most lethal deer round for the amount of noise

preventec47 · Post by **preventec47** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:24 pm

Sometimes I just get sick and tired of how loud our
guns are and we hardly ever talk about it.
I've never even seen any official measurements of
how loud different guns and calibers are which is
a surprise in a way.
Other than long barrels for any caliber, I wonder if
anyone has opinions about any rounds that are quieter
than others. Just off the top of my head I would think
that pistol rounds with fast powder such as 357 mag or
44 mag or 45 long colt in long rifle barrels should be pretty
quiet as their powder must be all burnt up long before
the exit of the bullets. Could any of the bottle shaped
cartridges be said to be moderately loud instead of
earth shaking ?
Doesnt it surprise anyone that none of the gun magazines
have taken it upon themselves to do some testing and
write about it ?

Old Time Hunter · Post by **Old Time Hunter** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:36 pm

Glad you asked!

Played around with this last summer, the most quiet of the rifles I possess that would still be an acceptable large game hunting gun was:

1. '94 Legacy w/24" barrel .30-30
2. 1885 Win HighWall .45-70 loaded with 29grains of H4198 behind a 405 grn LFN
3. 1886 Win with same load as above.
4. '94 Black Shadow .44 Mag (24" barrel)
5. M1 Carbine

My .444 Timber Carbine was the loudest! we tested 15 rifles with a dB meter, I'll find the original info.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:51 pm

Can't say for certain without a db meter and a bunch more guns... BUT

I shot 2 deer within 30 seconds of each other and the 2nd deer didn't actually spook until I trotted up on it.

It didn't recognise that the sound of my .357 was the sound of a gun.

Of course, Deer are Habitual, and this is the first year for PCRs, so all they are used to are Muzzies & Shotguns, but still...

Scott64A · Post by **Scott64A** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:15 pm

I shoot an .30-30 and have had a friend laugh at the sound of it. He said it was like hearing a little .22 go off. Well, he shoots a .270 or a .300.

I have two deer in the freezer this year and he hath none.

The smokepole I carry for BP season is louder by far, but just as deadly.

I say, so long as you kill deer, it doesn't matter how loud or soft your gun "speaks".

preventec47 · Post by **preventec47** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:38 pm

[quote="Old Time Hunter"]Glad you asked!
Played around with this last summer, the most quiet of the rifles I possess that would still be an acceptable large game hunting gun was:
1. '94 Legacy w/24" barrel .30-30
2. 1885 Win HighWall .45-70 loaded with 29grains of H4198 behind a 405 grn LFN
[/quote]
.
.
That sure surprises me to hear of a 45/70 and quiet in the same paragraph.
Every one I ever heard was like an artillery around going off compared
to all other guns. It occurs to me that a cheat sheet might a look at the
chart of SAMMI chamber pressures to find the lowest pressure rounds
but then again the TrapDoor Springfields I've heard with low low
pressures were more like sonic booms going off than a firecracker.
Still very amazed at any mention of 45/70 !

Nath · Post by **Nath** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:46 pm

The quietest deer cartridge I have used once was Hornet

All I know is my 30/30 don,t hurt no where near as a 243, 308, 270 and 6.5x55

Comal Forge · Post by **Comal Forge** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:36 pm

Probably the quietest is the .22 rimfire - oh, you meant LEGAL cartridge...

Anything subsonic would logically be more unobtrusive that those that break the barrier. .32-20 or 38 Special would be candidates but are not common. In the normal range, 30-30 would be my choice but I once had a 7x57 Mauser that didn't draw much attention - probably the best way to test would be with a dB meter.

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 9:29 pm

Unquestionably, the most lethal quiet deer round out there is the .22 Short. Don't laugh -- I have a friend who lives in a development just outside the city limits. Each year, he kills several deer with behind-the-ear shots from a super-accurate little rifle he owns -- an ancient Springfeld Meteor, for Pete's sake, a single shot that likely cost $3 new back during the Depression -- and without fail they drop dead right there, right now, with none of the neighbors the wiser. This, of course, is strictly illegal, (not the shooting, he lives in the county where discharging a gun is fine -- but the cartridge) but since there are at least a dozen car/deer collisions in that neighborhood per year I ain't squealin'.

Post by **Old Savage** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:09 am

well then my 26" 30-30 should be very good.

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:01 am

What about a big bullet, going subsonic, like 45-70?

BAGTIC · Post by **BAGTIC** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:09 pm

Most of the noise the shooter hears is muzzle blast not sonic boom.

SAAMI chamber pressures are peak pressures not muzzle pressures. The higher the muzzle pressure and the greater the volume of gas produced the more noise.

Long barrels combined with high expansion ratios are the best bet. A long barrel lets a reloader use a lighter charge of faster burning powder thus further increasing the expansion ratio and lowering muzzle pressures while keeping the same velocities as shorter barrels with normal loadings.

GANJIRO · Post by **GANJIRO** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:44 pm

I have a stainless NEF Handi Rifle with 22" barrel in .223 Remington that is pretty gentle to the ears (yup, the 223 is legal here). This isn't my first choice in a deer rifle but it gets the job done if I do my part and use appropriate ammo.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:25 pm

Pisgah wrote:Unquestionably, the most lethal quiet deer round out there is the .22 Short. Don't laugh -- I have a friend who lives in a development just outside the city limits. Each year, he kills several deer with behind-the-ear shots from a super-accurate little rifle he owns -- an ancient Springfeld Meteor, for Pete's sake, a single shot that likely cost $3 new back during the Depression -- and without fail they drop dead right there, right now, with none of the neighbors the wiser. This, of course, is strictly illegal, (not the shooting, he lives in the county where discharging a gun is fine -- but the cartridge) but since there are at least a dozen car/deer collisions in that neighborhood per year I ain't squealin'.

Except that my 180gr .357 Catsneeze is quieter than a .22 short and has orders of magnitude more energy & penetration...