Archive for July 2005
What makes an airgun quiet?
by B.B. Pelletier
The REAL question is “What makes an airgun noisy?” because quiet is just the absence of noise. People who shoot airguns like them to be quiet. With the race for power, they often stumble back into the noisy realm, again. This is not a post about silencers, but about passive ways to quiet an airgun.
Air is the culprit!
High-pressure air is the real noise culprit. And, CO2 under pressure acts the same as air, so you might as well toss it into the same pot. Spring-piston guns are the quietest because they use the smallest amount of high-pressure air. By the time the pellet gets to the muzzle, the air in a springer is under a lot less pressure than the muzzle blast from a PCP or other pneumatic.
Even among pneumatics, there are quiet guns. Consider Daisy’s Avanti 747. It’s a single-stroke pneumatic target pistol, yet it has a relatively quiet report. A similar single-stroke match pistol, the IZH 46M, is much louder. Of course, the IZH is more powerful, which means the air that leaves the muzzle is under more pressure, which is why it makes more of a pop.
On some guns, YOU control the volume!
With a multi-pump rifle like Daisy’s 22SG, the number of pumps you put in determines the power and the noise the gun will make. If you value quiet, learn to make do with fewer pumps for a quieter gun.
The AirForce Talon is another gun you can shoot quietly. Because it has adjustable power, you can dial the power down to the point the rifle makes very little noise. You’ll still get plenty of power – just not the maximum the rifle has to offer. This is how many owners of the super-powerful Condor shoot their rifles most of the time.
Another feature that only the AirForce rifles have is that the owner can change the barrel in a few minutes. That means you can also change the caliber. A .177-caliber AirForce barrel will shoot quieter than their .22 because less air escapes with each shot.
Springers are the kings of quiet
For the quietest shooting of all, spring guns are the way to go. A well broken-in Beeman R9 can be one of the quietest airguns you never heard, as can a TX 200.
Where you shoot affects sound, too
By picking your shooting spot, you can control how much sound will escape the area. Some shooters have constructed cardboard box “tunnels” lined with soft fabric through which they shoot. As long as the muzzle is inside the box tunnel, very little muzzle report will escape. This works best for shooting off a bench indoors so you don’t disturb the other residents of the house.
Using your house as a silencer
An entire house can be used quite effectively as a sort of silencer. Simply shoot through an open window with the muzzle several feet inside the house and very little noise will escape. Of course, it’s going to be louder for the shooter inside the confines of the house, so before doing this make certain that everyone approves. This is how some homeowners take care of garden and flowerbed pests without disturbing their neighbors.
Even a powerful airgun can be made quieter without resorting to the expense and legal entanglements of buying a silencer. Think about these things and see what you can do to make your airgun quiet.
Crosman M1 Carbine BB gun looks like its ancestor!
By B.B. Pelletier
Now here’s an airgun you can really get used to! Not only does it resemble the real M1 Carbine very closely, it’s also one of the most powerful spring-piston BB guns around.
Inspired by the real thing!
The M1 Carbine was a re-skinning of Crosman’s successful model 350 BB repeater – so-named because that was the muzzle velocity. Careful attention was paid to make the M1 Carbine a close copy of the real thing.
The Crosman M1 Carbine is a realistic copy of the World War II carbine.
A springer in deep disguise!
For more than 20 years, I had assumed this BB gun was powered by CO2. First, because it was a Crosman, and they made so many CO2 guns at the time the M1 Carbine came out. The second reason was because I could not figure out how it could be cocked if it was a springer. At the time, I knew nothing about Quackenbush spring guns.
How it cocks
To cock the carbine, you grab the barrel and pull it back toward the receiver. Or, you can push the barrel back, but be careful not to put your hand in front of the muzzle when you do. This takes some real muscle, making the carbine a gun for older teenagers and adults, and even then not everyone will be able to cock it. The Daisy model 25 is somewhat hard to cock, but this gun is quite a bit harder.
Because a hand was on the barrel at the muzzle every time the gun was cocked, most M1 Carbines I’ve seen have well-worn finish in that area. Therefore, a gun with pristine finish should be worth a good premium.
The neatest thing
What looks like a magazine hanging down is actually a detachable box for carrying BBs. You have to remove them and load them into the gun or they’ll just be ballast for your gun. More than half the carbines now in existence have lost their magazines, and an actual magazine is worth about as much as the gun, itself.
What looks like a magazine is
just a box for storing BBs.
The plastic lid slides back to open.
The powerplant in this gun is unique in the annals of airguns. As far as I know, only the Crosman 350, 3500 and M1 Carbine airguns have the poppet-type valve air control device. A flexible poppet valve very reminiscent of an automotive-type valve gives the gun its extra power. The air virtually explodes out when the valve is finally overcome.
The wood stock is best!
The gun was made with a wooden stock during the first year, then Crosman introduced a plastic stock with realistic wood grain pattern. They called the material Croswood, and it went on to become their stock material of choice for many years.
While the gun has a very fancy peep sight in the rear, accuracy is about standard for a BB gun. I can keep five shots in an inch and a half at 20 feet.
You should be able to find one in shootable condition for $50 to $60 without the magazine. With the mag, they’re going for $90 to $100 today.
