ammo used in a .22 suppressed whats best?

3

3 weelin geezer

New member
For those of you who have bought a .22 suppressor on a rifle, does it make a difference what brand of ammo is used? I am referring to the subsonic type of ammo since I have heard that standard stuff available at walmart is not subsonic unless it sez so. I almost have enough to order me one but I would like to know if the maker requires to know what brand is to be used to tailor make the suppressor to keep things quiet. I will be using a 16 in. bolt action rifle for this that I guess is as close to a pistol as I can get without doubling the budget I have set of around $1k.
 
I don't have a suppressed rifle but I do have a suppressor 'can' that I use on my various .22 cal handguns. From what I have been told is the use of high velocity ammo in a 22 suppressor is fine since the suppressor will bring the velocity down to subsonic levels. I have tried using high velocity, CB longs, Standard velocity and subsonic's and have found that there are differences in the sound level between the four. Subsonics are much quieter than any of them but are also harder to find and the cost is a major factor. CB longs are nearly as quite as subsonics but they will not cycle the slide which is not a big factor if dealing with a bolt action or single shot rifle.

For the record I mostly use standard velocity rounds for my everyday suppressed shooting needs and reserve the subsonic ammo for demonstration purposes for friends. If you are buying a specific made suppressor I would ask the maker which type of ammo he uses for his tests and then experiment from there. One more thing, I have been told by several people that the Aguilar SSS subsonic 60 grain .22 LR ammo will not stabalize well in a short barrel suppressed weapon. This may not be a major issue with a long gun like you are planning but several makers outright insist that you do not use this ammo in integral and screw on suppressors. Hope this helps.

Mac
 
CCI makes some standard velocity LR ammo that is purposefully loaded to be subsonic so that according to them it doesn't have the disruption of breaking the sound barrier to affect accuracy. I picked some up at a local wal mart and tried it. Cycles the action of my 10/22 and remington speedmaster fine and out of the longer barrel is suprisingly quiet w/o a can.
 
Ok: a silencer will not reduce the velocity of normal ammo to subsonic. It will reducing the firing noise, however you will hear the supersonic crack of the bullet. This is where subsonic ammo comes in. Like normal ammo it's signature will be reduced (and a bit due to lower charge) on firing and there will be no supersonic crack.

Normal ammo - reduce powder noise...but 'crack' will remain

Subsonic ammo - reduce powder noise a bit more.....and there will be NO crack.
 
I've tried Remington, Aguila and PMC subsonics in my .22 rifle (a Marlin 7000 semi-auto w/ Outback). All are under $20 a brick, so even though the subsonic stuff is more expensive than std-velocity .22LR, it's still cheap compared to other cartridges. You have one advantage in that your rifle is bolt-action, so you don't have to worry about the cartridge cycling the action. My rifle will cycle Remingtons and Aguilas, but the PMCs won't.

If you want to try a couple different brands, try here. They seem to have more brands of .22LR than most other places.
 
Is this a screw-on or integral suppressor?

I ask because many integrally suppressed rifles have "vented" or "ported" barrels to bleed off excess gas, reducing velocity.
My Ruger 77-22 with an integral Ceiner suppressor has a series of holes starting about six inches past the chamber. They are in four rows (spaced 90 degrees apart), follow the rifling curve, and run for maybe eight to ten inches. There are maybe 12 holes per each row, making around 48 holes.
Theoretically, any 22LR ammo can be fired in this rifle, and be subsonic. However, the holes DO get a buildup of lead after a LOT of rounds are fired, reducing their effectiveness.

Still, after a ton of rounds through mine, they still work to some extent. I can still fire Hi-Velocity ammo through it without getting supersonic crack.

But, Standard velocity ammo is quieter than Hi-Velocity, and always has been. Perhaps due to the burn rate or amount of powder.
I have never checked with a sound meter, but to my "naked ear", I can't tell that Subsonic is any quieter than standard velocity ammo IN THAT RIFLE. In fact, the last time I compared, some Subsonic was louder than Standard velocity. Some Remington Subsonic I bought a few years ago was one of he loudest (at least it seemed) ones tried one day when testing various subsonic and Std velocity I had.

Something to remember- Sound, or "loudness" is up to the individual. What's quietest to me, might not be to you, due to the varying frequencies produced, and our hearing.

Now, after that rambling, here's what I've found in that Ruger/Ceiner rifle:
The quietest ammo has been Eley. There are several varieties and grades of Eley ammo, but most of it is very quiet in most guns to begin with. It's even quieter through a suppressor, of course. Eley had a subsonic, but it was a hollowpoint, and HP was banned in England where it's made, so it may not be avilable anymore. I don't know for sure, however. It might still be available as a solid.
CCI Green Tag has been quiet and accurate.
Winchester T22 has been accurate and quiet in that rifle. It's usually placed at least second in any accuracy tests I've done. If something is more accurate, it's by a tiny amount, and it costs considerably more. It's the same with noise. It's usually one of the quietest, but not far enough out to be worth the price difference.
 
I don't yet have it( I have to pay him first ). I think it will be a screw on type since the gun shop man says they require threads. He also recommended not to use the 60 grain bullets because they dont stabilize too well and would damage the supressor. I tried some of those in my other rifle and it seemed to have a kick to it. But my question is if the supressors are tailor made for the specific type of ammuninion that will be used in the firearm to make them subsonic if it isnt already and to quiet it down in the loudest part of the sonic signature of that particular powder/brand cartridge. Kind of like the difference between a cherry bomb muffler and a flowmaster for cars. They 'sound' different.
 
