Subsonic in Mark I

[Clovishound]

Last year I bought some CCI standard velocity, because selection was nearly non existent. Was at the range last week and daughter ran out of the box of Federals she was working through. I pulled the box of CCIs out of the bottom of the bag and she started shooting them.

Her groups were nearly cut in half. She was shooting at 7 yds. FYI, she is a good shot.

I know some guns like certain ammo, and I have heard of some rifle guys using subsonic exclusively, but I was really surprised at the difference. The only CCI standard I saw this week was a little too pricey, so I am unlikely to stock up.

I didn't have an opportunity to do a controlled comparison, but my she ran about 75 rounds of the CCI through and all the groups were significantly smaller.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this type of ammo. We are running a mid 70s Mark I target with bull barrel.

 

[Mobuck]

When I was looking for quieter ammo for the trap line, I shot several brands of low velocity ammo. I found some that was worse and some better than the HV ammo I normally use. CCI Quiet was in the "good" range but Remington C-Bee was in the OMG range @ 20' from my old (well used) 5.5" 22/45. I was having a good day and got a couple of cloverleaf groups(3 shots touching). It doesn't cycle the action-that's the downside for range work(actually a plus for the trap line).

 

[shakyshoot]

CCI Standard has been my "go-to" ammo for my .22 league shoots and all my serious shooting for quite a while. That's in a Mk III 22/45 and now my Volquartsen Scorpion. I don't hunt, so I really haven't been buying much high velocity ammo in a while. I've also done well lately with Norma Tac-22 and Fed American Eagle Suppressor ammo. Give the latter a try if you can. Great for rapid fires, since it's slower/softer/quieter than the Standards but still cycles my guns reliably. Keep an eye on Palmetto State Armory for your Standards. They've had 500's for $34.99 recently with no limits.

 

[Biggfoot44]

In your specific instance , your gun "likes" CCI Standard.

* In General * - Standard and Subsonic ammo greatly overlap in velocity , but they have different design criteria. Standard is defined by pressure, Subsonic is specifically design to not exceede the speed of sound, with emphsis on supressor use.

In theory ( ammunition that happens to be subsonic) is potentially more accurate , because a bullet passing thru the sound barrier is subject to shock waves that will effect bullet stability. In the OP's situation , probably not a factor.

As far as noise , there is a lot of variation. Very loose rule of thumb is the slower the quieter. I will observe that CCI CB Long , and Rem CeeBee had similar vels , and both BB gun quiet from bolt action rifle , but the CeeBee was way louder from revolver with 4-5.5in bbls.

At some point , for some uses energy can be a factor. Some of the slowest "CB type" loads not only have BB gun noise , but BB gun energy also. ( Ok , more than the Red Ryder Daisy , but medium powered air rifles ) . The CCI Quiet essentially duplicates a .22Short, which has been used for trap lines and modest range small game forever.

 

[rugerguy211]

CCI Standard has been my "go-to" ammo for my .22 league shoots and all my serious shooting for quite a while. ..."

I agree.
CCI SV is the only ammo I've ever used in my Mark II for pistol bullseye competitions.
It is also the preferred ammo of the guys in my Schutzen rifle league.
Happily, and after a long time gone, a LGS has been offering it for $3.99 per box of 50.
They still have a limit of 4 boxes/day/person, but a couple of trips with my wife over the past two weeks has put my reserve back to a comfortable level....for now.

 

[ADP3]

+1 on CCI SV. It's the ammo that S&W recommends for their Model 41 pistols.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[Jeepnik]

While not what you're looking for, I use shorts in my MKI 6 7/8" Target model. Loaded singly they work on critters up to raccoon size (close range) don't cause the bolt to cycle and are the quietest thing I've come across. They are quieter than some firearms with sound suppressors, especially if they use ammo that will cycle the action.