Hello,

Is it possible to reload subsonic .223 rounds for a 1/9 twist bolt action rifle?  [barrel lenght 24"]

All info greatlly appreciated!!!!

Petri

Check out EBR ammo at impact guns. Why are you suppressing the gun? the ballistic are 22lr like.

A 62gr 223 round at 1100fp i going to penetrate and buck the wind better than a 22lr.

Quoted: the ballistic are 22lr like.

A head shot is a head shot...is a head shot.....who F'n cares.

From the Accurate Powder Reloader's guide, using Solo 1250 powder, which is a fast-burning shotgun powder:

55gr Fmj 3.5gr S1250 1139fps 13500 PSI

Hdy 60gr SP 4.2Gr S1250 1111fps 19100PSI

Hdy 75grHPBT 4.5gr S1250 1052fps 22100PSI

You will need some "stuffing" (e.g. cotton lightly packed) on top of the powder to keep it in place.

I haven't tried this before w/.223, but have loaded subsonic .308's -- 168 gr. match bullets at ~1000 f/s using a medium-speed pistol powder (Accurate #7) for father-in-law's long-barreled (24") Ruger #1SS.

Theory was he wanted to nail some deer on his property in semi-rural Maine shooting from the barn, but do it quietly so as not to disturb squeamish neighbors. I rigged up a "supressor": a four-foot long 12" cardboard tube for concrete footings, lined with foam. We set this up on sawhorses, and he fired the rifle through it. Between the long barrel (which let the powder burn quite completely), the "suppressor", shooting from within the barn enclosure, and a subsonic bullet, it was amazingly quiet. Sounded basically like him doing some heavy hammering in the barn, and printed 3 rounds cloverleafed at ~75 yds (the distance to the apple tree where the critters dined).

Filled his tag on his own property that year.

I've always thought a subsonic heavy (>62 gr) .22 would be good for turkey in noise-sensitive areas. Load development does take time, and you do have the alternative of the Aguila 60gr SSS in .22LR. I have not gotten the Aguila to shoot well from standard .22LR barrels (vintage Anschutz M54 Sporter), probably because of the slow 1:14 twist. The Aguila needs 1:10 or better, IMO. I understand you can buy 1:9 barrels for 10/22 to turn them into dedicated SSS guns. The SSS is very quiet from my M54; again the longer barrel helps.

Good luck. You will learn a ton from the project, so have fun with it. Don't be swayed by arguments it's not "practical". Neither is most of the stuff we do in this hobby.

[ed. for spelling]

xm193cure,

Thanks for the tips. Does the cotton trick affect accuracy? My goal will be to develop a subsonic .223 round using the very 75gr Hdy HPBT bullet. I wonder if handgun powders would work better?

I have not had trouble with cotton "wadding".  You don't need to jam in a whole bunch -- just enough to keep powder where it belongs.

Cotton bits will clog a suppressor and reduce its effectiveness. If you have in mind a suppressed rifle, then use slower burning powders in your load with no wadding.

For non-suppressed rifle loads, you'll have the quietest report when you use faster-burning powder in a longer barrel. The reason is that the burning takes place very quickly, hence the pressure peak decays sooner, and gasses begin to cool while the bullet is still in the barrel, making less "boom" at the muzzle (assuming the muzzle is far enough away to take advantage of the effect). It won't approach a suppressed weapon, of course -- but the difference between a fast-burning SS load and a "normal" load is quite dramatic.

There are a number of handgun powders you can use as well as shotgun varieties. You don't have to go as fast as Bullseye, but I wouldn't get as slow as 2400. Buy a few one pound cans and play a bit. If you have the opportunity of friends who reload who might have these powders or might need them, then you could either borrow a bit or alternatively find someone who needs what you don't use.