Air Pistol: Which one is the least noisy?

somewhereinla · Post by **somewhereinla** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:41 pm

I am currently doing most of my shooting in my apartment. I have built a sound proof target box but I do wish that the pistol I am using was quieter. I currently shoot an IZH 46M and I am wondering if anyone had any opinions as which brand might be quitter.

cheers.

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:04 pm

I was thinking that the izh 46 is one of the more quite ones of the more modern pistols. A FWB model 65 is quite.

somewhereinla · Post by **somewhereinla** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:54 pm

I was actually wondering about pre-charged pneumatic pistols such as the Steyr LP"S...

Gort · Post by **Gort** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:44 pm

I shoot a Steyr LP-10 and a Morini 162EI, in my basement range often. The LP-10 is markedly quieter than the 162EI. I think the counter recoil mechanism in the LP-10 drops the muzzle pressure and reduces noise as a by product, Also the 162EI muzzle brake may it somewhat louder.
Gort

Europe1 · Post by **Europe1** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:31 am

Funny, in my case it's the exact opposite. My LP10 is much much louder than my CM162E. The LP10 produces a sharper noise because of the holes in barrel + comp design.

Gort · Post by **Gort** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:59 am

Thats a surprise, my lp-10 is so quiet compared to the Morini 162Ei, that I chronographed both several times, thinking the steyr must be slow to be that quiet..It was not.
Gort

Tycho · Post by **Tycho** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:26 am

Same here as with Gort - 162 clocks only 8 m/sec faster than the LP10, but the difference in noise levels is huge.

jipe · Post by **jipe** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 4:23 am

I use and LP10 and I have one friend who is using a Walther LP300. I am always amazed by the lower noise of the Walther compared to my LP10.

Note: it is a LP300 not the latest LP300XT, I have no idea if this one is as quiet as the LP300.

dam8 · Post by **dam8** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 6:49 am

of my 2, the LP1 is much more quiet than the 162 EI

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:24 am

The greatest noise is usually the pellet hitting the trap. Get a quiet trap and it won't really matter which gun IMHO. I like the Gehmann traps for a mechanical version -- the spring backing plate seems to absorb a lot of the energy (translates to noise). I stuffed some fiberglass batting in behind the plate and that helped a bit more. The "ductseal" types of traps use a putty to stop the pellets and are reported to be very quiet (and are probably quieter than the Gehmanns although a bit more expensive).

Best,

Joe

Gaeste im Hinterland · Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:46 am

Was fur ein FWB m65?.....Sehr Ruhig.

Mark Briggs · Post by **Mark Briggs** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:35 pm

A few quick comments here...

1) compressed air seems to make a sharper "crack" than Co2 in some pistols. I say this after doing side-by-side comparisons when I owned both the LP1 and LP10 and was using a conversion kit to modify the LP1 to compressed air use. I don't know about absolute sound pressure but to my ear the Co2 sounded less "sharp" than compressed air.

(with that having been said, I can honestly say the loudest air pistol I've ever heard was an early-model FWB Co2-powered pistol!)

2) the pellet trap has been mentioned as a big source of noise, and I've certainly found in my basement range that the trap noise was what caused my wife to complain. The fix for me was to put a pound of duct seal putty on the BACK side of the trap (not the side the pellets strike) to stop the metal trap from resonating. Without the putty on the trap the metal backstop rang like a bell. Now pellets strike it with a "thunk" sound.

3) consider making a "shooting booth" to deaden the pressure wave after it exits the barrel. I've experimented a little and found that by hanging strips of carpeting from a wooden frame I was able to substantially reduce the perceived noise level. I used four strips of carpet, each about 1 foot wide by 3 feet long. The were positioned two per side, with a shooting channel about one foot wide in between them. The strips themselves were hung so they made a 45 degree angle with the barrel. My attempt wasn't perfect as I should also have had carpet above the shooting channel to stop the pressure wave from hitting the pipes in the heating system directly overhead. That's a modification for the next time I play with this... ;-)

bjsulla · Post by **bjsulla** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:59 pm

I also feel that dampening the pellet trap makes the biggest difference. I use a product that is meant to seal toilet seats and it works very well. It has a consistence that reminds me of chewing gum and I buy it at a local hardware store.

I just fill the whole pellet trap with it and when I have fired around 1000 pellets I replace it easily.

I don't know if it is available to you but it is called Unigum and it looks like this: http://www.clasohlson.se/Archive/Images ... 38_799.jpg

bjsulla · Post by **bjsulla** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:02 pm

Here is more information: http://www.unipak.dk/UK/unigum.html

Tycho · Post by **Tycho** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:30 pm

Another thing that works well is a lexan board mounted on a rubber mat. Pellets impact, get flattened completely and just fall down - no rebounds and no wear.

somewhereinla · Post by **somewhereinla** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:58 pm

Thank you for all the answers so far, please keep them coming...

As I mentioned in my first post, I think some of you may have missed it, I did built myself a sound proof pellet trap so no problem there.

Also the 2 pistols I am looking at buying at the moment are the LP10 or the LP@ from Anshutz (However I am open to other brand as well). Has anybody have a chance to try them both? I know they are basically the same pistol however I wonder if the different gun barrel design makes a big difference as far as noise is concern. Of course if you have had or still have an IZH 46(M) as well as some of the pistols already mentioned you feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately I don't have access to trying or seeing other 10M pistols as I am having a very hard time finding a club or other people interested in the sport ( I live in Los Angeles). So I am pretty much learning on my own for now and relying and reading on other people experiences.

cheers.

jipe · Post by **jipe** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 6:16 pm

As said in my previous post, I use an LP10. My wife use an LP@ light (the version of the LP@ with a shorter barrel and shorter cylinder, weight about 200gr less than an LP10).

The LP@ light is a little less noisy but I think that it comes from the lower muzzle velocity: the LP@ light is factory adjusted at a lower muzzle velocity to provide more shots with its smaller cylinder. An LP@ will probably produce the same level of noise as an LP10.

Elmas · Post by **Elmas** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:46 am

Most people seem to find that most noise comes from the target end.

Pistol noise is mostly not a problem as it does not travel as far.

If you dont want the pistol noise to reach the street , then heavy curtains on the windows will work.

Wall to wall carpeting will reduce noise transmitted downstairs.

Earplugs will reduce perceived noise by the shooter.

If its only the missus complaining , get her earplugs for Christmas.

You can also ' camuoflage' the sound by having the TV or music on.

Elmas
.

somewhereinla · Post by **somewhereinla** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 1:13 pm

Thanks, the sound from the gun is not that bad, LOL, but since I am seriously thinking of getting a new pistol, I thought I would add the "sound factor" as a consideration.

Thank you all for your good advices.