Whether you are looking to buy an air rifle for practicing to join competitions someday, merely wanting to have some fun in your backyard plinking, or you just want to own one for hunting purposes, you might want to consider not just looking for a high-powered model in the market, but also for the quietest air rifle.
I can hear you thinking airguns are already quiet, why do you need the quietest air rifle? The answer depends on your use, but for me, it’s just more fun. I think it’s the kid inside of me, but the thought of the silent destructive power just makes the inner me giggle. I mean, there are practical reasons, like you can practice in your backyard without the hassle of dealing with your neighbor. You can hunt squirrels without scaring them all off with every shot. But fun, that’s the key. Anyway, you know why I think they are cool, but what more should we know? Keep scrolling to find out.
Housekeeping
Before we dig into the quietest airguns, I want to get a little housekeeping out of the way. There are lots of factors to consider when trying to make your airgun as silent as possible. It’s worth a minute or two, so we can all be working from the same page, and maybe it’ll save you a couple of bucks. If that doesn’t interest you feel free to skip ahead to the section about the quietest air rifles.
Are Air Rifles Actually Powerful, or Simply Quiet?
If you’re new to the air rifle world, you might be thinking, congratulations, their quiet, but that’s because they’re underpowered toys. If that’s what you are thinking, you are wrong! While modern air rifles are technically not considered firearms, because they don’t make the powder go boom boom, they are incredibly powerful. Some air rifles can even be used to hunt big game.
Interested yet?
When it comes to hunting, it is a common misconception that firearms are way better than air rifles because of their powerful capabilities; however, just because firearms are more powerful doesn’t necessarily mean they are better. For instance, if you are hunting for game for its meat, an air rifle could actually be the better choice as it will inflict minimal tissue damage to the animal compared to a firearm.
Hunting
Even when you are not hunting game for fun, and you are hunting pests such as vermin or squirrels, air rifles are an excellent choice. Since air rifles are generally quiet, they will help you get rid of these pests easily. Silence is your friend in taking down squirrels as they spook very quickly, and a quiet air rifle will ensure that you can eliminate a squirrel without scaring the next target away.
A lot of varmint hunting and pest control is done very near your home as well. Airguns offer lots of practical help in this area. If your pests are larger than squirrels, like Coyotes, you can still take care of it with an air rifle. Check out Dave’s article about hunting Coyote with an air rifle.
Training
Aside from being useful in hunting, air rifles can definitely help you raise your game in shooting sports. Firearms and ammunition can get quite expensive, meaning that you are possibly wasting a lot of money if you use them in trying to improve your shooting skills (especially if you’re new to the sport). Air rifles can teach the same shooting skills for much less. While costs of ammunition fluctuate, pellets are generally cheaper than even the most affordable firearm ammunition. More practice at a lower price, how can you pass that up?
Safe and Legal
Additionally, for backyard shooting, an air rifle isn’t just a quieter choice, but a safer alternative, too, concerning legality. There are many states where shooting a firearm in residential spaces is illegal, while the use of an air rifle is allowed.
So, simply put, many other qualities make an air rifle a good choice and not just a ‘quiet’ one.
What Makes an Air Rifle Quiet?
The level of noise that results from firing an air rifle is generally dependent on the high-pressure air that comes out of the muzzle of the air rifle. This high-pressure air is necessary to shoot or project the pellet from the gun itself.
This article is covering some of the quietest air rifles, but you’re probably curious about how loud air rifles really are. Lucky for you we asked the same question in our article, How loud are airguns? The reasons behind the noise.
Subsonic
To achieve the quietest shooting an air rifle can get, some air rifle enthusiasts choose to use subsonic ammunition. Subsonic ammunition travel below the speed of sound when fired, and therefore they produce the quietest sounds as compared to trans sonic and supersonic ammo. If your pellet is propelled at speeds higher than that of the speed of sound, you can expect a cracking sound. The standard speed for subsonic ammunition is 343.2 m/s or (1126 ft/s).
Choice of Pellet
Generally, a lighter pellet will travel faster than a heavier pellet; so, if you want to go for the quieter choice, a heavier pellet will be better because its weight somehow slows it down. If you are intending to use your air rifle for hunting, you might want to consider choosing a heavier pellet because aside from its ability to make your shot quieter, a heavier pellet will hit harder than a lighter one providing you with more knockdown power.
