Re: Subsonic .223 ammo
I think that even subsonic rounds are more effective than a lot of people realize. My family owns a 4,000 + acre ranch here in Texas where I have been shooting since I could hold a gun on my own. Although there is privacy and open space, there have been a few people build homes on the outskirts of our land, which is the original reason I started looking at suppressors to begin with. I do a lot of night hunting (coyotes, bobcats, feral hogs, etc) using a POF P-308 with a Gen 3 PS22 night vision system, and simply didn't want to bother others if I was hunting on a part of our land close to their house.
Between my four suppressed rifles, the P-308 is my favorite as I can knock a full grown coyote <span style="font-style: italic">clean off its paws at 400+ yards no problem</span>(furthest I have tried suppressed at night.) I have yet to have a single issue with any subsonic ammunition being inadequate, whether it be .223, 6.8 or .308. I realize I'm not hunting elephants here, but anyone who has gone up against a pissed feral hog will tell you it's one of the toughest and meanest animals in this part of the country.
This brings up a valuable point, however! One that I personally have made numerous times with my suppressed .223. I don't go looking for feral hogs with subsonic ammunition, I go looking for coyotes, skunks and the like, I would preffer a 12 guage or my 50 Beowulf given the choice. But being that I AM USING A SUPPRESSED .223 INSTEAD OF A .22LR, I can have a magazine with normal ammo swapped out and on target in a second if needed, which is a good thing with a couple hundred pounds of ticked off pork bearing down on you.
Seeing as how I usually take the 308 out, I have much less experience with the subsonic .223 rounds. The experience I do have, however, is real hits and results and not just punching paper. I have only shot animals as big as a large coyote at ranges within 150 yards using subsonic .223 ammunition, so results will obviously be different if shooting a large buck or moose. I have over 20 coyote kills using <span style="text-decoration: underline">subsonic .223</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold">and have yet to have a single one keep going</span>. I also have countless skunks and other varmints with this ammo, only ones that got away were due to operator error (I missed).
So why use subsonic .223 over supersonic .223? It's simple, I can have a group of 4-5 coyotes I have called in - pitch black - and can usually take most of them before they even realize why their buddies are dropping around them. One shot with a normal .223 and it's off to the races. Same goes with the 6.8 and 308. I am also avoiding having someone call the cops on me if I happen to be shooting on the far outskirts of our land where a couple of trailer homes were dragged in about 1/2 mile off our fenceline (and no I don't shoot in their direction.)
Seeing a coyote hit solid by a subsonic .223 gives a much clearer picture of the rounds downrange performance than punching a hole in a target. Seeing the coyote spin off its feet or go rolling in a cloud of dust makes it pretty clear that this is still a deadly and effective round even at the reduced velocity.
Sorry for the short novel I just wrote, I simply wanted to share my personal experience with subsonic .223 in actual use against actual targets. This experince is how I formed my opinions concerning subsonic .223 loads, and the opinion I have formed is that there are a lot of excellent uses for this load and this rifle, versatility being one of the strongest points. I also believe the majority of people out there educated on the issue probably agree, which is why there are more .223 suppressor owners today than ever before.
