Choosing ammunition for a suppressed .22 LR firearm may sound simple: find the quietest load and use it.
In practice, quietness is only one part of the decision.
A useful suppressed load must also provide acceptable consistency, reliable operation, reasonable cleanliness, and enough performance for the shooter’s intended purpose. Price and availability may matter as well, especially for someone who shoots regularly.
After testing a selection of .22 LR ammunition through both a rifle and a pistol, Tom at Triumph Sporting Arms selected Federal Suppressor as his best overall choice.
It was not the fastest ammunition tested. It was not the quietest. It also did not produce the smallest velocity variation in every individual test.
Instead, Federal Suppressor provided the strongest overall balance of consistency, cleanliness, mild perceived report, and cost.
That distinction is important. The best ammunition in one category is not necessarily the best ammunition for everyday use.
Tom tested 15-round samples through two suppressed firearms:
The chronograph recorded average velocity, minimum and maximum velocity, standard deviation, and extreme spread.
Standard deviation and extreme spread are two ways of evaluating how consistently ammunition performs.
Standard deviation indicates how closely the individual shots grouped around the average velocity. A lower number generally means the ammunition produced more uniform results.
Extreme spread is the difference between the fastest and slowest shots in the group. A smaller spread indicates that the slowest and fastest rounds were closer together.
These measurements do not tell us everything about ammunition. They do not directly measure accuracy, reliability, cleanliness, sound, or terminal performance. They do, however, provide useful information about how uniformly each load performed.
Federal Suppressor uses a 45-grain bullet. It produced remarkably similar results from the rifle and pistol.
| Firearm | Average Velocity | Standard Deviation | Extreme Spread | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-inch rifle | 873 fps | 8.5 fps | 29 fps | 76 ft-lbs |
| 4.4-inch pistol | 879 fps | 8.5 fps | 34 fps | 76 ft-lbs |
The average velocity differed by only six feet per second between the two firearms.
That does not necessarily mean the shorter pistol barrel made the ammunition faster. A difference that small can occur through normal shot-to-shot variation. The more important finding is that Federal Suppressor delivered very similar average performance from both firearms.
Its standard deviation was also exactly 8.5 feet per second in both tests.
That degree of consistency across two very different firearms was one of Federal Suppressor’s strongest results.
Not in every individual category.
From the 18-inch rifle, Eley Match and Eley Bench Rest Outlaw produced even tighter velocity numbers.
| Ammunition | Rifle Average | Rifle Standard Deviation | Rifle Extreme Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eley Match | 1,101 fps | 5.1 fps | 17 fps |
| Eley Bench Rest Outlaw | 1,104 fps | 6.9 fps | 26 fps |
| Federal Suppressor | 873 fps | 8.5 fps | 29 fps |
If the comparison were based only on rifle velocity consistency, Eley Match would have been the statistical leader.
The results changed when the same ammunition was fired through the pistol.
Eley Match produced a standard deviation of 11.8 feet per second and an extreme spread of 52 feet per second from the Ruger Mark IV. Eley Bench Rest Outlaw produced a standard deviation of 16.3 feet per second and an extreme spread of 59 feet per second.
Federal Suppressor remained at an 8.5-foot-per-second standard deviation, with an extreme spread of 34 feet per second.
Federal therefore did not win every isolated measurement, but it produced highly consistent results from both firearms.
That is why it is more accurate to call Federal Suppressor the best overall choice from this test rather than claiming that it was the undisputed winner in every statistical category.
CCI Suppressor was another purpose-built suppressed load tested in both firearms.
From the rifle, CCI Suppressor averaged 982 feet per second. That was 109 feet per second faster than Federal Suppressor. From the pistol, however, it averaged 853 feet per second—26 feet per second slower than Federal.
Its velocity variation was also greater:
| Ammunition | Rifle Standard Deviation | Pistol Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Suppressor | 8.5 fps | 8.5 fps |
| CCI Suppressor | 19.4 fps | 12.7 fps |
CCI Suppressor produced a rifle extreme spread of 78 feet per second, compared with Federal’s 29 feet per second.
Both loads remained comfortably below typical supersonic velocities in these firearms, but Federal delivered considerably tighter chronograph results from the rifle and slightly tighter results from the pistol.
CCI Quiet produced the lowest velocities in the test:
Tom also found it to have the quietest perceived report.
However, it did not cycle the semiautomatic Ruger Mark IV used in the test.
That does not make CCI Quiet poor ammunition. It means the load serves a different purpose.
A very low-powered cartridge may be an excellent option for a manually operated rifle when minimal sound is the priority. The same cartridge may be less practical in a semiautomatic firearm if it does not generate enough energy to operate the action.
This illustrates why “quietest” and “best” are not interchangeable terms.
The quietest ammunition may not provide the reliability, consistency, energy, or firearm function that a particular shooter requires.
Tom also favored Federal Suppressor because of its copper-plated bullet and his observations regarding cleanliness.
Suppressors collect powder residue, bullet material, and other fouling during normal use. Some ammunition combinations appear to leave more residue than others. That can affect how frequently a firearm or suppressor needs to be inspected and cleaned.
Copper plating does not make ammunition maintenance-free, nor does it guarantee identical results in every suppressor. However, Tom considered Federal’s plated bullet and its performance during testing an advantage over loads that appeared to create more fouling.
This portion of the evaluation was based on practical observation rather than a laboratory measurement. It should therefore be understood as part of Tom’s overall shooting experience with the ammunition, not as a controlled scientific cleanliness ranking.
Tom found Federal Suppressor’s report mild and well suited to suppressed shooting.
No dependable phone application was available to measure the brief impulse of a gunshot accurately, so the test did not attempt to publish decibel readings. Sound impressions were based on what the shooter perceived during testing.
That means the results should not be interpreted as an objective sound-pressure comparison.
Ammunition velocity still matters because a bullet traveling faster than the local speed of sound can create a ballistic crack that the suppressor cannot eliminate. The suppressor reduces the sound produced by expanding gases at the muzzle, but it cannot remove the sound created by a supersonic projectile traveling through the air.
Federal Suppressor remained well below that threshold in both firearms used during this test.
Federal Suppressor did not dominate every category.
Eley Match produced tighter rifle velocity figures. CCI Quiet produced the mildest perceived report. Aguila Interceptor produced far more velocity and energy.
But those loads were solving different problems.
Federal Suppressor combined several useful qualities:
Taken together, those qualities made Federal Suppressor the strongest all-around choice in this particular test.
Someone shooting a manually operated rifle and seeking the lowest possible perceived sound may prefer CCI Quiet.
Someone seeking maximum velocity and energy may prefer Aguila Interceptor.
A shooter focused primarily on rifle velocity consistency may be more interested in Eley Match or Eley Bench Rest Outlaw.
For a shooter seeking a practical combination of consistency, cleanliness, sound, and cost for suppressed use, Federal Suppressor offered the best overall balance according to Tom’s testing.
That is the larger lesson from the comparison.
There is rarely one .22 LR load that is best for every firearm, every shooter, and every purpose. The right choice depends on the firearm being used and the performance the shooter wants from it.
Ammunition labels and published velocities are useful starting points. Actual testing through the firearm and suppressor you intend to use provides the information that matters most.
These results apply to the specific firearms, suppressor, ammunition samples, and testing conditions used. Results may vary with a different firearm, barrel length, suppressor, ammunition lot, temperature, elevation, or chronograph setup.
Perceived sound and cleanliness were practical observations and were not measured through calibrated laboratory testing. Chronograph results do not independently establish accuracy, reliability, terminal performance, or suitability for a particular purpose.
