Thread: 308 Subsonics

Thanks for the help! I need to satisfy my itch with subsonic 308 😂

Originally Posted by Bushline

Thanks for the help! I need to satisfy my itch with subsonic 308 ��

fair enough...just PLEASE do so with both eyes open..... they heck of alot of fun for plinking...awesome for bunnies n rabbits,so much more nice when finishing shot needed. lighter animal ,out in open country up close....
Milky

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I would say your subs are not actually subsonic if it is that loud.

The heavier the projectile and the shorter the barrel the louder they will be as muzzel pressures are higher.
With a 90grn xtp and a 22inch barrel the firing pin and then the thock of the bullet hitting its target is literally the loudest thing from the shooters perspective.

It's not a supersonic crack, so I would say not.

Originally Posted by Pommy

You using factory ammo or rolling your own?

Factory uses slow powders to help cycle those naughty semis which makes more pressure at the muzzle.

Factory. The slow powder thing makes sense. I've noticed they are very smoky/dirty, does that fit?

Originally Posted by mimms2

a) chrony them.
b) roll your own.
c) shorter barrels will have more powder going out the front (= more loud). Factory subs are probably loaded for full length rifles. Check the box, should give specs.

a) No chronograph
b) No interest
c) That makes sense. Manufacturers data: 1050 fps out of a 16 inch barrel (my barrel is 16.5 inch).

@Bushline whereabouts in tga are ya roughly? I have all the ingredients and gear sitting to my left, you're welcome to come and knock some loads together to play with. I'm in Te Puke

Awesome offer cheers, I’ll pm you. I’m in papamoa but work in te puke.

CCI had some .22LR segmented hollow points, which would break into three equal fragments on impact, a bit like the three bits inside a drill chuck.

Can you buy lead bullets for reloading of this type?

Would seem to address some of the concerns about .30 subsonics having less quick stopping power.

Yeah google lehigh controlled fracturing projectiles.

well you go ahead and use them......but dont come crying when you have shot through head and missed brain or brain stem and animal gets away..... yes in ideal world the shot will be right dead centre where you want it to be....... as a bush hunter first n foremost...I often DONT have the liberty of time to find rest or indeed ability to see deer if taking rest.....so shots arent always exactly in optimal position....cant off top of head think of last time a deer went more than 20 yards all the same,would have to be...3 years ago in open country and she went downhill towards me so was ok.... had that been in bush...not so easy to find.... Ive shot 20 animals I guess with subsonics 17 of them no issue at all.....the other 3 I wont repeat ,went back to using .223 and will continue to do so,its just so much more humain.
if you are using suppressor a load thats in between will still be very quiet but will have a lot more shock factor when it hits,will expand much better and give larger margin for error. something 1500-2000fps would be ideal....
but each to their own .

as for needing more trigger time...3 hares tonight between 100-200 yards all upper shoulder neck shot,single round each...BUT I has steady rest and time on my side....
you can shoot deer with buckshot too...many of us have done so.....but if you dont hit head/neck/spine dont expect it to drop on spot....same thing with subsonics, you dont get the energy traspher or shock so it relies on bleeding out to work....that can take time.
I dont use super expandy projectiles....my favourite bush loads are big fat heavy round nose jobbies.....

Gun city in Chch have 308 Winchester subsonic ammo

Originally Posted by outdoorlad

Gun city in Chch have 308 Winchester subsonic ammo

Cheers just seen a local shop does now as well. Strange because the importer still shows out of stock.

Iv tryed some 308 subbies on roos,under 50yds.Managed to stop a few shooting thru the back axel,they dont go far.Couple of shots thru the gut,shot just pencils and roos runs away to die,head shot a couple.Iv decides not use subs any more,iv still got half the packet in the safe.Id never use them on deer,i like a deer to drop on the spot.Not run for a few hours to die slowly.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

well you go ahead and use them......but dont come crying when you have shot through head and missed brain or brain stem and animal gets away..... yes in ideal world the shot will be right dead centre where you want it to be....... as a bush hunter first n foremost...I often DONT have the liberty of time to find rest or indeed ability to see deer if taking rest.....so shots arent always exactly in optimal position....cant off top of head think of last time a deer went more than 20 yards all the same,would have to be...3 years ago in open country and she went downhill towards me so was ok.... had that been in bush...not so easy to find.... Ive shot 20 animals I guess with subsonics 17 of them no issue at all.....the other 3 I wont repeat ,went back to using .223 and will continue to do so,its just so much more humain.
if you are using suppressor a load thats in between will still be very quiet but will have a lot more shock factor when it hits,will expand much better and give larger margin for error. something 1500-2000fps would be ideal....
but each to their own .

Valid points MD. My own use for a subsonic rifle is goats. Still want a humane kill which I hope to get with projectiles deigned to expand at subsonic speeds. If this doesn't work, I'll switch to supersonic rounds which in 300BLK have a similar energy to .223. I'll nearly went 45/70 which would have been a better bush gun, but noise levels put me off even in subsonic.

308 subs are great, I used them for a long time

talk to Robert on here about his 151gr cast hollow points and push them with trailboss
they will do everything a subsonic commercial load will do with a far lower price

iv got a 300blk now and subx commercial stuff is super convienient but no where near as quiet as my 165gr Nosler ballistic tip sub load.
mostly because they load it really close to the sound barrier(1050FPS) and it is in the transonic zone If you slow your loads down to 850 they are substantially quieter.
If you fire two shots in a row and find the second far quieter the issue is first round pop, which is the air in the suppressor flashing off and giving a pop on the first shot. the second shot has the benifit of all the oxygen in the suppressor burnt out and dosent suffer the same fate.

a slippery high BC pill like the nosler ballistic tip seems to have far less flight noise than the bull nosed projectiles too. Its just a shame that you can almost re use them after shooting as only the plastic tip breaks off when it hits something going that slow, IE zero expansion

there is a lot going on in the head of an animal, shooting it in the head is not good enough. when I was young I dropped a stag in a paddoc with my 308 150gr softpoint full house supersonic in the head, it regained consiousness and nearly killed me as I was about to cut its throat

having a chart that shows you helps and there are plenty out there for Pigs



I did chest shoot a running pig to stop it killing my elderly bird dog, I think I lucked out and got a Hilar zone shot, it was completly anchored and unable to stand but not dead.
very desperate times using a sub in those suituations but they can do the job just fine if you can put them in the right spot

If you cannot hit a 50c coin every shot at the range you are looking at hunting you need either more practice or to not shoot that far
accuraccy is everything, count on zero expansion and you will do fine

if you can get your load reeeeeallly quiet and you are hunting mobs of pigs and can do so without them seeing/smelling you, You will often get two pigs instead of one as the others see one fall and kick, wonder what is going on and walk over and give it a sniff.
only seems to work on the first one tho everything else scatters after the second one falls

with subx you dont really get this unless its really windy and I find shooting single straglers better as to not spook the group