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

@tikka is the man to talk to.

IMO he’s the guy on this forum that has the best credentials to advise on subsonic use having used them so extensively on deer and goats. Drop him a private message and ask a few questions otherwise he might not see this thread.

FWIW I’ve used a whole bunch of different subsonic projectiles in different calibers on pigs, goats, deer. The larger the hole in the end of the suppressor the bigger the bang. The .44 Rem Mag (pistol round) is noticeably louder than a .308 Win, both shooting the same amount of Trail Boss.

I’ve shot quite a lot of animals (mostly goats) with .308 Win subs with Robert’s 151gr cast HPs, but that’s obviously a self loaded round which isn’t an option for the OP. The round’s effective range is constrained by the terrible trajectory, you must use either a ballistic reticle or preferably dial for even relatively short range shots (say 80m+) because you’re going to need to headshoot to put the animal down, plus you’ll need to be prone or sitting with a tripod / long bipod.

Subsonic is a useful tool but very tightly constrained by projectile ballistics and expansion. @tikka’s fast twist .300 with the LeHigh bullets are by far & away the best performing option, but that’s custom and not off the shelf.