SSS.6.109 - Research Supplement: The Quietest 300 BLK Subsonic Ammunition: Discreet Ballistics vs. S&B with the Rugged Razor762 (Article Preview)
/The Rugged Razor with Discreet Ballistics and S&B Subsonic 300 BLK Ammunition
The Rugged Razor762 30 caliber centerfire rifle silencer is evaluated with two types of subsonic 300 BLK ammunition in this members-only Research Supplement to examine its relative First Round Pop (FRP) and overall sound signature suppression performance characteristics. Performance of the Razor762 with Discreet Ballistics 300 BLK 190gr Target ammunition is compared to that with S&B 300 BLK 200gr ammunition. Impacts to the PEW Science Suppression Rating (Figure 1) on the standard 8-inch barrel 300 BLK bolt action platform are investigated. Suppression Rating Rankings for other silencers can be found in Section 7 of the Standard.
Fig 1. PEW Science Suppression Rating Scale
Typically, subsonic 300 BLK suppressed weapon systems are employed to maximize low signature lethality in a given size envelope. Test data and analysis for the below rifle silencers on the standard 8-inch barrel bolt action platform have been published by PEW Science, to date:
All 19 of the above silencer configurations were tested with Discreet Ballistics 300 BLK 190gr Target ammunition to provide standardized performance metrics for analysis. The Discreet Ballistics cartridge is a specialized load chosen by PEW Science for testing due to its relatively consistent combustion characteristics, when compared to some other commercial ammunition on the market. The overall sound suppression performance summary of the above 19 configurations, with this cartridge, is shown below in Figure 2.
Fig 2. Suppression Rating Comparisons Of .30 Rifle Silencers Using PEW-SOFT 300 BLK Subsonic Test Data
While the Discreet Ballistics 300 BLK cartridge loading provides consistent combustion characteristics for testing purposes, it is not as widely available as some other commercial subsonic 300 BLK offerings on the current market. PEW Science acknowledges that a user may choose to use other subsonic 300 BLK ammunition, with potentially unknown performance attributes. In an effort to illustrate potential suppressed weapon system performance differential when using differing brands of ammunition, this article examines a very popular commercial loading; the S&B 200gr 300 BLK commercial cartridge. Its performance is compared with that of the Discreet Ballistics cartridge. Both measured unsuppressed and suppressed signature waveforms are compared, along with in-depth suppressed signature characteristics for the shooter and bystanders. The Rugged Razor762 is used in this comparison as internal PEW Science R&D data was collected with the silencer, with both ammunition types.
This research supplement is intended to provide more information to PEW Science members with regard to the specific sound signature characteristics of multiples types of subsonic 300 BLK ammunition. This supplement is part of ongoing PEW Science small arm weapon system sound signature research.
The full version of this article is only available to members. You can support PEW Science testing, research, and development with a membership, here. State-of-the-art firearm sound signature testing and research conducted by PEW Science is supported by readers like you. Thank you for your support!
