Thread: You told me so! (subsonic centrefire)

Not easy admitting you failed to take good advice, but here it is...

For a long time I was after a subsonic centrefire. Ended up with a Bergara BA13 in 300BLK. Lovely little rifle. Because I don't reload and have no interest in reloading, my plan was to use Hornady Sub-X rounds which are subsonic and designed for hunting, i.e. projectile designed to expand at subsonic speeds.

Initial disappointment came with the Sub-X rounds in that that they are louder than expected. Loud enough that I bought an extra two baffles for my DPT suppressor which got it under control. I don't think they are going supersonic as there is no crack as such, just a loud muzzle blast.

I wanted the rifle for very short range goat hunting in dense Northland bush. It's taken me a while to find a goat! In the meantime, I have shot a wallaby, rabbits and a turkey with the setup. While all died, the round cannot be described as devastating and I started to doubt effectiveness. Concerns about subsonic rounds have been brought up on the forum many times, but I was keen to proceed based on the fact that I believed the Sub-X projectiles to be appropriate for the job and that I'm shooting goats at very close range rather than big deer at longer distances.

Yesterday, after putting in some hard yards, I found a goat in the bush. It was about 10 metres away. Got a fairly clear broadside view and placed a classic shot behind the front leg. Bullet landed where I intended, but the response was not expected. The goat looked at me and continued about it's business. I placed a second shot mid-neck. It fell over, paralysed, but was very much alive. I had to finish the job with a knife. Not something I've done before or particularly enjoyed.

The entry/exit wounds on the chest were virtually non-existent, the bullet just pencilled through. The exit wound on the neck was more impressive. I suspect it was caused by the projectile breaking up on hitting bone. Having said that, I'm surprised there wasn't enough energy to make it a fatal shot.

Anyway, that's the end of my subsonic experiment. Hornady Sub-X rounds do not do what they say on the tin. I'm sure subsonics work well under some circumstances, but for quick shooting in dense bush, I would not recommend them. I'm sorry for the goat. I dispatched it as quickly as possible. That's not the way I usually do things.

Thanks for sharing. I myself love the idea of making subs ( have made a few ) but not actually thrown them at any goats as of yet. Definitely still keen to give it a go.

Don’t get into reloading...it’ll become an addiction!

Interesting .....I bought some of those sub x for my 3030 trying out different ammo before I go for a hunt. They were accurate enough but 6-7 inch drop from supers . Similar sound to a 22 mag. But after reading this I'm glad I have run with setup for supers

Originally Posted by scotty

Interesting .....I bought some of those sub x for my 3030 trying out different ammo before I go for a hunt. They were accurate enough but 6-7 inch drop from supers . Similar sound to a 22 mag. But after reading this I'm glad I have run with setup for supers
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Hey if you've got some that you don't think you'll use, I'll happily buy them of you.

Well...... They might be good for cats.......I Wil wait to see if there are any more horror storys , specifically on deer

I am no expert but I think the trick with subs is the heavier the pill and the bigger the caliber the better. I guy I know was using 308 subs with the same outcome as yours but apparently something like the 45/70 is quite devastating. I haven't shot anything with my subx except targets so I can't say from my own experience but I may have to give it a try. Just get the family to stick their fingers in their ears...lol

Did a boiler room shot on a wallaby and it was dead before it hit the ground. Maybe I just got lucky? Otherwise, I'm sure they would be fine for well placed head shots, but so would a 22LR.

Originally Posted by Ftx325

I am no expert but I think the trick with subs is the heavier the pill and the bigger the caliber the better. I guy I know was using 308 subs with the same outcome as yours but apparently something like the 45/70 is quite devastating. I haven't shot anything with my subx except targets so I can't say from my own experience but I may have to give it a try. Just get the family to stick their fingers in their ears...lol

I think you're right. Heard that so many times now, but big bore subsonics are so loud, you might as well use a supersonic round in smaller calibre. At the end of the day, you just can't beat physics!

I too have been thinking of working up some sub loads for 45cal. Then again, I don’t see enough animals yet to want to start trying new things...

Re the noise: my personal opinion is that DPT cans come with not enough baffles to do the job right from the get go. I have always had to buy 2 extra, but a mate recently bought 4 extra for his, and man that made a difference

the ability to add baffles so easily is certainly a plus for the DPT cans

I guess it's always a balance between sound suppression and weight/size. DPT on my Bergara is the mini-centrefire version, so even less volume than standard, but a handy little thing.

My experience with non-pistol calibre subs is that performance is 50/50. The next goat you shoot is likely to have devastating performance. The problem is a lack of 'consistent performance', and variability doesn't give you confidence.

At least with the bigger bore pistol calibres, you are relying on the larger bullet dia to do the work, rather than an expanding small calibre. Plus some of the home defence rounds are designed to expand massively at sub-sonic speeds.
Unfortunately I had my 1984 over barrel suppressed Marlin Camp 45 confiscated by the government because it was an evil gun of mass destruction. It was super quiet and hit like a sledge hammer to the back of the head.

@MB

Mate, I hate to say it, but you shouldn't be shooting goats behind the shoulder with .30 cal subsonics.

You have to shoot for CNS. Head, neck or high shoulder. That puts them down hard.

I would not give up. Maybe look at what @tikka is doing, re-visit some of his posts, some very good info in there. He's been super helpful with me asking questions.

FWIW, we're shooting goats with open sights at short bush ranges and knocking them over with Robert's cast lead projectiles. We'll get the odd one that quibbles about dying, but for the most part a neck shot destroys them.

Keep the faith bro, it's a question of building up your experience. The cynics? 90% of the time they haven't ever tried it, just regurgitating what they read on the interweb.

Mate used roberts 151s in subs from his 308. Inside 70m reckons they are great but still thinks for subs you need to go big Bertha cal. Does commercial pig/goat/deer work as well as rec hunting