I have an STW in-barrel suppessor for my Norrell 10/22 full-auto. It has a 5.25 inch barrel and an 11 inch suppressor - 16.25 inches overall so its legal to also shoot semi - no porting of the barrel. With that barrel length, it is subsonic with regular LR ammo. I use CCI mini-mags almost exclusively with that set up.

See it at stwibs.com. Highly recommended.
 
Don't have a suppressor, but

As far as the Aguila not stabilizing, I wouldn't be so sure about that...Bought a box ona whim at gun show...One day we were shooting with target ammo, and I tried 10 rounds(of the Aguila SSS) through my gun...and it shot a group about the same as the Federal target stuff we'd been using. It did drop ALOT (about 4" at 50 yards) from POA, versus the 40 grain target loads. It didn't seem all that much quieter (again this is without a suppressor)than many stardard velocity loads I've tried, but as mentioned, this is kinda subjective. Was also shooting out of an autoloader so there's significant action noise.(but it worked the action just fine.)
 
CleverNickname and others

Isn't it the case that a bolt or single shot .22 are going to be quieter than a semi, regardless of whether the ammo cycles the semi bolt fully? Just due to the bolt not coming open?
 
.22LR ammo...

I find it really depends a great deal on the firmarm in question... Try a bunch of ammo.

I have a Ruger 10/22 with a muzzle suppressor and I find that it loves the Winchester subsonic HP. It is accurate, quiet and cycles.... Well for the first 250 rounds anyway, then the amount of unburnt powder etc, that the supressor seems to push back down the barrel overwelms the action.
 
Simple

Most subsonic ammo is going to be quieter in almost any gun because there is less powder involved (if the gun shoots hi-vel rounds subsonic or not).

If you are using a standard length barrel and a screw on can then most of the stuff you'll find at Walmart is going to go supersonic and you will need subsonic ammo to be the most quiet.

As to cost, cans run from $150 to $600 and maybe even for for a rimfire can...
One of the best screw on cans is the Gemtech Outback II. Very light, small, and quiet. A very good can is the Tac Innovations Tac 65 (lighter than the tac67) and not meant for full auto but you don't seem to care. ($150 can).
With a screw on can you can thread up almost any of your rimfires and have a "universal suppressor".
Some other great rifle suppressors, Vidar (10/22 and 77/22) and the DEAL of the century is the Sentry rifle. It's a Savage bolt gun as the host, synth stock, suppressor, sling and sling swivels, 4x scope and scope mounts for $445 or so in STAINLESS STEEL. It's crazy quiet and a great package.


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Got an Outback II a couple of months back - got my buckmark and 10/22 threaded for it. The only ammo that has gone supersonic in the buckmark has been the "hyper" velocity stuff - i.e., stingers, etc. Cheapie bulk pack hi-vel has all been supersonic.

10/22 has a 18" bbl - so far, most of the hi-vel stuff has been subsonic, but will get an occasional crack. "Standard" velocity has all been subsonic. Ammo advertised as "subsonic" also has been (duh...). The less powder charge, the less gas, so the less overall noise. However, the point is that it isn't only the "subsonic" stuff that is below the speed of sound - and while the "subsonic" stuff may be slightly quieter, when shooting w/ a semi auto, the action noise is going to be louder than anything else, so that doesn't make too much difference - at least not to my ears. Bolt action would probably be a different story, but I don't have one threaded for the can yet.

Of course, the speed of sound varies based on environmental conditions. I'd expect that during the colder months, most of the borderline stuff shot in the summer will be supersonic....

Out of all the stuff I've shot, as far as noise levels, I'd say based on my ears alone (i.e., no metering equipment), Aguila Subsonic (NOT the SSS - never felt a need to try that given the chance of baffle strikes due to instability of the heavy proj. w/ the slow twist of most .22's) has been the most quiet. However, it isn't the most accurate in either of the suppressed guns - for "cheap" ammo that is pretty quiet and shoots pretty good, I've been liking Magtech subsonic. Wolf Match has also been pretty good if you want to move up a notch.

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Nice looking gun there, rocko. Makes me want to spend some money. :) For about $10, you can get a buffer for the 10/22 to reduce the noise of the bolt cycling.
 
Most pistols won't let the rounds go supersonic because there isn't enough burn/barrel length to make it happen. I have found that in the ballance of things, a 3.5 inch barreled p22 is lounder than the 5 incher.



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Ammo choices

Almost any .22 ammo marketed as "Target" or "Standard velocity" will be sub sonic. Find what your particular gun likes, buy a case or two, and enjoy!

Second the comment on the 5" P-22 being quieter than the 3.5" unit. Swapped cans with a bud, just because we could, and with either can, the longer barrel was quieter in overall noise. I belive the difference is in action noise, i.e., the action is opening at a higher pressure in the shorter barrel, as well as more gas being at a higher pressure and tempture for the cans to contend with. Strange, would have thought the shorter barrel to be the winner.

Will shortly stuff my muzzel can on a Volk'son match target 10-22. Should be interesting - and very quiet!

The intergral units need a certain amount (in handguns especially) of pressure to function. Finding standard velocity ammo loaded to sufficient levels is sometimes a crap shoot. Finally found some at Wally World, than they switched to another companies .22's. ARRGH!

Same problems with .22 conversion kits on most guns. My Uzi kit runs fine with "X" today, balks tomorrow, stumbles on Tuesday, makes a liar out of me on Sunday. Nature of the .22 cal Beast...

Have fun, shoot lots, that what .22's are for!

L. Mike
 
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