It is no secret that military special forces need subsonic ammunition to carry out their clandestine and covert special operations. Subsonic Ammunition Is a Huge Help for Hunters Using pistols of this caliber with subsonic ammunition can be immensely useful for home defense, but hunters arguably have the greatest use for subsonic ammunition thanks to the ammunition's ability to reduce sound. The larger, heavier bullet weights provided the military with a powerful and reliable pistol that was in service for decades. 45 ACP has been touted as 'history's best handgun', and its 230 grain ammunition traveled at velocities which fell within the subsonic classification of ammo. While they are slower than standard bullets, heavier bullets can actually have greater stopping power because their retained energy carries more force.įor example, the famed M1911. Most subsonic ammunition strikes the right balance by using heavier bullets that retain the most energy possible while traveling at lower velocities. Despite this, owners of these firearms know they can pack a punch if needed. 45 ammunition, the loads are naturally subsonic. That said, don't assume that subsonic ammunition cannot be powerful. For starters, a slower round in general does less damage than higher velocity loads. If you are planning on using subsonic ammunition for home defense, it is important to understand the limitations of the ammunition. Using Subsonic Ammunition for Home Defense Fortunately, the ammunition is useful for everything from effective home defense to covert hunting. Of course, hunters and ammo enthusiasts care less about the science and more about why the ammunition is useful. Calculating whether a round is truly subsonic is a simple matter of following math formulas and scientific principles. Subsonic ammunition is officially rated as below 1,125 feet per second. Subsonic literally means 'below the speed of sound', so subsonic ammunition is designed to travel at a maximum speed that is less than the speed of sound. Subsonic ammunition's name gives away what subsonic ammo is designed to do. Why would a bullet be designed to travel below the speed of sound? This in-depth look into subsonic ammunition will explain all and demonstrate the unique uses for this type of ammunition. While the term 'faster than a speeding bullet' implies moving faster than the speed of sound, subsonic ammo is precisely engineered so the bullet can travel below the sound barrier. Superman's 'faster than a speeding bullet' nickname may have been impressive when 1950s audiences tuned in for the Adventures of Superman, but subsonic ammunition doesn't have sound barrier-breaking speed on the mind.

Subsonic amo