Thread: Quiet effective sub caliber for hunting, is there such a thing?

I've been thinking about the idea of a nice quiet sub gun for hunting for a while now for a number of reasons and have done lots of reading on here etc about the different options but have no experience whatsoever with subs in a centerline.
All shots will be inside 50 meters obviously which most of my hunting usually is and I currently use a 223 so placement is already considered.
I don't reload and won't be starting.

The more I've read the less viable it seems as I don't reload there is only a handful of calibres that shops stock subsonic rounds for. 308 being the most common but it seems penetration can be an issue with subs and expansion even more so, especially with factory offerings.
The other option would be 45-70, already a big hole so expansion isn't as much an issue and a 400 grain round should have better penetration. But all the videos I've seen on YouTube even with a suppressor the 45-70 is still loud , hard to tell from a video but seems not much more quiet than the 223.

So those of you with some sub experience is there actually a viable subsonic calibre that is still quiet and ammunition that is commercially available?

I keep coming back round to the opinion that to get what I want a good crossbow might actually be the best option.

Something built around this factory cartridge offering (9mm 147 gn sub https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...heecfYkaAhsIrF ) would be cool as and infinitely more practical than a crossbow.

“There is no replacement for displacement.”

Said the man getting dragged home from the bar by something that carries a mix of amazonian and doughnut genes...

Originally Posted by Bradp

So those of you with some sub experience is there actually a viable subsonic calibre that is still quiet and ammunition that is commercially available?

Not really. If you're disciplined and have the opportunity to take well placed head/neck shots, then yes I suppose, otherwise no. I tried subsonic 300BLK (identical to subsonic .308 ballistics) and the factory ammunition offerings are unimpressive, or at least highly variable in performance. Penetration wasn't the problem, expansion was an issue. I also had quite a few rounds going supersonic, so the worst of all worlds. Like you, I thought about a subsonic larger calibre (e.g. 45/70), but they are loud even when suppressed.

It didn't end too badly for me. I resigned myself to using supersonic 300BLK ammunition in my Bergara single shot with a large suppressor. It's a short, relatively quiet rifle that is handy in the bush.

450 bushmaster.

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Youll need to handload get get the best out of a sub centerfire. How about a suppressed 12g using slugs?

308 with 190g projectiles and around 10g of trailboss

Sub fifty yards yeah crossbow just as viable but you loose option of a full noise load if it turns pearshaped

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

308 with 190g projectiles and around 10g of trailboss

What that man said. I use 6gn of ICI Nobel Shotgun Powder No 78, very very close to Red Dot and AS30N. 960fps for 204 gn Cast HP and 1000fps for 180gn Cast FP. The HP bang-flopped a large old fallow stag at 37m, shoulder shot, no exit wound. Didn't kill him outright, he could still raise his head to look at me so a mercy shot required but he could not move. Very similar to using 300BLK at a fraction of the gear cost for me. I've bought some HDY Sub-X to try, have not get there yet. Confident with cast to 100m, very very quiet. Cough, cough...

The OP:

Originally Posted by Bradp

I don't reload and won't be starting.

.222/.223


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Originally Posted by MB

The OP:

Ahhh yes missed that bit, silly me lol

338 federal

What do you call loud? Ive got a 45 70 suppressed and its bloody quiet if you ask me, definitely quieter than a 223 as no crack