.22lr Subsonic Ammo

scotjute · June 18, 2002, 08:54 AM

Does anyone have experience shooting the low velocity stuff?
If so what were you shooting and was it accurate?
Does it have sufficient power to kill birds, squirrels, rabbits up close?

**Mal H** · June 18, 2002, 09:27 AM

I've shot quite a lot of the subsonic .22LR. Mostly Federal (900 A & B), Lapua and several types of Eley mostly out of a 10/22 bull barrel with lots of aftermarket parts I've added to it.

Accuracy: excellent for all. Obviously, some more excellent than others. Some guns like one type, some like another.

Will it kill the critters?: Absolutely, they won't be able to tell the few fps difference, at least not for long.

Out of a Mk II pistol, it is obviously a little slower, but the two answers still apply.

Now, if your talking sub-subsonic, like the Colibri round, then the answers are 'no' and 'probably', that is if you can hit them just right. But it is still fun to shoot the stuff, it is sooo quiet. Out of a 10/22 or a Marlin 39, all you hear is the hammer and the plunk when the bullet hits the target. Out of a Mk II pistol, it is fairly loud sort of like a high power air rifle.

cpileri · June 18, 2002, 09:30 AM

tried both the 60gr SSS and the 40gr Aguila "rifle" subsonic. Both cycled the action fine, and were very quiet. This was at a range, so I had other louder shoters around as well as hearig protection.

so I dont know if its quiet enough for indoor practice!

dunno abt the killing thing, but i would imagine it would be OK. I think Paco Kelley at sixguner.com has info n that.
C-

rennaissancemann · June 18, 2002, 09:36 AM

Greetings Scott,

My experience mirrors Mal's.

I've shot Aquila SSS out of my Anschutz 64, enjoyed excellent
accuracy, and the power is definately there for pest control.

Cheers

Meowhead · June 18, 2002, 01:01 PM

Not quiet enough for indoor shooting IMHO.

Both Remington subconic .22, and the Aguila SSS, work flawlessly with my 5.5" Mk.II. The Aguilas especially are a blast to shoot, the heavy bullet weight resulting in a bit more kick than usual.

MADISON · June 18, 2002, 04:36 PM

We live in the CITY.
We use "CB Caps", which are low noise and low velocity to shoot squirls.
We can buy a 500 round brick for about $15.00
MADISON

Ambidextrous1 · June 18, 2002, 04:38 PM

I've found the Aquilla SSS to be VERY accurate in my 10-22 with 18 inch bull barrel; the Remington subsonic has been erratic in my weapon - but "your mileage may vary". it's amazing to me how accuracy of the same ammo can vary so much from gun to gun.

labgrade · June 19, 2002, 03:53 AM

Likey, quite abit of the "standard velocity" stuff will shoot sub-sonic in a handgun. They are tailored more to rifle-length barrels & lose velocity in a shoter handgun tube.

For the manufacturer-listed sub-sonics I've shot, Rem's SubSonic round has been very accurate in all platfroms I've used. It's inexpensive & plenty good enough, same-same for all the CB caps, etc. within their range (small game to 25 ydsor so).

They'll all do small game to 25+ yards if you put the bullet where it's supposed to go. Head shots are preferred (smallish birds = doesn't matter). Don't count on much expansion - doesn't matter.

The Aguilla (sp?) "no-powder" stuff works good enough within 10 yards, but requires better shot placement & you're looking at pellet gun power factors. + you're sights'll probably need readjusting. Just shoot to see where it prints.

Lower powered rounds sometimes don't effectively cycle an auto - zip problem in a revolver.

444 · June 19, 2002, 07:16 AM

Yes, I have shot subsonic .22lr ammo. Yes it was accurate; subsonic is the most accurate .22lr ammo made. Yes, I suppose it would kill small animals within a reasonable range.

