For those lucky enough to experience them, suppressed firearms are an extremely enjoyable experience. For the .22 Long Rifle, it always generates a few giggles when suppressed. There is a wide selection of subsonic .22 available on the market. However, Aguila developed a subsonic lineup that distinguished them from their competitors.
Aguila offers a diverse array of subsonic ammunition in a variety of bullet weights and velocities. Aguila produces the .22 Subsonic Solid Point, a 40-grain lead projectile cruising at 1,025 fps. The Subsonic Solid Point is somewhat traditional compared to the rest of their selection. Aguila’s .22 Sniper Subsonic is a beefy 60-grain solid lead projectile adorning a .22 Short. The round has a surprisingly high advertised velocity of 950 fps. Regardless of what your doubts may be, it delivers. The next two cartridges from Aguila, their Colibri lineup are interesting, to say the least. Aguila’s Colibri series is topped with a 20-grain pointed lead bullet. The Super Colibri is advertised at 590 fps while the Colibri cruises at 420 fps. The bullet and accompanying velocity are reminiscent of shooting a pellet rifle.
This cartridge lineup is extremely fun to shoot. The Colibri’s low velocity is eerily quiet, while the unique design of the Sniper Subsonic delivers an unexpected punch for a .22 Long Rifle. These cartridges don’t come without their quirks. Before you go to the range, varmint hunt, or do pest eradication, it’s good to know the unique behaviors of these cartridges.
Advertised Versus Actual Performance
If you didn’t already know, the advertised velocities for most cartridges are rarely achieved at home. A multitude of factors come into play with barrel length being one of the biggest factors. To achieve the best possible velocities, I obtained chronograph readings using a Ruger 77/22 with a 24-inch barrel.
A Ruger 22/45 Lite pistol equipped with a YHM Mite suppressor provided some pistol data. On average, velocity dropped nearly 20% across the board. For a reference sample, I included CCI Standard Velocity ammunition, a 40-grain lead round nose projectile advertised at 1,030 fps (also just below the supersonic threshold).
I obtained an average velocity with three shot strings from each cartridge. While most of the cartridges remained consistent, the Colibri was very erratic. The highest velocity was 421 fps out of the pistol with the lowest at 169 fps out of the rifle. This made for some interesting and messy groups with the Colibri ammunition.
Trajectory
Rifle groups shot through the chronograph remained relatively tight except for the Colibri and Super Colibri cartridges. CCI, Subsonic Solid Point, and Sniper Subsonic gave decent groups at 25 yards. The Super Colibri, even at 25 yards, had issues with stabilizing and held about a three-inch group. The Colibri grouped like a shotgun pattern. Few of the Colibri’s arrived anywhere on the target. The ones that landed were just as errant as the Super Colibri.
The Colibri’s poor performance is due to their low velocity and lighter weight. The twist rate on most .22s won’t stabilize that cartridge’s ballistics. A faster twist rate could resolve this issue. However, the wide velocity spread from the Colibri cartridges wouldn’t get any relief from their large groupings, even with a faster twist rate. Their slow velocity makes for quite the trajectory, even at distances inside 50 yards. For example, the Colibri drops approximately two feet at 50 yards if traveling at its advertised velocity.
Reliability with Aguila
One of the biggest issues experienced when shooting subsonic .22 Long Rifle ammunition is reliability in semi-automatic platforms. While results may vary depending on your semi-automatic .22 platform, my experience across a range of .22 semi-autos has been relatively reliable for the CCI Standard Velocity, as well as the Aguila Subsonic Solid Point. Surprisingly, the hefty weight and high velocity of the Sniper Subsonic have run reliably in my Ruger 10/22 Takedown, Ruger 22/45 Lite, and Browning Buckmark Rifle.
The Super Colibri and Colibri cartridges do not run reliably on semi-automatic platforms. Furthermore, even in a bolt action platform, the Colibri cartridges tend to “nose down” in the magazine and can fail to feed from the magazine. This is particularly problematic in 10/22 rotary-style magazines. These cartridges are fun but have patience. The Colibri series in a magazine-fed firearm will malfunction.
Aguila Suppressed Performance
All of these cartridges measured subsonic speeds on the chronograph. However, the report varied significantly. When ran through a suppressed Ruger 10/22, the report was noticeably different between two groups: Colibri series versus CCI, Subsonic Solid Point, and Sniper Subsonic. The Colibri series, suppressed and unsuppressed, is exceptionally quiet. The bullet impacting steel, while anemic, is entertaining. The impact far outweighs the noise of the shot, much less the striker hitting the primer. During filming, a cartridge ricocheted off the backstop. To my surprise, the ricochet was significantly louder than the gun. From my experience, I was able to determine the Colibri series is more likely to ricochet than other .22 offerings. I highly recommend taking precautions to minimize this risk.
The Aguila Sniper Subsonic has an interesting report and is noticeably more violent when on the trigger. Aguila seems to have packed as much powder as possible into the .22 Short case to propel the massive 60-grain bullet at around 900 fps. When suppressed, this cartridge makes a satisfying thud on steel. The Sniper Subsonic’s report is audibly different from any of the other subsonic cartridges.
Terminal Performance of Aguila Subsonic Ammo
Shot placement is paramount with a .22 Long Rifle. The .22 has limited performance – even on small game. I unequivocally recommend against the Colibri series for varmints or small game. The Colibri was inaccurate with erratic velocity and poor magazine feeding. This doesn’t inspire confidence in a humane kill. I used Super Colibri one time to eradicate a squirrel pilfering our chicken feeder. I ended up running after the squirrel while swapping magazines for Aguila Sniper Subsonic to end its suffering. The Super Colibri from 10 yards hit its mark but didn’t have the energy for a quick and humane kill. On the other hand, the Sniper Subsonic has done the job on several squirrels and a raccoon in our chicken coop. Accordingly, the Colibri and Super Colibri are relegated to the range.
Aguila’s lineup of subsonic cartridges is unique in its own right. These offerings will enhance an enjoyable day on the range if you understand their limitations and individual quirks. The fun of the eerily absent report of the Colibri cartridge, coupled with the satisfying thud of the Sniper Subsonic, makes for an entertaining exhibition for those accompanying you to the range. Aguila’s subsonic series of cartridges are impressive examples of just how quiet a .22 can be when suppressed. Ultimately, the Subsonic Solid Point is the most traditional and reliable offering from Aguila. This reliability makes shooting suppressed semi-autos less frustrating than the Colibri cartridges. Ultimately, I highly recommend buying at least a box of each and mixing and matching them in a magazine. You will be entertained.
