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Trying to decide on a moderator for a .22 Sidewinder

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AlanMcD

AlanMcD

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Jul 10, 2021
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Michigan, United States
I have a Sidewinder in .22 and I am trying to decide how to best moderate the bark. It seems to shoot best with JSB Monster Redesigned at about 950 fps, and it is way louder than my Huben even if tuned below it in power.

The bark with the factory "moderator" was ridiculous, so I bought the LDC adapter from AoA and am currently running a Huma 40 Compact on it, and that helped a good bit. This despite the fact that the Huma is sized for a .30 cal, so is not optimal - but even if it gained a few dB by being for a .22 it would not be enough sound reduction.

When I set both guns up to equivalent power, and use the Huma on both of them, the Sidewinder is a good 12 dB louder than the Huben - part of which is due to the fact that the Huben has a baffled shroud while the Sidewinder does not (the sidewinder muzzle is only about 1.5" from the end of the shroud with no baffles or effective stripper vs. the opposite with the Huben witha good stripper and about 4" of baffles). The dB difference is measured via an iPhone app indoors, about 5 feet forward and to the side of the guns.

I need to drop the noise a good bit from where it is, but I know I'll never it get it as quiet as the Huben - in part because just the action of the Sidewinder is louder on it's own (if I bury the muzzle in a pillow and shoot with no pellet, the gun is only a few dB quieter than the Huben shooting an actual pellet) . I'm considering an STO Sarissa, although I'm not keen on the long length - I like the length of the Falx better, but I don't think it would be that much quieter than the Huma 40 Compact. I have thought of getting another Huma 40 Compact sized for a .22, and adding a few sections from the .30 one I have to help quiet it down more - but I'm dissapointed that Huma is not stocking the non-Avalanche version as I think the felt does better than their inserts (I bought one to try in mine and it made it louder). I'm not sure what the best choice would be.

I'm looking for suggestions and ideas. Thanks!
 
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Get the NON tapered version. .22 for $40

I was able to up my Avenger to shoot 35 FPE with that non tapered one on and it wasn't louder than when I was shooting 30 fpe.
 
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Hi Alan,

I have no experience with the WA Sidewinder, but I've owned its predecessor, the LCS SK19 in both .22 and .25 caliber. While capable of greater power than a standard valved airgun, the amount of air needed to send heavier projectiles faster is still required. A significant amount of the noise produced in the SK19/Sidewinder is within the action. That being said I was able to tame mine down a bit with the DFL Ronin. Other moderators (with less volume) didn't seem to make much if any difference.

Hope that helps
 
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yes, a dual moderated gun is always quieter, ie shroud + moderator .. i wouldnt throw money at a moderator expecting miracles, you may be able to 'measure' some difference between various models, but practically its not going to be a huge difference .. if you need a quieter platform then buy one thats already quiet, then any added ldc can get it downright stealthy.
 
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So after much debate with myself, I ended up ordering another Huma 40 Compact, but this time in .22 caliber. I figured it would let me try out the benefits of a downsized bore diameter, and give me more flexibility to mix and match sections together to test out what works best - with the idea that I could pick up a Sarissa later if the length looked justifiable (since a six baffle Huma 40 would be a bit shorter than the Sarissa, allowing me to test out lengths before I go there).

I did look at the Impulse, and while it looks impressive it is a good bit more expensive for something that would deliver unknown results (at least to me).

In the end, I'm basically now running a Huma 40 Standard (four total sections, vs. three in the compact) sized for .22, with one .30 cal section in as the fourth.

Here is what I found, testing in my basement range. The results were interesting . . .

I set the phone (using the app dB Meter Pro) about 3 foot forward of the muzzle, and 4 feet to the side - this is where I have always put it in my personal tests as it is nice and convenient there and easy to replicate. Here is what I found, all shot with the .22 Sidewinder running about 45 FPE with JSB Monster Redesigned pellets.

No moderator - just the shroud with adapter (it has no baffles): 121 dB
Huma 40 Compact .30 cal: 114 dB
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal: 113 dB (did not sound different to my ears either)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 1 .30 module: 107 dB (very noticeable difference in sound level to my ears)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 2 .30 modules: 107 dB (five modules showed no noticeable change from four modules to my ear)

So the difference between the two caliber moderators was only 1dB when configured identically, and anything more than 4 modules (which is just under 7.5" long) was negligible.

