getting a suppressor for my ar-15

[PTK]

Subsonic 223 or 5.56 ammo is a waste of money. It is marginally better than subsonic 22lr. Bullet weight and construction is a factor of course.

Wrong, wrong, WRONG.

I have direct experience with subsonic 36gr and 40gr 22lr, and direct experience with subsonic 45, 50, and 55gr .223.

BY FAR, the best of the lot is the 55gr .223 going ~975FPS, in terms of downrange impact on cute little squirrels.

My favorite load is 3.1gr of Clays with a 55gr Combined Technology ballistic tip "varmint bullet" going about 975FPS... may or may not be safe in your guns, not my problem if it isn't.

Subsonic .223 is FAR harder hitting (especially with the bullet selection!) than .22lr. FAR harder hitting.


Examples:

60 grain Aguila SSS at 700 fps is 65 ft-lbs
40 grain std vel at 1050 fps is 98 ft-lbs.

55 grain 223rem at 1050 fps is 134 ft-lbs
69 grain 223rem at 1050 fps is 168 ft-lbs
80 grain 223rem at 1050 fps is 195 ft-lbs

 

[Gunnerpalace]

Doesn't Zak (a mod here) make a 5.56 suppressor?

 

[ScottsGT]

Check out this guys silencers. I have his .22 silencer an shot one of his 9mm silencers. Both are just as quiet! He now has a .223 silencer on his SBR (12") AR and he tells me it is just as quiet.
http://www.innovativearms.com/

 

[HB]

Subsonic .223 is FAR harder hitting (especially with the bullet selection!) than .22lr. FAR harder hitting.

Very true, but is it worth the price

 

[jerkface11]

If you handload it's CHEAPER to shoot subsonic.

 

[PTK]

Exactly correct, and again, for a MINIMUM gain of 40 ft.lbs.... it's worth it. 40ft.lbs. more, plus a better bullet design. Gee, let's think.

 

[rob_s]

Does that bullet perform as designed though? Most rounds are designed to fragment/mushroom/deform/explode at a certain velocity. If you don't reach that velocity then you wind up with a same-diameter hole-punch.