Subsonic 9mm?

[Ben]

Do any of you guys shoot subsonic 9mm, most especially (and why else?) through a can? I was just ordering some more 9mm (SG Ammo has 1000 rounds of S&B for $240 right now) and saw that the 9mm subsonic was not that much more than supersonic. Unlike subsonic .300BLK, which is like 50% more than supersonic.

Anyways, I was kinda thinking of using my "free gun" points from my Cabelas card this year to get a dupe of either my Glock or Shadow Systems, except with a threaded barrel. I've never shot nor heard subsonic 9mm through a can, and was curious if this would be a worthwhile purchase. I already shoot .45acp through a can, and it is the quietest suppressed round I shoot.  Just wondering if it's worth doing 9mm if I'm already doing .45acp. Also the noise difference, because there is a huge difference between shooting my .300BLK and shooting my 5.56 guns with a can. I'm wondering if .45acp vs 9mm will be similar to .300BLK vs 5.56?

[dogmush]

Yes.

My suppressed 9mm PCC is stupid quiet with subs.  Like "the ding of 50yd steel is louder than the gun" quiet.

In comparison I found my 9mm pistols to be disappointing suppressor hosts. I hung my JK armament can of my P07, and while it works fine, the action opens early enough that there's still a pretty decent pop from the ejection port.  It's still loud enough to be uncomfortable without ears, even though it's probably strictly speaking "hearing safe".

It's on my list of projects to fabricate some kind of catch to hold the slide closed Ala' the XM-9 Hush Puppy.

[Ben]

In comparison I found my 9mm pistols to be disappointing suppressor hosts.

I was afraid of that. 

I might still get one with a threaded barrel just to have it, but otherwise will stick to shooting the FNX45 Tactical. That thing is crazy quiet, and I just use a Liberty Cosmic on it. My Canebrake with the titanium Sig762 is loud by comparison, and the Canebrake is "no ears needed".

[dogmush]

I'll try and get some video next time I have it out.

[Hawkmoon]

I don't have a suppressor, but on the advice of a retired police chief whose opinion I value I have settled on 147-grain for 9mm ammunition. Until you get into +P loads, pretty much all 147-grain ammo is subsonic.

[HankB]

I was afraid of that. 

I might still get one with a threaded barrel just to have it, but otherwise will stick to shooting the FNX45 Tactical. That thing is crazy quiet, and I just use a Liberty Cosmic on it. My Canebrake with the titanium Sig762 is loud by comparison, and the Canebrake is "no ears needed".

Hmmm.  I've been thinking about switching out my primary home defense gun (a .357 revolver) for something that I can easily mount a dot sight on - picking out even night sights in subdued lighting has gotten harder since I got bifocals. I was initially thinking 10mm, but subsonics in a suppressed firearm seem to have some virtues if I neglect to put on muffs. And if I'm doing something subsonic, a bigger bullet makes sense - hence the .45. And a 230 JHP at +/- 950 is nothing to sneer at.

I've got a couple of 1911s, but they don't lend themselves well to mounting a red/green dot sight. Or readily putting on a suppressor.

Which gets me to my point - how's that FNX45 doing for you? Reliability, trigger pull, etc. ? Any sensitivity to "limp wrist" malfunctions or ammo types?

[MechAg94]

For me, the FNX-45 is one of my most reliable hand guns.  I don't shoot it often, but I don't think I have ever had an issue emptying mags that have been loaded a while or when the pistol is full of dust/lint.  It is a big pistol in the hands and recoil is soft.  The overall weight is light even if the pistol is bulky.  IMO, they should try to make a compact version, but I doubt they will.
Mine has been one of my primary home defense pistols that I keep loaded and handy.  I like DA/SA triggers for any handgun that isn't always holstered. 

FN makes a striker fired 45 now, but I have not tried it or heard anything about it.  The 10mm version caught most of the publicity.

The S&M M&P 45 probably has an optics ready option, but I haven't looked.  Police trade in mags are cheap.  Mine is reliable, but the recoil is a lot snappier than a 45 acp handgun really should be.  It is far from unshootable, but just a warning on that. 

The HK 45 is a great shooting handgun, but I have no idea if they make an optics ready version.

[lee n. field]

Hmmm.  I've been thinking about switching out my primary home defense gun (a .357 revolver) for something that I can easily mount a dot sight on - picking out even night sights in subdued lighting has gotten harder since I got bifocals.

How usable is a red dot in low light conditions?

I was initially thinking 10mm, but subsonics in a suppressed firearm seem to have some virtues if I neglect to put on muffs. And if I'm doing something subsonic, a bigger bullet makes sense - hence the .45. And a 230 JHP at +/- 950 is nothing to sneer at.

I've got a couple of 1911s, but they don't lend themselves well to mounting a red/green dot sight. Or readily putting on a suppressor.

Which gets me to my point - how's that FNX45 doing for you? Reliability, trigger pull, etc. ? Any sensitivity to "limp wrist" malfunctions or ammo types?

[Ben]

Which gets me to my point - how's that FNX45 doing for you? Reliability, trigger pull, etc. ? Any sensitivity to "limp wrist" malfunctions or ammo types?

Everything Mech said, plus it was one of my first "Idaho guns" (after being restricted in CA) and one of the things that drew me to it is the manual of arms. You can keep it cocked and locked, so I found transitioning from 1911s to it was pretty darn easy. I was actually CCing it for a while, but yeah, it is a big gun.

While it continues to be my nightstand gun, and YMMV, I thought a nightstand gun with a can would be the bee's knees. Nope, not for me. The extra length of the can just makes it too unwieldy for me as a house gun. Not that I'll be room clearing, instead of making a stand behind cover with 911 on the phone, but practicing room clearing, it just didn't feel right to me. I actually find my .300BLK Canebrake with a can much more maneuverable in that situation.

I mean, there might be better can options than the Cosmic I'm currently using, like the modular cans, where you give up some suppression for a short can, and a modular can is next on my list to play with, but as of now, super, super fun to shoot on the range, but when I get home, the can comes off before it goes on the nightstand.

[dogmush]

How usable is a red dot in low light conditions?

Eminently usable.

I don't like auto adjust on my dots, so I adjust manually as I go (mostly because I go back and forth to NODS, and the auto adjusts are a little wonky, IME) or more often just run dark scenarios at whatever brightness it was on outside.

I have found that what seems "too" bright when running in darkened scenarios is just fine on people at pistol ranges, and it leaves the dot bright enough to still be visible if you hit your pistol light.  You get a little bloom, but not enough to even cover the A zone.

If you're running NODS and passive aiming you'll need to dim it down.