Ive recently been trying to find a subsonic .22lr load. I purchased 5 different types of subsonic ammo, yet only one was subsonic. I purchased Winchester m-22 subsonic, CCI subsonic, Remington Subsonic, Federal American eagle subsonic, and CCI quiet-22. Out of all of these the only one that was indeed subsonic was CCI quiet. But sadly it will not complete the action in my semi-automatic. I understand that barrel length, as well as temperature and altitude play into affect. But seriously even the federal American eagle rated at 970 fps broke the sound barrier. Is there any other ammo you guys would recommend?
Cant find "truly" subsonic .22 lr
- Thread starter Ransome
- Start date
mikejonestkd
New member
Acc to Wiki, Steamboat Springs is 6732 feet above sea level. The speed of sound is a bit less there than at sea level.
Here is a handy calculator: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/sound.html
Remember to convert FPS to MPH.
its likely that your ammo is running a bit faster than the published speeds which can easily be verified with a chrono
Here is a handy calculator: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/sound.html
Remember to convert FPS to MPH.
its likely that your ammo is running a bit faster than the published speeds which can easily be verified with a chrono
Aguila Blanca
Staff
Have you tried Super Colibris?
FrankenMauser
New member
I run the Remington Subsonic .22 LR through my Buckmark when the suppressor is attached, because it's the only hollow point load available locally. (I honestly don't know what all other options are out there, since I don't really care. That's something that I want to buy locally, and I only want HPs.) I've tried the CCI subs and, I believe, Aguila; but only for function and sound testing.
I chronographed some of the Remington, but don't recall what the numbers were. Based on sound:
In warm weather, they're always subsonic (from 4,400 ft asl to over 9,000 ft).
On cold days, especially at lower altitudes, they're right on the edge. Some are subsonic, some have a little crack to them.
When the pistol is clean, I get a failure to eject or failure to feed about 1 in 20 rounds - both caused by short-stroking.
As the pistol gets dirty (which happens a lot faster with the suppressor), the failure rate increases to the point that it's malfunctioning 90% of the time with about 80 rounds through it.
It's just the nature of the beast.
There is no one-size-fits-all load that can be guaranteed to function 100% in various pistols and rifles with various barrel lengths; nor can it be guaranteed to be subsonic at all altitudes and temperatures, from various barrel lengths and action types, while still cycling those various action types.
Find what mostly works, and run with it.
*I live at 4,600 ft, do most of my shooting between 4,800 ft and 5,500 ft, and do most camping (with shooting) and hunting between 6,600 ft and 9,500 ft.
I chronographed some of the Remington, but don't recall what the numbers were. Based on sound:
In warm weather, they're always subsonic (from 4,400 ft asl to over 9,000 ft).
On cold days, especially at lower altitudes, they're right on the edge. Some are subsonic, some have a little crack to them.
When the pistol is clean, I get a failure to eject or failure to feed about 1 in 20 rounds - both caused by short-stroking.
As the pistol gets dirty (which happens a lot faster with the suppressor), the failure rate increases to the point that it's malfunctioning 90% of the time with about 80 rounds through it.
It's just the nature of the beast.
There is no one-size-fits-all load that can be guaranteed to function 100% in various pistols and rifles with various barrel lengths; nor can it be guaranteed to be subsonic at all altitudes and temperatures, from various barrel lengths and action types, while still cycling those various action types.
Find what mostly works, and run with it.
*I live at 4,600 ft, do most of my shooting between 4,800 ft and 5,500 ft, and do most camping (with shooting) and hunting between 6,600 ft and 9,500 ft.
I think this goes back to the old joke, pick one. Asking a sub sonic round to cycle a semi auto is a bit much. If low noise is your goal use sub sonic shorts, my personal choice is CCI. I shoot them in an old Win pump. I have a few times used them thru a Win 63, just have to cycle them by hand. Seems like you have run a pretty good test, you just have to accept that the results weren't what you hoped for.
FrankenMauser
New member
Aye.
One of my family's favorite combinations is an old Springfield (Stevens) Model 56 bolt action, stoked with .22 CB shorts. The only real 'noise' when fired, is the sound of the striker hitting the primer, and the sound of the bullet impacting the target ("click ... snap"). They're still plenty deadly on small game, but velocity is so low that one can see the bullets in flight. It's like firing silent tracers.
They're also fun in my Rossi 62SAC (Winchester 62A clone), but the Springfield is incredibly accurate and a bit quieter.