Suppressed 10-22

[KS25-06]

I have the above gun that I built from an old 10-22 Receiver. Has a Butler Creek Stainless fluted 18" heavy barrel with a Silencer Co. 22LR suppressor. It is my bunny gun for the cottontails that are devastating our flower beds this year. So far, I have managed to kill 38 of the little rascals. I have tried CCI Clean SubSonic, CCI SubSonic, and Ely Subsonic. none of them give the Hollywood PFFT sound. I am hard hearing, but I can still hear a report, and it still spooks a rabbit if I kill one, the other one runs, even though they may be 20-30 yards apart. I have a friend that has a 10-22 and the whole barrel is a suppressor, but his barrel is only 10" or so long. It is quiet, but I do not want to lose that much velocity. Does anyone have a suggestion for other ammo that might be more quiet?

 

[RoninPA]

I am a FFL/SOT and deal in suppressors. There is NO suppressor made (that I know of) that will give you the "Hollywood" sound. Think about it, it's HOLLYWOOD - they don't deal in reality. You will always be able to hear something, it's a suppressor, not a silencer. when Hiram Percy Maxim developed/built them he actually called them "mufflers" and that is what they do, muffle the sound, they, by their nature, cannot silence the sound.

Also, why do you think bunnies ears are so big? So they can hear better. If your ears were as big as theirs, as a ratio of ear size to body, how well do you think you could hear? Probably pretty darn good.

 

[Uncle Howie]

I have the above gun that I built from an old 10-22 Receiver. Has a Butler Creek Stainless fluted 18" heavy barrel with a Silencer Co. 22LR suppressor. It is my bunny gun for the cottontails that are devastating our flower beds this year. So far, I have managed to kill 38 of the little rascals.

Just how big are your flower beds?

I'd say 38 rabbits removed is a pretty good dent in the population…

I'm just getting into suppressors, having recently purchased my first one. However, I think RoninPA makes a good point, with regard to "Hollywood quiet."

I'd also suggest that the sound of your 10-22's action going clackety-clack might be part of the "rabbit notification equation." Have you tried holding the bolt closed when firing, to prevent the action from cycling? You might be able to cycle it more quietly (albeit much more slowly) by hand, if you hold it shut when firing.

Depending on what stealth is "worth" to you… a suppressed bolt action repeater might be an option to consider, as well. In the end, you might realistically be limited to removing them one at a time…

Sounds like you've tried some different ammo, I would definitely continue down that path. It seems like CCI has a new "quiet," "subsonic," or "suppressor" .22LR loading every time I look! I hear good things about many of them. especially the segmented "Quiet" rounds.

You might need to order some of this specialty ammo… your local retailer can't stock everything…
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Here's one that claims to produce 75% less less sound than a standard velocity load. Seems like a very good start on suppresion, right out of the gate! Be aware that it likely won't operate your 10/22's action (they tell you that, right on the label). This one is the speed of CCI's CB Caps, but with a 40-grain bullet, vs. the CB's 29 grain bullet.

Buy Quiet-22 22 LR Ammo | 40 Grain, 710 FPS | CCI Ammunition

Shopping for the Quiet-22, 22 LR, 40 Grain, Lead Round Nose, 710 fps - Learn more about the latest Quiet-22 and other hunting or shooting gear at CCI.

www.cci-ammunition.com

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I hear great things about the segmented rounds, as well- bullet is designed to split into three inside your quarry. Rabbits aren't necessarily very hard to kill in the first place, but these types of loads are moving pretty slowly. Three wound channels might be better than one! Here's a "segmented" version of the above "Quiet" loading. This is probably the first one I'd try, balancing minimal noise with the segmented bullet. (Don't know why the link isn't posting a pretty picture…)

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/quiet-22-segmented-hp/6-970.html

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They load a slightly faster version of "CCI Quiet," designed to operate semi-autos, but it's still way subsonic.

Buy Quiet-22 Semi-Auto 22 LR Ammo | 45 Grain, 835 FPS | CCI Ammunition

Shopping for the Quiet-22 Semi-Auto, 22 LR, 45 Grain, Soft Point, 835 fps - Learn more about the latest Quiet-22 Semi-Auto and other hunting or shooting gear at CCI.

www.cci-ammunition.com

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Now if they'd just load the segmented bullet into a "Quiet" load that would cycle the semi-auto… then we might be in business!

Who knows- maybe next year?

 

[krw]

Ol Unc Howie is spot on. Put that suppressor on a bolt action 22 and You can make it Hollywood quiet!!

 

[Mobuck]

I'm a 'muffler guy' and have several years' experience with the use of these devices. I agree with what the previous posts have said.
I have a muffler mounted on a RAR bolt action and it is 'Hollywood quiet'--literally, the sound of the striker hitting the primer is the only sound at the shooter's ear followed by the sound of the impact.
Same muffler and ammo on a 10-22 results in action noise that is far louder than the muzzle signature. I'm guessing this what scares the other critters as you describe.
Ammo wise, nothing is gained by going slower than sub-sonic (such as QUIET ammo). I get excellent suppression with both CCI and Aguila sub-sonic while RWS subs are just a bit louder (not sure why).
I've been experimenting with some of the heavier bullet (42-45 grain) 'suppressor' ammo options which do give better functioning with semi-auto but now you're back to the 'rackety whack' of the action.
"I have a friend that has a 10-22 and the whole barrel is a suppressor, but his barrel is only 10" or so long. It is quiet, but I do not want to lose that much velocity"
In answer to this comment: that's the idea with some of those integrally suppressed barrels. They're designed to bleed off gas (and velocity) to achieve a sub-sonic muzzle velocity from high velocity ammo. Makes the semi-auto fully functional while limiting the muzzle velocity to sub-sonic to give better sound reduction (AND doesn't require 'special' ammo).
Feel free to ask any other questions cause I love discussing the various quirks and issues involving mufflers.

