SHOT Show: New Remington Subsonic .22, 40 Grain Long Rifle

Remington subsonic 2022

U.S.A.-(AmmoLand.com)-– Interest in silencers/suppressors is growing at logarithmic rates in the United States. This correspondent was pleased to see Remington (now part of Vista Outdoors) has brought out a Long Rifle cartridge designed for use with suppressors.

They identify the round with a logo of a person holding what appears to be a pistol with a silencer attached, in the lower right corner.

The Remington representative at the SHOT Show booth was extremely knowledgeable about the .22 rimfire line and what had been done to make this particular round effective.

Nick Sachse, who has been with Remington for 30 years, was glad to talk with me. He has been with Remington through some difficult times. Nick provided information about the changes made to Remington .22 Long Rifle cartridges in general and this cartridge in particular.

More than a decade ago, Remington bulk .22 developed a reputation for misfires. I mentioned this to Nick. He was well aware of it. Remington changed the way they prime all rimfire cases based on what they found.

When a firing pin would hit the rim of the case, sometimes, some of the priming compounds would separate. Instead of being crushed in the rim, the compound would be pushed to the center of the shell, creating a misfire. To solve the problem, Remington changed the priming process so the priming compound covered the entire base of the cartridge case. When a firing pin hits the rim, there is no place for the priming compound to go, and it is crushed, initiating the correct ignition sequence.

Nick said it was long enough ago, he suspected all of the lots made prior to the change had already been fired. He said Remington has seen their consumer complaints for rimfire misfires dwindle to near zero since the change was implemented, several years ago.

Remington applied the new priming system to all of their rimfire cartridges.

Remington also changed the manufacturing of .22 LR cases, so the case would seal the breach longer, reducing “breech pop”; the noise of hot gasses escaping from the breach, particularly with semi-auto firearms. This technology was applied to all .22 LR lines.

A new, 40-grain bullet for the suppressor load, was designed to keep the optimum profile for feeding, with a hollowpoint to keep the round effective for hunting. The plating on the bullet has no lead exposure to the barrel or the interior of a suppressor. It is designed to minimize fouling of suppressors. It is designed for a muzzle velocity of 1050 fps.

The powder for the subsonic round is a special mix to burn as cleanly as possible in suppressed firearms.

Nick recalled the suggested retail price of a brick of 500 rounds to be $55.00. In the ammunition bubble we are in, it is hard to say how much will be asked for the cartridges when they hit the shelves.

A round designed for subsonic use in suppressors should be quieter, cleaner, and reliable.

The ammunition bubble will not last forever. Nothing does. Nick says the Remington ammunition plant is running as fast as it can, producing as much as they can.

When enough of the new round makes it onto the market for people to test, we will see how much of an improvement has been achieved.


About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

Dean Weingarten

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Bigfootbob

I bought my first can last Wednesday after many moons of thinking about it. I’m not fond of giving the Feds anything let alone $200 and a serious rectal exam. I finally capitulated and bit the pillow. I bought a really fun pistol the Tippmann M4 Micro Elite .22lr pistol. It begs to be suppressed. I used the Silencer Company’s kiosk at my local gun shop. They claim the wait times are reduced to 3 months! The only problem I had, is the ridges on my fingers that form the arches, loops and whorls are barely legible. The optic readers,… Read more »

Oldman

Let us know what you find out when using it in a non-suppressed rifle. 1060 fps sounds not too bad for a plinker/squirrel gun, IMO

Freedom1

Having purchased lots of Remington Subsonic LR 40gr when I purchased my S&W AR 10-22, I’ve also been plagued by misfires, sometimes 2-3 of 50. Has this problem been eliminated in the standard LR ammo? How well will the new suppressor-based rounds?

45crittergitter

so the case would seal the breach longer, reducing ‘breech pop'”

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