Noise down range

[CSSWormy11]

What would a pellet rifle sound like down range from the muzzle.  I either have neighbors zipping pellets over my house or fireworks.  I hear a pop at their house and then a pffft over my head coming from their direction, over my head, and then past the trees that I'm standing next to.  I'm not sure why they would be shooting fireworks at that sort of an angle, but that's essentially what it sounds like.  After a minute or so of them doing it, it occurred to me that it might be a rimfire or perhaps an air gun shooting super sonic.  What do you guys think?

[CSSWormy11]

Its not especially loud.  The crack is about as loud as a hammer would be at the equivalent distance.  I pretty well know where it's coming from.  The "pffft" going over my head is a little louder than a bee flying pretty close over your head.  I can tell the pellet is about 15 feet above my head...maybe as high as 25 feet.

[BenjiHunter]

That sounds like a pellet flying by.

[woogie_man]

Yeah pellet.  Next time you hear it quietly walk over to them and see what, and who, is doing the shooting and with what.

It may be as simple as talking with them and explaining what is going on.

[Rico14]

I would wonder why this person is even shooting towards your house. 15 feet above your head is very dangerous. I would talk to your neighbor immediately. Good luck

[CSSWormy11]

Yeah pellet.  Next time you hear it quietly walk over to them and see what, and who, is doing the shooting and with what.

It may be as simple as talking with them and explaining what is going on.

I hope so.  I'm wondering what they were doing for them to be going over their trees.  It's about 150 yards (or more) to their house.  They had to have been shooting at birds in the tree tops or something.  I hate the idea of walking TOWARDS the unidentified flying objects...lol.

[CSSWormy11]

I would wonder why this person is even shooting towards your house. 15 feet above your head is very dangerous. I would talk to your neighbor immediately. Good luck

I doubt they even realize how the trajectory is playing out or where they are vectoring the rounds.  The fact that they are shooting up like that is very concerning to me.  We are out in the county and there is a bit of distance between properties, but I don't think they are being very observant or thinking about what's behind their shoots.

[CSSWormy11]

My best guess at this point is it's someone that just got a new Gamo that was playing with the included Raptors...lol.  It was a fairly light crack when they first started shooting.

[BenjiHunter]

I bet they are kids having fun not realizing how dangerous they are.

[wwonka]

If you feel comfortable enough approaching (when they are not shooting) I would approach and let them know. This would be to their own protection as well as the protection of other people further downrange than you (where those pellets/bullets may be coming down).

What they are doing is a really unsafe practice, but kids do this all the time. I did this too when I was a dumb kid. Sometimes kids just  don't have the brain maturity to really grasp the danger of what they are doing - and it might help to have someone let them know where those pellets (bullets?) are going.

[Gertrude]

Sounds like a pellet gun to me too.
As already mentioned, it's probably some kids just having fun and not realizing what they are doing wrong.


 For your own safety, you have an obligation to yourself, your family, your property, (and to anyone else who may find themselves downrange), to go speak with them.
BUT,...
 ...You ALSO have a great Opportunity here too.

 Do Not go over there with a bad attitude or angry.
 ESPECIALLY if it IS kids,... and you need to talk with the parents.

You have this rare opportunity to offer your experience and talents in safe gun handeling, and to teach a new shooter how to properly handle his gun.

 This may sound a bit strange,... but YOU have only this one chance to make a Good Impression, and to make a new friend,... (who just may end up becoming your new shooting and hunting buddy.

 And btw,... EVERYONE here on the GTA would thank you for it. (go ahead,... ask me how I know this    )

 Approach this in the correct way,... and you will be making an important impact on somebody's life... and you could also be helping to save someone from serious injury down the road.

More than once, there have been members here who have had similar experiences with uneducated neighbors...
 .. and more than once, the story has a happy ending, where a neighbor or a youngster ends up becoming a responsible shooter... and the GTA members newest shootin' buddy.

If it's kids,... then talk to the parents CALMLY, and offer to them your willingness to help teach the kids in a sport you commonly share.
 If it's adults doing the shooting,... you still do the same thing..... Offer your help, in the interest of EVERYONE'S safety and enjoyment.