Not sure what you are trying to achieve here. If you are talking about "standard velocity" .22 ammo, it isn't significantly more quiet than high velocity .22lr. If you are looking for quiet loads, you need to go to something like the CB caps already mentioned. The point to sub-sonic or standard velocity .22 ammo is that appearently there is some kind of turbulance created when a bullet becomes supersonic and when it falls below supersonic speed. Out of a .22 rifle, normal high velocity ammo starts out supersonic but at some fairly short distance from the barrel, it falls below the supersonic speed level. It has been discovered that because of this ammo that starts out sub-sonic is more accurate and is less effected by wind.

Now maybe you are talking about some kind of super low velocity stuff and not "target" ammo i.e. subsonic ammo ?

scotjute · June 19, 2002, 08:32 AM

Actually was curios about both std. velocity stuff that is sub-sonic and the really low sub-sonic.
I've just bought a box of Aguilla 60 grn. SSS and will try them this weekend. As I've always shot Rem. Hi-vel. HP will be curious to see what difference this will make.
Also bought a box of Aguilla's no powder stuff. Tried one this morning from 6" barrelled auto pistol. It hit target at 10 yds. and buried the bullet into wood up to the depth of the bullet, in other words the back of bullet was about flush with surface of the wood. The noise sounded like a cap gun. Of course as mentioned above, I had to manually cycle the ammo. Will try for accuracy and distance this weekend.
The main instigator in all this was a request to shoot black birds in a peach tree. As this is in a rural area but with several houses within sight I wanted low velocity low noise stuff. I think the no powder will fill the bill, but my curiousity has been peaked so I'm going to try the 60 grn. SSS stuff also.
Thanks for the comments.

Ledbetter · June 19, 2002, 12:18 PM

Put some bread or seed or a wash pan of water on the ground. I (only) shoot at "pest" birds in trees with a Beeman P3 pellt pistol/2x Tasco pistol scope. I like to keep the songbirds and their eggs safe.

Also, the quietest of all is a CB Long in a long-barrelled gun and a bolt that doesn't open after the shot. Lots of noise comes from the chamber opening. I use a Henry lever action rifle for backyard varmints. Another benefit is it feeds anything: CB's, .22 short, .22 and .22 LR.

Regards and be safe.

scotjute · June 19, 2002, 01:05 PM

Ledbetter
Thanks for the tip. Probably will follow that.
What is CB long? Is it a brand name..

Navy joe · June 19, 2002, 02:08 PM

I've shot Aguila Colibri, penetration is much less than my 1000 fps air rifle, PMC moderator, louder than hell out of a pistol, my scientific test involved stepping into my city backyard at 12am and dropping one in the ground. Loud. No one noticed. Accuracy decent at 25yds, does not cycle my buckmark.

Agulia SSS, got a bunch of it, going to get a rifle barreled for it only, cycles a buckmark fine, but I'm convinced that the straight holes in the target at 25 yds were because the bullet did a backflip on the way there. Proper twist rate (fast) is a must.

Ledbetter · June 19, 2002, 02:16 PM

CCI makes CB caps in .22 Long (shorter case than .22 Long Rifle). They are a tiny bit quieter than the .22 short size CB rounds.

They are pretty much primer-only rounds for short range only.

June 18, 2002, 08:54 AM	#1
scotjute Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2001 Location: texas Posts: 260	.22lr Subsonic Ammo Does anyone have experience shooting the low velocity stuff? If so what were you shooting and was it accurate? Does it have sufficient power to kill birds, squirrels, rabbits up close?

