44 magnum, "Silent Thunder"?

[jonnnyboy]

A few years ago I went through a phase where I was very interested in NFA items but also very unhappy with the attendant long wait to acquire such items.  Now, with the possibility of the Hearing Protection Act going through this session, I am once again thinking in terms of silence.

During my earlier phase, I enjoyed handloading "mouse fart" or "cat sneeze" loads for many of my guns including a 44mag single shot rifle.  I was able to get a small dose of Red Dot to reliably cause the bullet to exit and create a very low-tenored sound signature.  It wasn't good for much except the occasional backyard rabbit or marauding possum in the flowerbeds as the rainbow trajectory negated any distance shooting.

Now, I'm thinking of the possibility of a can on the end of that single shot rifle and subsonic handloads.  From all of my research and limited playtime, I am interested in trying to develop a load that stays subsonic with the heaviest bullets and fastest powders.  I think this would take the basic 3ooblk up to a whole new level without the added problems of having to make the gun's action cycle or rounds fit a magazine.

I started to ask Dolomite privately but changed my mind and figured I wasn't the first to have these crazy ideas.  What do you guys think?

[jonnnyboy]

Hunter .44 Magnum CF Blued/Black - 22” length with DEAD-ON Mount

Would you cut this to 16 or 18 or leave it longer before threading?  I'm thinking 18" barrel using a 300gr bullet traveling 1000fps would be perfect for a can.