Barrel Length & Action Effect on Volume

[chrometip78]

I have a weird one for you. I recently found new joy in shooting an old, long barrel single shot bolt action 22 rifle. They are pleasantly quiet to shoot with standard velocity or other subsonic ammo options. However I don't like trying to load one at a time in that tiny little space with hands that are on the large side.

I'm thinking about getting a new 22lr rifle and would like to stick with Ruger and their magazines. I'm debating between the following two rifles:

*10/22 with a 22" barrel and wood stock.
Thinking the 10/22 is a little more efficient plinking experience being a semi-auto (have bolts, levers, and revolvers for a more interactive experience) and I like a wood stock on 22s and shotguns. Concerned if the semi-auto action will still lead to a louder experience that requires good ear-pro. Also, limited to standard velocity long rifle or specialty ammo to cycle the action and remain sub-sonic. I like both of those ammo options and have some now, but they can be difficult in ammo shortages.

*American Rimfire with a 22" barrel and polymer stock.
I feel pretty confident this setup would make for a pleasantly quiet shooting experience and ammo selection would only matter for accuracy concerns. Little more involved plinking experience and I'd rather have a wood stock.

Any input related to sound levels, experiences, and potential regrets with either choice is appreciated.

[wilit]

The semi-auto is going to be a little louder.

Savage, Marlin, Remington all have 22" long magazine fed bolt actions. Escort even has a 25" bolt action.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/723043145/escort+.22+lr+synthetic+..22+lr+25+black

[pinger]

If you really want to be interactive, Ruger makes a single shot 10/22 mag.

[bohoki]

i shoot colibri's in a lever if your ammo is quiet chances are you need manual operation lever, pump, bolt

[Imageview]

I?ve never really noticed a difference between 16.5 and 22? in volume, with the caveat that it?s always been with normal hearing protection (foam ear plugs). It?s all pretty quiet relatively speaking. Similarly a semi is slightly louder than a manual action, but not significantly. Ammo selection in my subjective opinion makes more difference between these choices (the lead free stuff seems significantly louder for some reason, maybe velocity). There may be some 22 lr ammo that a 10/22 in good operating condition won?t reliably cycle, but I haven?t found it yet.

[Zenderfall]

I had both of the rifles you're mentioning, but I only kept the Ruger American. Shot both a lot for many years, and the RAR is still my reliable backup, and one that I shoot whatever rounds with, as it just doesn't ever jam.

I wouldn't be concerned with the action of a 10/22. The muzzle end of the rifle is where it's loudest. I teach people to shoot with these rifles, so if the action was that much of a nuisance, I'd have noticed a long time ago.

Both of these rifles are great. They're accurate enough for qualification work. With Tenex/Midas/R50 ammo the accuracy comes right under 1.5 MOA. To approach 1 MOA will require barrels, or perhaps a step up in rifles (Like CZ). The 10/22 is slightly less accurate out of the box, and rarely jams. The RAR is more accurate out of the box, and never jams. The best part was these two platforms shared magazines, and Ruger rotary mags are among the best in the world. They don't share scope rails, so that part sucked. I don't know why they don't, the RAR could easily have been drilled for the 10/22 hole pattern.

The only reason I don't have the 10/22 anymore, is because I got really annoyed cleaning it. Semi-auto 22's are all dirty. But cleaning the 10/22 is a major pain. Quite a bunch of parts come out, and the barrel can't be rodded unless a hole is drilled in the receiver. And I didn't feel like drilling the receiver, no matter how cheap the entire rifle was. So away it went, after a few years of constant monthly use. Cleaning an RAR is a cinch. A button press and the bolt's out, and bolt action guns don't get nearly as dirty as semi-autos.

These days, students all gravitate to the AR platform (it's the cool thing to shoot I guess), so BCA AR-22's took its place. Not that its any better, just that people like the look/feel of AR's. Yes, I do realize 10/22's can be made to look/feel almost like an AR but that's not quite the same thing.

[SDDAVE56]

How about a Marlin 39A. It shoots quieter than my 10/22, and holds more rounds.