I keep muffs (plugs too) in both pickups, in my shop, in my range bag, in the house and have extras just in case. I've lost a good bit of my hearing --- trying to keep what's left.

I've shot 357s without hearing protection:

This one hurts like crazy


This one is even worse

Sometimes when I read one of these threads I get a whole range or spectrum of thoughts. A single answer doesn't cover all the bases.

The first thought that came to my mind is the OP lives a sheltered life. 40 years ago, I had no idea what a .357 sounded like indoors. Or a 22, or a shotgun, or a rifle, etc. Where'd Y'all grow up that you don't shoot outdoors? Its an outdoor activity fer Gawd's sake.

That said, asking a question about .357s as if they're one critter is also amusing. You can get as many answers as there are bullet weights, barrel lengths, and different powders. A full range of answers are possible and valid. Last night I was downstairs rearranging the junk in my gun room. I came across a metal tin of reloads (ancient) labeled .357s and 16.1 grains of Blue Dot. Its a full house load, at least.

And it reminded me of an incident years ago, like about 30. At the time I was working with 296 and it was interesting to say the least. We were camping down in the National Forest (Dan'l Boone). One of our group went out to the highway to get something (and I assume relieve himself on some genuine porcelan). We could hear his little Toyota coming back on the trail (the Wilderness Road). So just to tease him, I took my trusty revolver out to the road and stood behind a tree. When he had just passed me I touched one off. Gawd do those rounds light up the forest. The noise is also pretty astounding. That was a 158 grain bullet. Shooting a 110 grain round is different, but surely not quieter.

4" guns tend to be significantly louder (or at least to my ears.) But porting can modify it a bunch, too. You trade recoil for noise. I have a .30-378 that with the brake in place is as loud as a .50 BMG. But the recoil is tamed to the level of a .30-06.

So there is no one set answer to how loud its going to be. Some loadings just seem more evil than others. Also, my favorite load with my .357s is a 148 grain wadcutter with 3.0 of Bullseye. An enjoyable afternoon load.

Full bore 44 loads can be at least as loud, again depending on the barrel and the intensity level of the round. Want one every bit as annoying? Go shoot a Jet with factory or factory duplication loads! It'll make the hair stand up on end! At least as loud as any .357.

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Dick Burg

Different guns and different rounds (as Dick just pointed out) have different sound signatures, but it's mostly a matter of how much pressure is being unleashed, and how short the barrel is. Once you get up past about 25,000 PSI the noise changes from a boom to a much sharper CRACK, the kind of sound that does serious, permanent damage far faster.

And take it from me, if you forget your ear protection, just go home and get it, cigarette filters and cotton balls are NOT an acceptable substitute. Two shots out of a hot-loaded three inch 41 Magnum was enough to make me a permanent member of the Tinnitus Club.

Had tinnitus for several years.Lucky for me it stopped.Don't take that chance.I even wear plugs with rimfires.

Shot my 686 4" with magnum loads at an outside range last weekend. I had earplugs in. No problems.
But I always use plugs AND muffs at the indoor range.

That depends, are you under a bridge shooting a Cotton Mouth with a 4" M28? After all, loud is relative after the initial agony

De Oppresso Liber

When I was 19 I forgot my earplugs one day when shooting my .357 Blackhawk. I had a ringing that will never go away. Wear ear protection. You dont want to be shopping for a Miracle Ear before social security. I know of one guy who had to dump a bad guy in the back of a car once. Kid pulled a .38 snubbie that was hidden and the cop had a Model 19. The cop ended up losing most of his earing from a single shot.

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Vaya con Dios

It sounds a lot better outdoors than it does indoors.
Don't ask me how I know.

Greetings-

In my experience, the muzzle blast of full power .357 Mag ammo is generally stupefying. Hearing protection is mandatory. I have a friend whose hearing was seriously damaged by shooting .357 Mags without hearing protection. I use ear plugs and muffs when shooting the caliber.

