Thread: Quiet effective sub caliber for hunting, is there such a thing?

I just read the whole thread , and pretty much most of the advices have been pretty good if I relate to my experiences ( I shot probably more than 50 animals with 308 subs, cast and jacketed projectiles, 300 black, 44 special/ mag, 450 bushmaster,458 socom …and in the middle of testing maker bullet in 300 black and soon 8.6 black with peregrine projectiles ( I am waiting for quality brass to turn up )).

I am not sure what environment you are shooting in, but also be aware of ricochets. Those subsonic projectiles have a tendency to go through an animal and still bounce out of hard surfaces behind and carry on with a loud wizzzing noise to god knows where.
It is just that when I hear people saying they are buying a 300 black to be able to shoot stuff of their lifestyle block and not been heard of their neighbours, I always ask them how far is the nearest neighbours and if they had considered the ricochets issues and their consequences?

For what you intend to do,( shooting at 50 m ish, no reloading ….et c), 300 black sub x is the bottom limit , and 44mg ( bergara single shot or marlin lever action?) probably the upper cal you want to go with. And like bowhunting, you would have to pick your shot , on an animal which is not in alert , that has seen or heard you. That is, if you want it to die quick without running away too far. As soon as that animal has detected you and has Adrenaline flowing before you shoot it, you can expect a doubling or tripling of the running distance unless you shoot in the spine or in the central nervous system.

Any bigger than 44 special starts to to be very loud, at least in the factory offering, and anything smaller than 300 is not as effective at killing unless you are spot on with your shots.
The best thing would be for you to find a reloading buddy who can help you make ammunition that will perform better than the factory offerings.