Are subsonic rounds quieter without suppressor

#Are subsonic rounds quieter without suppressor full#

I routinely get sub-MOA performance from various slow-movers in. Unlike the 2- to 3-MOA fodder we fired a couple decades ago, many current subsonic loads are capable of excellent accuracy. Even functioning semi-autos send less crud out through the ejection port, sparing shooters from wearing the usual carbon freckles. Light, single-shot subsonic loads-those not designed to operate a semi-automatic-are the cleanest, limiting most fouling to the bore and bolt face regardless of a rifleвЂ™s operating system. Subsonic loads use much less powder, so less fouling builds up compared with supersonic ammo, especially when using a suppressor.

But subsonic fodder is easy on the ears to the degree that hearing protection is overkill, neighbors remain friendly and nearby animals do not spook. However, subsonic rounds are not truly silent-some gasses follow the bullet out of the bore and objects moving through the air make noise, too. Some loads are quieter than the metal-on-metal sound of the action cycling for each shot.

That means these rounds can be ridiculously quiet when combined with a suppressor. When fired within the temperature ranges for which it was loaded, subsonic ammo leaves the barrel moving slower than the speed of sound. This is a particular concern when shooting subsonic loads. Thankfully, the shooting industry has since progressed to the point where the once barely understood niche of subsonic/suppressed rifle shooting is now a mainstream concept in a growing crop of useful calibers.Д¬heck your suppressor often to verify bullets arenвЂ™t grazing the baffles inside. They did not always work out as well as my first experience did. Such early attempts to integrate subsonic ammunition into suppressed sniper shooting were very frustrating due to limited ammo choices and inconsistent performance. The report is much like that of an air rifle, and after a pause long enough to make me sweat, we are rewarded with a very deep gonnnnnnnnng sound that starts the show right on cue. I get back on target through my night scope and break the shot at the appropriate time. After applying some idiot math, educated guesswork and a couple prayers, we agree on вЂњdopeвЂќ that we think will splatter the 185-grain, T-base, FMJ bullet 1-inch high of center mass, just to be safe. The pressure to succeed is high, but the fact that live, friendly operators are positioned between us and the target raises the stakes to вЂњno fail.вЂќ My partner ensures the line of fire is clear while we quietly develop the firing solution together.

#Are subsonic rounds quieter without suppressor full#

Even so, this is the full dress rehearsal for a real-world mission we are on standby to launch any day. Fortunately, this is a training hit and our bad guy is a partially exposed вЂњIron MaidenвЂќ target. Hand-held ballistic programs are just a figment of someoneвЂ™s imagination at this point, so we are truly without any useful data. They are basic safety items that protect your hearing. Suppressors arenвЂ™t just for military applications. Under the circumstances, making a daytime subsonic CNS shot would be difficult enough, but we do our best work at night and so here we are. Slight miscalculations in elevation adjustment equal misses measured in feet at this distance. The only data we have for our roundsвЂ™ trajectories is at 100 and 200 meters, and unlike supersonic ammo, this stuff is wholly unpredictable at any distance not previously confirmed. It is the mid-1990s, and we are new to the subsonic 7.62 NATO-ammunition game. Our goal is to ensure the assault force-which happens to be between us and the target-can get into position without being compromised by the roving guard that holds my attention at the moment. That we are shooting it for only the second time in our lives makes things particularly tricky. This would be a simple job at this distance, but we have a new and untested tool in our kit this night: subsonic match ammunition. Our task is to silently neutralize him with a central-nervous-system (CNS) shot. My sniper buddy crouches low over me, watching the big picture around us through his night-vision goggles while my attention is on the head and shoulders of a threat target 165 meters away. Rain-soaked fatigues and fogged optics are minor burdens compared to my other troubles. I am lying behind my KnightвЂ™s Armament SR-25 on a cold, wet autumn night.