June 18, 2002, 09:30 AM	#3
cpileri Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2001 Location: Peoples Republik of Maryland, Sister State to Kalifornia Posts: 619	tried it in a 10/22 tried both the 60gr SSS and the 40gr Aguila "rifle" subsonic. Both cycled the action fine, and were very quiet. This was at a range, so I had other louder shoters around as well as hearig protection. so I dont know if its quiet enough for indoor practice! dunno abt the killing thing, but i would imagine it would be OK. I think Paco Kelley at sixguner.com has info n that. C- __________________ ___________________________ "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt (1783)

June 18, 2002, 09:36 AM	#4
rennaissancemann Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2002 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 113	Greetings Scott, My experience mirrors Mal's. I've shot Aquila SSS out of my Anschutz 64, enjoyed excellent accuracy, and the power is definately there for pest control. Cheers __________________ "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime" - Adlai E. Stevenson Jr. "The most difficult thing about planning against the Americans, is that they do not read their own doctrine, and they would feel no particular obligtion to follow it if they did." - Admiral Sergei I. Gorshkov "We trained very hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form into teams we would be reorganized. I was to learn in this life that we tend to meet any situation by reorganizing. And a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization." - Attributed to Petronius Arbiter, circa 60 A.D

June 18, 2002, 04:36 PM	#6
MADISON Senior Member Join Date: January 1, 2000 Location: Roanoke, Virginia Posts: 2,678	.22lr Subsonic Ammo We live in the CITY. We use "CB Caps", which are low noise and low velocity to shoot squirls. We can buy a 500 round brick for about $15.00 MADISON

June 18, 2002, 04:38 PM	#7
Ambidextrous1 Member Join Date: June 17, 2002 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 29	I've found the Aquilla SSS to be VERY accurate in my 10-22 with 18 inch bull barrel; the Remington subsonic has been erratic in my weapon - but "your mileage may vary". it's amazing to me how accuracy of the same ammo can vary so much from gun to gun. __________________ Rich (in name only) NRA Benefactor Member CRPA Gold Bear Member, Fort Bliss Rod & Gun Club

June 18, 2002, 09:27 AM	#2
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,956	I've shot quite a lot of the subsonic .22LR. Mostly Federal (900 A & B), Lapua and several types of Eley mostly out of a 10/22 bull barrel with lots of aftermarket parts I've added to it. Accuracy: excellent for all. Obviously, some more excellent than others. Some guns like one type, some like another. Will it kill the critters?: Absolutely, they won't be able to tell the few fps difference, at least not for long. Out of a Mk II pistol, it is obviously a little slower, but the two answers still apply. Now, if your talking sub-subsonic, like the Colibri round, then the answers are 'no' and 'probably', that is if you can hit them just right. But it is still fun to shoot the stuff, it is sooo quiet. Out of a 10/22 or a Marlin 39, all you hear is the hammer and the plunk when the bullet hits the target. Out of a Mk II pistol, it is fairly loud sort of like a high power air rifle.

June 18, 2002, 01:01 PM	#5
Meowhead Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2002 Posts: 271	Not quiet enough for indoor shooting IMHO. Both Remington subconic .22, and the Aguila SSS, work flawlessly with my 5.5" Mk.II. The Aguilas especially are a blast to shoot, the heavy bullet weight resulting in a bit more kick than usual.

June 19, 2002, 03:53 AM	#8
labgrade Member In Memoriam Join Date: November 29, 1999 Location: west of a small town, CO Posts: 4,346	Likey, quite abit of the "standard velocity" stuff will shoot sub-sonic in a handgun. They are tailored more to rifle-length barrels & lose velocity in a shoter handgun tube. For the manufacturer-listed sub-sonics I've shot, Rem's SubSonic round has been very accurate in all platfroms I've used. It's inexpensive & plenty good enough, same-same for all the CB caps, etc. within their range (small game to 25 ydsor so). They'll all do small game to 25+ yards if you put the bullet where it's supposed to go. Head shots are preferred (smallish birds = doesn't matter). Don't count on much expansion - doesn't matter. The Aguilla (sp?) "no-powder" stuff works good enough within 10 yards, but requires better shot placement & you're looking at pellet gun power factors. + you're sights'll probably need readjusting. Just shoot to see where it prints. Lower powered rounds sometimes don't effectively cycle an auto - zip problem in a revolver.

