# Are there any guns that are actually silent (or nearly so) as the movies would have it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683 "2020-08-10T01:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/1 "2020-08-10T01:23:58Z")
Movies frequently show people firing silenced weapons that make little more than a “pfft” sound when fired. But, a pistol with a silencer is far from silent. [This guy](https://youtu.be/TFhIXPZwdJ0?t=95) says a silenced pistol is in the 130 decibel range. Not quiet at all. Just more quiet than one without a silencer on it. So, has anyone ever built an actually silent (or nearly so) firearm? I assume governments might want to see one made for various uses. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/2 "2020-08-10T01:28:29Z")
[Gyrojets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrojet) of Man from U.N.C.L.E fame? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/3 "2020-08-10T01:29:26Z")
I know nothing about guns. But I did glean two fun facts about silencers on this board: 1.) They’re only good for ONE shot. 2.) They’re still loud as the OP notes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/4 "2020-08-10T01:34:25Z")
There’s this. No decibel readings. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qUzj-Q15LZE/maxresdefault.jpg "The Quietest Shooting Combination- Bolt Action Rimfire, Suppressed, Subsonic Ammo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUzj-Q15LZE) Subsonic .22. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/5 "2020-08-10T01:36:22Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > [Gyrojets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrojet) of Man from U.N.C.L.E fame? And here’s a cool video of the Gyrojet being fired! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cJAXpyt8-oQ/maxresdefault.jpg "GYROJET Rocket Guns from the 1960's - TESTED!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJAXpyt8-oQ) Both pistol and a carbine version. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/6 "2020-08-10T01:49:11Z")
We’ve done this question before. IIRC, we came up with the Welrod pistol and the DeLisle carbine, as being among the quietest of the quiet. Still coming in above 70 db, and I want to say over 80 for the DeLisle, so hardly silent. A lot really depends on the types of microphones, where they’re placed, and the response of the sound gear. I dunno whether the Welrod was firing .22 LR, or .22 Short, or CB caps. Less powerful ammo will be quieter, but the point is still to kill the target, right? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/7 "2020-08-10T02:09:59Z")
For comparison, how loud is a modern compound bow, or crossbow, or old-fashioned long bow? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/8 "2020-08-10T02:15:26Z")
That seems pretty silent to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/9 "2020-08-10T02:26:18Z")
Of conventional firearms in common use, a suppressed subsonic .22 or even 9mm is fairly quiet, even hearing safe. In general one of those in a semi-auto will have the mechanical noise of the action cycling as louder than the shot itself. And then there is this little wonder our friends the Russians have come up with that eliminates the gas and smoke of the shot altogether by not letting it escape from the cartridge: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSS\_silent\_pistol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSS_silent_pistol) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/10 "2020-08-10T02:29:28Z")
> [@Dancer\_Flight](#): > > Of conventional firearms in common use, a suppressed subsonic .22 or even 9mm is fairly quiet, even hearing safe. Well demonstrated below. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQGXy3adDHY&t=116) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/11 "2020-08-10T04:37:17Z")
Any videos of a handgun being that quiet? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/12 "2020-08-10T04:41:43Z")
There are some pretty powerful airguns that could kill. They arent small tho. Mostly, subsonic .22 rounds thru a silencer. Yeah, a pistol with a subsonic .22 would not really sound at all like a gunshot, but it wouldnt be like in the movies. OTOH, if I had a choice of common guns to be shot with a subsonic .22 would be #1. Not being shot at all would be a much higher vote, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/13 "2020-08-10T04:47:07Z")
Try this one: It’s a .22 pistol and it is also hearing safe in the configuration shown. [22plinkster review of suppressed Ruger 22/45] ([RUGER MARK 4 22/45 LITE - YouTube](https://youtu.be/vK-Vd8YCo98)) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/14 "2020-08-10T04:51:13Z")
That seems kind of loud to me. Maybe the video had bad sound? ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/15 "2020-08-10T05:04:03Z")
[9 hole review of Ruger MK IV Tactical Suppressed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgTC1ZPyc8) This is a similar pistol, and you may find the sound a little cleaner. They are using a different suppressor on it, and you can hear the action cycling when they aren’t hitting steel targets. Plinkster likes to shoot steel and that can sometimes overwhelm the audio. He was also shooting a less expensive can on his pistol. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/16 "2020-08-10T05:09:24Z")
That does sound more like the movies. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/17 "2020-08-10T05:32:42Z")
How do pellet guns and bb guns compare in volume? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/18 "2020-08-10T07:49:07Z")
They make gunpowderless .22 rounds, [in this video](https://youtu.be/QBGTfe9LzL8?t=67) so the only actual noise you hear is the actual primer firing. It sounds like someone snapping a rubber band. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/19 "2020-08-10T09:11:28Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I know nothing about guns. But I did glean two fun facts about silencers on this board: > > 1.) They’re only good for ONE shot. This is not true at all. At best you might be thinking of wipe-based silencers, which do degrade over time but still are effective for multiple shots, typically 10-20 but still somewhat effective after that. Baffle silencers have no specific lifetime, effectively indefinite. As seen in the videos posted above, the users fire a large number of shots with their silencers functioning perfectly well. ---
**Author:** ![standardnoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@standardnoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standardnoise)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683/20 "2020-08-10T10:09:15Z")
Slap a can on a .22LR, and you’ll definitely hear the difference. And if you’re shooting sub-sonic… Man. It’s weird, but it’s stupid fun to shoot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683.md?page=2)