Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

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Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by mickb » 05 May 2019, 9:01 pm

Gents I was having a discussion with mates on relative noise levels . The discussion was around the quietest option for ear shooting pests over bait at night in rainforest areas not far from suburbs. While nothing is quiet enough not to use earplugs its interesting different peoples perception of noise. My own order of the following from quietest to loudest is

1. Siubsonic 22LR
2. Supersonic 22LR
3. 38 sp cowboy loads from 24" rossi(aka 3 grains of trailboss, As-30N etc). Some of my mates felt it was actually quiter than the supersonic 22LR due to lack of the supersonic crack but my thoughts were the lever still has a louder general 'bang' from the extra powder.
4. 22LR Stinger and velocitor.
5. 38+P factory loads in the 24" rossi which stayed subsonic, probably 4-5 grains of powder. But again some of the guys ranked it quieter.
6. 22WMR
7. 17HMR, most of us agreed this was louder than 22WMR.

Feel free to rank them how you see it.

For interests sake one of the fellas said he pulled some of the rimfires apart to get some powder loads
subsonic-standard 22LR ran about 1-2 grains of powder, Stinger 2.5 grains, 22WMR was 5.5 grains powder.Did not pull a 17HMR apart.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by bladeracer » 06 May 2019, 12:51 am

mickb wrote:Gents I was having a discussion with mates on relative noise levels . The discussion was around the quietest option for ear shooting pests over bait at night in rainforest areas not far from suburbs. While nothing is quiet enough not to use earplugs its interesting different peoples perception of noise. My own order of the following from quietest to loudest is

1. Siubsonic 22LR
2. Supersonic 22LR
3. 38 sp cowboy loads from 24" rossi(aka 3 grains of trailboss, As-30N etc). Some of my mates felt it was actually quiter than the supersonic 22LR due to lack of the supersonic crack but my thoughts were the lever still has a louder general 'bang' from the extra powder.
4. 22LR Stinger and velocitor.
5. 38+P factory loads in the 24" rossi which stayed subsonic, probably 4-5 grains of powder. But again some of the guys ranked it quieter.
6. 22WMR
7. 17HMR, most of us agreed this was louder than 22WMR.

Feel free to rank them how you see it.

For interests sake one of the fellas said he pulled some of the rimfires apart to get some powder loads
subsonic-standard 22LR ran about 1-2 grains of powder, Stinger 2.5 grains, 22WMR was 5.5 grains powder.Did not pull a 17HMR apart.


I've found that there seems to be a relationship between bullet weight and velocity with regard to report.
A 240gn .44 at 1080fps is significantly "louder" than a 40gn .22 at 1080fps, which makes sense as a lot more pressure is required to move the six-times-heavier bullet.
But really, anything that stays below the sound barrier is pretty easy on the ears. Without hearing protection, I can shoot .204 2400fps loads with less discomfort than 6.5mm 160gn 2200fps loads. And the same load in two rifles with different barrel lengths can be significantly different on the ears. Throw a muzzle brake on just about anything and it can be obnoxious.

Shooting at night though I wouldn't worry about noise if you're only taking one or two shots. Most people won't even notice it when they're asleep, inside a building, hundreds of meters away.

I think it can be quite individual, but from my own experience I would rate some as:
710fps Subsonic .22LR
Subsonic .22LR
Subsonic Springer Air Rifle
Subsonic .204, .223Rem, .243.
Supersonic Springer Air Rifle
Subsonic 6.5-8mm
Subsonic .38 Special
Subsonic .44 Magnum
Supersonic .22LR
Supersonic .38 Special
.22WMR
.22 Hornet
.204 2400fps
.223Rem 1800fps
.243 2040fps
.45 Blackpowder
Then any of the milsurps with reduced Trailboss loads around 1600-2200fps
.44 Magnum
12 gauge Shotgun
Then most of the 6.5-8mm in the 2200-2800fps range.
.223Rem
Then the hot ones - .204 and .243
Then the 6.5mm+ Magnums.

