A frequent question we get asked is "what's the difference between one sound moderator and another?" or "how do sound moderators work?"
And who better to talk about sound moderators than Gamo, known by all to be leaders in the air rifle industry.
Types of sound moderator or reducer in Gamo airguns
From Gamo, there are three levels of sound reduction:
Firstly we haveWhisper, which moderates sound by means of sound suppression technology. Our flagship carbine uses this moderator. She is the Whisper X Vampir.
Then there's the Whisper Maxxim sound moderator or sound reduction technology, which has an integrated technology doing more sound suppression. In this case we have a young carbine that is coming on strong. Replay X Maxxim.
And the last type of sound moderator is the Whisper Fusion. It is the largest of the three, which features dual sound suppression technology. The most prominent carbine with this system is the Gamo Whisper Fusion.
Differences between moderators
Now that we are familiar with the three types of moderators Gamo offers, let's look at their application.
The first thing to understand is that sound reduction DOES NOT mean silence. This is especially true for very light pellets that reach high velocities and break the sound barrier.
As you might expect, the noise level is linked to the caliber and the weight or type of the pellet. Alloy or lightweight .177 (4.5mm) pellets (Lethal, Armor, Platinum...) will be the loudest. However, heavier versions of the .22 (5.5mm) pellets (G-Hammer, TS-22) offer subsonic performance. Here, we can truly enjoy powerful sound reduction.
In the following graph, we can see what was explained above, clearly illustrating the relationship between pellet weight/type and the sound level generated.
When deciding between a rifle with one moderator or another, you can see the differences between them here.
Very well, now that we have seen how Gamo's three technologies perform in sound reduction with different pellet types, let's see how each one works individually.
As mentioned before, Whisper is one of the first technologies applied in the manufacturing of Gamo air rifles. It is a technology thoroughly proven by thousands upon thousands of users worldwide.
Whisper Maxxim is the evolution of the models incorporating the standard Whisper technology. It offers improvements over the previous generation, incorporating two chambers and an improved muzzle brake design.
Finally, Whisper Fusion offers maximum sound reduction, with up to 89% less noise compared to an unsuppressed shot. This is achieved with a double integrated sound moderator. The pellet travels through different chambers, compressing and preventing the propagation of sound.
As we can see, Gamo continues to develop new technologies for its rifles, which is why it is the leader when it comes to airguns. What will the next level of sound moderation be like? Will it be capable of letting us hear silence?
