Suppressors and the .223

[buckwheatpaul]

Good afternoon. I just got back from a gun show and discussed putting a suppressor on my .223 for hog control....seems like the critters are not going to the traps anymore....so a suppressor should allow me more shots and hopefully less hogs....I know the requirements and the price but does anyone have any experience with a suppressor and a .223?

Is there any commercial subsonic loads for .223?

Is there any suggestions for loads for a subsonic .223?

If there are no subsonic loads available how loud is the .223 with standard load?

Would also like your thoughts about bullets.

Cast boolits are an option but even those loads are above 1050 fps hence the sonic boom.

Feel free to jump in and put your 2 cents worth in....even if not .223.

Thanks. Paul

[Mica_Hiebert]

I suggest you buy a 30 cal suppressor and a thread adapter, you will not notice a difference in noise and will leave you with more caliber options. You can load with trail boss powder to get the desired sub sonic velocity.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Shooting hyper sonic ammo through a suppressor I like to compare to shooting 22 magnum with out a suppressor.

[Petrol & Powder]

Depends a lot on how quiet you want to be. Hypersonic .223 rounds fired through a suppressor will still result in the "crack" of the projectile breaking the sound barrier but it will reduce the bulk of muzzle blast which is where the real noise comes from. So it will be far from "quiet" but far better than no suppressor at all. LE units are equipping M4's with suppressors because of that extreme blast & noise level (particularly if the weapon needs to be fired indoors). It will still be loud but not the extreme loud of a short barreled M4 in a confined space.

Now, if you really want to be quiet, you need a sub-sonic projectile and that's not going to be a .223 (or at least not an effective .223)
If you're giving up velocity of the projectile you should at least get some increased mass in the projectile as part of the deal.

Personally I would look for something slow and heavy, like a 44 Special fired from a bolt action with a suppressor. Like say a Ruger 77/44 and a 250-260 grain bullet travelling just under 1070 fps ? Yes, that is considerably more money than just putting a can on a AR-15 platform but it would ultimately be a quiet tool that was also very effective.

[Petrol & Powder]

And by the way, that figure of 1070 fps isn't set in stone. The speed of sound in air is dependent on the temperature and pressure of the air. The colder the air is, the lower the velocity threshold will be when the projectile will break the sound barrier.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/a...und-d_603.html

[robg]

Suppressors /moderater take the harsh edge off a 223 full power load ,most hunters use them over here without subsonic loads .

[Petrol & Powder]

In the U.S.A. a suppressor requires a $200 (about 143 Pounds) tax stamp, plus a lot of paperwork, plus the cost of the suppressor itself.
What are the requirements in the UK?

[Larry Gibson]

A subsonic .223 is essentially a .22LR......are you hunting/shooting hogs with that?

Also a subsonic load in .223 will not function a standard gas gun such as an AR.

[Moonie]

As others have said, you will still have the sonic crack of the projectile being over the speed of sound. On the up side it is very hard to determine the direction of the shot because that is much louder than any noise from the firearm itself. The quarry may hear the bullet, they will not hear the shot, if that makes sense.

[jcren]

Check out this old thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...bsonic-223-Rem

[Ford SD]

Have you thought about 300 AAC Blackout

you can pick up a Ar upper
you can shoot sub sonic 200- 247g at 1000 fps

energy will be way above what a sup sonic 223 will be

if you look at it this way

223 = 60g x 1000fps = 60,000

Jacketed 223 = 55g x 3000fps = 165,000 with


30cal 200g x 1000fps = 200,000

more than 3 times the energy of a sub sonic 223

30cal 247g x 1000fps = 247,000

more than 4 times the energy of a sub sonic 223

IF you go on line and search you can find videos of 300 blackout supressed and not-supressed to see them in action

[DrewSeeg]

I also agree with a 30 cal suppressor and 300 blkout subs for hogs but there is a 100 gr mold from NOE that would also work for 223 subs. From my tests 223 subs (62gr with hp38) are much quieter than my 300 blkout subs (230 lee with 1680/ cfeblk).

[Smoke4320]

Last i checked no one had been able to get the NOE 100 gr cast to shoot accurately.
Alao you would be well served with a 200-247 gr projectile out of a 300 blackout over a 65-75 gr 223 projectile both subsonic for hogs

[DrewSeeg]

Smoke ... Good to know ... I'll skip on that mold.

[JimB..]

I want to put a suppressor on a handi-rifle in 500 S&W magnum.

Lots of options in 30, 35 and 44, all better that .22.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup. I have a yankee hills suppressor for my ARs and they sound about like a 22 mag without a suppressor. As to sub sonic it depends. I had a group buy 105 grain mold and yes you could get it subsonic but I tried about everything to find a load that was subsonic and would still run the action. Many came close but none did it. then add to it that those long 100 gain 223 bullets just wouldn't stabilize even in a 1 in 7 twist at those low speeds so you would about end up with a 25 yard gun if you did get it to work and if that is the range your shooting at keep in mind that a 100 grain bullet at a 1000fps is not much of a big game load anyway. Its about the equivalent of a 32 mag out of a single six with a very small metplat. Another thing with a centerfire rifle compared to a 22lr or even a handgun suppressor is the center fire suppressors have to be made to take the pressures of a full power rifle load. that means they usually use heavier baffles and less of them so when I put my 223 suppressor on my 22lr and use sub sonic ammo its still a bit louder then my dedicated 22lr suppressor. Buying a bigger suppressor with adapters is make it even louder because theres bigger holes down through the middle for the larger caliber and gas under pressure is going to escape. I tried that using my 9mm can or 22lrs. It was even louder then my 223 can. So if you want quiet pig hunting in a AR get yourself a 300 blackout and a suppressor and you not only get quite but can about shoot cast at full power without the suppressor too and the major cost of reloading rifle ammo is like we all know the bullet. Another option would be a pistol caliber carbine with a suppressor. For the most part at least in my opinion cans on 223s are great if you have a defensive gun that might have to be shot indoors or without hearing protection or you live a couple miles from your neighbor and don't want to bother them or let them know your shooting. to be honest I wish I wouldn't have wasted the money on that suppressor.

Shooting hyper sonic ammo through a suppressor I like to compare to shooting 22 magnum with out a suppressor.

[mpkunz]

Suppressed load for a .223 ? You mean standard velocity 22LR ? )

[buckwheatpaul]

Guys, thanks for the suggestions...I was originally talking to the dealer about a 308 or a 300 BlackOut but the suppressor vendor suggested .223. He also suggested a 30 caliber 8" can as I could use it up to 300 Win. Mag. When I originally posted I also failed to mention that I hate the AR platform...I am going to use a bolt gun. Keep the suggestions coming.....I believe that 300BO would be a good choice as two of my friends use the MICRO 300 BO with suppressors and night scopes and are extremely happy with the results. Thanks for your comments...now it is on to a new gun as well.....

[Smoke4320]

For a reasonable priced excellent shooting bolt 300 blackout look at the Ruger American ranch
Full receiver scope rail. Pillar bedded, barrel already threaded for 5/8 x 24. newest model uses AR mags older model uses a ruger plastic mag

[Tackleberry41]

I have never seen a subsonic 223 load sold. And really was not that easy to come up with. I tried the various recipes on the internet, bullseye, tightgroup, or trailboss. All gave terrible results, its was the wide variations in velocity. One shot might be fine at 1050fps, the next barely makes it out of the barrel. Forget it with jacketed.

I finally resorted to drilling the flash holes, made a world of difference. Used solo1000, something i have a pile of and a cast 80gr bullet. Very consistent velocity, and pretty accurate. But never cycle a weapon, single shot only.