If you shoot suppressed, you like the quieter experience that a silencer provides. Hearing-safe shooting is the main benefit to a can, right? One issue that may arise is that most common ammo isn’t designed to perform at subsonic levels. This means that even though your suppressor will help in containing the rapidly expanding gases propelling your bullet – and thus the flash and sound this creates – if and when that projectile breaks the sound barrier in flight, it will make a popping noise that is actually a tiny sonic boom. The quietest suppressed shooting typically requires the use of subsonic ammo. 300 Blackout was designed primarily intending to do just this, although supersonic .300BLK options like Barnaul‘s 145-grain loads do exist.

As you’d expect from a Russian-based steel-case ammo company, Barnaul does produce some good old 7.62×39.

By the term “subsonic rounds“, we refer to ammo with inherent ballistic characteristics which won’t allow your firearm to send that bullet flying fast enough to break the sound barrier. Keep the bullet flying slowly enough, and your can will help you shoot even quieter. A variety of factors play into this, like air temperature and barrel length, as well as your ammo choice. Our resident silencer expert, Editor-In-Chief Pete, has written some excellent articles helping inform you about all of this. Quite a few companies in the market manufacture some good subsonic ammo options. Barnaul Ammunition is one, and they recently released a new subsonic 9mm load for you to choose. With their US distribution partner, MKS Supply, Barnaul issued the following press release about this new ammo.

If you want regular supersonic 9mm instead, that’s an option as well.

Barnaul Introduces Subsonic 9mm Luger

January 2021, Dayton, OH – Barnaul, the world‘s leading manufacturer of precision steel-case ammunition, is now offering a new subsonic cartridge in 9mm Luger ideally suited for use with suppressors or for shooters competing in Minor Power Factor divisions.

The new Barnaul 9mm Subsonic ammunition follows the path of the manufacturer’s original Silver Sport line of Minor Power Factor ammo developed for IPSC competition but with a key change. The new ammo incorporates a slightly heavier 151-grain FMJ bullet versus the original 148-grain projectile. With an average muzzle velocity of 850 fps, the Barnaul 9mm Subsonic delivers a power factor of 128.35 from a 4.7-inch barrel, placing it just above the 125 PF minimum adopted by most shooting organizations for the minor power classes.

In addition to the new bullet weight, the Barnaul 9mm Subsonic continues with a bi-metal jacket and a steel cartridge case. To ensure consistent accuracy performance and no-fail cycling in the reduced power load, both the FMJ bullet and the case feature zinc coating for enhanced lubricity.

The Barnaul 9mm Subsonic will arrive on retail shelves by the end of March. Dealers are encouraged to contact their favorite wholesale distributor for purchasing.

Barnaul 9mm Luger (ZN FMJ151 SUB) Specifications

• Bullet: 151 grains, FMJ zinc coated
• Case: zinc coated steel
• Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .231
• Muzzle Velocity V₀ ft/sec: 850 (4.7-inch barrel)
• Muzzle Energy E₀ J ft/lb: 282
• Max Powder Pressure Bar (lb/inch²): 34,084
• Cartridge Max Length: 1.117 in
• Cartridge Average Weight: 211 gr
• Rounds per Box: 50
• Rounds per Case: 500 (25 boxes per case)

For more information on Barnaul steel-case ammunition in popular rifle and pistol calibers, visit barnaulammo.com.

Photos courtesy of Barnaul Ammunition.

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