Subsonic Considerations, Part 1 of 2
Jeff Cooper suggested many years ago that the .22 rimfire had a role in riot control, as well as in marksmanship training and small game hunting. The Israelis for a number of years took Cooper’s advice and used suppressed .22 rimfire rifles to target the apparent ringleaders of Islamic mobs engaged in violent rioting. Apparently that option has now been denied to the Israeli military and police, at least for the most part, but the potential effectiveness of .22 rimfire, especially subsonic .22LR ammunition, in mitigating violent riots remains. A terrorist ringleader who has been shot in the lungs or intestines is likely to lose all interest in directing his ‘troops’ engaged in burning cars, police stations, homes, businesses or engaged in potentially lethal attacks on the law-abiding or on law enforcement. While at present it may be highly unlikely that current local, state, and Federal governments here in the US will authorize police use of .22s on looters and rioters, private citizens may find the .22 specifically to be useful in defense of self and others.
As mentioned in other posts on using the .22 for marksmanship training, (#1 here, #2 here, #3 here and #4 here) subsonic .22 LR rimfire can be accurate to and past 300 yards. When considering the practical use of the .22, keep in mind that there is not much power in such rounds; they can be lethal, but do not provide much stopping power. As Cooper suggested, they can be an effective tool when the goal is to wound but not necessarily kill. Not only can subsonic ammunition be accurate to surprisingly long distances, it is reasonably quiet; loads such as the 45 grain CCI Semi-auto Quiet are not loud, and CB Longs are quieter still. Recall also that .22 rimfire arms are notoriously picky about which loads will shoot the best, not just from brand to brand, but from lot to lot in the same brand, so it behooves the properly prepared to check to see what shoots the best in your chosen arm. What dedicated smallbore shooters did in the past was to buy several 5000 round cases, test them to find the best performing lot, then sell or trade the lots that did not shoot well in their rifle and try to find more of their favored lot. These days I count myself lucky to find a brick of .22, let alone a case, and I reserve the best brick I find and use the others sparingly for training and practice; .22 is so hard to obtain today and so expensive that cherry picking ammunition is a luxury I cannot afford.
My test procedure is to record the average muzzle velocity, standard deviation, and extreme spread for 4 each 5 shot groups, or a 20 shot sample, as well as measured group size at 50 yards on a no-wind morning, noting any flyers. If I see reduction in group sizes as I change to different ammunition, I will continue to shoot 5 shot groups until the sizes of the first and last groups are within ~10% of each other (or until I run out of ammo and/or patience!) This procedure ensures that I’m not getting data biased by conflicting ammo types. What I am looking for is overall reliable performance; a slightly larger group with no flyers is preferable to a knothole group with a flyer. Here are a few sample boxes of some of the ammunition I have tested-
I was pleasantly surprised to find that some lots of CCI standard velocity shot as well as Eley does, in my rifle. Yours will undoubtedly be different, perhaps a little, maybe a lot. Right now, my best lot of CCI standard velocity Target will shoot a 20 shot group inside 1/2″ at 50 yards; under an inch at 100 yards. It is slightly more consistent overall than the Eley Contact, but that sort of oddity is part of shooting .22LR, and I freely admit that I was lucky to find a good lot early on. I will also say that I have never gotten a bad lot of either CCI Target or Eley anything, and I also have not explored the really high end .22 ammo. My primary goal in shooting .22lr at distance is learning to read the wind, and a secondary goal is getting practice at ranging a target at distance; I am not interested in shooting one-hole groups at 50 feet. Once I get a good load, I have in the past tested it other ways, (POI/group/MV/SD/ES) from a fouled bore vs. cold clean bore, any change in stats during extended shooting, etc. In today’s environment this gets impractical, but it is worth keeping the above possibilities in mind, and shooting, chronographing, and making records of at least an occasional 5 shot group both before and after a match or practice session.
These loads are capable of reliably hitting 6” targets at distances of 300 yards using relatively modest equipment and a standard 1:16 twist. In the context of protecting one’s family, self and property against violent rioters bent on armed assault, looting and arson, they have a number of advantages. Being able to inflict disabling hits on multiple attackers quickly without flagging your position through noise or muzzle flash is a plus. For shorter distances, the CB cap (.22 short) or CB Long which feeds in most manual action .22s chambered for .22LR, are more quiet than standard velocity .22LR, and while their 20 to 25 grain projectile will not penetrate well, in the context of use in urban environments one can be sure that it will not overpenetrate.
Another common choice selected by those wanting more authority in subsonic loads is the .300 Whisper or its commercial equivalent, the .300 AAC Blackout; both supersonic and subsonic ammunition is manufactured, and reloading data is also available. I’ve never taken much interest in this round but I do know, thanks to a shooting buddy of mine who I’ve helped with load development and testing, that good handloads are capable of 2-3 MOA at 300 yards and the higher ballistic coefficients of heavy .30 caliber projectiles in subsonic loads mean both a flatter trajectory and less wind drift than .22 rimfire, a significant advantage.
The 300 Blackout does take research, experimentation with equipment and load development, especially with regard to proper projectile selection and seating depth to get accurate long range ammunition, especially for subsonic loads, and reliable cycling while keeping rounds subsonic can be a challenge; some folks run adjustable gas blocks and other mods to allow the use of both subsonic and supersonic loads, while others change uppers or BCGs. The presence or absence of a suppressor is a significant factor, too, as is barrel length. The supersonic loads from a 16″ barrel provide respectable power levels approaching the .30 Russian short and I’m told that they work on deer and similar medium game with proper projectiles and good shot placement. Bottom line, setting up a 300 Blackout takes time at the loading bench and the range, too, one reason I have not pursued it for my personal use.
These options are useful, but it does makes the shooter dependent on factory production, especially jacketed projectiles. I encourage you, O gentle Reader, to explore these options yourself as you are able. However, the disadvantage of using factory ammunition is that when times get uncertain, supplies of factory ammunition intended for defense are not to be had, as is currently being demonstrated. Every round of ammunition requires both powder and primer, but the 300 Blackout requires certain types of jacketed projectiles. Right now, the hot ticket for subsonic loads is the Hornady 190 grain Sub-X bullet, providing low drop and windage, accuracy and expansion, but they are bringing a big premium these days in the rare instances when they are available!
The cost and availability issues noted above combined with my discussions with Ol’ Remus some years back are what prompted this post. As we begin to experience the early stages of the collapse of these presently united States, I have been considering what other options for subsonic firearms are available to the prepared person interested in their long term use. I’ve concluded that there are other effective options besides .22 rimfire or .300 Blackout that reduce the need for factory projectiles and simplify ammunition production, and these options are presented here.
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The cast bullet crowd have been crafting lead bullet loads for centerfire rifles designed to use smokeless powder a