The full caliber index
Every cartridge below links straight to its own shelf. Counts change as loads come in and out of production, so treat the availability shown on each listing as the real answer.
Suppressor calibers, the ones built to be quiet
| Caliber | Bullet | Subsonic range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6 Blackout | .338 | 285gr to 342gr | the heaviest quiet hunting load in production |
| 300 Blackout | .308 | 190gr to 220gr | quiet performance from a standard AR-15 |
| Subsonic across calibers | mixed | see each load | everything we load below the sound barrier |
| 300 Blackout buckets | .308 | bulk packs | volume shooting at a lower cost per round |
Rifle calibers
| Caliber | Bullet | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| .223 Rem and 5.56 | .224 | practice, varmint, defensive carbine |
| .243 Win | .243 | light recoil deer and varmint |
| 6mm ARC | .243 | efficient long range from an AR-15 |
| 6.5 Grendel | .264 | AR-15 hunting and mid range |
| 6.5 Creedmoor | .264 | precision, hunting, long range |
| .260 Rem | .264 | the older Creedmoor alternative |
| .308 Win | .308 | the universal big game and match cartridge |
| .30-06 Springfield | .308 | heavy game, longer barrels |
| .30-30 Win | .308 | classic lever action woods rifle |
| .45-70 Govt | .458 | heavy, slow, close range authority |
Pistol calibers
| Caliber | Bullet | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 9mm | .355 | carry, training, the volume pistol round |
| .380 ACP | .355 | compact carry pistols |
| 9mm and .380 together | .355 | mixed pistol stock in one place |
| .45 ACP | .451 | heavy, naturally subsonic pistol round |
Loading your own? Our projectiles and brass shelves carry the components, including the solid copper .338 subsonic bullets used in our own 8.6 loads.
How to choose a caliber
Almost every caliber decision comes down to four questions, asked in this order.
1. Will you shoot it suppressed?
If quiet is the point, the caliber choice is nearly made for you. A suppressor removes muzzle blast but cannot remove the sonic crack of a supersonic bullet, so genuinely quiet shooting needs subsonic ammunition, and only a few cartridges have a deep factory subsonic range. 300 Blackout is the accessible one, running from a standard AR-15. 8.6 Blackout is the powerful one, carrying 700 to 840 ft lbs instead of roughly 500. Everything else suppresses, it just will not be silent with supersonic loads.
2. What platform do you already own?
An AR-15 lower accepts 300 Blackout, .223 and 5.56, 6mm ARC and 6.5 Grendel with a barrel swap. An AR-10 sized rifle is needed for .308, 6.5 Creedmoor and 8.6 Blackout. Bolt and lever rifles open up .30-06, .30-30 and .45-70. Buying a caliber your rifle cannot take means buying a rifle too, and that is usually the larger cost.
3. How far are you actually shooting?
Subsonic loads are woods cartridges. They are effective and quiet inside about 150 yards and then trajectory, not energy, ends the conversation: a subsonic load drops roughly 33 inches at 200 yards from a 100 yard zero. If your shots live past 300 yards, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 are the honest answers on this page.
4. What are you shooting at?
For paper and practice, buy the cheapest load that groups, which usually means .223 or 9mm by the bucket. For game, bullet construction matters more than caliber. A subsonic bullet has very little velocity available to drive expansion, so it must be a design built to open at 1,000 fps. Match and FMJ subsonics are excellent practice ammunition and poor hunting ammunition, whatever the grain weight says.
Matching ammunition to a suppressor
The rule is simple and there is one dangerous exception. A suppressor will safely handle any bullet equal to or smaller than its bore, so a .30 caliber can covers .308, 300 Blackout, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm ARC, 5.56 and .22 LR. It will not handle 8.6 Blackout, because that is a .338 bullet and it is larger than the bore. Firing 8.6 through a .30 caliber suppressor will wreck the can and can injure the shooter, so 8.6 needs a .338 rated suppressor. Our 300 Blackout suppressors and rifle suppressor pages cover threading, mounts and ratings in detail.
Shipping and compliance
We ship ammunition within the USA to lawful destinations only, and orders over $300 ship free. Ammunition law varies by state and by city, and it remains the buyer's responsibility to know the rules where they live. Full details are on our shipping and delivery page. For cartridge and pressure specifications, SAAMI remains the industry authority.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a caliber
Which caliber is the quietest suppressed?
Subsonic 300 Blackout and subsonic 8.6 Blackout, because both were designed around staying under the sound barrier. Between them, 300 Blackout is quieter and lighter, 8.6 Blackout hits considerably harder for the same amount of noise.
Can I shoot subsonic ammunition without a suppressor?
Yes, and it is noticeably quieter than supersonic ammunition even unsuppressed, because there is no sonic crack. It is still loud enough to need hearing protection. Semi automatic rifles may also need gas tuning to cycle subsonic loads reliably.
What caliber should I buy for deer?
Inside 150 yards and suppressed, an expanding subsonic 8.6 Blackout or 300 Blackout. At normal hunting distances unsuppressed, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor or .30-06. In thick cover with a lever gun, .30-30 or .45-70.
Do you load ammunition for every suppressor you sell?
Not yet, but the overlap is growing. We load .223 and 5.56, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm ARC, 300 Blackout and 8.6 Blackout, which covers the majority of the cans in our range. If a caliber you want is missing, it is worth checking back, since the list here expands regularly.
Is .223 the same as 5.56?
They share bullet diameter and case dimensions but not pressure. A 5.56 chamber safely fires .223, while firing 5.56 in a rifle marked .223 only can generate excess pressure. Check the barrel marking, not the magazine.
What does buying by the bucket save?
Our 150 round buckets bring the cost per round down meaningfully against 20 round boxes, which matters most for practice calibers like .223 and 300 Blackout. They also arrive in a sealed, stackable container that stores better than loose boxes.
Which calibers do you offer subsonic?
8.6 Blackout and 300 Blackout have the deepest subsonic ranges, and .45 ACP is naturally subsonic in standard loadings. Our subsonic ammunition shelf collects everything we load below the sound barrier in one place.