Pellet choice is very important. That’s why we wrote The Ultimate Guide to Airgun Pellet Types for you.
Air Rifle Suppressors
For some air gunners, the right type of air rifle and a superb set of subsonic ammunition isn’t enough, they want to make their air rifle as silent as they possibly can – by adding suppressors. Adding a suppressor to your air rifle will make it “silenced” as some people say and can facilitate a noticeably quieter shot.
How Well Do Suppressors Work?
Suppressors are attached to the muzzle or the area near the end of the barrel, they are intended to control or ‘suppress’ the sound created as each airgun pellet is released.
Using an air rifle suppressor can reduce the noise from an air rifle shot by 30 to 40 decibels. That’s like the sound of a whisper or a babbling brook. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you are already operating at super quiet levels, it makes a world of difference. Ever notice how loud a whisper sounds in the library? Ever notice how soft it seems in a library after the librarian makes the classic “shush.” That’s what we’re talking about here.
Do Suppressors Affect Your Power?
Some people claim using an air rifle suppressor decreases accuracy and power. These claims are not true; as a matter of fact, adding a suppressor can even enhance your accuracy as it eliminates the worry of being distracted due to excessive noise. As for making the shot less powerful, the power of your shot is mostly affected by choice of ammo you use in your air rifle. Because a lot of air gunners use suppressed air rifles together with subsonic ammunition, it makes sense power will be affected, but it’s not as much as you might think. There are calculations you can use to find overall shot power. What really matters though is can your shot knock down what you are shooting at? Even with the quietest air rifle, the answer is yes, if you have the right caliber air rifle for the game you are hunting.
Other Factors to Consider in Making a Quiet Shot
There are a few other factors to consider in making your airgun shoot quieter, like the area where you are shooting from. As the noise will come from the air rifle itself, you can muffle the shooting sound it produces by firing from an enclosed space. Believe it or not, some air gunners shoot from inside their homes to create a noise barrier and minimize the noise that will be heard by the neighbors. That probably sounds a little bit country, but hey, what’s better than waking up, rolling out of bed, and doing a little hunting right away in the morning?
Other airgun hobbyists try to make a home-made suppressor – some use shampoo containers while others use boxes. But, be careful in doing this as creating a do-it-yourself air rifle suppressor is considered illegal in some states. As a matter of fact, I DO NOT recommend DIY air rifle suppressors, they can be dangerous and as stated illegal. That should have me covered right?
Seriously though to be on the safe side, it will be wiser to just purchase a suppressor from trusted gun shops instead. A suppressor may be purchased in any state where suppressor ownership is legal. (Some of these laws will be different than airgun laws. If a suppressor can be removed from your air rifle and work on a firearm, you’re in a whole new legal area. Just check your laws before proceeding too far please.)
Quietest Air Rifles
On to the meat and potatoes, you came here for. What are the quietest air rifles?
PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic) Air Rifles
Because they are regarded as one of the most comfortable air rifles to use, PCP rifles are among the most popular air rifles. Not only that, but they are the quietest air rifles because of how they operate.
For the most part, PCP air rifles have earned the reputation as the quietest type of air rifles. Through the years, many PCP air rifles have been developed to reach a level of quietness that is absurdly useful in many different scenarios, just like squirrel hunting. Squirrel hunting can be done as a hobby or a means of pest control for many households. To determine the best air rifles for squirrels, the level of quietness of the air rifle will play a significant role.
The thing about the loudness of an air rifle is that there are no objective means to measure it unless you use an actual decibel measurement device when you fire the air rifle. The reason for this is that the sensitivity to sound of one person’s ear isn’t always the same for another person. Besides, the location where you are firing the air rifle from will also affect the loudness of the shot.
Decibel meters aren’t really that expensive though. If you click on this link to a list of decibel meters on Amazon you’ll find plenty of options around $20 dollars. You definitely don’t need one, but if you are like me you’ll probably want one just to satisfy your curiosity.
