Not very many people are aware of the loudness of airguns. Do you know whether they make noise or not, now that you have yours fresh from the shop? Do airguns make noise?
On average, airguns release 82 dB of noise. But this depends on the caliber and type of the airgun. Spring or gas ram-powered small bore airguns are moderately quiet. Small-bore PCPs are even quieter. Big bore airguns produce a lot of noise, which is why you use them at range.
For that reason, you need to know what airgun you carry home. It will all depend on the intended use.
If it’s for local backyard recreation, you probably want a small bore with less noise. For hunting, it’s going to be some big caliber with the potential to produce higher loudness.
Let’s get to the deep of this matter and help you fend off any confusion about airguns and noise.
Do Airguns Make Noise: A Closer Look
While airguns are significantly quieter than traditional firearms, they do make noise. Airgun noise is suppressed.
This is because there is no combustion in airguns that result in the release of projectiles. Instead, airgun pellets are shot thanks to the compression of gas or air.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t just occur without any noise being emitted in the process. If an airgun is shot in the neighborhood, anyone around – including your neighbors – will hear the cracking sound from the shot.
No matter the case, airguns can produce noise from about 74-90 decibels. This entirely depends on what airgun model you are using, its size, and caliber. Keep in mind there are models in the shops which are extremely quiet.
Small-bore air guns with gas ram or spring powerplants, for instance, are quieter compared to big caliber and powerful airguns. With PCPs, you get both higher power and better noise suppression.
Apart from PCPs, there is always a trade-off when it comes to power and loudness. The more power an airgun carries, the noisier it becomes.
Types of Airgun Noise
We already know that airguns produce noise. In this section, we’ll review the different types of noises you expect to hear or experience when using an airgun.
-
Mechanical Noise
Mechanical noise refers to the sound generated by your airgun due to the effect of the moving parts. As you know, there are many moving parts on your gun – the spring-piston or gas ram, even pulling the trigger, etc.
With PCP airguns, you also get a hammer ping. This is a striking bell-like loud noise a shooter hears when shooting a PCP. It comes from the air tube.
-
Shot Noise
Shot noise is the most common noise people are after suppressing. It is produced at the muzzle when taking a shot.
Shot noise from spring or gas ram-powered airguns is low compared to PCPs. This is due to minimal air volume and lack of expansion.
You can also experience shot noise when the projectile breaks the sound barrier. There is definitely no way to control this type of noise.
In PCP airguns, you expect a higher amount of noise. PCPs compress large volumes of air at higher pressures. Yet, there is a continued expansion in the valves hence a projectile is expelled in a louder shot.
The most powerful PCPs have their loudness coming close to that of real firearms.
-
Target Noise
When both mechanical and shot noise are controlled, you still have another type of noise to suppress, the target noise. This kind of noise emanates from your targets when practicing target shooting in your backyard.
Metal targets are great at stopping pellets from punching through but the amount of loudness generated is unfathomable. You can use much softer targets – like hay. They are very quiet.
The problem with such targets is that high-powered airguns will easily go through them. Pellets flying on the other side of your target may cause accidents.
What Causes Airgun Noise?
It is super-important to know what exactly causes airguns to produce noise. We’ve looked into the different types of noise already, but in this section, we’ll find out the three main causes of loudness in airguns.
-
Air Pressure
Compressed air in airguns isn’t as quiet. Too much of it, in the excess of 40PSI, can cause hearing problems. When the trigger is pulled, compressed air leaves the gun with a blast wave.
A rapid release of compressed air, especially, would cause a bigger blast wave.
-
Wrong Cleaning Products
You want to make sure the right cleaning products are used when doing the cleaning. Petroleum-based lubricants can make your rifle to be noisier. This is because you have introduced a flammable substance in the barrel that bursts when firing.
-
Speed of the Pellet Leaving the Barrel
There is another reason why airguns make noise. That’s the speed of travel of the pellet as it leaves the barrel.
Notably, many air rifles record speeds of up to 1100 fps upwards, which would normally create a moderate sonic boom that’s loud enough to hear. However, these noises vary due to the different types of pellets.
How Many Decibels is a Pellet Gun?
Ordinarily, a conversation of people in a closed office space is about 60 decibels. That is pretty low but still, you would hear them from another space.
For a band practicing in a garage, the noise could rise to about 110 decibels which is a blast in your ears.
A Benjamin Marauder air rifle is reported to produce the lowest amount of sound at 74 decibels. It’s still loud enough that you could be watching TV in the living room while vacuuming is ongoing at the same time – you won’t concentrate.
Other air rifles produce noise levels in the region of 90 decibels. That is very loud – can be compared to the same amount of noise you hear from a countertop blender.
How Can You Reduce the Noise Level of Your Air Rifle?
It’s possible to minimize the amount of noise coming out of your air gun. There are several options you can implement and see better results.
-
Use a Muzzle Break or Silencer.
A muzzle break is a common gadget that modern shooters do use on their airguns. In fact, some manufacturers do make their airguns with muzzle breaks attached to the end of the barrel.
If yours come without it, you can also get aftermarket suppressors that could help reduce the noise. The muzzle break cuts down the immense compressed air so it doesn’t produce as much sound when expelling a projectile.
-
Clean Your Airgun
It is recommended you use cleaning pellets only rather than solvents. If you use petroleum lubricants, for example, dieseling is likely to occur which is not good for your airgun.
-
Shoot 75-100 Pellets First
When the barrel is still new, air rifles tend to be louder. But after a number of shots, the barrel quietens a bit.
So, you want to try and shoot 75 pellets through the new barrel first. This will help burn any residual lubricants in the barrel and in the process reduce potential noise.
Here are the Quietest Shooting Airguns on the Market
If you are looking for some options for a quiet air rifle, here is a list you can choose from.
It’s a perfect airgun for plinking and target practice in your backyard. Also, you can hunt small game or control pests just fine with this air rifle.
With a decibel level of 86, it’s one of the quietest air rifles around. You can use it to hunt down small game including rabbits, sparrows, rodents, and more.
Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1 air rifle is offered as a break barrel single-shot air gun with a raft of useful features. The .177 caliber airgun fires 1420 fps, which is another reason for more noise.
Final Thoughts: Do Airguns Make Noise?
Airguns, like traditional firearms, make noise. But this noise is not as loud as what you would hear from firearms.
This is because airguns use compressed air to eject a projectile rather by force of combustion. It’s important to know which types of noises produced by airguns.
From mechanical noise, shot noise to target noise, loudness from an airgun is not evitable. Fortunately, you can reduce this noise by using proper cleaning products.
Also, you can buy air rifles with attached muzzle breaks or silencers. ‘
