re: .22 sub-sonic ammo sound review

I've been away from my machine for awhile, and I was reading some older posts, and I came across this one.

There is an additional option, just in case y'all are interested -- and this is not an attempt to hijack this thread . . .

You may want to consider a bloop tube.

I've seen them in use by competitors in .22 rifle matches.

A bloop tube is an empty, open tube affixed to the end of the rifle barrel; the front sight is mounted on the end of it, and its main purpose is to increase sight radius. Some of them are elaborate enough to allow tuning, in order to reduce barrel vibration to a minimum.

Plain
Elaborate (and VERY expensive)

A secondary effect is that, while it doesn't change the volume, it completely alters the muzzle signature. The best way I can describe it is that it sounds like a very short, hollow, ringing "thump".

It doesn't sound like a firearm at all, and the sound is lower in pitch than an air rifle.

A bloop tube is NOT a silencer, and AFAIK (I haven't checked since the mid 80's), BATFE (formerly BATF) does not consider it to be a Class III device. No FFL required, although INTENT may be an issue.

You could even make a functional, detachable (but ugly) one yourself, from very lightweight aluminum tubing -- the greater the tube diameter, the lower the pitch of the "bloop".

Regular .22 LR match (or plain SV) ammuntion would cycle reliably in an autoloader.

Just my $0.02.