It does not function reliably with police automatic pistols. It overpenetrates in soft tissue and underpenetrates against bone and vehicles. Now, after 5 years of heavy street use, the problems with the 9mm subsonic are apparent. Thousands of police agencies adopted the 9mm subsonic as a duty load based on lab tests performed by a single agency, the same agency that claimed to have identified the stopping-power problem. Short answer, try a few different brands of 147gr ammo and get back to us with the failure details.When the 9mm, 147 grain subsonic hollowpoint was introduced in September 1987, it was hailed as the solution to a tough stopping-power problem. The other is a "short stroke" just not quite enough recoil to get the slide back far enough to pick up the next round (I've seen this in my reloads when trying to get a quiet as possible), this is very unlikely with factory ammo. Just a hair too much OAL that causes a slight bind in the magazine so the round is late getting in position to feed (seen this with my reloads that were fine in non-Glocks). The exact failure mode is the key, without more details we're just guessing.īasically is the problem ejection (stovepipe)? or closing on an empty chamber (or possibly a nose up jam)? The first I've not personally seen yet, the second I've see two causes. There are probably three aspects to 147gr ammo in the Glock (or any 9mm designed before it became popular). Then there is the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it when friends visit from states that don't allow suppressors. Trying to get "movie quiet" is really a side show, although it can be a lot of fun. 308 is far more pleasant for anyone within earshot than it is when shooting an unsuppressed. You have to buy something, so why wouldn't you choose the subsonic ammo for suppressed use?Ĭlick to expand.There is no more "legitimate situation" for shooting suppressed than the ear protection safety aspect of it - super or sub-sonic, period. Those interested in terminal performance of rifles typically still shoot supersonic ammo, but with pistols we have subsonic defensive ammo that is just as good as supersonic defensive ammo.Īll that to say, Subsonic ammo is readily available and typically doesn't cost much more than supersonic ammo (depending on the round). And as mentioned earlier, subsonic ammo makes the suppressor MUCH more effective at quieting the gun, usually to the point of the slide or bolt being louder than the gunshot itself, and it's simply more fun. In the civilian world we don't have to worry about logistical challenges (if we want something specific we just order it ourselves like everything else). And I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the "military way" is not always the best way (but I'm sure you are much more aware of that than I am). I also know of some integrally suppressed SMGs that bleed off pressure to reduce the velocity of standard issue ammo to subsonic velocities, so be aware that was likely happening too. It's a fun gun to shoot suppressed (.380 is subsonic in standard loadings as well) but it's having its fair share of teething issuesĬlick to expand.The military doesn't bother with subsonic ammo (for the most part) for a variety of reasons, among them being logistics and terminal performance of subsonic rifle ammo sucks. Depending on the gun it could take a bit of experimenting. If you do decide to suppress something a little out of the ordinary like a blowback, you'll likely want to do some modifications like stiffer springs or even having a groove machined into the chamber to slow extraction. You should NOT have to run different springs or parts to use a suppressor (if you're talking about a normal design like Glocks, Sigs, etc).įor availability, my local stores don't always carry 147gr 9mm apart from defensive ammo, but if you're willing to order and have it shipped it is readily available.45 ACP probably wins on the in-store availability though. I'd try different brands of 147 (you may have just gotten a bad lot of ammo) or look at the gun. I'm not sure why your Glock wouldn't cycle with them, but all of my 9mm guns cycle them fine. Standard pressure loads in 147gr are subsonic so that's what I'd look for.
Look at dB ratings for suppressors using subsonic ammo and that will give you the best idea if suppression is your main goal.