I dont have a can, and probably wont be getting one any time soon.

However, with the short barrel and its potential worst-case use inside the house, I was pondering about going with subs (or whatever the velocity ends up being) in the 8.5 to refuce muzzle pressure a bit.

I also have a 20" .277 that largely sleeps on my side of the bed, and will soon be filled with 120 SSTs once I get a load dialed in. But, for the 8.5, I am just curious if it makes much sense to bother with subs at 1/3 the impact energy just to quiet things down a hair.

If I were to run subs Subs, it would be with the 175gr All-Copper bullet developed by MDWS that expands reliably down below 800fps. So, basically .45ACP-ish terminal ballistics. Basically, it is just a matter of whether Id want 425ish ft-lbs at perhaps 5000PSI of muzzle pressure, or about 1200 ft-lbs and perhaps 10,000k or more PSI at the muzzle.

I do sleep with electronic earmuffs next to me, but historically I have never donned them for random bumps in the night...

Thoughts?

Supers all the way. Subsonic rifle bullets are lame, better off with a SMG. Supers are what make rifles so great and effective.

I say just use your muffs, if they're like mine, crank them up and have better hearing than any normal person would ever have. At which point, fuck the subsonic shit. Better hearing + better ballistics.

I was definitely inclined to go that direction as well :) .

The new sub bullets are very interesting. They should have excellent expansion as they are rather soft & are serrated. I know TWC did a test a while back but I don't know if he has done any on the new bullets. I'm sure bigdog or Mark has but I haven't spoke to him about it or seen any info posted, but I could have missed it. If I did let me know. I remember JB saying they were going to but haven't discussed it with him specifically. Have you tried loading them yet?

A 120SST will also have expansion & good terminal performance for that application.

That being said, I would give some thought to legal implications (being sued) using handloads for a defensive purpose. It opens a door that you may want not to open. Just my .02.

Add: Had JB's 90grn gold dots in the my 10.5" wolvy this year for hunting. The way it worked out, didn't take a deer with them to see how they worked. Kid had the wolvy & he was right behind me when I had to take the shots.

{No links to non vendors, especially banned ones -F}

That's some mighty fine expansion.

Think I'm going to get some loaded rounds from JB's.

I've fired subs from a 16" 300 blk and it's not much quieter than supers. so if it were me I'd say go with supers and just look at it as hearing loss is better than loss of life.

or you could just pony up and get a can.....just saying

In the eyes of the law, loading your own ammo for defensive purposes vs purchasing ammo for defensive purposes is no different.  The intent is to have ammo to defend yourself, so there isn't a difference.  This was from a former DA.

Do what you want, I'm not going to, nor would I recommend anyone do it. It's not just a matter of criminal liability but that of civil liability. States vary in this regard, no doubt, but even here in WI with castle doctrine I won't take the chance.

To stress this point JB's, a company that sells these sub loads, will tell you they are not intended for defensive use, nor would he use his own loads in this manner.

OP, here's some short reading on the matter:

https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/gun-modifications

https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/handloads-not-a-good-idea-for-concealed-carry