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decibels question .223 v Hornet v 218 Bee v 17HMR

plains scout
Anyone have any idea on the difference between them. I read that the Hornet is nice and quiet for shooting in populated areas, 17 HMR is tolerable etc.

Wondering if there is any decibel tests or personal experience out there on this issue that will give science an edge over theory. No, I don't want to shoot with a silencer as I like to spend summers outdoors and be free to move around.







"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I
advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives
boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the
ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no
character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of
your walks." Thomas Jefferson
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Contender Man
    Have all of those calibers. Never measured the noise level but from being around them in the same barrel configurations (T/C Contender in carbine setup I'd venture that 218 and 223 are pretty close and the 17 is much quieter.


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    If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!
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  • Invicta
    it depends on what your shooting them out of. a pistol would be louder than a rifle. i would think the .17hmr would be the quietest being a rimfire and it has less powder than the others.
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  • 1KYDSTR
    Have or have shot all these cals. and I think I can say the Hornet is the best choice for alot of reasons. First off it seems to be the quietest by a fair margin and has been proving so since about 1931. It is not moving near as fast as any of the other rounds and so is not going to produce the telltale crack of some of the others. Incidence of riccochet is also very low due to some of the bullet shape charachteristics and light jacket structure allowing for easy deformation when contacting anything hard. The 22 Hornet is also a centerfire reloadable round so thus enjoys an advantage over the 17 rimfire which is of course nonreloadable. Bullet weight on the Hornet must ussually be kept at 45 gr or less but still has a much heavier bullet than the 17. The 218 Bee isn't chambered in too many guns from the factory and goes a bit quickerthan the Hornet so it kinda' loses out there a bit. The 223 is a fair screamer so I would not put it in the same category at all. Hope this helps!

    "When I cease learning...I'm dead"
    "Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"
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  • v35
    In the 60's I did a lot of chuck shooting in upstate NY with a Hornet
    and an Ackley 219 Zipper improved (equivalent to 22-250).A friend had a 222 Remington. We determined effective range was not limited by the cartridge but the trigger pull, the kind of rest and the quality of scope. My outfits were single shots with 10x scopes and set triggers.
    When shooting the 222 or the 22-250, blast and concussion prevented the shooter from spotting his hit or miss. The Hornet shooter could both spot his shot and hear the plop of a hit. Even the 222 which is on the order of a Bee had too much blast to spot the shot.
    With our equipment, effective range was up to 300+ yards in no wind conditions. Hornet loads were max with Hercules 2400 powder and Spire point 45 grain bullets. I expected to see a dramatic difference on chucks hit with the more powerful bullets but didn't.
    These were farm fields where excess noise could wear out your welcome.
    My reasoning then was that if other factors limited effective range to about 325 yards and hunting alone was a disadvantage, why use more gun than necessary. I have thought of rechambering to the K-Hornet but would not welcome additional noise.
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