I'll have to remember to run a sound level meter on my phone when I'm shooting some of this stuff.
Last edited by bladeracer on 06 May 2019, 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by wanneroo » 06 May 2019, 1:22 am

I'd say if you are shooting larger pests, subsonic 38 Spl, while obviously you would need earplugs, I would think a couple hundred metres away in the rainforest the sound would be dissipated quite a bit and/or would blend in with other noises.

Smaller little vermin like rats and such, subsonic 22LR is pretty quiet in the distance.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by mickb » 06 May 2019, 10:13 am

Great replies gents. Bladeracer if you do get the chance, would be interested to see the readings too. I might try one of these sound apps for phone as well, not sure of their accuracy of course.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by bladeracer » 06 May 2019, 6:15 pm

mickb wrote:Great replies gents. Bladeracer if you do get the chance, would be interested to see the readings too. I might try one of these sound apps for phone as well, not sure of their accuracy of course.


I've seen numerous tests and they never quite fit my own experience, I think it really is an individual thing.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by SCJ429 » 06 May 2019, 7:00 pm

I would think at a 223 travelling at 1000 fps would sound the same as a 22LR at 1000 fps. They sound very similar.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by bladeracer » 06 May 2019, 9:15 pm

SCJ429 wrote:I would think at a 223 travelling at 1000 fps would sound the same as a 22LR at 1000 fps. They sound very similar.


I think a cast 40gn bullet in a .223 would be hard to pick a difference, but I think I could tell a 55gn jacketed over a .22LR at the same velocity. It takes a lot more pressure to move a heavier, jacketed bullet up to the same velocity in the same length of barrel, and a lot more powder too.
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by Stix » 07 May 2019, 12:21 am

bladeracer wrote:
mickb wrote: The discussion was around the quietest option for ear shooting pests over bait at night in rainforest areas not far from suburbs.t.


Shooting at night though I wouldn't worry about noise if you're only taking one or two shots. Most people won't even notice it when they're asleep, inside a building, hundreds of meters away.


I think this is true...every farmer i know doesnt want to be woken with shooting around the house/farm yard while im spotlighting...but at the same time, they dont want me to NOT shoot a fox if i see one in the yard...

They all insist they will wake to the sound of the 204 or 22-250 letting rip within 200 yds of house, and they are especially surprised when i show them a dead cat or fox ive taken within 100 yds of their houses that they didnt hear...!

Its also amazing how much sound is dissipated with just a little space &/or a few trees between the rifle & uneducated consumers ears.
Even better if there's a hill or two the sound has to roll over...
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by mickb » 07 May 2019, 9:43 pm

bladeracer wrote:
SCJ429 wrote:I would think at a 223 travelling at 1000 fps would sound the same as a 22LR at 1000 fps. They sound very similar.


I think a cast 40gn bullet in a .223 would be hard to pick a difference, but I think I could tell a 55gn jacketed over a .22LR at the same velocity. It takes a lot more pressure to move a heavier, jacketed bullet up to the same velocity in the same length of barrel, and a lot more powder too.


I'd agree the powder load will be half a dozen times larger for the cerntrefire case.

The cowboy forums usually list the following as relating the most to sound. Pressure at the muzzle, Powder charge, Powder burn rate-eg slow burners still throwing burning grains near the muzzle will have more noise, and calibre- but here it gets individual. Some feel bigger calibre is louder and boomier, some feel smaller calibre with all the above is louder because its more ear splitting :problem:
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Re: Rimfire vs lever action cowboy load noise levels

Post by bladeracer » 08 May 2019, 3:11 am

Stix wrote:They all insist they will wake to the sound of the 204 or 22-250 letting rip within 200 yds of house, and they are especially surprised when i show them a dead cat or fox ive taken within 100 yds of their houses that they didnt hear...!

Its also amazing how much sound is dissipated with just a little space &/or a few trees between the rifle & uneducated consumers ears.
Even better if there's a hill or two the sound has to roll over...
:drinks:


The report is also greatly reduced by generally being directed away from the sleeping people. Standing behind the rifle is infinitely quieter than standing in front of it :-)
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