Looking for a quiet rifle...Hornet...Fireball?

[PhntmArcher]

Ok, I am turning to you guys for a little information. I am looking for a quiet, short to medium range (150-200yr max) rifle. I have .223, .243, 22-250 rifles but looking for something a little smaller and quieter. Not really looking for the 22 Magnum. So, I thought that something like the 22 Hornet or 22 K Hornet, 221 Fireball or something similar would fit the bill.
However, the local dealer that I visited insisted that all of these would be "very loud". So I left to do some more research. Any suggestions?
(Sorry if this has been covered before. I searched but didn't find anything.)

 

[270Weatherby]

I am not sure what quite means to you, but I have shot all of these rounds a great deal. My father has a 22hornet, 22k hornet, 221 fireball and 20Vartarg The 22hornet makes the least noise, but I still wear ear protection. The K and Fireball are not as loud as a .223, but louder than the hornet. If you really want quiet you might have to go to rimfire... 17hmr.

I hope this helps?

 

[flyin lizard]

What about the 300 whisper?

 

[loaders_loft]

I've got a hornet, its relatively quiet compared to a 223. The CZ is the clear choice, and they also sell one in 221 fireball. I'd love to have the 221 fireball...

For a hornet, use the 35gr Vmax with 12ish grains of lilgun, its sweet...

the hornet is probably the #1 best when it comes to the price of handloading vs storebought ammo. Although the brass is thin and subject to neck splits, its still a great value for handloaders.

 

[triggerpress]

I've gone two routes to get something like what you're looking for. I started with a 223 and made up reduced loads for it. My load was (and is) 10 grains of Win 231 over a Sierra 40 grain Hornet bullet. I eventually added a 17 Ackley Hornet that uses 9.7 grains of LilGun over a 20 grain V-Max. Both give explosive performance on ground squirrels and are fairly quiet. The edge, however goes to the Hornet, because it has a much longer barrel. You can make any gun quieter by using loooong barrels (my Hornet has a custom 27 inch pipe, specifically to make it quieter).

Whatever you decide on remember that most of your noise will come from the amount of powder burned and from the bullet's supersonic crack. To reduce the noise keep the powder charge as light as possible and if it can be done within the parameters of what you are trying to achieve (not for me) send the bullet out at below the speed of sound.

triggerpress

 

[BountyHunter]

Really depends on what you plan on shooting.

I have a Hornet (Ruger rifle and Contendor pistol) and the Whisper (15" Encore pistol barrel)

both are quiet with the edge to the whisper with the 240s at subsonic levels. Hammer whatever they hit too, but drop big time from 100-200 yards.

The whisper will require an 8 twist barrel (custom) to shoot the 240s and mine loves the 125 Btips at 2300 fps (not quiet) and the 240s (subsonic and very quiet). Both shoot into 1 MOA and the 240s are 2" lower at 100 than the 125 Btips.

Both can be loaded down to reduce noise even further.

BH

 

[3fingervic]

What about the 300 whisper?

That's what I was thinking.

 

[J E Custom]

To get a "Quiet" rifle you must reduce the velocity to below the speed of sound.

There are several ways to do this .One is to load a larger bullet down below sub sonic
but still retain some energy.

The other is to use a suppressor to quieten it.

A small caliber that is loaded to a reasonable velocity will still make that crack due to the
velocity.

I have never owned a whisper but for hunting it should work .

J E CUSTOM

 

[PhntmArcher]

Thanks guys for the great information. This is exactly what I was looking for. The salesman at the local gun shop assured me that these (Hornets, Fireballs etc.) would be as loud if not louder than a .223. I want to shoot some small game and varmints and also just do some general shooting without attracting too much attention.
I was looking at the CZ. It seems to be one of the more economical choices that still provides decent quality. After reading the posts, maybe leaning toward the .221 Fireball.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[loaders_loft]

I've shot my hornet side by side next to friend's 26" VLS 223 and the 223 is drastically louder. Yes, the hornet still has a bit of a crack but nothing like a 223. I think the fireball with the 35 or 40gr Vmax would be sweet.

 

[MikeMurf0505]

They dont call it the "Wisper" for nothing.....

 

[ROBSTER]

338 Whisper with a J.D.Jones suppressor on the end and you can here the bullet hit the target.gun)
robster

 

[loaders_loft]

338 Whisper with a J.D.Jones suppressor on the end and you can here the bullet hit the target.gun)
robster

when hunting that's a sound I listen for closely to indicate a good hit, regardless of the cartridge. what's so different about yours...

 

[ROBSTER]

No noise at all when loaded sub sonic You can hear it hit the back stop or if you miss game they will generaly look toward where the bullet hit and you can get a second shot.Loaed with 300 smk`s it will hold .5 or less at 100 yards @1050 fps. Besides that it`s fun to shoot no recoil either.
robster