Respectfully,
Mike Q.

POW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Forum consigliere

Ran across this thread again, and it brought back memories of my selling a 30-30 to an old Mexican sheep herder when I was 14. He wanted something better than his old single shot .22 for shooting coyotes.

He said upon firing the 30-30 for the first time and being kicked pretty substantially too... "Aieee, Chihuahua!! She choots like a bomb".

That is a pretty apt description of the a snubby .357 Magnum too.

If you think the .357 is loud outsise... try the SW 500 .50 cal with 500 grain Hornaday's. Not only will your ears ring you can't feel your fingers for a bit either

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

I absolutely despise the .357 "crack"...the ice pick in the brain analogy is a good one. Ear protection...don't leave home without it!

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Tacticool?...NOT!

How 'bout having your right ear about three feet from the right side of the bore evacuator on an M-48? At the time it was a fair trade because it worked.

One of the worst things about being very hard of hearing is that it seems to be about the only disability that make people mad.

Errr.... like a 357!

Exactly. Even with plugs and a quality muff. When they show up at our (outdoor) range I put on my ears and go for a walk. Other than hunting big game, I don't understand why anyone would want one. Get an M28 and blast away with .357 reloads, you'll never wear that gun out.

KBM, et al... the effect is cunulative. Soldiers that are in situations where they have to fire their weapons may not be awarte of the sound because of addreniline, but their ears are. I can not recall meeting a Viet Nam Veteran who did not have Tinnitus (ringing of the ears). Good discussion. To all: If your are dumb, you'll end up deaf. Flapjack.

I have substantial hearing loss in my right ear caused 25 years ago by my idiot friend firing his .357 Mag right beside me before I got my earplug seated. My ear rang for several weeks afterward.

The .357 Magnum, when loaded to full power with powders like 296, H110 and 2400 has a crack and muzzle blast that is just plain nasty.

I've had .44 magnum shooters pack up and leave the range when I start shooting full power .357's. The 44 is probably as loud, however its report is more of a boom! vs. a CRACK!!.

I wear plugs and muffs when shooting the full power stuff as I really start to flinch from the report otherwise.

I was at the gun range with ear plugs and firing my 357mag by the second shot one of my ear plugs fell out and i was in the zone firing the rest of the rounds. It took a while for the ringing to stop that was 30 years ago. I had muffs soon after that happened. The 357 rounds were magnum+ rounds too. Those little 125grers at 1597 fps really make the 357mag crack.

Could that be why i have ringing my ears all the time?? Get the phone will ya...... just kidding but i do have some ringing.

I stepped over two bodies and onto a Greyhound bus and into the face of at 38 snubbie. I was so close that I could read my name on the end of the bullet in that danged gun.

He pulled the trigger and just as he did a Marine that had been asleep in the back of the bus like to tore that guy's head off and he missed me.

My ears have rung ever since, but I ain't bitchin' one little bit.

It is always a good idea to use hearing protection when shooting unless you have a suppressed weapon.

Select your hearing protection by looking at the NRR number, it gives you the decibel reduction IF you wear it properly. In most cases disposable plugs provide better protection than ear muffs with NRR ratings of plugs up to 33 while muffs generally are from the high teens to low 20's. Anything that breaks the seal with the muffs like glasses or long hair will reduce its effectiveness. Learn how to insert ear plugs properly. YOu can't just poke 'em in your ear and expect their optimum protection. Most of the high protection soft foam plugs heed to be compressed, inserted in the ear canal and then held in place and allowed to expand and seal the canal.

Back in the mid 90s I used to shoot with a friend who had very odd beliefs about hearing protection. He used to say that wearing hearing protection wasn't a good idea since when it came time to use your guns "for real" you weren't going to be wearing muffs of plugs. He was a believer in "training like you fight", but this was a silly, risky, potentially permanent way to wreck his ears. I always wore foam plugs at the minimum, but preferred the baffled earplugs whenever possible.

