Quiet rounds in a pistol

[Mr_Shamrock]

It is legal to shoot in my backyard, but I am trying to be a good neighbor so I have done my share of experimenting until I finally bought the Colibri's which are about as quiet as I think you will find. My question is - how will they compare in a revolver as far as noise? I shot a few in my P-22 today and they were much louder. I expected them to be louder, but not as much as they were. Plus, they were all over the place. Will the longer barrel of a revolver quiet it down or will the slight gap between the cylinder and barrel allow it to be even louder? I was going to stop by Academy Sports tomorrow and look at the Heritage line of inexpensive revolvers, but want to keep the noise level down.

[RJay]

Try some regular CB shorts. The CB Longs and Long Rifles have one grain of powder, the CB shorts have no powder and rely on the primer for propulsion. Like any low power .22 they are short range but I have had no trouble with minute of gopher and blackbird. In a rifle they are in deed quite, in a revolver they do made a small "pop", but very small.

[old semperfi]

no matter what,a pistol is going to make noise without a silencer.i have tried cb caps and the coliebri rounds and they are all louder than your neighbor is going to like. old semperfi

[Alpo]

I have tried Super Colibri, out the back door, in a 1 7/8" barreled revolver. They sound like the cap gun that uses the red plastic ring caps. Not "quiet", but certainly not "Loud".

I have shot them indoor in both the 1 7/8 revolver and a 4" barreled revolver. Amazingly they are quieter in the house than they are outside. I would expect it to be the other way around, what with in the house the sound ricocheting off the walls and such. But apparently the house is noisy enough (the refrigerator running, the clocks ticking, etc.) that it covers some of the noise. I have fired them outdoors in rifles running from a 22" Marlin 39 down to a 16" Ithaca 49. Always sounds like a BB gun. Pistol is noisier. One or two shots probably would not be a problem, but sustained target practice might get the neighbors mad.

Have you considered indoors? Cardboard box with a piece of 3/4 ply on the bottom, and a phone book on top of the plywood. Target on the front of the phone book.

Super Colibri won't make it past G in the Atlanta White Pages, at 15 feet, out of a 5 1/2" Ruger Single Six.

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by Alpo

Have you considered indoors? Cardboard box with a piece of 3/4 ply on the bottom, and a phone book on top of the plywood. Target on the front of the phone book.

Super Colibri won't make it past G in the Atlanta White Pages, at 15 feet, out of a 5 1/2" Ruger Single Six.

I've considered indoors, though this thing has been my go-to idea. I haven't bought it, so I can't make a recommendation one way or another.

[Alpo]

Yeah, but that's 70 dollars. A cardboard box and a phone book are free.

Al(I be one cheap so-and-so)po

[Mr_Shamrock]

I went by Academy Sports and learned something today. The guy behind the counter said that S.C. is one of the rare states that has a higher requirement for the guns that are sold here. The cheaper Heritage Rough Riders don't qualify to be sold here. They do make one that is, but it is their $250 version - not the $150 one. He said it has something to do with the melting point of the metal they are made from. They didn't have one in stock anyway. I think I will be patient and just try to find a used .22 revolver somewhere.

[Alpo]

I won't say he's lying, but it sure sounds like BS to me.

Does sound like a good explanation of why, "We ain't got them 150 dollars guns that you see all over the web, 'cause you can't sell them cheap pieces of junk here in Good Ole South Carolina. Gotta get the high-dollar guns."

If t'was me, I'd go check at another store and see if they could sell me one of them 150 dollar guns, before I believed that.

[Charles Christensen]

Have you considered building an enclosure of some sort to shoot from? It only needs to be big enough to surround the gun - say a box 3 foot wide, 3 foot high and 3 or 4 foot long sitting on top of a table? It need only consist of the sides, bottom and top with 45 degree gussets at all corners to provide structural strength.

Two facts to remember about sound suppression: To prevent sound from getting from one environment to another, like room to room or your box to the outside, you need mass like thick walls (brick, stone, lead, wood). To suppress sound inside an enclosure like a room or your box you need softer, absorbent materials.

In your case, heavy (1" thick) plywood lined with 2 inches of ceiling sound suppression tiles or other sound suppression material. Don't use anything with a sealed surface and don't coat the material with glue. The porous structure is required, do not clog it.

Something like this would greatly reduce any sound getting to the neighbors.

[jlloyd73]

Originally Posted by Mr_Shamrock

I went by Academy Sports and learned something today. The guy behind the counter said that S.C. is one of the rare states that has a higher requirement for the guns that are sold here. The cheaper Heritage Rough Riders don't qualify to be sold here. They do make one that is, but it is their $250 version - not the $150 one. He said it has something to do with the melting point of the metal they are made from. They didn't have one in stock anyway. I think I will be patient and just try to find a used .22 revolver somewhere.

I call BS on that one. Yes, there is some stuff on the books about the pot melt guns ***basic info on that*** ( http://www.guncite.com/journals/economic.html ), but I do not think the Heritage guns fit into that category....from what I understand all their guns are made from the same stuff, just different finishes, lengths and sights.....so with that in mind I call BS if he would sell you the more expensive but not the cheaper same gun.


IMO someone is trying to sell you a more expensive gun, or what he has a bunch of in stock.

[CJ_56]

I just discovered some new quiet rounds yesterday. CCI makes them. It's called CCI Quiet-22.

