That’s because the lack of a sonic boom makes it easier to concentrate during a Bullseye match, makes it less likely to give away the shooter’s position during combat and law enforcement engagements and helps prevent the shot from spooking targets during animal control operations. Today, activities that involve suppressors like overseas special forces engagements in urban areas, designated marksman operations for SWAT teams, competitions at covered shooting ranges and nuisance animal control hunts near dwellings or on the edges of communities all can be made quieter and more effective by using subsonic ammunition. The sharp-shouldered slugs cut cleanly through animal hides and penetrated deeply. Semi-wadcutter pistol bullets for hunting when they were moving at subsonic speeds. Elmer Keith wrote about the great lethality of his 240 gr. In addition when using a properly designed bullet, subsonic ammo can be quite effective for hunting. Even with ear protection the high-pitched crack of a sonic boom can be uncomfortable at such close quarters. For example, during a Bullseye match it can be a lot more pleasant to shoot next to a person using a subsonic load than standing beside someone shooting a supersonic load. The need for penetration is one reason why subsonic ammo is normally loaded with bullets that are heavy for their caliber.īut low energy doesn’t mean subsonic loads are useless for personal defense, competition or hunting. Therefore, the best way to make a subsonic bullet effective at neutralizing a target is through precise placement and deep penetration. This has the potential to seriously limit stopping power. Unless specifically designed to expand at subsonic velocities, bullets travelling at subsonic speeds generally don’t have enough energy to expand well, and this limits their ability to transfer energy to the target. Low velocity also seriously limits bullet energy because bullet energy increases as the square of the velocity. That’s because subsonic ammo’s low velocity gives it a rainbow-like trajectory and makes it very susceptible to wind drift. To start with, the maximum effective range of subsonic loads is usually limited to about 100 yds. Very little in life comes without a cost, and subsonic ammo does have its limitations. But once magnum and +P handgun cartridges became popular and high-velocity supersonic rifle ammo became the norm for hunting, personal defense, law enforcement and military applications, sonic booms were the norm when shooting a broad number of different calibers. 22’s, ELEY carries ammo for all shooting disciplines – from their force line firing at speeds of 1250 fps or their contact line going subsonic at 1090 fps.īefore the turn of the 20th Century most handgun ammunition was subsonic and quite a few rifle loads lost enough velocity that they became subsonic by the time their bullets went 50 yards. if you want to ensure your shots stay subsonic. Given the effects of atmospheric conditions on the speed of sound, it would be best to use ammo that keeps muzzle velocity down to around 1,000-1100 fps. The speed of sound becomes lower as one goes up in altitude and it increases as the temperature rises. at sea level (depending on conditions), the two pressure waves combine into a single shock wave that produces a booming sound when the bullet passes by. When the bullet reaches the speed of sound which is around 1125 fps. The faster the bullet flies the closer these pressure waves become. When a bullet travels through the air it creates two pressure waves – one at the tip of the projectile and one at the base. The only practical way to eliminate the boom is to use subsonic ammo. Suppressors reduce the sound of shot by an average of about 30 dB(decibels), but they do nothing to reduce the sonic boom that a bullet makes as it flies through the air.
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