Does the Speer TMJ ammo have exposed lead base?  I’m assuming no and leaning towards it for that reason.  

Seems about $300/case is the going rate for subsonic 9mm from target sports and sgammo, Any better sources/prices for a few cases?

Don't know, but why? Don't think there would be any significant fouling from that.

Worried about lead dust? I thought most of that came out of the muzzle.

That ammo transonic to goes supersonic out of almost all my 9mm pistols & pistol caliber sbrs.

Good ammo but definitely not my go to for quiet.

Quietest I have found is the 165gr Hush FMJ. Not sure if it has a lead base or not.

TMJ bullets are a plated bullet, with a jacket thickness of that of a conventional bullet.  The bullet is totally encapsulated.  
They are not like the thin plating on Berrys bullet.

Straight from the horse's website
Unlike conventional FMJ bullets that leave lead exposed at the base, Speer® TMJ® uses Uni-Cor® technology to completely encase the lead core in a seamless jacket. It’s cleaner, more accurate and more consistent than any FMJ.

   Uni-Cor technology completely encases the lead core in a seamless jacket
   Design eliminates the accuracy-robbing features of conventional full metal jacket bullets
   Reduces fouling and airborne lead
   Consistent bullet diameters and a uniform heel

Based on your ears?  Have you measured the velocity?  

I picked it only because the spec is 985fps rather than The Federal subsonic which says 1000fps.  All things being equal slower is quieter, but they could be using different powders which can be a huge difference is noise.  

The no exposed lead is a bonus to me because all my silencers minus rimfire are welded.  I’ve read exposed bases can leave lead in silencers.  Don’t know if that’s true but I’ve always avoided exposed lead base ammo if the cost is the same.  

I’m open to alternatives if anybody has suggestions, just looking for a few cases of subsonic ammo!  

AAC subsonic is out of stock.  I used to use freedom all the time years ago, got a bad batch one time and they replaced it….  I know they closed up shop, got bought, and are back now, is their ammo any good these days?  

I use Speer Lawman 147 gr TMJ through my CZ Scorpion.  It’s nice and quiet for me.  It stays subsonic through my 7.8 inch barrel.

I love shooting Syntech 150 … it’s clean … not gassy … and the barrel hardly gets fouled.

I found significantly more noise, shit in my face and baffle erosion with factory subs of all type. Did not try hush unfortunately but my handloads are half as quiet and much better on the internals if the can. Would recommend if you can load your own.

I use xtreme's 165 pills in my reloads.  I have tested my loads compared to their factory loads on a cheap db meter and it said that my handloads were consistently more quiet than their factory loads by about 3 db on average.  While not a lot, every little bit counts and 3db is often noticeably quieter.

With that said, the 165's are 100% plated.




They should.  As should any other 147 gr load that hover at or below 1065'ish fps until you get to around 10.5" barrel length.  Then you may start getting the occasional supersonic crack depending on atmosphere and elevation and humidity and stuff.    That's why I like a 9mm barrel between 7 to 9 inches in length.

The occasional supersonic crack is why the Israeli's started using 158 gr bullets in their uzi's (11.5" barrels) instead of 147's to minimize that occurrence of that happening because the 158's are just a hair slower than 147's.  They were really smart to start using 158 gr bullets.  They were very common at the time (38 and 357 bullets) and with simply running them through a 9mm sizing die were darn near a match made in heaven for the longer barrels.  Plus, if anyone is into casting and powder coating their own, being able to use a 158 gr 357 bullet mold is nice too because you can feed multiple calibers with the same bullet mold (9mm subs, 38 S&W, 38 Special, 357 magnum) all from the same mold.



The 165's that I've been using for a few years now stay subsonic even out of 16 inch barrels.  

I don't load my own, seems that the savings for 9mm isn't worth my time.  308, 300BLK subsonic, yes.

Lots and lots of experimenting and looking around for a number of years now and find that I'm almost always buying from Super Vel and Freedom/LAX.

Reasonable prices, fairly clean and its been consistently good for me for thousands of rounds.  Worst experience was a box torn in shipping and a bunch of lost rounds.  Super Vel sent me a whole new box, and apologized.  It was definitely not their fault.

Lots of free or reduced shipping deals if you sign up with either of them for e-mails, so that cuts the costs a lot.  

Freedom/LAX is about 25cpr with $5 shipping, today.  Wait a bit and you'll see free shipping.

Super Vel is about 33cpr but with regular shipping.  Keep an eye on them as prices change frequently.

Hush is nice but doesn't seem to be a great deal better than the regular new brass or reman stuff.

I have not noticed Speer Lawman TMJ 147 9mm being any more accurate, quieter, or having reduced lead fouling in my guns or suppressors compared to Federal American Eagle 147, Remington UMC 147 9mm, or Winchester 147... perhaps a bit cleaner in powder residue than a couple of those, but nothing lead related in my barrels or cans.

The lead that would contaminate YOU is mostly from the priming compound. What fills a can or barrel is mostly carbon and much easier to remove than lead. Just don't shoot cast lead bullets and you will be fine.

I would just see what load shoots best in YOUR gun and buy a bunch of that. The bullet nose shape being truncated cone or rounded will probably be of greater importance than an exposed base IMO.

Personally, I prefer 147 to heavier loads so I can zero with a defensive load of Federal HST 147 9mm and then shoot cheap 147 practice loads with the same zero and trajectory. With shorter barrels, 147 is always quiet enough for me, but I live near sea level, so the speed of sound is a few fps faster than a guy living in the mountains and I don't use 9mm barrels over 8" long.

Right now you can get 147 Federal American Eagle from AEammo at $275/1000 with free shipping. Outdoor Limited has Speer Lawman TMJ 147 at $280/1000 with free shipping.

For many years, I've only shot Lawman, AE, or Blazer Brass 147, all rated at 1000fps and they would sometimes go supersonic in PCC SBR hosts. Other members here convinced me to try Syntech 150 rated at 900fps and it is quieter and stays subsonic. It functions 100% in a SP5 with 80 degree LP, and Kriss Vector with heavier .45 slider, but won't function in a MPX-K with .0469 gas port.

I couldn't tell much difference here...



Much bigger difference here and in other tests I've done since...



It's currently .30 at Locked & loaded. It was a couple weeks ago at Target Sports USA, but I see it's now .33.

I miss the IMI 158gr. I didn't buy nearly enough.

I really liked the IMI also, just ran the PPU 158gr yesterday and it was very quiet even through an older Gemtech can.

Anyone use subs from 2a warehouse?  I like them so far but don’t have others to compare it to. Years ago, I used to use Alabama Ammo Special K subs.

The price of sub sonic 9mm almost makes me want to get into reloading...

I have had good luck with them and other calibers as well.  Not the cleanest, but not too dirty.  Consistent.  Reasonably priced.