Author Topic: .22 cal subsonic ammo noise question (Read 2869 times)

jrdudas · « **on:** September 16, 2005, 04:07:24 AM »

I have a spot on my property that I am convinced is a safe location for practicing with my .22 caliber guns. The spot is much like the typical bunkers that many ranges have. I have a narrow flat area that is bordered on two sides by earthen banks that are about 12 feet high; the third side is shielded by my barn. The closest neighbor is about 130 yards away and separated from the shooting area by my barn and woods that I own.

As I said, I am convinced that this is a safe target area for .22 caliber and my only concern is noise. I doubt that anyone will complain about noise, but I'm thinking, "the quieter the better". I have been reading about "subsonic" ammo and wonder if anyone has experience that they can comment on. Is the noise noticably less when using subsonic rounds?

Thanks, JR

Paul Mohr · « **Reply #1 on:** September 16, 2005, 07:27:37 AM »

It's pretty quiet, you don't have the sonic crack when the bullet breaks the sound barrier.

Depends on the gun really. An auto rifle would be fiarly quite, if it will cycle with them, but a pistol will be relatively loud. You will never know until you try it.

Paul

ed1921 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 16, 2005, 08:09:28 AM »

CB shorts are definately quiet. Won't shoot out of most semi-auto's though.

Robert · « **Reply #3 on:** September 16, 2005, 10:50:55 AM »

I agree...the CB's are a hoot. They can be found in shorts and longs. They cost a little more than el-cheapo 22 ammo though, but about the same as the Remington subsonic prices.

Atomic Chicken · « **Reply #4 on:** September 16, 2005, 12:25:42 PM »

Greetings!

I've used both Remington Subsonics and CCI CB Longs in my Ruger 77/22 bolt action all-weather. I've found that the CCI are definitely the quieter of the two - they produce approx. the same noise as a 1000fps pellet gun. I've heard the Aquilera "no powder" loads are even quieter, but from everything I've read the accuracy with those is garbage so I'm in no hurry to try them. The CCI CB Longs are very accurate and have enough power to punch halfway through a thick phonebook - no complaints here.

Best wishes,
Bawko

cwlongshot · « **Reply #5 on:** September 16, 2005, 01:06:30 PM »

Good thinking on the lower noise, what somebody dosent know cant hurt you!

Just a word on "SUBSONIC" rounds. For some reason this is the current fancy label ammo manufactures are putting on ammo. In the case of the rimfire it is nothing other than the old "STANDARD" velocity stuff, only with a hollow point, (Big deal, like it will really expand) thats been around for ever! Rule of thumb, (It depends on altitude) but if it is under 1100fps it gets the "SUBSONIC" Moniker.

Also when using "CB" or "SUBSONIC" ammo, the longer your rifles barrel the quieter that rifles report will be.
CB's are great, and I too shoot a lot of them. But if your rifles is like mine, the standard velocity (subsonic) ammo shoots WORLDS better!!

CW

greenjeans · « **Reply #6 on:** September 16, 2005, 03:03:21 PM »

CCI .22 CB Shorts, Mossberg New Haven Single Shot, 25 Yards. I don't think the Aquilas are any quiter than these either. Have shot the longs and they are just as quiet.

jrdudas · « **Reply #7 on:** September 16, 2005, 05:14:13 PM »

I stopped by my local gun shop this afternoon and picked up a couple of boxes of Remington Subsonic rounds. I'm eager to try them, but my target shooting is not on my wife's weekend agenda list. I'll post again after I get a chance to shoot them.

JR

Robert · « **Reply #8 on:** September 16, 2005, 07:06:20 PM »

Just a note here....I have tried both the CB Long and CB short. The shorts will hit a paper plate at 50 yds with either of my rifles. The CB Longs however will make 'quarter' size groups. Both are equally as quiet...but everything that applies with 'excessive freebore' in larger hunting cartridges...also applies with 22's. I have used both of them for years....but only just a few months ago realized the difference in accuracy.
P.S. this makes the difference of 'scaring' tree-rats and wasting ammo...or getting rid of them.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #9 on:** September 25, 2005, 05:18:45 PM »

I live in a rural setting, large lots with large houses and a Deputy Sheriff's mobile home about 150 yards due west. I have a second floor balcony on the west side. The surrounding Orange grove is loaded with vermin. You know where this is going.

I use the Aquila Subsonic with 40 gr lead hollow points. They appear to be 22 Shorts with a very long lead bullet making up the necessary 22 LR round. I do not like the report of the subsonic Aquilas and I have about 300 left of which to dispose. It is too loud for me through my Ruger K77/22 RP. I have not tried other subsonics - yet. Fortunately, roofing construction and its continuous chatter of roofing nail guns in the neighborhood to the south and east since the hurricanes has slightly aided my shooting subsonic (but not noiselessly) from the balcony.

