The 5 Best Calibers to Suppress: Quiet Firepower that Performs

Suppressors are the gateway drug of the NFA world—once you get one, you’re hooked. But to truly unlock the benefits of suppressed shooting, pairing your suppressor with the right caliber is key. Some cartridges suppress better than others, offering quieter reports, less recoil, and better overall performance.

If you’re running an AR-15, the solution can be as easy as swapping uppers. But for those exploring suppressor-friendly options in pistols or pistol-caliber carbines, the decision becomes a bit more nuanced. To make it easier, we’ve narrowed down the hundreds of calibers to the top five best calibers to suppress.

What Makes a Great Suppressor Caliber?

Before diving in, we applied a simple three-part metric to each caliber on this list:

• Is it subsonic or available in subsonic loads?
• Is it affordable and widely available?
• Is it effective in its intended role—not just quiet?

Let’s take a look at the top contenders.

As the legendary philosopher Ludacris once said (about wheels, not ammo): “You can’t lose with twenty-twos.” That wisdom holds up in the suppressor world. The most prolific caliber in the world, .22LR is the ultimate plinking round. Inexpensive, quiet, and small enough to shove a 500-round brick in a purse, the small rimfire round has been flying off shelves since its invention in 1887.

• Subsonic Performance: The .22LR meets our first requirement by being naturally subsonic in its standard velocity loading when fired from a rifle barrel. Plenty of companies also make subsonic loadings for pistols if a shooter intends to suppress them. Two personal favorites of mine are the SIG P322 and Taurus TX22. Both of these guns feature capacious magazines and suppress very well. 
• Availabilit & Cost: For the second metric, any sporting goods store that stocks guns and ammo will have bricks of .22LR available for a price that even a part-time burger flipper can afford. It is one of the last few calibers that a shooter can spend 50 bucks on and have enough ammo to shoot all weekend.
• Use Case: For our final metric, the efficacy of .22LR is often understated, but it is by no means a good defensive caliber. That is, unless your main adversary is a squirrel or raccoon.

 Bottom line: If you’re looking for a caliber that can achieve mythical “Hollywood-quiet” performance and not require a second mortgage on your home, the .22LR cartridge is your Huckleberry.

I can practically hear the satisfied slurping of sugar-free energy drinks in response to this recommendation, but .45 ACP isn’t just the king of so-called Boomer calibers. It’s a serious round that hits hard at close range. Developed before the 1911 pistol it became synonymous with,  the .45 ACP cartridge was created in response to the .38 Long round’s ballistic shortcomings. While older guns chambered in the round might suffer from decreased capacity compared to 9mm handguns of the same size, modern .45 ACP firearms offer shooters plenty of ammo to spare.

• Subsonic Performance: the .45 ACP round passes with flying colors. All standard .45 ACP ball ammunition is subsonic in both pistols and carbines. Some +P variants featuring lightweight projectiles might not be, but 90% of the .45 ACP ammo on the market is subsonic.
• Availability & Cost: The .45 ACP can be found at all brick and mortar gun stores and anywhere online that sells ammo. The only drawback of the caliber is its price. While not as expensive as boutique or wildcat cartridges, .45 ACP is more costly than the gold standard for affordable centerfire pistol rounds - 9mm para. That said, the potent heavy round can typically be found online for under 30 cents per round. So while not ultra-cheap, .45 ACP is still affordable enough for most shooters to blast through a box or three every weekend.
• Use Case: When it comes to efficacy, a great quote I heard from a Korean War veteran always comes to mind: “Things shot with a .45 ACP tend to stay shot!” And he’s not wrong. The large, heavy 230-grain round smacks targets with authority. When suppressed, it makes a meaty, satisfying “thump” as it delivers lead to your target. If you want a super-quiet round that doesn’t sacrifice ballistic performance for suppressor-friendliness, .45 ACP is your round of choice.

