Unless you have a Nagant revolver or figured out a way to seal the escaping gases between the cylinder gap, a suppressor on a revolver won’t help you much. Sure, you’ll reduce the sound signature but only about one to two decibels. A better way to reduce your sound signature is by finding some subsonic rimfire ammo to work it. Aguila and CCI offer ammo to help bring your rimfire revolver bark down to suppressor levels I tried three of them to see what would work for me and my nine-shot, 4.75-inch barreled Heritage Rough Rider.
Aguila Super Colibri
This 20-grain lead bullet cartridge was hands down the quietest of the three, but it also had the lowest velocity of just 590 feet per second (fps). There is also no felt recoil at all, and it is just a blast to shoot. It is a perfect cartridge for small-game hunting, target shooting or getting someone new behind the gun.
Aguila Sniper Subsonic
This other load from Aguila is recommended for use in barrels longer than 20 inches. Of the three, it is the heaviest at 60 grains and the quickest at 950 fps. It was quieter than a regular .22 LR, but definitely not as quiet as the Super Colibri. I did get some keyholing with this load, which wasn’t surprising, as it needed a longer barrel to help stabilize the bullet.
CCI Quiet-22 Segmented HP
This CCI load was the Goldilocks cartridge for me with a bullet weight of 40 grains and a velocity of 710 fps. The bullet is designed to separate into three equal parts upon impact. As far as noise level, it was quieter than the Sniper Subsonic, but not as quiet as the Super Colibri. I find this load the best for taking care of pests and varmints around the home.
Wrap Up
I would suggest the trying out the Sniper Subsonic load if you plan to use the Heritage Rancher Carbine or a 16-inch barreled Rough Rider. The other two loads are perfect for discreet target shooting, taking small game, pest/varmint control or teaching someone new to shoot. Either way, the combination of these loads and the Rough Rider made for a fun time at the range.
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