ABaker · « **Reply #10 on:** September 30, 2005, 10:01:35 AM »

Quote from: ed1921

CB shorts are definately quiet. Won't shoot out of most semi-auto's though.

Not true, they will shoot fine if you load them one at a time. Other than that they will fail to feed properly. :eek: :-D

ed1921 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 01, 2005, 11:14:53 AM »

Did you ever try that in a 10/22?
You might change tour tune. :wink:

ABaker · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2005, 01:44:25 PM »

I have shot them in a 10/22. They shoot just fine, but they won't eject. You have to manually eject them. If you treat the gun like a single shot they will shoot out of it. On the other hand if the gun you have won't let you fire a round without a magazine installed, and the Short .22's wont fit in the magazine, it will fire if you manually slide a round into the chamber and then stick the empty magazine in. Will a normal shooter go to all this trouble? Probably not, but if you had to it will work.

AZ223 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 05, 2005, 05:56:00 PM »

I've had good luck with the CB Longs in my 10/22 (stock barrel), and you do have to cycle the action manually. But it'll run through a loaded factory magazine without a hitch if I keep it clean. Accurate at 25yds; haven't tried it at 50, but they're definitely quiet, even indoors -- about as much noise as a Daisy 1000S air rifle from Wal-Mart. The Aquila's were quieter but very erratic accuracy-wise. You can supposedly shoot the Aquila SSS "heavy" bullet rounds in a barrel with a 1:12" twist from Volquartzen if you want to go that route. Standard .22lr are more like 1:16" twist. But that's a lot of money for a limited application.

jrdudas · « **Reply #14 on:** November 12, 2005, 04:04:51 PM »

I was just surfing this category and realized that I never posted an update after trying the subsonic rounds. I bought Remington Subsonic's and I do see a difference between them and the Remington High Velocity's that I used previously. With the subsonic's there is no "crack" when fired in my Henry Golden Boy. My dog enclosure is about 75 yards from (behind me) my shooting area. At the first couple of shots with the high velocity rounds the dogs will bark. Using the subsonic's they don't bark at all. Of course, most of the leaves are off the trees now and I'm sure that will impact the noise factor.

I also have a break-action pellet rifle (Winchester 800) that I use for target shooting. It makes very little noise, but is a single-shot and the loading of pellets gets old pretty quick. As I'm writing this I just got the idea to make a pellet holder out of wood that will hold the pellets in a position that makes them easy to grab; I'll have to try that.

JR

P.S. I bought a brick of the Remington Subsonic's, so I'm set for a little while.

willysjeep134 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 16, 2005, 09:19:23 AM »

One reason they make both CB short and long is that some old pistols and rifles can only chamber shorts. CBs are weaker than normal shorts anyways, so you don't run such a high risk of blowing up a 130 year old S&W first model or something. The longs are for people just wanting a really quiet round. If you shoot a lot of shorts in a long rifle chamber you can get a little erosion, especially with the ammo from the olden days. when you tried to shoot a long or long rifle from such a chamber the case would bulge right in that eroded pocket and make it hard to remove. I don;t think this is such a problem any more, but shooting the CB longs only keeps some crud from building up in the front of the long rifle chamber. This is just what I've been told by some old timers. I've not yet hurt a .22 barrel with shorts, but I don't shoot very many of them.

ironglow · « **Reply #16 on:** November 29, 2005, 11:04:40 AM »

The CBs are fun...but not extremely accurate..the Aguila Colibris are very quiet, being driven only by primer...but on a clear day you can watch them go away from the end of your barrel, and they drop pretty fast.
I have heard some complain that Colibris ran out of "poop" and got stuck in some of their longer barrels..I have shot them only in shorter barrels..20" and less, for that reason.
With almost any .22RF..the longer the barrel, the quieter it shoots...and remarkably so.
My 23" CZ shoots standard rounds much quieter for instance, than my 16.25" barreled Anschutz " woodchucker "..

One could put several tires in a row and shoot through the open centers.
The tires act as baffles..a line of wheelbarrow type tires would work well..or you can rig up a box with baffles in ...where you can shoot through the center..

single shot shooter · « **Reply #17 on:** December 08, 2005, 09:52:38 AM »

subsonic ammo is noticeably quieter than your standard long rifle. CB longs are my favorite to shoot , as they are extermely quiet, as well as the aguila super colobris. My rossi R22B is sighted with CB longs. The longs won't burn a ring in your chamber like the shorts. Sub sonics are the best, they function fine in my ruger 10/22.
SSS

P.S all shoot one hole including aguilas