only true in cartridge arms that use expanding bullets. Most pellets are non-expanding designs, and many that are, such as hollow points, don't expand well unless you have a very fast rifle.

 

[oldbanjo]

I use a Gamo Shadow Sport .177 to shoot Turtles in the pond. At 60 yds it will go thru a Turtle shell with no problem. I'm sighted in at around 70 yds w/3-9 Scope. I use Gamo Hollow Points and keep around 3000 on hand. It is hard to believe how hard it hits a tree at 100 yds. The pellets that shoot 1200fps are not as accurate so I use standard Gamo HP pellets 1000fps. I shoot around 600 pellets a year.

 

[ultradoc]

I can't remember the t.v. show but a game warden had a whisper air rifle. the community was having problems with lizards [i think]. it was very silent.