Supersonic .22s w/ Suppressor: Worth it?

[Model12Win]

Is it worth getting an integrally-suppressed barrel for my 10/22 if I with be mainly shooting supersonic ammo out of it? I plan to make a rifle inspired by the suppressed 10/22s the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) uses for violent demonstration crowd control.

I plan to use the rig for target shooting at the range, preferably to 150 yards and beyond. Since it's a 10/22, I know they don't tend to run with subsonic ammo.

How much less noise will an integrally-suppressed .22 rifle make when using supersonic high velocity ammo over one with no suppressor? My buddy just recently got a suppressor so I plan to have him help me get one and this is the project I had in mind, but if it's not worth it then I won't.

Thanks!
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[Old Bill Dibble]

I run a 10/22 suppressed with zero issues. I do sometimes use supersonic ammo. I have never measured the db but it is a bit quieter with the can on.

 

[rjrivero]

Liberty Suppressors Pinnacle 2 is an integrally suppressed 10/22 that actually bleeds velocity off of the bulk pack supersonic ammo and makes it subsonic.

They use a monocore baffle behind a short rifled barrel to achieve their results. Fun plinker!

The bottom is the Gemtech Mist. It has a 9" rifled barrel section with a monocore baffle pinned to the end of the barrel. The aluminum tube threads at the base of the barrel and is removed by hand. This barrel would require subsonic ammo to avoid the supersonic crack.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Depends entirely on the set up. With a 4" barrel, most supersonic .22LR is still subsonic out of my Ruger 22/45 Lite. Some integrally surpressed firearms will use ports to bleed off gas and reduce the bullet velocity. It just depends. Most .22LR barely exceeds speed of sound on a good day, which combined with the low volume of gas and small hole probably explains why it is so quiet and such fun.

In my experience, most surpressed supersonic calibers sound about the same. I mean if I shoot supersonic .22 side by side with my surpressed 5.56, the 5.56 is louder; but not dramatically so.

 

[Mobuck]

"I plan to use the rig for target shooting at the range, preferably to 150 yards and beyond."
IMHO, you have unwarranted expectations. An integrally suppressed rifle has the ballistics of a handgun using standard velocity ammo. Therefore, the challenges of shooting "to 150 yards and beyond" are in a class of their own.

"Since it's a 10/22, I know they don't tend to run with subsonic ammo."
How do you "know" this? I run Aguila and Winchester subsonic 40 grain in an unmodified 10-22(a fairly new one which is a factor since well worn rifles run smoother) without much problem. If the rifle is kept clean(impossible with a muffler) or at least well lubed and the magazines don't slow down, the low velocity is offset by the increased "dwell time" caused by the suppressor.
I shoot my rifle w/o cleaning until it chokes(or fails to extract loaded rounds as happened a while back). Then I clean it. Even at this level of maintenance (or lack thereof), I get over 90% function with subsonic ammo.

Regarding the sound levels: suppressed supersonic 22 out of a rifle is still fairly loud. Not as loud as w/o the muffler but certainly well above what you get with subsonic ammo.

 

[Theohazard]

10/22s run fine with most subsonic ammo. I mostly use the Gemtech subsonic stuff in my 10/22, and it's super-reliable. It's also really quiet with my Mask HD.

Most standard- or high-velocity .22 ammo is borderline supersonic: It's subsonic out of a pistol but supersonic out of a rifle. The special subsonic ammo is designed for people who are shooting a .22 rifle with a silencer and want to make sure their ammo is quieter. But it's not that much slower than the regular stuff.

Like others have said, many integrally-suppressed 10/22 barrels have bleed holes to keep regular ammo subsonic. My favorite is the Gemtech Mist, and that one has a single hole in the barrel just in front of the chamber that bleeds just enough gas to keep most ammo subsonic.

 

[Old Stony]

I set up a YHM intregal suppressed 10/22 and it works just fine with CCI sub sonic ammo....that's all I shoot out of it. If you want it quieter, put a bolt lock on it to hold down the noise from that end and they get a lot quieter. You sure have to do some scrubbing and cleaning on those setups like that with suppressors, they do run pretty dirty.