Please do come back and update this thread.
We ALL would very much like to know how this turns out.

[ZiaBeam]

I use to wander the desert where there were very few neighbors. One day an elderly gentleman admonished me for frequenting a bush patch near his home. A few days later he caught me there again... he was not at all happy to see me back so soon. His wife tried to calm him down, by the time he was done lecturing me, his wife offered me some ice-water, and he brought down a Red Ryder BB gun, which we shot in his driveway. Turns out his son went to colledge with my father. He had some hilarious anecdotes related to their dealings with my father, and we became friends. Both of them (the elderly couple) have long since passed away, but it reminds me that kids were approachable  in those days, and good might come from investigating the source.
 Would also like to add that ANY projectiles path is worth controlling, but if its of any consequence a "phhht" sound is likely subsonic, diminishing the odds of it being common rimfire ammo. 

[CSSWormy11]

Would also like to add that ANY projectiles path is worth controlling, but if its of any consequence a "phhht" sound is likely subsonic, diminishing the odds of it being common rimfire ammo.

This is why I too believe it to be a pellet rifle.  The crack was most likely a Raptor going supersonic (it didn't reverb like a 22LR) and the "Pffft" was most likely it having already dropped back to subsonic.  Just goes to show, if you're shooting those lighter pellets, you probably shouldn't be doing so for accurate or precise shooting...lol.

[David.Soliman]

I seriously doubt it's an airgun, a .22 LR or even HMR shot from a rifle with a muzzle device can have the same report.  And shooting at such distance the shooter appears to be very confident about the accuracy of the gun, not something that is easy to come by in the airgunning community.

[Gertrude]

I seriously doubt it's an airgun, a .22 LR or even HMR shot from a rifle with a muzzle device can have the same report.  And shooting at such distance the shooter appears to be very confident about the accuracy of the gun, not something that is easy to come by in the airgunning community.

Not trying to flame or start an argument, but if it was somebody missing a shot at a bird in a tree, a pellet will easily travel 150 yards.

[HYspd]

it'll travel quite a bit farther than 150 yards too....


use chairgun and graph it out..

my .22 Titan will shoot about 325 and 350yards using crosman premier 14.3gr at 750fps



ffffft is the sound of a pellet going by below the speed of sound..


/edited to include/ my cousin's kid and I regularly shoot at 100 yards..he now has a FuryII and I with my Titan..
althoughi have to say the BT65 is a ton more fun seeing that it hits with more oomph at 100 than either of the piston guns has at the muzzle...

[Gertrude]

lots of links to youtube video's...




in this next one, there is 2 good examples at 3:20 into the video...


another example, including slo mo



here's an example of dieseling




and here's a fine example of what you should NEVER do.
 (This guy is CLUELESS to anything related to airguns or proper handeling)

[ZiaBeam]

I seriously doubt it's an airgun, a .22 LR or even HMR shot from a rifle with a muzzle device can have the same report.

Incorrect. No matter what "muzzle device" you use, an HMR will NEVER sound like an airgun at the muzzle or down range. The HMR will produce a supersonic crack that is MUCH louder than the "phht" described by the concerned party.

  And shooting at such distance the shooter appears to be very confident about the accuracy of the gun, not something that is easy to come by in the airgunning community.

Seriously ?!?! If I understand correctly, you have deduced that the mystery shooter is a highly skilled individual capable of firing volleys over his neighbor's bow with uncanny precision ?  That's great news.

[desertplinker]

sounds like a pop bottle rocket to me, fireworks. What you describe in your original post, is just like a pop bottle rocket.  A friend of mine had me shoot a pellet past a big tree as he stood behind it so he could hear the pellet go by. Not recommending this but he now "knows" exactly what it sounds like.

[HYspd]

nope...not a bottle rocket...

a bottle goes PSSST... BANG...

not the other way around....



as far as confidence at long distance, which is NOT involved by the way, what is happening is that they a shooting at a shorter range target, without concern for the down range effects....bad shooting habit...