ringorock
Senior Member
As subject stated. Anything worth looking at?
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Are there any centerfire calibers/loads capable of being as quiet as a 22lr?
- Thread starter ringorock
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doomtrpr_z71
Senior Member
My 300 blackout is quieter than a standard 22 with my subsonic handloads.
ringorock
Senior Member
What length barrel are you shooting out if and powder?
ringorock
Senior Member
Who am I kidding. A subsonic centerfire will not have the energy I need to hunt deer with. Oh, well.
doomtrpr_z71
Senior Member
8.5in and aa1680 with cast 245gr bullets
Jester896
Senior Clown
10.5" and A1680 with 220gr SMK. Bullet hitting the target is the loudest part. I think it will kill a deer dead...but haven't tried
munchie3409
Senior Member
Same for me. My whitetail loads are using Lehigh Defense 194gr ME loaded subsonic and they expand, unlike other subsonic loads. With suppressor, that is a very quiet combination.
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bighonkinjeep
Senior Member
Yep,
A suppressor is worth looking at, and a subsonic of reasonable bore size will darn sure kill a deer at reasonable range.
A .300 Blackout through a specwar you can hear the firing pin drop and meat pop.
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trial&error
Senior Member
223 silenced is about as loud as a 22 depending on platform and silencer.
LittleDrummerBoy
Senior Member
Depending on the bullet, somewhere around 4 grains of Blue Dot will make a .223 Rem subsonic and very quiet. I used to shoot groundhogs and coyotes out the window with one of these loads and not wake children sleeping in the next room. Not suppressed, just naturally a quiet load. The Blue Dot loads (and Titegroup loads) scale up to larger calibers, but they get louder.
With a speed limit (1080 fps or so), the way to increase energy is to increase mass. There are some .308 bullets that expand and/or tumble reliably, and at 200+ grains energy is not bad. The deer will die. BUT you need a faster twist barrel than the 1 in 10" that most 30 caliber rifles have.
The better approach to killing deer with subsonic loads is to increase caliber and bullet weight. By the time you're at 45-50 cal and 300-400 grains, you're cooking with gas. Sure, go with a centerfire if you must, but down loading a 45-50 cal muzzleloader with a conical is likely cheaper and easier since a lot of hunters already have them and they are readily available for low prices on the used market. Yes, it is hard to clean out suppressors with black powder. On the other hand, attaching a suppressor to a muzzleloader is an easier legal deal if the rifle is not classified as a modern firearm (most are not, some are).
Bobby Bigtime
Senior Member
My favorite small game rifle is my handi rifle with 38 special mid range wadcutters. Very quiet. Not for deer though.
jrickman
Senior Member
Pistol calibers, sure. 9mm and .38 out of a 16 inch barrel are pretty quiet if it is a standard loading. Maybe not 22 quiet, but it ain't going to draw much attention.
killerv
Senior Member
Dub
Senior Member
Have you given any thought to archery hunting????
Quiet, lethal and hugely gratifying.
Bowyer29
Senior Member
Videos on YT of a guy shooting deer subsonic. Knocks them for a loop.
rosewood
Senior Member
Sure a subsonic 300 BLK will kill a deer, but you are looking at the same energy level as a 45 acp. How many folks think hunting deer with a 45 acp is a good idea?
Not saying it won't work, just not the ideal cartridge for hunting deer and greatly limits your range.
Rosewood
Not saying it won't work, just not the ideal cartridge for hunting deer and greatly limits your range.
Rosewood
killerv
Senior Member
you are no fun rosewood
rosewood
Senior Member
Yeah, I know. Curse of being an engineer, we analyze everything...
SC Hunter
Senior Member
I've got a buddy who had, he may still have, a encore frame with a 300 whisper barrel on it. Shooting through a silencerco suppressor the bullet hitting steel was MUCH louder than the actual gun itself. He shot a doe with it off his back porch as we were cooking ribs one afternoon and she was DRT.
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