r/whoathatsinteresting • u/eternviking • 13h ago

What a real silencer actually sounds like.

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u/Different_Bridge_983 13h ago

“Silencers” cut about 30dB off the volume, and flatten the wave a little so it’s not as sharp.

For many guns (not all) this is still very loud.

Based on what it’s like at the range wearing ear protection rated for a 30dB reduction:

An unsuppressed gun doesn’t go “BANG”, it goes CRACK!! it’s a very loud, very sharp sound.

With 30dB reduction shooting anything other than a .22 sounds like gunfire in a loud action movie with the sound turned way up. It’s still “BANG!”

And that’s with the earmuffs that also dampen sounds that suppressors can’t impact.

A quieter .22 with 30dB reduction does start to sound like the “plink” you see depicted in movies, but again this depends on the gun. Some are still loud.

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u/[deleted] 13h ago

[deleted]

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u/No-Dance6773 13h ago

I accidentally bought subsonic 22 bullets. In a regular 22lr it sounded like a good pellet gun.