45-70 whisper
45-70 case cut down to 1.6" with a Lehigh 465gr subsonic bullet.
Any body have any experience with this round.

If they make it easier to get a suppressor I plan to set up a single shot 45-70 for subs.

No, I've got a suppressed single shot .45-70, but I'm currently shooting super sonic. To be honest, I've begun to seriously question whether sub sonic is worth the effort for hunting; for that matter, whether it's even a good idea.

This 45-70 whisper would be a wildcat, for sure. IMO, the 45 caliber rifle bullets (.458") and even the 50 cal rifle bullets, would make an ideal subsonic round. They are both large diameter, and you can get super heavy bullets that are short and fat (400+ grains). These shorter, flat base bullets, with a lead hollow point or flat point, would make an ideal subsonic round. I've thought about building one and getting a 45 ACP suppressor for it. I think it's the best subsonic option. I don't know if you can get a 458 SOCOM subsonic to cycle or not in an AR-15 platform, but that would be freakin' awesome if you could.

Those big bullets moving slow will thump a lot of critters within their effective range subsonic or not. Or that a led bullet with a large meplat would be deadly. I have thought about loading subs for the 44 bolt and lever action rifles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEFpoVVAj5M

It's worth watching before you get too excited about subsonic projectiles.

^^^ That particular 500 grain bullet is a RN and looks like one of the dangerous game bullets. So expansion will be minimal. You need something with a larger exposed lead for some expansion.

Wouldn't a 45LC do just as well without having to cut down the brass. 452 vs 458 aint all that much.

This is the problem in a nutshell. Jacketed bullets are too tough and lead bullets can be problematic with suppressors. The question is this: is the trade off between sub and super worth it? After watching the confusion created by super sonic suppressed projectiles, I ultimately decided the super sonic crack wasn't that big a deal for my purposes. In actual practices, simply being suppressed is sufficient. That said, if you every find a source of reasonably priced jacketed .458 bullets that expand at 800 fps, please let me know. I'd be all over it.

If there is one out there I would bet Hawk makes it. Perhaps the 400gr hp pure lead core with a .025 copper jacket would work. Thing about Hawk bullets they are not cheap but they make some dang good bullets for the slow movers.

http://hawkbullets.com/masterList.html

The ubiquitous Remington 405 grain bullet supposedly has a soft jacket but a fairly hard core. The Speer 400 grain flat nose supposedly has a softer core and a harder jacket. It also has a very abrupt shape, so it must be seated very deeply in the case to chamber in many rifles with shallow chamber throats. The Speer is known to be very accurate in most rifles and both bullets have a reputation for excellent performance on game at modest velocities. I've gone with the Speer, but have yet to shoot any game with it. If I have any issues with the Speer, which is very unlikely given it was JD Jones' favorite bullet in the .45-70 Contender for "normal" game, I'll be sure to try a box or two of the Hawk 400 grain flat points. I haven't yet chronographed my current load, but the book indicates something between 1750 and 1800 fps.

As always with these things, there's no substitute for testing and actual experience on game.

Thanks everyone for the responses, they have definitely made me do some more thinking. I have been running some slow loads out of the 45-70 for a while and it seems it is the most efficient and pocket friendly way to lob the lead, just the apeal of the 45-70 whisper and something different has me thinking.

+1

I can recommend the Bowers .458 suppressor without reservation. The end result pretty much depends on how much powder you burn, but it's pretty slick, even with full power loads.

Exactly. I shoot the 300 blk out suppressed, and could easily hunt with a subsonic round. But I want max speed and energy, so I hunt with the full power ammo, the 125 grain bullets for good expansion and penetration. If you are hunting with a subsonic round and shoot a pig, 99% of the time that pig and all the other pigs around are going to take off running. The same happens with the super sonic ammo, so why shoot the subs? I have shot several deer suppressed with my full power blk out ammo, and the other deer around did not run off (or looked up for curiosity sake.)

Speer makes a 400 grain flat nose and Barnes has the original 400 grain flat nose that would work well as a subsonic round.