 

[krw]

And your Friend who has a 10" bbl on a 10-22, He has created a SBR that requires Registration and another Tax Stamp
Buy a brick of CCI Std velocity. Stays subsonic 99% of time in My 16" CZ452. They will stay subsonic 100% of the time in pistols. And that lil extra velocity sure does help in killn critters

 

[Yaworski]

I knew a guy with a suppressed 10/22. All I could hear was the bolt cycling when he shot it.

 

[Mobuck]

krw, if the barrel mentioned is actually an integrally suppressed, it may still meet the 16.5" requirement.

 

[JAYDAWG]

If the baffles if of the suppressor are permanently attached to the 10 inch barrel and the whole assembly is 16.5" no SBR stamp is required

 

[1gunsnotenough]

You'll have to get you one of those Hollywood guns. The great thing about those guns you never have to reload and they have no recoil.

 

[s4s4u]

I have the above gun that I built from an old 10-22 Receiver. Has a Butler Creek Stainless fluted 18" heavy barrel with a Silencer Co. 22LR suppressor. It is my bunny gun for the cottontails that are devastating our flower beds this year. So far, I have managed to kill 38 of the little rascals. I have tried CCI Clean SubSonic, CCI SubSonic, and Ely Subsonic. none of them give the Hollywood PFFT sound. I am hard hearing, but I can still hear a report, and it still spooks a rabbit if I kill one, the other one runs, even though they may be 20-30 yards apart. I have a friend that has a 10-22 and the whole barrel is a suppressor, but his barrel is only 10" or so long. It is quiet, but I do not want to lose that much velocity. Does anyone have a suggestion for other ammo that might be more quiet?

The velocity is likely what is causing the pop. A shorter barrel would likely remain subsonic and subsonic is what you want with a can.

 

[KS25-06]

Thanks for all the replies. On my friend's 10-22, total barrel length is 18", but as I said, actual barrel length is 10". If you hold the bolt shut, all you hear is the PFFT. He uses CCI Clean Subsonic ammo. I will try some of the CCI Quiet ammo, as recommended. Shot one this morning that was about half grown, so looks like there is another hatch.

 

[Mobuck]

" I will try some of the CCI Quiet ammo, as recommended. "
As I said in a previous post, reducing muzzle velocity below 1000 FPS doesn't make the muffler quieter or more effective.

 

[NikA]

10/22 Bolt Lock

colossic.com

Can accomplish same with properly placed thumb.

I've long thought a suppressed toggle-lock .22 would be ideal for pest elimination. Unfortunately, not a cheap, readily available option like the 10/22 available.

 

[lipofsky]

I shot my 10-22 and RAR .22 with arm-score standard velocity. you could hear the mechanical function and a sort of "Hollywood" Pfft. same with a mark 4.

 

[contender]

Heck,, long before suppressors became more mainstream,, when we wanted "quiet",, we'd just use a bolt action & used standard velocity .22 shorts. Basically all you'd hear is the very slight action sound, and the "whack" of the bullet striking the target.

 

[bearskinner]

The segmented 710 FPS loads above, in a 24" CZ 452 American are almost un detectable. I have used CB Longs, but the bullet is just a round nose lead offering.
I'm impressed with the segmented bullet. Absolutely awesome on small game

 

[maxfam]

10/22 Bolt Lock

colossic.com

Can accomplish same with properly placed thumb.

I've long thought a suppressed toggle-lock .22 would be ideal for pest elimination. Unfortunately, not a cheap, readily available option like the 10/22 available.

The Weatherby XXII .22lr has a single shot option. Would be a great suppressor host, just need to thread the barrel.

From the web.
Of blowback design, the Mark XXII autoloader features a round bolt in an alloy receiver. It operates much the same as others of its type, with a couple of exceptions. Most notably, there's a lever at the right rear of the action that switches function from semiauto to single shot. The rearward position is semiauto. When switched forward, the lever stands straight up and activates an internal bolt catch. Pressing it forward releases the bolt, enabling it to feed a fresh cartridge from the magazine into the chamber, after which the rifle may be fired.

 

[peachhead]

The quietest 10/22 I ever heard was integrally suppressed. This was made by some place in FL, way back in the late 90s, can't remember the name.
I have a sparrow. It's quiet enough for me.

 

[kmoore]

You can quiet down the 10-22 action noise a bit with a cushioned bolt stop. There cheap at Kidds 10-22 parts. But the bolt action still makes noise.
This stuff as come up before, I posted some results with different ammo and 2 different suppressors last summer.
My guess is the rabbits can hear the bolt function as it strikes the bolt stop, the shot and bullet hitting their buddies (bullet slap). Just the fact a rabbit jerks/jumps when shot might be enough to alarm others nearby.
Maybe do like a sniper wanting to shoot several enemies quickly. Shoot the furthest bunny 1st shot, you might have more time to take more shots before the others get away.