Has anyone used Highland ZX Subsonic?

[jennageit]

Okay, so I went to the range on Saturday morning and finally had a go at shooting benchrest at 20m targets. Those buggers are small!

Anyway, the first card I used the Highland Subsonics, and scored about a 150 - 160/200. Seriously, it looked more like mice had been at it rather than me shooting at it!
The second card I changed to Eley Match rounds and shot 180.1/200.

I've only ever shot 2 cards at 20m so I think to get a true result, I'd have to put them against each other a few more times, but so far, I'm leaning well away from the Highland ZX Subsonics.

I doubt I'll use them again, now all I've got to do is figure out what to do with the 300-odd rounds I've still got!

Jenna

PS. When I can, i'll post up a picture of my score card.

[cuvy]

Save them for hunting - they are nice and quiet so great for situations where you don't want to irritate people with noise, and with the hollow point I think they are more effective than CCI quiets.

[feedr]

I doubt I'll use them again, now all I've got to do is figure out what to do with the 300-odd rounds I've still got!

Lots of rabbits out there need shootin'

[jennageit]

I doubt I'll use them again, now all I've got to do is figure out what to do with the 300-odd rounds I've still got!

Lots of rabbits out there need shootin'

No rabbits here, only Hares. Also, in the next 3 months I'll lose my spot to shoot when we move house

I'll find a use for them. Maybe when I get rid of these wheels, I'll go hunting with my mate, who invites me to go hunting with him about once a week or so lol

[feedr]

Hares are a pest too though in Victoria?

[meawls]

Not sure if this thread is still active ... just bought a slab of 5000 of these. My research (I'm in Australia) seemed to suggest that they were made in Europe somewhere, and that the velocity was in the 800's of FPS. And that's pretty well it. So ... here's the reality: Made in the Phillipines. Headstamp is 100% Stirling (large stylised capital T) ... but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I have very fond memories of Stirling ammo as a youngster - 30 or 40 years ago. They were pretty cheap back then, and reasonably good performers. The individual 50 packs are identical with the old IMI packs - exactly as they were back then when IMI existed and were made in Australia, Right down to the little 25M target printed on the inside of the box. Wondering if IMI may have sold off their plant and gear to Stirling??

Anyway the individual cartridges are highly polished, and well lubricated to the point of it being easily visible. The 36GN projectile has a cavernous hollow point, and is sort of a rose gold colour. The round burns extremely clean, and the cases are ejected looking exactly as they were prior to firing. Discharge noise is louder than I would have thought for an ultra low velocity round. Perceived sensation was that it had an identical retort to a standard velocity round in my 20 inch barreled bolt rifle. We measured it against a CCI Quiet ultra low, Federal 714 standard velocity and Federal 745 HV's. I'll put them over the chronograph in the next few days and get back with the results.

Accuracy was quite good, albeit a little frustrating. It would often print with 2 in one hole, then the 3rd about 3/4" away .... at 30M. About max for ultra lows anyway. After some basic fine tuning I managed to fire off a box of 50 and didn't miss any empty 12Ga cases laying on the ground at ranges from 25-40M. GREAT. It produced an unexpectedly noticeable muzzle flash in the evening too. Similar, and occasionally a little more prominent than the HV's. Sexy - if you like muzzle flash.

Good value. Reliable after a brick of 500 so far. I'm gonna buy a 2nd slab.

[Cooper]

I've bought some of the super quiets and standard subsonic to try. I was surprise how well the Highland high velocity HP shot. Will try them in my Ruger Rimfire precision and CZ452 and post results

[Wombat]

Hares are a pest too though in Victoria?

Yes, but I'd want to have stingers or something bigger if I was going after them.

[bladeracer]

I've bought some of the super quiets and standard subsonic to try. I was surprise how well the Highland high velocity HP shot. Will try them in my Ruger Rimfire precision and CZ452 and post results

I get good accuracy with the RX HP in my Rugers, 10rds around 2.5MoA out to 100m, but they lack consistency.
RX RN is not quite as good, but the RX Subsonic and HX Super Quiet, perform less well. RX Target is quite good but doesn't feed reliably in most of my rifles.

[meawls]

As promised above, here are the results of velocity testing of this load earlier today - using a Caldwell chronograph:

Shots 1-5 in my CZ 452 long barrelled, respectively: 710FPS, 897, 899, 899, 891. Those last 4 are amazingly consistent, to the point that it's difficult to excuse the first!! That's a massive difference ... and may explain why it printed that inconsistent initial group. For comparison, I also shot a CCI Quiet - recording 650FPS ... which is about correct for this rifle and load.

A massive difference between the two ultra-low loads - an increase of roughly 40% over CCI Quiets ... and easily explains the perceived difference in sound that I spoke about in my first post above.

For further comparison, the ZX's recorded around the 925 FPS in my 20" Lithgow. Again, about correct given the shorter barrel length .... with 20" being usually acknowledged as the "sweet spot" for velocity in the LR loading.

Hope this info helps.

[meawls]

I've bought some of the super quiets and standard subsonic to try. I was surprise how well the Highland high velocity HP shot. Will try them in my Ruger Rimfire precision and CZ452 and post results

Did you happen to notice if the headstamp on the HV's comprised the stylised "T", and is noted as being "made in the Philippines" mate?? Would be interesting to know if Highland's sourcing all this stuff from the same factory.

[sungazer]

I tried the Highland SV and it was crap through my rifle.