They're 40 gr. and they shoot 710 fps and they are much, much more accurate than the Colibri stuff. I've never found any .22 that shoots the Colibri accurately but the first rimfire I tried the CCI Quiet ammo in shot it very accurately. Sure it will drop a good bit at 50 yards but not nearly as much as the Colibri or the Super Colibri. A person can adjust for drop but not for just plain not being accurate which is what the Colibri is IMO.

BTW at 500 fps even the Super Colibri is unsafe to use in a rifle. The bullet may not clear the barrel leaving a true squib blocking the barrel. The next round could cause the barrel or chamber to explode. I've done it anyway but I check the barrel after ever shot fired. Still Aquila warns people to use the Super Colibri and the Colibri only in handguns. Aquila's web site is down but I'm guessing it includes that information also.

CCI does not warn against shooting in a rifle. In fact CCI even claims their Quiet-22 will work in semi-auto rifles although manual cycling may be required.

[3/2 STA SS]

Use a rifle and use the Colibri's. Have a bore snake handy or a cleaning rod for about every 10 rounds to stay accurate with them.

I will have to try that new CCI round...I like the looks of them.

[True Finn]

In Finland there are no Colibri or CCI Quiet at sale. Only chances in here is to test CCI CB:s or Winchester 22 Long Z and SK "Z".

[Mr_Shamrock]

I have used the CCI quiet 22's and they are no where near as quiet as the colibri's. They hit harder, but do make some noise. I also think I accidentally found a way to be more neighborly. It has been HOT here the past few days so I set up a make-shift range firing from inside my garage (It faces the back of my property) at targets set out in the yard. I am set up against the wall that is the furthest from the door so there is 25' or so between me and the opening. My dad, who lives directly across from me, didn't even hear me the past couple days. I think the garage is buffering the majority of the noise. My only question is how much it throws the noise to the neighbors who live behind me.

[Mr_Shamrock]

Originally Posted by jlloyd73

I call BS on that one. Yes, there is some stuff on the books about the pot melt guns ***basic info on that*** ( http://www.guncite.com/journals/economic.html ), but I do not think the Heritage guns fit into that category....from what I understand all their guns are made from the same stuff, just different finishes, lengths and sights.....so with that in mind I call BS if he would sell you the more expensive but not the cheaper same gun.


IMO someone is trying to sell you a more expensive gun, or what he has a bunch of in stock.

I sent Heritage an e-mail asking about this. I will post their response when I receive it.

[CJ_56]

I have used the CCI quiet 22's and they are no where near as quiet as the colibri's.

I know they aren't as quiet but they are still quiet and they're quieter than most CB's around these days. At one time I saw CB's that were even quieter than the Colibris. I don't even remember what brand they were because it's been over 25 years since I've seen them. I used to shoot them in my backyard when I lived on the edge of town. It was legal to shoot in my backyard too but the local LEO's probably would have shown up to check me out anyway so I kept it down whenever I wanted to shoot. I never had a problem with them.

As far as a revolver being louder than an auto because of the gap between the barrel and the chamber I'd say it wouldn't make a lot of difference. Most of the sound is going to be directed out the barrel because that gap is really pretty small.

[permafrost]

Originally Posted by Alpo

Yeah, but that's 70 dollars. A cardboard box and a phone book are free.

Al(I be one cheap so-and-so)po

Alpo, This is the exact same(cheap) setup I use in my garage with the colibris. Works great and they now leave 6-7 phone books a year on my front porch.

[cpttango30]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/250...in-solid-point

these are so very quiet. They wont cycle the bolt though.

These are a little louder
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/250...ad-solid-point

[Mr_Shamrock]

I haven't heard back from Heritage yet, but I did find this on their site under the steel frame models...

Manufactured for specific States where alloy frames were not legal for sale. This Rough Rider quickly became a popular seller with the old timers who desire the feel and ruggedness of traditional steel. The finish offered on these steel models is our Black Satin Finish. It offers our shooters a low glare with a deep rich look.

LEGAL FOR SALE IN HAWAII, ILLINOIS, MINNESOTA & SOUTH CAROLINA

That was copied and pasted right from their site so maybe the guy at Academy was telling the truth.

[jstgsn]

The last time I had colibris making more noise and shooting all over the place I had a bullet lodged in the barrel. The subsequent rounds were knocking the lodged bullet out, and it would fly all over, and the new round stuck in the barrel, until knocked out by the next shot. Check your barrel. I had to use a ram rod to clear it. Then they shot quiet and accurate.

[CCHolderinMaine]

The Colibris are the quietest I've found...by far. They will be louder the shorter the barrel is. Compared to most shooting, virtually silent. Compared to say, golf? Very loud. Get some, try them, ask your neighbor what they think. Sounds like the only way to really know.

[Mr_Shamrock]

I heard back from Heritage just now and here is the e-mail...

Certain states have different requirements. South Carolina requires a steel frame. Attached please find a link to all our steel frame models. They range in the neighborhood of $320 to $380. depending on accessories, barrel length etc. http://www.heritagemfg.com/site/department.cfm?id=1525

Thank you,

Miss Fire
Heritage Mfg., Inc.
4600 N. W. 135 St.
Opa Locka, FL 33054
Tel 305-685-5966, fax 305-687-6721