Looking for a quiet .22 air rifle. Looking to shoot predators in a couple different pastures and not scare the sheep and goats.

Benjamin Marauder

IMHO, a .22 airgun is underpowered for such work. One of the .30-.45 calibers would work better. I'm assuming you want to actually kill the predators, not painfully wound them.

Better would be a real gun with a can. Subsonic HPs from a .22 rifle probably wouldn't alarm your critters much, and would be about as quiet as many airguns.

Don't have a can, could get one. <shrugs> I own a 10/22, Have not tried to hunt with the CB short cause didn't cycle the action. Maybe borrow me granddaughter's "Chipmunk" .22 and give the CB shorts another try.

How loud is the average Marauder .25 air rifle? The distance I am shooting is 50-75 yards, stretching out to 100 every once in a while.

10-22

Low power round

Sounds like a straight pull bolt action to me!

Doubt the low power 22s would be much better that 22 airgun unless placed with surgical accuracy.

If memory serves, a .25 Marauder can be tuned to about the 55 ft-lb level by just changing hammer springs. But that was using the JSB Exact Kings. Not sure if the new heavier pellets would improve on that. Other tuners were getting higher FPE out of them, but that required either new valves, or porting the stock valve. A fair amount of fiddling.

Don't worry about the sound of the Marauder. In all likelihood, the impact sound might be louder than its "report".

My .25 Marauder shoots good enough for predator head shots at 75-80 yards - just over an inch with a field rest. Not sure how it would do at 100 though.

Just use a regular 22 if you need to kill a predator in your pasture.
You won't scare the sheep.

Check this link out. http://www.straightshooters.com/decibel-ranking-of-airguns.html

I would try my Air Force or FX in .25 with Donny FL suppressors. With an airgun style suppressor you won't need the gumbmint's approval. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Subsonics (not the various Quiet types) should kill very well and have very subdued reports with no "crack". RWS is my standard choice, about $8.00 a box ordinarily. Very accurate as well. I expect Eleys are about the same. The CCI segmented ones shoukd kill well, but haven't been nearly as accurate as the RWS.

Not a sheep or goat herder, but I would think predators running atround might alarm the little dears more than the occasional pop of a .22.

I’ve got a Benjamin Marauder pistol with the rifle stock in 22 caliber. I have a moderator on it and I don’t think you could make anything that’s much quieter. It’s much louder when the pellet hits something than when the trigger is pulled.

The Aguila SSS (Sniper Subsonic) uses a 60 grain bullet which generates enough recoil to cycle the action. I've used them in a 10/22 and they cycle just fine. The heavy bullet adds some thump in close, but velocity loss and drop become factors quick - 25-yards or so.


Aguila SSS

yes. theyre silent.