Sound-Defying Ammo

New shooters. Noise sensitive shooters. Pest controllers near populated areas. Target shooters. Close-range small game hunters.** Modern sporting rifle shooters wanting to save on ammo cost. Suppressed-firearm shooters and short-range competition shooters.

The answer: Almost all like shooting .22 subsonic ammo. It is reasonably quiet, accurate at short ranges, relatively inexpensive, has no recoil, selected loads will perform in semi-auto rifles and handguns and, at short ranges, cleanly take pests and small game.

Much of the sound of shot from a modern firearm occurs when the fired projectile travels faster than 1,125 feet per second, depending upon temperature and altitude, which is the speed of sound. When the projectile breaks this barrier, a sonic boom occurs. When a bullet passes through the air, it creates a series of pressure waves in front of and behind the projectile. These waves travel at about 1,125 fps. As the speed of the bullet increases, the waves are forced together, or compressed, as they cannot get out of each other’s way quickly enough. This creates the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. Bullets traveling below the speed of sound are referred to as subsonic. These loads range in muzzle velocity from 300 fps to 1,040 fps, depending upon the load and its intended purpose, compared to the standard long rifle load with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps. Some LR loads are much faster and louder, with varmint loads traveling at a whopping 1,640 fps.

Subsonic .22 ammunition can serve many purposes in the shooting world. The choice of loads can meet specific needs. For novices who want to avoid flinching when firing rifle or handguns, the .22 CB load at 710 to 740 fps, and no recoil, is less startling. I started all my children shooting with CCI .22 CB shorts with 29-grain bullets fired from a single-shot rifle, and they became lifetime shooters.

For really quiet shooting, today there are loads such as the .22 LR Aquila Super Colibri that shoot a 29-grain solid lead bullet at only 590 f ps, and the CCI Quiet-22 Semi-Auto load that has a 45-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 835 f ps.

For shooting in populated areas where noise is a factor, whether target shooting or for pest control, loads such as the CCI Quiet 22, a 40-grain round nose bullet that travels 710 fps, is a good choice.

Most subsonic loads have a reputation for above average accuracy at ranges of 30 to 50 yards, depending upon the gun and load chosen. For small game hunters who want a quiet report and hunt at ranges inside 50 yards, there is a good selection of hunting subsonic .22 loads.

Today there are .22 LR subsonic loads that function in .22 MSRs and in AR platforms that have a .22 LR conversion kit installed.

For those who want to practice with their .22 LR modern sporting rifle platforms such as the S&W M&P 15-22, Ruger SR-22, Mossberg 715 Tactical, or Walther Colt M4 Carbine, or, as I have done, purchased a .22 LR AR Conversion Kit from Brownell’s to convert my AR platform into an inexpensive, fun to shoot .22 LR, there are subsonic loads that work well. The Winchester M-22 Subsonic was specifically designed to reliably function in semi-automatic rifles and pistols at subsonic velocities. Also, the loads mentioned above that function in semi-auto firearms work well in the MSR platform rifles and semi-auto handguns. These loads offer low noise in both suppressed and non-suppressed firearms.

Shooters new to .22 subsonic loads need to know that not all loads shoot in all .22 firearms. Unless a .22 subsonic load is advertised to shoot in semi-auto rifles and pistols, chances are good that the lower powered cartridges will not make the action of a semi-auto cycle, thus an aggravating jam. Those loads should be shot in single-shot, pump action or lever action rifles and in revolvers.

Subsonic .22 ammo is now offered in loads that shoot a variety of muzzle velocities for specific uses.

While the major attraction to subsonic .22 loads is the low noise level, based on my range experience, hearing protection needs to be worn where these loads are shot in large numbers. I am told by ammo companies that most subsonic .22 loads have a decibel level of somewhere between 68 and 120 decibels, depending upon the load. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention report that a whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 70 dB, over a prolonged period of time, may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears. I suggest that shooters who shoot subsonic ammo use the same hearing protection, especially on the range, as shooters of centerfire ammo.

There is a place for subsonic .22 ammo whether plinking, on the range or small game hunting. It has a reputation for accuracy at short ranges, low noise level, no recoil, and is relatively inexpensive to shoot. There is a good selection of subsonic .22 ammo for today’s shooters; match the right load to your firearm and see how subsonic shooting can benefit your outdoor experience.

Here’s a sampling of standard and suppressor subsonic loads. Be sure to match loads to the firearm for best performance.