Quiet target air pistols

[Paul]

I'm lucky enough to have my own private 10 meters range in the basement of my home. As I would like to shoot without disturbing anyone in the house, I would like to get a match air pistol that would be as quiet as possible. Which model(s) do you consider the quieter among the current production ? Thanks !

[jrmcdaniel]

There really is not much difference in target pistols as to noise. There are no moderators/lead dust collectors/or whatever euphimism for these guns like there are for sporting air rifles.

Most of the noise comes from hitting the trap, I think, rather than from the gun. I like the Gehmann traps as they are pretty quiet. You can also surround the trap with sound batting (think attic or wall insulation) to absorb more of the noise. Some people use plumbers putty to make a trap that is pretty quiet supposedly.

I shoot in my basement and my wife above me is not even aware I am shooting.

Best,

Joe

[visitor]

Lower velocity = lower noise. Most of the scuba guns are over 500 f/s. That leaves the SSP as the quiet choices: Izh-46, Pardini K58, maybe the FWB 103 if you've got $$$ to burn. Don't let anybody tell you that any of these pistols are not match quality and wouldn't get you to a World Cup if you have the talent and determination.

[John E]

Most "Scuba" pistols allow you to easily reduce their velocity also.
It reduces the noise quite noticeably.

[visitor]

Every, repeat EVERY, scuba pistol has its velocity factory set for optimum performance. If you want to mess with that in order to cut out a few deciBels then have at it. Maybe that's why the Steyr manual for example instructs owners never to tamper with that screw.

[Sandy]

Paul,
Although keeping the noise level down might seem important, I would never make that the deciding factor in purchsing an air pistol, nor would I lower the velocity in an attempt to lower the noise factor. You gain little noise reduction.
You are training/practicing in your home to improve your shooting. Do nothing that will compromise your training/practice.
Get the best pistol that you can afford that fits you well and you will have no regrets.
Reduce the noise by insulating/sound proofing your basement.
Use a pellet trap with plummers putty. Use carpeting or other material on the walls and ceiling in the immediate vicinity of your shooting position to absorb the noise. Insulate the door. There are many things that you can do but do not compromise on the best pistol that you can buy and train with.

[Guest]

Sandy's advice is very well thought out I think.

How about you make a pact with your wife - she can listen to her favorite music as LOUD as she wants while you shoot??

[Guest]

OR even better, how about you make a pact with your wife that when its time to shoot, you will do the laundry. Get that washing machine and dryer going at the same time and she'll never hear the air gun and she'll be happy the wash is getting done. :-)

[Guest]

Or better yet - have her go upstairs and tell her to let you know if she can hear you shooting. Once she's in position, fire off a .22 round into a phone book and see what she says.

Then, send her back upstairs and fire a round from your air pistol. I'll bet she'll tell you can live with the noise created by the air pistol.

[trebilcock]

How thick of a layer of plumbers putty do you need to affectively catch pellets. I thought I was being clever by putting a magnet in an empty pellet tin, packing it with putty and sticking it to the plate in my gehmann trap. It was a little quieter but the pellets blew through the putty like it was warm butter.

[Mikey]

My plumbers putty is about two inches thick and catches the pellets easily in the first half inch.

The more you shoot without cleaning out the pellets the bigger the hole and the deeper. The pellets have never made it through the putty as they keep building up on themselves.

Mikey

[F. Paul in Denver]

I suggest using a couple of inches of the putty in the "hot spots" where most of the pellets collect and then just letting the putty taper off from those hot spots. But I also suggest using a thick piece of shag carpeting over the putty.

Here's why. Not only does the carpet further reduce noise, but it prevents the pellet from penetrating into the putty. If you let the pellets congregate in the putty, they are difficult if not impossible to remove which eventually requires replacement of the putty.

With carpeting in place, you can just pull the carpet out, shake out the pellets over a garbage can and then reinstall it. After awhile, you just replace the carpeting which is much simpler and cheaper than replacing putty.

I've found that an electrical box packed with putty and a shag carpet overlay on top of the putty works very well and is simple to maintain. With this setup, the gun makes more noise than the pellet.

