“You notice that too. LOL! I cringe whenever it’s presented like that either on screen or even in some novels. Do any of these authors need to hire someone that at least has a minimal working knowledge of firearms?”
You can make a .22 pretty quiet with a silencer. Bigger rounds, not so much.
45 ACP and subs 300 BLK are some of the quietest rounds out there.....they are effectively very quiet because of their subsonic status.
If you use subsonic ammo it helps too.