How much do the Las-weapons sound when fired?

They make a distinctive snap, sort of like the super-sonic cracking of a whip.

hink fire works, the small ones thats what i imagine, could be heard be someone near by bit like a lound cap gun

Yeah, a low volume firecracker might be a good likening to it.

Apparently the quick release of a las's energy causes the latent moisture in the air to rapid expand resulting in a 'pop'

Malachai said:

Given that they are simply a laser, they would also cause the air along the beam to expand. Not that changes the noise.

Though at ranges long enough to notice the difference between the speeds of sound and light it would be different as the noise from the expanding air close to you arrives before the noise from the expanding air further away.

I tell my group that the noise a lasgun makes is similar to a bolt of lightning strike. Both use high energy discharges and their would be the accompanying heating of atmosphere producing a crack.

- Raith

They sound just like when you switch on your flashlight =)

Serialkilla said:

If by "flashlight" you mean a "stun gun/cattle-prod" on steroids that is.

Actually, if you've ever used a Van der Graaf generator or a tesla coil to generate charges the sound they make when they discharge is a better way to describe what i imagined happening when a lasgun fired...

i hope this link works:

video.google.com/videosearch

Malachai said:

Or a stun gun/cattle-prod, since they generate sparks of electricity in roughly the same manner as a Van der Graaf generator or a tesla coil. Of course, a lasgun is going to be louder (since it uses a powersource a lot more powerful than a battery or even a wall outlet), but sort of the same noise like a Van der Graaf or stun gun pulse for each pull of the trigger.