Subsonic .22s

[Yosemite Sam]

The recent topic on "quiet" Aguila rounds got me thinking about this, but I didn't want to clutter up that topic.

I read somewhere that many "advanced" .22 target shooters use subsonic ammo because of the turbulence created when the bullet crosses the sound barrier -- twice, once on acceleration and again as the speed drops off.

Do any of our regular target shooters subscribe to this, and if so, do you have any ammo recommendations? I shoot a variety of guns with (likely) a variety of rifling rates, both handgun and rifle. I get pretty darn good groups with Wolf Match Target or Aguila SE 40gr, and acceptable "fun" groups with CCI Mini Mags or even Golden Bullets. I can get pretty much one hole with 5 shots of WMT at 50 yards with my scoped Savage Mark II: Will subsonic ammo help me do that more consistently, and maybe cheaper than WMT, which is up to $50/brick these days?

-- Sam

 

[Snake45]

Every gun and ammo combination is a law unto itself, and this is particularly true with .22s.

The only way YOU can find out what YOUR .22s like is to test them off a solid, stable bench, with a parallax-corrected scope.

Fortunately, this isn't painful at all. Just takes a little time and a few bucks for different kinds of ammo to try. :wink:

 

[unter1]

I get pretty darn good groups with Wolf Match Target or Aguila SE 40gr,

Will subsonic ammo help me do that more consistently, and maybe cheaper than WMT, which is up to $50/brick these days?

-- Sam

I am no target guy but I think you are already shooting subsonic with the Wolf ammo @ 1050 fps. Using a cheaper subsonic ammo might work well, give it a try.

 

[Bucks Owin]

FWIW, I tried many different target rounds after I installed a Adams & Bennett target barrel with "semi match" chamber on my 10/22 including Green box, Tenex, Rem, Win and Wolf Match among others....IMO, Wolf "Match/Target" is the best target ammo out there for the price. It consistently shoots near 1/2 MOA on calm days (1/4" @ 50 yds) and rarely tosses a flyer. I don't know if it's the stinky chemical smelling Vihtavuori powder that's apparently used or the slimey slick lube, but that stuff flat out SHOOTS! I expect the lube plays some part as even cheap bulk ammo groups better for a few rounds after the barrel gets a coat of whatever is on the M/T ammo. It chrono's very cosistenly at about 1060 fps from my 18" tube..(My S6's like it too :wink: ) As you mention Sam, M/T has just about doubled in price in the past 5 years, but it's still cheaper (and more accurate) than the rest of the pack IMO....

An aside, I had a neighbor a couple years ago that had several cartons of the old Western X-pert ammo and he graciously gave me a carton. It also ran about 1050 fps and grouped slightly over 1/2 MOA. I don't think any of the really accurate rounds break the sound barrier and the "sub sonic" premise proves out IMO at least...

Like Snake mentioned, it's well worth trying a lot of different ammo in a .22 rimfire though. That's how I found out that American Eagle 38 gr HP's shoot under 1 inch groups at 50 yds (with the odd flier) in my rifle and it's as cheap as Wally World bulk in my neck of the woods...Likewise, it takes a good trigger and some serious glass to achieve tiny groups with a rimfire. I have an A/O 12X on mine.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Yes, I'm aware of the finicky nature of .22s and their ammo. I was just looking for any specific subsonic recommendations. When I first got my Savage I did the whole gamut, buying some $75 worth (which at the time was a lot) of different ammo types from Lapua to Tenex to Fed Gold to WMT and all the domestic regulars.

Duh. I didn't even think of the speed of the WMT.

BTW, I love the smell of WMT, which the Aguila SE shares. I think it's the "Eley" priming method some of those fancy-pants rounds use. Everything I've tried marked "Eley Prime(d)" has that smell. The Aguila also shares that greasy lube with the WMT.

It just irks me paying $.10/shot for .22LR...

-- Sam

 

[mattsbox99]

I've used Federal 711B Subsonic for years for 50ft targets (NRA Bullseye) and 719 (1200FPS) for all silhouettes and longer range targets.

Its sad when .22 LR is more expensive than my match centerfire ammo reloads.

You'll just have to try it to see if it works though. My MKIIIs eat it right up.

 

[FrontSite]

I've tried a lot of the expensive ammo in my CZ but I've found that
CCI Subsonic and Rem Subsonic (HP) do just as good for less than
half the price... YMMV..

FrontSite

 

[Yarddod(1)]

Try Fed 510 40 gr Verry accurate ; )
Y/D

 

[Snake45]

Try Fed 510 40 gr Verry accurate ; )
Y/D

Some guns shoot it very, very well indeed.

BTW, "Subsonic" is just a fancy marketing word, like "tactical." It means the same thing as "standard velocity" in .22s. :wink:

 

[FrontSite]

After reading my post .. what I ment to recommend was "CCI Standard
Velocity" they group right along with the Wolf and I have been picking
them up around here for $5.99 / box of 100. The Rem Subsonic's group
really well also and have great knock down power on things like
Starlings or Cowbirds :wink: at about $3 / box of 50.

I'll have to try the Fed 510's .. never seen them around here.

All the "Subsonic's" I've chroned have been true to name ... less than 1126 fps..
and I find they group better than the "High Speed" ammo. Not sure how
much disturbance you really get when the bullet crosses the sound barrier
but it makes sense.

FrontSite

 

[boomslang]

I have shot a lot of .22. I have shot many, many brands.

The .22 was one of the first, if not the first cartridge (bullet in a primed case) ever developed. It was black powder and strictly sub sonic. That is the round was designed as a sub sonic cartridge from the get go.

With the advent of smokeless powder they have sped up so to speak, but the cartridge is most accurate in the subsonic range.

I have a Marlin 880SQ bolt action. With match grade sub sonic ammo

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=940222

it will put 5 in the same hole at 40 yards. These are strictly paper punching rounds.


Now for quiet 22 out of a bolt the best are CCI CB's These are silencer quite out of a 22 inch bolt action. There accuracy is lacking though.

That is the wonderful thing about .22. Cheap and a vast variety of ammo for a vast array of applications.


For more information visit www.rimfirecentral.com it has all the information about .22 than you could ever want to know.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Ouch. $.26/shot. That's about the most expensive I've seen, and only slightly less than commercial .45 ACP. WMT is less than half that price. I don't think I ever tried that one, but I have tried a number of Eley ammo products.

-- Sam

 

[maxpress]

I found out drilling a bunch of holes in PVC and whrapping it in hanes tshirt strips then duct tape is the cheapest so far.