Here are some of the quietest PCP air rifles today:
Benjamin Marauder Air Rifle
The Benjamin Marauder air rifle is an award-winning pre-charged pneumatic air rifle. This air rifle is available in three different calibers: 0.177″ (4.5mm), 0.22″ (5.5mm), and 0.25″ (6.35mm). The Benjamin Marauder 0.177″ (4.5mm) caliber weighs 7.30 lbs and is 42.8″ long. The 0.22″ caliber and the 0.25″ caliber air rifles have the same weight and length which are 8.2 lbs and 42.8”, respectively. This quiet air rifle has a decibel of 74, which is slightly quieter than the sound of a toilet flushing or as loud as the sound of a regular vacuum cleaner. The Benjamin Marauder Air Rifle 0.177″ and 0.22″ calibers can hold up to 32 shots per fill, while the 0.25″ caliber has a maximum of 16.
Hatsan AT44-10 QE Air Rifle
This quiet PCP air rifle can be incredibly powerful. The Hatsan AT44-10 QE Air Rifle is available in three different calibers, which are 0.177″ (4.5mm), 0.22″ (5.5mm), and 0.25″ (6.35mm). All three calibers have the same length of 45.4″, and the same weight of 8 lbs. The 0.22″ caliber has a maximum of 40 shots per fill, the 0.177″ 30 to 40 shots, and the 0.25″ caliber, 18 to 27 shots per fill. The Hatsan AT44-10 QE Air Rifle has a loudness of 86 decibels, as loud as garbage disposals.
Air Arms S510 Air Rifle
With a maximum of 60 shots per fill, the Air Arms S510 Air Rifle is also a popular choice of air rifle among numerous gun enthusiasts. The Air Arms S510 Air Rifle is available in three calibers: 0.177″ (4.5mm), 0.22″ (5.5mm), and 0.25″ (6.35mm). All calibers have the same maximum shots, same length of 43.31″, and the same weight of 7.55 lbs. This air rifle’s loudness is 85 decibels, making it a little bit quieter than the Hatsan AT44-10 QE Air Rifle, but not noticeably. The noise this air rifle produces can be compared to the loudness of a snow blower.
Weihrauch HW100 Air Rifle
The Weihrauch HW100 Air Rifle is extremely powerful and has high accuracy. This air rifle can hold up to 40 shots per fill, and has a weight of 8.6 lbs and length of 42.13″. The Weihrauch HW100 Air Rifle is available in 0.177″ (4.5mm) caliber. At 91 decibels, its noise may be compared to the noise from a lawnmower or a squeeze toy.
To help you evaluate the attributes of each of the PCP Air Rifles listed, here is a comparison chart:
| PCP Air Rifle | Available Caliber | Length | Weight | Max Shots Per Fill | Decibel | Max Velocity |
| Benjamin Marauder Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.22″ 0.25″ |
All calibers have the same length of 42.8″ | 0.177” – 7.30 lbs
0.22″ – 8.2 lbs 0.25″ – 8.2 lbs |
0.177″ – 32
0.22″ – 32 0.25″ – 16 |
74, as loud as a regular vacuum cleaner | 0.177″ – 1100 fps
0.22″ – 1000 fps 0.25″– 900 fps |
| Hatsan AT44-10 QE Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.22″ 0.25″ |
All calibers have the same length of 45.4″ | All calibers have the same weight of 8 lbs. | 0.177″ – 30 to 40
0.22″ – 40 0.25″ – 18 to 27 |
86, as loud as a passing truck a few feet away | 0.177″ – 1070 fps
0.22″ – 970 fps 0.25″ – 870 fps |
| Air Arms S510 Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.22″ 0.25″ |
All calibers have the same length of 43.31″ | All calibers have the same weight of 7.55 lbs. | All calibers have the same maximum shots of 60 | 85, as loud as a snow blower | 0.177″ – 1050 fps
0.22″ – 920 fps 0.25″ – 850 fps |
| Weihrauch HW100 Air Rifle | 0.177″ | 42.13″ | 8.6 lbs | 40 | 91, as loud as a lawn mower | 1050 fps |
Break Barrel Air Rifles
Even though Break Barrel Air Rifles aren’t typically as quiet as PCP air rifles, there are still some break barrel air rifle models that can give you a quiet shooting experience, if you prefer using the break barrel type. The reason they aren’t as silent as PCP is the noise created from the piston. There are ways companies have made them softer, but it’s not as quiet as the breath of air PCPs use.
