
Decreasing the amount of propellant in the cartridge means the bullet will be moving slower when it exits the barrel. The other way is to reduce the powder load.

The most common target load for 9mm bullets is 115 grains, but a heavier bullet of 147 grains will be subsonic. The first way to make a subsonic load is to use a heavier bullet since they travel slower.

As an example here, we’ll take a look at the most popular handgun cartridge out there: 9mm. The other way subsonic ammo is made is by altering the loading of a supersonic cartridge so that it travels at subsonic speed. The first is through regular production of calibers that are inherently subsonic and don’t break the sound barrier in a regular load. Since subsonic ammo is inherently less powerful, you could find yourself in a situation where a specific subsonic load in a specific gun with a specific suppressor won’t cycle the action on its own. In a semi-automatic firearm, there has to be enough power in the leftover gases to cycle the action of the gun. That extra cost adds up.Īnother drawback directly relates to one of the benefits listed above: recoil. With ammo prices the way they are right now, that definitely makes a big difference when picking up a few boxes here and there. Drawbacks of Using Subsonic AmmoĪmmo that is specifically made to subsonic specifications tends to be more expensive than its supersonic siblings. Subsonic ammo can also reduce some of the recoil, and when you pair that with a suppressor, it makes for a very pleasant experience if you’re introducing a new shooter to the world of firearms. When you pair a suppressor with supersonic ammo, that’s when you’re in for a real treat! The decibel level will be even lower and you’ll really see why the combo of a suppressor and subsonic ammo is so very cool. In a caliber such as 9mm, using a pistol suppressor like the Banish 45 will bring the decibels down to a hearing-safe level even with supersonic ammo. Obviously, the biggest advantage to using subsonic ammo is when you pair it with a suppressor. Anything slower than that is subsonic anything faster is supersonic.Īs a result, subsonic ammo is a specially calibrated load that is designed to travel slower than the speed of sound, thereby eliminating the supersonic crack. With an average air temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the speed of sound is 1,125 feet per second. The difference between something that is subsonic and supersonic all comes down to the speed of sound. When an object is moving slower than the speed of sound and doesn’t make that crack, it’s considered to be subsonic.

The Whisper earned its name due to the fact it was specifically designed to perform well in suppressed platforms. 221 Fireball case and necked it up to take a. Jones, the famous gun writer and cartridge designer, had pioneered the use of a specialized cartridge, termed the. 221 Fireball (coincidentally the highest velocity pistol cartridge ever loaded by a major ammunition maker – with a SAAMI maximum mean pressure is 52,000 cupw) became a favorite with wildcat cartridge makers, wizened hand loaders who stretch the envelope of what is commercially available.īy the early 1990s, J.