Fast forward to today. We're in our early 40s and his hearing has suffered much more than mine as a result of his follies back then. Playing drums in a punk band probably hasn't helped his hearing much, either. I'm partially deaf in one ear courtesy of a shotgun blast going off 12" from my head, and sinus problems add to my difficulty in following conversations in a crowded restaurant or anywhere there is a lot of background noise. I've done what I could to protect what hearing I have left since the mid-90s, and don't shoot at all without hearing protection.

On a somewhat unrelated note: Has anyone else noticed that Gunny Ermey has shell casings stuck in his ears on his TV programs? With access to the best hearing protection available, possibly even for free due to his stature in the shooting community, this seems silly and overly-"macho" to me.

Loud as heck!

When I joined the Corps in '64, no mention was ever made about
hearing protection. Sure wish I'd known better, one ear rings to this
day. Now, when hunting, I wear the Walker Game Ear muffs.
They give me back the hearing I lost, while protecting what's left.
Am seriously thinking about Walker Game Ear "in-ear" protectors.
Muffs get uncomfortable after an hour or so.
I never go Anywhere without a set of ear-plugs. TACC1

***PINGGGGGGGGGGGG***

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RIP Shipmate

TACC1: The walker in ear protectors have worked well for me, obviously not the bulk of a head set but I found that they became slightly uncomfortable after about 2 hrs. I prob should put them in for 15 min, take them out and work up to 2-4 + hrs. But it was amazing what I was able to hear on the lowest setting. My brother went in the Corp in 1964 and I had started shooting about 2 yrs before. Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

Huh, sorry I can't hear you, haven't got my hearing aids in!

Ironhand: Do you know how old the gunny is? Back when I started shooting 1962 you put casings in your ears, sometimes! When you became more advanced you moved to cotton balls. I do not know what the Gunny's history is, but mine includes thousands of 12 ga, 1500 3006 ( I counted some boxes ), unknown 223, 308, 300 win,38, 357, 44 mag, 45, 9mm, 22 lr enough to load a pick up truck. 380 acp and 40 SW one time each indoors. This summer I fired 3 rounds of 308, got up to check target, that was when I realized I forgot to put plugs in Point is I have loud tinnitus 24/7 it only varies in intensity. I can not understand most movies or TV shows, I can not understand children or some women with high pitched voices. I go to sleep with the TV or Radio so there is some thing to help with the noise. I now wear plugs + muffs, shooting, cutting wood, mowing lawn , etc. I wish someone had told me. Now all people around me will wear protection eyes and ears or they can leave. I have started using Walker in ear protectors and hope that I can get used to them. FOR THE OP-HOLD LOUD IS A 357 MAG OUTDOORS I DO NOT REMEMBER!!!

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I BACK OUR BLUE

it's deafeningly loud and unpleasant. ONCE, i shot a357 mag without hearing protection. I got home and my phone was ringing on the counter and my roommate said aren't you going to answer that and i said "answer what"? i didn't hear my phone ring right next to me.

I'm deaf to this day mostly from shooting a model 19 as a
young and dumb
teenager with no hearing protection outdoors. It is a very
sharp crack that is not pleasant without hearing protection.
I hear the crickets chirping 24/7 and it's no fun. My wife gets tired of
having to yell at me and repeat herself so much.


chuck

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They hold no Quarter

It always amazes me to watch something on TV or a movie and the Hollywood idiots blaze away with handguns or whatever in a car or a room for 2 or 3 clips worth of mayhem and blood, and then pick up on the dialog in a normal tone of voice...

We didn't. And tank rounds don't much care if you're wearing hearing protection or not. At this point, I'm just glad I can hear at all.

For the rest of our lives.

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

I really don't think that has anything to do with shooting.

