#Whisper

Recently, I came across a Norwegian suppressor manufacturing company called Hausken. By visiting their website you will find several suppressor offerings which mostly utilize a reflex design where the suppressor is partially telescoped over the barrel – pretty typical design for the European suppressors. At first, it doesn’t seem that there is anything interesting there in terms of the design of these cans. However, what caught my attention is the dimensions of the Hausken Whisper suppressor … it is huge!

Previously, we compared the Russian 9x39mm subsonic sniper round to its Western counterparts, including the .300 AAC Blackout and the .45 ACP. As it stands now, the 9x39mm is a subsonic round only – no supersonic loads exist for it currently. But… What if they did?

Today’s Modern Intermediate Calibers will handle something a little different. While virtually all rounds we have looked at so far were designed primarily for supersonic use, today we will be taking a gander at the Russian 9x39mm round – a dedicated suppressed caliber designed exclusively for the subsonic flight regime, with no supersonic option (yet) available. This begets a question, then: Is the 9x39mm truly an intermediate caliber? To answer this, we should consider a few facts about the 9×39: First, it was designed for carbines and rifles with cartridge overall lengths comparable to common intermediate calibers, like 5.56mm or 7.62×39. Second, it was designed to give substantially better performance than is possible with pistol rounds, including armor piercing effect above that which is normally possible with handgun rounds. Third, it is used more like an intermediate caliber than a pistol caliber, being issued with a whole host of sniper rifles, assault rifles, and other weapons comparable to any other intermediate caliber. Therefore, I would argue that it is an intermediate, albeit possibly the strangest one in common use.

Previously, we talked about the Soviet 7.62x39mm caliber, which was paired with the famous Kalashnikov automatic rifle. With its much heavier bullet, larger caliber, and lower velocity, the 7.62x39mm contrasts heavily with the US 5.56mm caliber, and US weapons manufacturers took note. The .300 AAC Blackout is in many ways similar to the 7.62x39mm caliber, being – like the 6.8 SPC – inspired by it, but designed to add new capabilities. The origin of the Blackout lies in the earlier .300 Whisper, a wildcat developed by JD Jones from the .221 Remington Fireball to fire both heavy subsonic projectiles and lighter supersonic rounds with ballistic characteristics similar to the 7.62x39mm, while being highly compatible with existing AR-15 type rifles. Versus the older Whisper, the Blackout is little changed, but its introduction, backed by the force of Advanced Armament Corp, Remington, Barnes, and other companies, made it virtually an overnight success on the US civilian market.

Wilson Combat continues its rapid expansion away from its 1911 roots, this time with another entry into the suppressor market. The new “Whisper” suppressor series is oriented for those who detest the weight on the front of their gun. Using “corrosion proof” titanium, Wilson Combat manages to get the Whisper down to 17.8 ounces (for reference, the lightweight SilencerCo Omega we reviewed is 14 ounces in direct thread configuration).

[ This post was written by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary. ]

In 2012 Hornady will be selling a line of .300 Whisper (compatible with .300 BLK AAC) ammunition. The subsonic load is a 208 gr A-MAX bullet that will achieve 1020 fps (480 ft/lbs, about the equivalent of a 9mm Luger+P load) at the muzzle of a 16″ barreled carbine. The supersonic load is a 110 gr V-MAX that achieves 2375 fps (1377 ft/lbs, about the same as a 5.56mm 62 gr SS109 load) at the muzzle. The ballistic gel comparison (below) of the two loads is interesting …

From B.B. Pelletier:

B.B. Pelletier reviews the Gamo Whisper, Gamo’s suppressed air rifle which I blogged about recently.

Game have a new line of spring powered airguns with integrated suppressors.