Can I shoot sub-sonic Aguila in 10/22 rifle?

[OmegaMan]

Hello everyone. I have a question that is brought on by something I saw in Cabela's catalog.

They have shown Aguila .22 LR sub-sonic ammo in bulk 500 round pack (500 fps). There is an asterisk, and when you read the note it says, "Designed for use in handguns only. Not for use in semiautomatic firearms."


I was like what the h*ll? Unless you have a pistol or bolt action, you can't fire it in a semi-auto?????

Is this really the case, or can I fire in my Ruger 10/22 match rifle?

I thought Aguila was one of the best ammos to use, so what is with this note?

If I can't use this, what SHOULD I be using for indoor rifle shoots?

I am going to a match tomorrow night to observe, so I'm sure I'll get some feedback then, but will still appreciate everyone's input on here.

Thanks for your time,

- OmegaMan

 

[MAC702]

I've only seen that caveat in Aguila's Colibri rounds, which are the ones with primer only, no powder, to launch the lightweight projectile. That said, I shoot those out of a 10/22 as well and have never had one not thump the target downrange.

 

[tek4260]

If it says it will not function, then it probably won't. At least not all the time. As far as the Colibri, I can't believe they will cycle a 10/22. Unless you are talking about the Super Colibri.

I have had the Colibri not make it out of the barrel on a BSA 1215 target rifle. That ended the use of them for me in that rifle. The barrel on that particular rifle is about 28" long. They are a hoot in a Model 12 Remington as well as my Bisely and Bearcat.

 

[Bucks Owin]

I've fired the 60 gr "sniper" subsonic ammo from my 10/22 (and a couple of SS6's). They won't cycle the action of course, and accuracy is less than spectacular. Probably not stabilizing the heavy bullet at such low velocity. They are sure an odd looking cartridge with the extra long 60 gr bullet in a .22 short case....FWIW, Dennis (BTW, as I remember, velocity was in the neighborhood of 650 fps from my 18" barrel)

 

[MAC702]

I did not mean to imply that the Colibri rounds cycled the action of a 10/22. They will not, nor will they cycle the action of a Walther P22, nor any semi-automatic, I would wager.

But they have safely made it out of the barrel of a 10/22 reliably, even though the box says not for rifles. Of course, a 28" bbl is to a 16" 10/22 as a 10/22 is to a handgun! I can only relate my experience, and not recommend their usage past manufacturer's warnings.

As for subsonic rounds that are still propelled by more than a primer, I cannot see any reason why they would be unsafe in a rifle, whether they cycled the action or not. That's why I was hoping to get clarification on whether or not we were talking about Colibri rounds.

 

[jamo]

I have had no problems with CCI subsonic 22LR in my stock 10/22. The box says "sub-sonic HP", 1050 fps, 40 grain., 22LHP.

 

[VonFatman]

I use several brands of sub-sonic ammo in my semis and have not had a problem except with the large nosed rounds you described.

Bob

 

[Pal Val]

I tend to pay attention to those warnings. Most are "lawyer garbage", but you never know when one will be for real. Having had more than one shooting session ruined by a bullet getting stuck in the barrel, I see no reason why experiment with these.

Someone gave me a half box of those "Aguila" rounds and I shot them with my Single Six. Accuracy was pretty unsatisfactory.

 

[mattsbox99]

Its too slow and it could stick in the barrel.

The best ammo to use is any CCI Subsonic or Standard Velocity. I like Federal's 711B for indoor 50ft Bullseye work, and 719 for Silhouettes out to 100 yards.

 

[MMichaelAK]

Ive shot some of the Aguila 60 grain subsonic stuff through my 10/22s.

You can see the vortex behind it through the scope as it plods downrange. That and it's stinky and innacurate to boot.

Waste of money so I wont do it again.

 

[I_Like_Pie]

Its too slow and it could stick in the barrel.

The best ammo to use is any CCI Subsonic or Standard Velocity.

CCI Subsonic and Aguila Subsonic are practically the same.

I think many people here are confusing Colibri, Super Colibri, SSSubsonic, and Subsonic ammo made by Aguila. They are all different (as in 4 different boxes) types of ammo.

- Do NOT shoot Colibri out of your rifle...they will eventually stick a round
- You CAN shoot Super Colibri with less risk of squib, but it MAY - Thus the warnings
-SSSubsonic is a niche round that is poor for target shooting unless you have a unusually fast twist in your .22lr barrel - won't stabilize. Also won't cycle. This is a great round for sub 25 yard break-action pest control.

All three mentioned above require manual cycling as they do not have enough power for a semi-auto to cycle.

-Sub-sonic by Aguila is 1050- fps ammo made for canned guns and will cycle in 90% of the semi-auto guns on the market. Your mileage may vary.

OP (OmegaMan) - Are you sure you were looking at a box of Subsonic, or was it possibly a box of (Super) Colibri Subsonic? Possibly even SSSubsonic?