June 19, 2002, 07:16 AM	#9
444 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 3,968	Yes, I have shot subsonic .22lr ammo. Yes it was accurate; subsonic is the most accurate .22lr ammo made. Yes, I suppose it would kill small animals within a reasonable range. Not sure what you are trying to achieve here. If you are talking about "standard velocity" .22 ammo, it isn't significantly more quiet than high velocity .22lr. If you are looking for quiet loads, you need to go to something like the CB caps already mentioned. The point to sub-sonic or standard velocity .22 ammo is that appearently there is some kind of turbulance created when a bullet becomes supersonic and when it falls below supersonic speed. Out of a .22 rifle, normal high velocity ammo starts out supersonic but at some fairly short distance from the barrel, it falls below the supersonic speed level. It has been discovered that because of this ammo that starts out sub-sonic is more accurate and is less effected by wind. Now maybe you are talking about some kind of super low velocity stuff and not "target" ammo i.e. subsonic ammo ? __________________ You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled, How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard wall, Chasing the redcoats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load.

June 19, 2002, 08:32 AM	#10
scotjute Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2001 Location: texas Posts: 260	Actually was curios about both std. velocity stuff that is sub-sonic and the really low sub-sonic. I've just bought a box of Aguilla 60 grn. SSS and will try them this weekend. As I've always shot Rem. Hi-vel. HP will be curious to see what difference this will make. Also bought a box of Aguilla's no powder stuff. Tried one this morning from 6" barrelled auto pistol. It hit target at 10 yds. and buried the bullet into wood up to the depth of the bullet, in other words the back of bullet was about flush with surface of the wood. The noise sounded like a cap gun. Of course as mentioned above, I had to manually cycle the ammo. Will try for accuracy and distance this weekend. The main instigator in all this was a request to shoot black birds in a peach tree. As this is in a rural area but with several houses within sight I wanted low velocity low noise stuff. I think the no powder will fill the bill, but my curiousity has been peaked so I'm going to try the 60 grn. SSS stuff also. Thanks for the comments.

June 19, 2002, 12:18 PM	#11
Ledbetter Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2000 Location: California USA Posts: 4,533	Ground shots are safest Put some bread or seed or a wash pan of water on the ground. I (only) shoot at "pest" birds in trees with a Beeman P3 pellt pistol/2x Tasco pistol scope. I like to keep the songbirds and their eggs safe. Also, the quietest of all is a CB Long in a long-barrelled gun and a bolt that doesn't open after the shot. Lots of noise comes from the chamber opening. I use a Henry lever action rifle for backyard varmints. Another benefit is it feeds anything: CB's, .22 short, .22 and .22 LR. Regards and be safe.

June 19, 2002, 01:05 PM	#12
scotjute Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2001 Location: texas Posts: 260	Ledbetter Thanks for the tip. Probably will follow that. What is CB long? Is it a brand name..

June 19, 2002, 02:08 PM	#13
Navy joe Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2001 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,804	I've shot Aguila Colibri, penetration is much less than my 1000 fps air rifle, PMC moderator, louder than hell out of a pistol, my scientific test involved stepping into my city backyard at 12am and dropping one in the ground. Loud. No one noticed. Accuracy decent at 25yds, does not cycle my buckmark. Agulia SSS, got a bunch of it, going to get a rifle barreled for it only, cycles a buckmark fine, but I'm convinced that the straight holes in the target at 25 yds were because the bullet did a backflip on the way there. Proper twist rate (fast) is a must. __________________ FY47012 Last edited by Navy joe; June 19, 2002 at 10:26 PM.

June 19, 2002, 02:16 PM	#14
Ledbetter Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2000 Location: California USA Posts: 4,533	CCI makes CB caps in .22 Long (shorter case than .22 Long Rifle). They are a tiny bit quieter than the .22 short size CB rounds. They are pretty much primer-only rounds for short range only.