Want to shoot a suppressed rifle, but standard rifle loads are still packing too much velocity for your liking? Federal Subsonic target loads are now shipping across the U.S., helping shooters make the most of their new suppressors.Keep quiet @ TFB: POTD: Suppressed 300 BLK “Honey Badger” With Aimpoint Duty RDS MR The Rimfire Report: HUSH Holsters Suppressed MK IV Adapter Silencer Saturday #424: Out-of-this-world Strategic Sciences Silencers Suppressed .22LR Face Off: Ruger American Rimfire Vs. 10/22 Integrally SuppressedBasis science in actionIf you’re wondering why subsonic rifle rounds matter, remember that on high-powered loads, the bullet typically breaks the sound barrier at 1,125 fps. When that happens, you get the report of the cartridge itself, but you also get the noise of the bullet’s sonic boom. In other words, basic science means that, for your suppressor to be at its most effective, you want the bullet to be traveling at subsonic speed as it exits the barrel. That’s what these new Federal loads will do.Federal previously introduced new subsonic Fusion rounds at SHOT Show this past January. Those use more expensive bullets aimed at hunting performance; now, they’ve introduced target rounds that use hollow-point or soft-point bullets that are better-suited for punching paper. Down-loaded for performanceWhile the idea of slowing down your bullet for improved performance seems counterintuitive, if you’re looking to reduce your noise profile, that’s exactly what you have to do, says Josh Vickers, the product manager for Federal’s centerfire ammunition products:"Our team selected some of Federal's most trusted and reliable target bullet designs and loaded them to muzzle velocities of 1,000 feet-per-second. At just below the speed of sound, this eliminates the harsh supersonic crack of standard-velocity ammunition that suppressors can't silence without sacrificing the precision or performance shooters need. Our 45-70 Government, 308 Win., and 30-30 Win. and options are now shipping and are shooting great." All the new target subsonic loads fire at 1,000 fps. Pricing for the new subsonic .45-70 loads is $54.99 a box (with 300-grain target soft-point bullets). The .308 Win loads (firing a 205-grain target hollow-point bullet) are $47.99 a box; the .30-30 Win loads (with a 170-grain target soft-point projectile) are $36.99 a box. For more information on these and other subsonic loads, including muzzle energy charts and long-range ballistics, check out Federal’s website here.