Quiet rifles

USAFpj

New member
Man, i've got the fever in a bad way! A friend got me to cruise with him yote hunting the other night and I've been addicted since. I'm slamming these dogs even in my sleep. My question is this: I'm shooting in "politically sensitive" areas. What is a quiet round or rifle set-up? I'm currently shooting a .270 or 12g with buckshot, not exactly "suppressed" weaponry. Thanks for the info and the website.
 
depends on the ranges you are shooting. At night in michigan we have to use rimfire or shotguns. A 17hmr is pretty quiet for a gun same with the .22 mag. But neither one is what you would call a real coyote killer. shot placement is key with those two.
 
204 and 223 are the first that comes to mind. Both are fairly quiet for center fire rifles. I am sure some of the other 17 - 22 cal center fires are the same. Excluding the 22-250.
 
.22 Hornet is very noise friendly. Make sure your shots aren't over 150 yards, though. 150 yards and in, it will do the job with proper bullet placement.

This isn't a cartridge to shoot if you don't reload, it can be quite expensive if you buy over the counter!
Tim
 
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Excluding the 22-250.



Yep, my buddies don't much like sitting next to me when I shoot, it is somewhat louder than a 223.
 
.204 is just as noisy out of my 22" pencil barreled cz american as it was out of the heavier barreled tikka varmint.

i would think if you wanted quiet and centerfire then you'd wanna be .204 .223 at the high end....otherwise go between and look for the hornet or new .17 rem fireball thats coming out soon.

i shoot around my parents acreage lots and use a 17 hmr rimfire for that, 15 for 15 from 30-110 yrds, shot placement is everything and success comes down to the wingnut behind the wheel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

i use .204 and up for all other areas...think of it this way maybe?

17 hmr equals 250 ft/lbs energy
22 hornet/17 fireball equals 700 ft/lbs energy
223/204 equals 12-1300 ft/lbs energy
22-250 equals 1500 ft/lbs energy

i've never heard a hornet or 17 fireball(mach 4)so i can't tell you if they are closer to a .204 in sound or a 17 hmr or if they are right about the middle? i'd be curious to know if anyone can give me an opinion on that as i do think the 17 fireball might be a pretty slick 'niche' round for that acreage country application...a little more range could come in handy from time to time...

B

p.s. all my calling is daytime only fyi...
 
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Depends on your shot distance. .221 Fireball would come to mind. All the hunting at night I have done, .22 Hornet would work. You do not want a 22-250 or Swift, big boomers!
 
The 17Mach-IV, soon to be mass produced Remington 17 Fireball, is a super night time, under 150 yd, Predator rifle cartridge. Mine with a 2?" barrel is quiet enough to shoot without ear protection, although I don't advocate doing so. Consider its 17 to 19 gr of powder pushing a 25 gr projectile around 3800 fps, against a 50 gr projectile needing 26 + - gr powder to get it to 3500ish fps if that. The noise factor of the 221 based cartridges are second only to smaller, less powder using Hornet style cases, therefore less spead(in most cases) and or Rimfires, therefore less noise. Don't like rimefires for coyote sized animals, althought they may do the job, my opinion is of the negative!!
The 204 when pushed to 3900 fps is as loud if not louder than some 223 loads. Still nothing like a 22-250.
Sad part with a 17 Fireball, if you don't reload, the only bullet choice i've heard of is a 20 gr vmax, and that won't cut it for humane kills on coyotes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
Later
DF2
 
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