# Is there really special ammunition for "assault weapons"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-special-ammunition-for-assault-weapons/797905>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 3, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-special-ammunition-for-assault-weapons/797905 "2017-10-03T23:54:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-special-ammunition-for-assault-weapons/797905/21 "2017-10-05T02:16:22Z")

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> [@Asuka](#):
>
> I’m curious if the shooter had a suppressor and low velocity rounds if less people would have died. In this configuration he would definitely be harder to locate (though the smoke would still give him away) but he’s also firing bullets at such low velocities I wonder how much damage they would have done at the 600 yards he was firing from.

.223 doesn’t usually come in subsonic though you could load some. It would not be very effective. The popular caliber for subsonic in AR-pattern rifles is .300 BLK, but that’s considered a short range round.

Suppressors don’t really affect the power in a major way except that the cans are heavy and would affect point of aim if not adjusted for.

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