However, there are also low-velocity subsonic loadings that produce less noise, due to the projectile being far slower than heavy-for-caliber loadings.

Same story for rifle ammunition and shotgun ammunition. 45 ACP and heavy-for-caliber 9mm ammunition still produces around 160 dB of noise when fired, which - if not wearing hearing protection - produces instant and irreversible hearing loss. 40 S&W loads, such as 147-grain 9mm or 180-gr. 45 ACP, with few exceptions, is almost exclusively subsonic. Anything faster is supersonic, anything at or around that speed is transonic, and anything below that velocity is subsonic.Īs it happens, a lot of handgun ammunition is in and of itself subsonic. Technically, any ammunition that achieves less than supersonic velocity is in and of itself subsonic, which is 1,126 ft per second. The word 'subsonic' is much like other things in the gun community where there's a technical meaning and then there's a colloquial meaning, and you had better know the difference between them or else you might get yourself in trouble. There's Subsonic Ammunition And Then There's Subsonic Ammunition But with that said, let's talk about what you can use it for and when subsonic ammunition is called for.

In fact, just because a round is subsonic doesn't mean it's all that quieter. This doesn't mean you can or should shoot it without ear protection, of course you should wear hearing protection at all times while shooting. Bear in mind that not all ammunition that is inherently subsonic is necessarily quiet, however. It has uses, many of which are practical beyond merely being quieter than a typical gunshot. However, subsonic ammunition, like a hollow point, is a tool with an intended purpose. As it happens, a heck of a lot of handgun ammunition is inherently subsonic, but that doesn't necessarily mean much! Subsonic Ammunition: What It Is, Why It's UsefulĪmmunition that's loaded so that the projectile travels under a certain velocity threshold is subsonic in that the bullet doesn't break the sound barrier.

9mm subsonic ammo