.300 BLK is a fantastic round whose entire existence revolves around being suppressed while staying effective. Developed in the middle of the War on Terror for US Special Forces, .330blk offered soldiers armed with an M4 carbine the ability to transform their rifle into the ultimate CQB weapon. In many ways, the round’s efficacy led to the abandonment of traditional pistol-caliber submachineguns. 

• Subsonic Performance: A perfect candidate for suppressing. I say almost, because standard factory loads for the gun are supersonic. That said, even those are hearing-safe when suppressed. Subsonic loads are very common and transform a suppressed carbine into the ultimate clandesatine carbine or hearing-safe home-defense carbine (or large pistol).
• Availability & Cost: The .300 BLK continues to grow in popularity every year, and can be found in most gun stores, provided they don’t solely cater to hunters. The price point on .300 BLK isn’t as cheap as pistol calibers, but as far as rifle rounds go, it’s still less expensive than (or the same as) other 30-caliber rounds like .308 Win.
• Use Case: Supersonic rounds are ethical choices for hunting medium game out to 300 yards, and subsonic loads make great defensive picks against predators and home invaders. For AR-15 lovers, whisper-quiet bolt-gunners, or tactical enthusiasts, .300 BLK is the ideal carbine caliber to suppress.

The most prolific centerfire pistol round in the world also makes a great suppressor pairing - 9mm Parabellum. Developed in 1901, 9mm saw steady popularity in the United States before exploding with the invention and police adoption of the so-called “Wonder Nines”. These full-sized guns used magazines with more than twice the capacity of standard revolvers and were faster to reload and more manageable to shoot. Once concealed carry became increasingly popular in the US, the market erupted with ever-shrinking subcompact 9mm guns with larger magazines.

• Subsonic Performance: In recent years, more companies have begun offering heavier, subsonic 9 mm loadings, allowing the German round to check off the first box for our suppressor caliber guide. Shooters looking to run a suppressed 9mm handgun or carbine should invest in 147gr or heavier rounds to get the best performance possible.
• Availability & Cost: The greatest strength of 9mm in terms of suppressors is its affordability. Deal-savvy shooters can find 9mm ammo on sale for around 25 cents per round. If they wait for big sales, they can often get it cheaper with free shipping. But like all heavy objects, buy in bulk and save on shipping; No one has ever said, “Gee, I wish I had bought less ammo!”
• Use Case: Provided a shooter buys defensive ammo, 9mm para is a fantastic choice for home defense, concealed carry, or even stopping dangerous game at close range. The best part is that even if your first shot doesn’t stop a threat, most 9mm handguns carry enough ammo that follow-up shots will surely get the job done.

The inclusion of a revolver caliber on this list will undoubtedly strike some shooters as odd, but it really shouldn’t. With the rise in popularity of suppressed shooting and lever-action rifles, .38 special has found a unique niche market as an absurdly quiet round to suppress.

• Subsonic Performance: Most .38 Special loads are subsonic from a carbine, but some like Federal’s 120-grain Punch rounds are pushing close to 1,000 fps. If a shooter opts for full-power .357 Magnum rounds, they’ll be even louder. But one of the most common loads for the round is 158gr lead, which is not only subsonic when fired from a carbine, but masterfully quiet when suppressed. It’s quiet enough that the impact of the round on dirt is louder than the gunshot!
• Availability & Cost: Availability of the round is fantastic with it being available at nearly every gun store, while affordability is good-to-moderate. .38 special rounds tend to be 20% more expensive than 9mm, but since very few guns chambered in .38 special are semiautomatic (and none of those are suppressor-ready) shooters won’t burn through the ammo like they would with 9mm, .45 ACP, or 300 BLK.
• Use Case: The area where the round suffers is in effectiveness. .38 Special actually loses velocity when fired from a long barrel. This is what makes it so quiet to shoot, but also negatively affects its terminal ballistics. The good news is that nearly every rifle chambered in .38 special is also chambered in .357 Magnum, which is incredibly potent from a longer barrel. Just be sure to check both the gun’s manual and the suppressor’s manual to ensure both are rated for the powerful round.