Recommendations for heavy-hitting subsonic ammo?

dbarale

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I have decided to start a new career as an international assassin...
Ok, not really. This will be for the specific purpose of dispatching sick or injured animals. Possums, racoons, coyotes, maybe a deer. The gun will be a suppressed Ruger 10/22. Anyone here does pest control or wildlife management and can share their experience?
 
Aguila SSS 60 grain is my go to for pest.
Great with a can and it hits like a ton of bricks. I don't think anyone else makes a heavier .22 lr bullet.
 
You will want a fast twist barrel for the Aguila SSS or it will keyhole. I think of it as a subsonic 5.56 - basically same weight and diameter. It tumbles in the target just like 5.56. Green Mountain makes barrels with a 1:9 twist that will stabilize the SSS. A 1:12 is fast enough to stabilize it but harder to find. According the ballistic calculators, a 1:11.25 is the optimum twist (I didn't run the numbers but found it on the internet so ...). My barrel is threaded and just waiting for mufflers (suppressors) to be free of bureaucratic control.
 
Dispatching from a distance? Or up close and personal on the side of the road?
 
If you are going subsonic and only subsonics in a 10/22 and want it to cycle reliably you can go with a Volquartsen Fire Fly bolt. It’s a lightweight drop-in kit that allows the a little 10/22 to cycle CCI Quiets which basically sounds like a pellet rifle which was actually louder than when the original bolt 10/22 did not cycle.

Personally at the distances you are speaking of I’d go with the SSS 60gr and just cycle the bolt myself. If you want to get fancy add a Green Mountain 1:9 barrel for $150 or so and cycle the bolt yourself. If you have money to burn, a real pest problem, want the 10/22 to cycle get real fancy and add the Fire Fly bolt for another $200.

Just remember as stated above SSS 60gr must have the 1:9 to stabilize reliably so no can with it unless you have the faster twist barrel or you risk baffle strikes. Also SSS 60gr is a dirty round with a good amount of unburied powder especially in 16.5” barrels so if you use a can it will likely need to be cleaned more often than other rimfire.
 
I don’t think I’d want to be putting down any animal with a rifle on the side of the road. Not sure that I’d want to finish a deer with a 22.

If you want to stay with 22, I’d go for that pistol version of the 10/22.

Better in my opinion would be a suppressed Rossi ranch hand in 38 special or 357 mag loaded with 158gr HP. Not a pistol you’ll carry IWB, but not bad for a truck gun IMO.

All of this assumes that you’re pretty well away from civilization, and if not then you need a bow or a machete.
 
It will be a rifle for improved accuracy, probably with a “cheap” red dot (micro dot maybe?). Visibility is not an issue here. The Aguila looks good but I will have to try it and see how it does in the Ruger ISB, which has a standard 22 twist rate I believe. Otherwise the Gemtech looks good. I also was pointed towards the M22 subsonic, I may try that too.
I would rather stay with something that will cycle properly in case a follow up is needed.

Thanks for all the answers.
 
Freedom Munitions makes 50gr 1025fps .22lr

That’s about as good as you’re gonna get
 
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