After that, I figured I would test the exact same configurations on my .22 Huben too, just as a comparision (it is quieter than the Sidewinder to begin with). It is shooting JTS 18.1s at 35 FPE.

No moderator - just the shroud with adapter (it has baffles): 114 dB
Huma 40 Compact .30 cal: 106 dB
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal: 106 dB (did not sound different to my ears either)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 1 .30 module: 106 dB (no noticeable difference in sound level to my ears)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 2 .30 modules: 106 dB (five modules showed no noticeable change from four modules to my ear)

Even though the Huben only reads 1 dB quieter than the Sidewinder, I seems much quieter that that, in part because the action itself is much quieter.

While I did not think noise from the rubber mulch trap would be a factor, as I basically shoot from one room down a hall into another room (thus keeping most of each sound source's noise in that room), I thought I better verify it. So I went down to the trap and shot it from about 6 feet away, and when I went back to the meter it read a peak of 83 dB. So the flat level of sound must be about the limit of what the gun can do - since these hammerless guns do have mechanical noise, I then tested the Sidewinder shooting a dry fire with pillows over the end of the moderator, and I got a reading of 99 dB.

If there is one thing that this showed me it is that you have test on the specific gun in question to know what it will really do in practice . . .
 
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AlanMcD said:
I have a Sidewinder in .22 and I am trying to decide how to best moderate the bark. It seems to shoot best with JSB Monster Redesigned at about 950 fps, and it is way louder than my Huben even if tuned below it in power.

The bark with the factory "moderator" was ridiculous, so I bought the LDC adapter from AoA and am currently running a Huma 40 Compact on it, and that helped a good bit. This despite the fact that the Huma is sized for a .30 cal, so is not optimal - but even if it gained a few dB by being for a .22 it would not be enough sound reduction.

When I set both guns up to equivalent power, and use the Huma on both of them, the Sidewinder is a good 12 dB louder than the Huben - part of which is due to the fact that the Huben has a baffled shroud while the Sidewinder does not (the sidewinder muzzle is only about 1.5" from the end of the shroud with no baffles or effective stripper vs. the opposite with the Huben witha good stripper and about 4" of baffles). The dB difference is measured via an iPhone app indoors, about 5 feet forward and to the side of the guns.

I need to drop the noise a good bit from where it is, but I know I'll never it get it as quiet as the Huben - in part because just the action of the Sidewinder is louder on it's own (if I bury the muzzle in a pillow and shoot with no pellet, the gun is only a few dB quieter than the Huben shooting an actual pellet) . I'm considering an STO Sarissa, although I'm not keen on the long length - I like the length of the Falx better, but I don't think it would be that much quieter than the Huma 40 Compact. I have thought of getting another Huma 40 Compact sized for a .22, and adding a few sections from the .30 one I have to help quiet it down more - but I'm dissapointed that Huma is not stocking the non-Avalanche version as I think the felt does better than their inserts (I bought one to try in mine and it made it louder). I'm not sure what the best choice would be.

I'm looking for suggestions and ideas. Thanks!
Click to expand...
just for grins , put a piece of blue painters tape on the end of your .30 LCD and see if you hear a difference ? the .22 size hole will block more sound , not much but some . maybe two layers . just shot through it .
 
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beerthief said:
just for grins , put a piece of blue painters tape on the end of your .30 LCD and see if you hear a difference ? the .22 size hole will block more sound , not much but some . maybe two layers . just shot through it .
Click to expand...
I gave it a try, and I noticed no difference, and it measured the same in the same conditions. Part of me expected a difference, but part of me did not as both the .22 and the .30 were pretty much the same when directly compared. Part of it might be that the hole that opened up really was not much smaller than the mods exit hole - the two layers basically just peeled back . . .
 
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AlanMcD said:
I gave it a try, and I noticed no difference, and it measured the same in the same conditions. Part of me expected a difference, but part of me did not as both the .22 and the .30 were pretty much the same when directly compared. Part of it might be that the hole that opened up really was not much smaller than the mods exit hole - the two layers basically just peeled back . . .
Click to expand...
i did the same but with a .177 to .25 and i used a wadcutter pellet for a nice smooth no rips hole . thanks for the try and report .
 