For the break barrel air rifles, here are the models that are in the lead when it comes to levels of quietness:
Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle
The Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle is available in 0.177″ (4.5mm) caliber; this break barrel air rifle comes with a whisper noise dampener which can effectively reduce the noise of up to 52%. The Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle is 46.0″ long and has a weight of 5.28 lbs. With the decibel of 66.4, this air rifle can be as loud as an air-conditioner or an ordinary conversation. Take note that the decrease in loudness is caused by the noise dampener.
Beeman R7 Air Rifle
This break barrel air rifle is slightly shorter than other guns, with the length of just 39.0″. The Beeman R7 Air Rifle weighs 6.1 lbs and is available in two types, the 0.177″ (4.5mm) caliber, and the 0.20″ (5.0mm) caliber. Both calibers share the same weight and length. This air rifle has a loudness of 87 decibels, or as loud as a crowded, noisy restaurant.
Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle
The Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle is available in both 0.177″ (4.5mm) or .22″ (5.66 mm) calibers. Just like the Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle, this air rifle has a whisper noise dampener which helps in reducing noise. The 0.177″ caliber of this air rifle has a weight of 5.64 lbs and measures 44.5″ in length, while the .22″ weighs 8 lbs and is 46.5″ long. The loudness level of the Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle is 90 and is as loud as a lawnmower. Notice that the Gamo Raptor Whisper is considerably louder than the Gamo Whisper Silent Cat, but that is because the Gamo Raptor Whisper is much more powerful and can handle hunting more massive game.
Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle
This award-winning air rifle prides itself as being one of the quietest brands of break barrel air rifles in the market, claiming to be 70% softer than other break barrel brands. The Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle is available in both 0.177″ (4.5mm) and 0.22″ (5.5mm) calibers. Both calibers of the Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle has the same specifications as 7.4 lbs in weight and is 44.25″ in length. This quiet break barrel air rifle has a loudness level of 95 decibels, which is as loud as a food processor. So, that 70% quieter must be about air rifles other than the Gamos we just talked about. Honestly, 95 decibels is pretty dang quiet though so this is worth a look.
Benjamin Titan GP Nitro Piston Air Rifle
This 0.22″ (5.5mm) caliber break barrel air rifle is another award-winning rifle. Specifically designed for small game hunting, the Benjamin Titan GP Nitro Piston Air Rifle weighs 6.75 lbs and has a length of 43.5″. When fired, the Benjamin Titan GP Nitro Piston will produce a sound level of 88 decibels, which is a bit quieter than a squeeze toy and it’s Venom brother.
For the break barrel air rifles, here’s a comparison chart to help you have a closer look:
| Break barrel Air Rifle | Available Caliber | Length | Weight | Decibel | Max Velocity |
| Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle | 0.177″ | 46.0″ | 5.28 lbs | 66.4, as loud as day to day conversation | 1200 fps |
| Beeman R7 Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.20″ |
Both calibers have the same length of 39″ | Both calibers are weighing 6.1 lbs | 87, as loud as a full restaurant | 0.177″ – 700 fps
0.20″ – 620 fps |
| Gamo Raptor Whisper Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.22″ |
0.177″ – 44.5″
0.22″ – 46.5″ |
0.177″ – 5.64 lbs
0.22″ – 8 lbs |
90, as loud as a lawn mower | 0.177″ – 1300 fps
0.22″ – 975 fps |
| Crosman Nitro Venom Break Barrel Air Rifle | 0.177″
0.22″ |
Both calibers have the same length of 44.25″ | Both calibers have the same weight of 7.4 lbs | 95, as loud as a food processor | 0.177″ – 1200 fps
0.22″ – 950 fps |
| Benjamin Titan GP Nitro Piston Air Rifle | 0.22″ | 43.5″ | 6.75 lbs | 88, a little bit quieter than a squeeze toy | 950 fps |
At the end of the day, you’re the one who gets to decide which air rifle works best for you. Both PCP and break barrel air rifles can be the ‘best’ rifle, it just depends on how you intend to use it and how comfortable you are handling it.
What To Do Now
If you’re convinced you need the quietest air rifle, I suggest you head over to Amazon and pick up one of the bad boys above. If you aren’t quite ready yet head over to some of our other articles and check them out. We’ve put a lot of work into gathering the information you need in one place.
One last thing before you go. If you like this article or this website do what countless others are doing and share Airgun Planet with people you think might benefit from it.