F. Paul in Denver

[John E]

Every, repeat EVERY, scuba pistol has its velocity factory set for optimum performance. If you want to mess with that in order to cut out a few deciBels then have at it. Maybe that's why the Steyr manual for example instructs owners never to tamper with that screw.

C'mon, get a little adventure in your life.
When EVERY manufacturer includes the following info with the pistol:

1/ Which brand, type, and size of pellet used (batch would also be usefull)
2/ The exact velocity the individual pistol in question performs best with the above pellets (this must vary given manufacturing tolerances).
3/ Maybe the ambient temp and humidity, this may change something.

Then you could say the pistol has been factory set for optimum performance.

Otherwise, theres nothing wrong with a little velocity and pellet experimentation to optimise your pistols performance.

A Morini rolling them out at 350 fps will still put selected pellets through the same hole.

[CraigE]

I have been shooting on 10m range in basement for several years....no one actually knows I shoot unless I tell them.

[cdf]

The Styer LP10 is pretty quiet , when fired into a trap with the ductseal/carpet combo . The Morini family , due too it's compensator design are a bit louder .

Bottom line , buy what you like , and shut the basement door . If you hang a drape between your firing point and the basement door , she wont hear anything .

Chris

[pilkguns]

visitor,
You could vary the velocity more than 150 fps either direction from factory setting, and I dare say that 99% of us could not tell the difference in our group size when shot out of our hand. I know of no factory manual that warns against turning the velocity adjustment screw

[GaryN]

Paul
This is an old post, but I thought I would put in my experience.

I used to use an old trap made of sheet metal. My wife upstairs new every shot made, not from the AP, but from the sound of the pellet hitting the trap, which was below the TV area upstairs.

The one I used was the 3rd one down. #2085
http://www.beeman.com/trap.htm

I had 2 options, either a PLATE steel trap, like this
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... &noImage=0

Or a "silent trap," like this
http://www.babymd.net/aa_improved_silen ... t_trap.htm

My choice was a "silent trap." Mine is made out of a 10x10 steel electrical box with a 1" (single) layer of electrical duct seal.

Every few thousand shots I clean out the clumps of lead, smoothen out the surface and if needed fill in the holes with more duct seal.

In hind-sight, because of where my trap is, I should have gotten the STEEL PLATE trap. The trap is located in the low part of my crawl space...and I have to crawl in the dirt to get to it. As a result it does not get cleaned out as much as I thought I would. But the silent trap is quiet, so no one is complaining to me.

Gary

[Fred]

In hind-sight, because of where my trap is, I should have gotten the STEEL PLATE trap. The trap is located in the low part of my crawl space...and I have to crawl in the dirt to get to it. As a result it does not get cleaned out as much as I thought I would. But the silent trap is quiet, so no one is complaining to me.Gary

Gary,
If it makes you feel better about your choice, I use one of the steel traps, and it is anything but silent.

FredB

[dam8]

There are so many factors to take into consideration when selecting a trap. I chose a silent trap. Mine is an 8x10 electrical box ona telescope tripod, with a flexible light over it. I made a 1/4 " plywood box that I packed with 1 to 1 1/2 of duct seal. The only down fall is every time I switch targets I take a break with a pair of hemastats then warm the puddy with a blowtorch, roll with a wall;paper seam roller and apply a new target. Its a small bit of maintanance but in the long run easier.

[Richard Newman]

I also shoot in a basement, and don't have a noise problem (except the dog going upstairs - apparently the high frequency components of the noise bothr her). I found two good solutions.
First, get a piece of industrial carpet underlayment. This is a very heavy duty 1/2 inch or thicker rubber mat. Hang it in the trap using a top support so that it can move like a dog door flap. This is where the pellets hit, and with the motion of the rubber flap, it is both quiet and long lasting. The small size you need may even be a freeby-a remnant from a carpet job which the store will give you - they can't use it and would throw it out. If not, it is still very cheap.
Second - go to a packaging store and get rubber foam panels. Use them the same way. These are slightly quieter, but don't last nearly as long as the underlay. HOwever, they are also very cheap and easy to replace when you hear a shot hit the back of the trap.
RN