Looking for a Subsonic Carbine for pest control
- Thread starter SkydiverChris
- Start date
I've been pretty happy with my Rossi R92 in 38/357.
My only ##### is the twist rate is a bit slow, which limits it to 158gr subsonics.
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
No, but I had some in my lab so I had to try. The worst thing to do with gel is hit it with a varmint bullets at high speed. Pollutes so much of it. It's reusable, but much less so when you make lead clouds in it. The 158's at 1025-1050 ish just poked a super long hole. I was shocked that I need a few blocks to catch one. Took a couple tries.
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
We did some gopher shooting on a ranch one time with a lever gun using 38 special cast low velocity rounds. Super fun trying to bracket them in at 150 or 200 yd. We managed to get one that afternoon with probably a whole box of shells. Don't think the neighbours even heard us though.
Big Bad
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
There's a large variety of excellent subsonic .22 LR ammo available to do that sort of job, notably in hollow points and speaking of human shooting, if the animal doesn't die immediately but is thrashing around you just shoot it again.
Always a good rule when human shooting...
R.
Guys, you're way over complicating things. Get a Savage 17 HMR and be done. The last thing you want is a 158gr or more low velocity slug ricocheting around. Critters rarely present in the perfect spot, and I'd rather have a fast moving 17gr bullet that is most likely going to fragment rather than ricochet. I shoot varmints in my yard and I'm very specific about what I pick for the job, and never is it a bullet over 39 grains.
They all make noise bud. No way around it. I agree with the 22lr choice. You need a bigger bang for heavier projectiles. Bigger bang bigger noise. No way to alter this, if you could do it practically you’d be a rich person for sure. So I would suggest use a good 22lr round and don’t miss. Good luck…..
.22 rimfire. If you can not make a humane kill with a .22 LR at 100 feet, it is on you, not the hardware. The toughest animal you list is the raccoon. In the years we fur hunted we killed over 1,000 coon with a Remington Nylon 66 four power scope, a flashlight at night.
If you are looking to justify a new gun to your wife, fine, but use the .22 for those varmints.
Get yourself a Ruger Ranch rifle in 7.62x39 and put a low power scope on it. Subsonic ammo is available and has similar energy to a 45 ACP. Bullet drop is significant (mine drops 16 inches at 60 yards compared to a standard round) but terminal energy is surprisingly good. If you want to go with a full power round for deer, those are readily available and useful to 200 yards or so.
I bought a Ruger Ranch in 300BLK cuz I wanted to be a special ops wiz.
I loaded carefully and used a variety of heavy-ass slugs.
I managed a few loads that were right in the sweet spot between 950 and 1000fps.
They were all WAY TOO loud!
in this country, we are not allowed to optimize larger bore subs.
Plus, larger diameter slugs, moving slowly, do not expand, but they do ricochet.
Just MO,
A .22LR using shorts or "Quiets" excels at this tasking.
Out to 100ft, which is only 30 yards, u can put the eye out of a mouse with any decent optic 8x or higher.
Head shots on raccoons, feral cats, and other pesky chicken thieves are quite ethical although IDGAF about feral cats.
I live in a similar scenario and even tho my neighbours all say they dont mind the shooting at all, this is my go to setup for the ranges you describe.
Just know that the slower a 22 slug goes, the less likely it is to frag so watch your backdrops.
I loaded carefully and used a variety of heavy-ass slugs.
I managed a few loads that were right in the sweet spot between 950 and 1000fps.
They were all WAY TOO loud!
in this country, we are not allowed to optimize larger bore subs.
Plus, larger diameter slugs, moving slowly, do not expand, but they do ricochet.
Just MO,
A .22LR using shorts or "Quiets" excels at this tasking.
Out to 100ft, which is only 30 yards, u can put the eye out of a mouse with any decent optic 8x or higher.
Head shots on raccoons, feral cats, and other pesky chicken thieves are quite ethical although IDGAF about feral cats.
I live in a similar scenario and even tho my neighbours all say they dont mind the shooting at all, this is my go to setup for the ranges you describe.
Just know that the slower a 22 slug goes, the less likely it is to frag so watch your backdrops.
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And most groundhogs I shot with the 17HMR didn't just drop and die, most were -150 yards and most of those body shots. You don't always get perfectly good/clear views when hunting them in the summer. You might literally see their side and not their head.
I can't think of one I hit with the 22WMR that did anything BUT drop, and some ate it hard. Like the HMR, you take the best shot presented to you, any centre-mass aim/hit and you were gtg.
Break-action single shots are ideal quad/truck guns for this application, IMO. Mechanically really simple and robust, and the length is quite short because there's no magazine/feed/action. Light, handy, and robust. The Rossi LWC looks really interesting to me, and you can get it in 38/357, 44, or 300 blackout.
There's also the CVA Scout, or look at the used market for a handi-rifle, or a contender/encore carbine, or similar.
My favorite cartridge for this application would be a Hornet, but they're not so common. Still, they're relatively quiet, and if you're a reloader, it can be cheaper than the fancy rimfires like HMR or VMAX WMR loads.
There's also the CVA Scout, or look at the used market for a handi-rifle, or a contender/encore carbine, or similar.
My favorite cartridge for this application would be a Hornet, but they're not so common. Still, they're relatively quiet, and if you're a reloader, it can be cheaper than the fancy rimfires like HMR or VMAX WMR loads.
Hah, let me introduce you to my 500 S&W handi..... 700 grain cast, subsonic. It'll do the business
And a 330 grainer over trail boss at about 600fps is really fun too - super quiet, low recoil but enough to let you know that there's some real physics happening still, and a good meaty thwack on impact...
And a 330 grainer over trail boss at about 600fps is really fun too - super quiet, low recoil but enough to let you know that there's some real physics happening still, and a good meaty thwack on impact...
hello everyone , the main goal he is looking for a quiet tool to do the job.
17HMR around 2500f/s is very loud no way around
22WMR even if you can find slow rounds, still louder than 22lr for little difference.
All the mentions of any projectiles over 1400f/s wil have a sonic crack, that is a constant. People can suggest all kinds of things but the facts are that higher velocity rounds are too loud for the job.
If quite is the goal, only one option. 22lr and right ammo. All other suggestions are not going to achieve the goal. I have some experience with platforms with suppressors such as MP5s with subs and is still too loud. The don’t get any quieter than that. Just an example, I know the classification. I used them for work years ago.
Good luck get a good 22lr like a CZ and you won’t be unhappy.
Cheers
17HMR around 2500f/s is very loud no way around
22WMR even if you can find slow rounds, still louder than 22lr for little difference.
All the mentions of any projectiles over 1400f/s wil have a sonic crack, that is a constant. People can suggest all kinds of things but the facts are that higher velocity rounds are too loud for the job.
If quite is the goal, only one option. 22lr and right ammo. All other suggestions are not going to achieve the goal. I have some experience with platforms with suppressors such as MP5s with subs and is still too loud. The don’t get any quieter than that. Just an example, I know the classification. I used them for work years ago.
Good luck get a good 22lr like a CZ and you won’t be unhappy.
Cheers