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AlanMcD said:
So after much debate with myself, I ended up ordering another Huma 40 Compact, but this time in .22 caliber. I figured it would let me try out the benefits of a downsized bore diameter, and give me more flexibility to mix and match sections together to test out what works best - with the idea that I could pick up a Sarissa later if the length looked justifiable (since a six baffle Huma 40 would be a bit shorter than the Sarissa, allowing me to test out lengths before I go there).

I did look at the Impulse, and while it looks impressive it is a good bit more expensive for something that would deliver unknown results (at least to me).

In the end, I'm basically now running a Huma 40 Standard (four total sections, vs. three in the compact) sized for .22, with one .30 cal section in as the fourth.

Here is what I found, testing in my basement range. The results were interesting . . .

I set the phone (using the app dB Meter Pro) about 3 foot forward of the muzzle, and 4 feet to the side - this is where I have always put it in my personal tests as it is nice and convenient there and easy to replicate. Here is what I found, all shot with the .22 Sidewinder running about 45 FPE with JSB Monster Redesigned pellets.

No moderator - just the shroud with adapter (it has no baffles): 121 dB
Huma 40 Compact .30 cal: 114 dB
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal: 113 dB (did not sound different to my ears either)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 1 .30 module: 107 dB (very noticeable difference in sound level to my ears)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 2 .30 modules: 107 dB (five modules showed no noticeable change from four modules to my ear)

So the difference between the two caliber moderators was only 1dB when configured identically, and anything more than 4 modules (which is just under 7.5" long) was negligible.

After that, I figured I would test the exact same configurations on my .22 Huben too, just as a comparision (it is quieter than the Sidewinder to begin with). It is shooting JTS 18.1s at 35 FPE.

No moderator - just the shroud with adapter (it has baffles): 114 dB
Huma 40 Compact .30 cal: 106 dB
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal: 106 dB (did not sound different to my ears either)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 1 .30 module: 106 dB (no noticeable difference in sound level to my ears)
Huma 40 Compact .22 cal plus 2 .30 modules: 106 dB (five modules showed no noticeable change from four modules to my ear)

Even though the Huben only reads 1 dB quieter than the Sidewinder, I seems much quieter that that, in part because the action itself is much quieter.

While I did not think noise from the rubber mulch trap would be a factor, as I basically shoot from one room down a hall into another room (thus keeping most of each sound source's noise in that room), I thought I better verify it. So I went down to the trap and shot it from about 6 feet away, and when I went back to the meter it read a peak of 83 dB. So the flat level of sound must be about the limit of what the gun can do - since these hammerless guns do have mechanical noise, I then tested the Sidewinder shooting a dry fire with pillows over the end of the moderator, and I got a reading of 99 dB.

If there is one thing that this showed me it is that you have test on the specific gun in question to know what it will really do in practice . . .
Click to expand...
Echos are a real problem when testing indoors.
 
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OldSpook said:
Echos are a real problem when testing indoors.
Click to expand...
That’s a good point. I read somewhere that even with our moderators and subsonic airguns it’s not a bad idea to wear muffs or plugs. My HFT500 only has an air stripper on it and it makes a definite snap when firing. Granted it’s not like we shoot for hours and hours (I think) like if we were in a factory but over time it supposedly has an affect on hearing. I definitely want to be able to hear my wife say “How long are you going to be shooting that stupid airgun?”.
😂😂
 
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Nosbigshot said:
I have the sidewinder compact in .22 cal. I haven't found any pellets that the gun likes. I tried those redesinged and fx and multiple jsb' even the new monster's. Gun will stack 3 or 4 then 1 or 2 flyers terribly in accurate for the money I shelled out, any sugestions?
Thanks
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I'm not sure what to suggest, other than if it does not shoot anything well I'd consider sending it back . . . how far off are the fliers? Mine does best with the redesigned monsters, and puts them into about 0.25" ctc over a full magazine at 21 yards - I hope to get out and do some longer range groups. I have shot it out to 50 yards or so but not for groups, but it seems to shoot well at those distances. No other pellet does as well, and it only seems to shoot really well above 900 fps. I'd love to find something lighter that it would shoot well at about 800 fps to keep the action noise down, but have had no luck.

I have polished and waxed the barrel on mine, but I would only do that if you know you are going to keep it. I bought mine used so there was no going back so I figured what the heck. There was a big visual difference in the barrel from the polishing, but only a small change in accuracy, if anything . . .
 
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