A friend had stopped to take a shot at a coyote had the muzzle inside the truck and after the blast was so nauseated he couldn't move for 30 min. Has those little implant hearing aids now also. On a slightly lighter note a fellow I used to work with grew up in Hood River during the 1930s. His father bought a new .270 with scope and as usual it was raining. His dad didn't want to get his new rifle wet so he set up in the summer kitchen drug the table across the door opening and took a shot. The table was wider than he thought which meant the muzzle was indoors. Dust everywhere the cat jumped onto the wood cook stove scorched her pads and was off. Maurice's mother came home from shopping and after about 30 min spun around disgusted and said I know you two have been up to something you both act like you can't hear, there's dust on everything and the cat seems to be in a daze. I don't think they ever fessed up.

I was in the National Guard back in the early '50s, in a mobile howitzer battery. We trained with the 30/06 and slept between the big guns at night. That was probably the beginning of my hearing loss! Then when I got into reloading and shooting we stuck .22 lr shells and cigarette butts in our ears! Then later, I got really smart and started wearing a pair of earmuffs like the kind we wore outside in the winter! Along about 1980 I bought my first pair of cheap shooting muffs. I remember my first .357. The statement about lightning hitting a tree next to you is a perfect description! To this day, once every so often, I'll forget to put my muffs on before the first shot! It's stunning, I set and look around for a minute to see what exploded! The .357 and the .41 mags are the worst, but .38 Special is plenty bad enough when your not expecting it!!!
Don't be stupid, wear all the hearing protection you can get!
Dick

When out deer hunting 25 years ago, I shot a big ol' gray squirrel with my 4" Ruger Security Six and .357 load. My ears are still ringing! Don't do it!!!

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Memory of Randy Freas-Rimfired

Lucky indeed. Mine started in 1974 and it's never left...just gotten worse. I hear crickets all the time-24/7. I use ear plugs and Mickey Mouse ears and if I could get a Kotex in my ears, I'd put that in there too.

I am probably older than most of you Guys. My ears ring all the time, because no one used to wear hearing protection, me included. Hot Rods, chainsaws, motorcycles, oh and firearms too.

Always wear something even if it's just plugs.

That said, my favorite lightweight Desert gun is a 3inch .357. It's loud.
Pardon me, would you repeat that.

Best, Rick

LOUD!
A supersonic round will be louder than a subsonic round. The difference is the sonic boom.
The 357 magnum is loud enough that I probably would not want to carry one for protection. I'd want a subsonic round like the 45ACP or 45 Colt (I carry both).
I have three 357 magnums and shoot full power loads, but not without hearing protection.

I guess it depends on which side of the barrel you are on when it goes off!!!
It's LOUD when you are in back of it. It's LOUD and SCARY when you are in front of it!

Pig hunting in heavy brush. It's a 'Head back to church after you clean your shorts' kinda thing.....

Holy smokes. I could not imagine being between 2 artillery guns and even trying to sleep. Certainly not good for the ears.....

Like a .357... crack))))))))))))

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Huh? What'd ya say?

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

The typical .357 magnum round creates between 135 and 145 D.B. when fired. Do not shoot one indoors or outdoors with out hearing protection!!!!

I like to have a handful of my special 357s loaded with Blue Dot around for when I'm carrying my shortie SP101 (or the 2.5" 686, since it is, afterall, a S&W forum!) and someone at the range decides to see how fast he can glock off 9-emm-emms. The flash, crack and concussion wave usually slows 'em down.

It would be even better if I had the T/C Contender with the 10" .223 Rem barrel. That thing is crazy loud. Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time....

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" I said, good DAY! "

As the wise ones here say.

WEAR EAR PROTECTION! Same goes for eye protection.

Whenever I shoot full load .357 magnums, I invariably get gawkers asking if it's a 44 magnum. That's with or without hearing protection, inside or out.

It's LOUD, and very uncomfortable without protection.

I read somewhere that gunfire first affects hearing in the same frequency range as that of the voice of an angry wife. Think of it! Bulging eyes, pointing finger, mouth going 1000 fps, and ..................... silence! All kidding aside, hearing protection is a must.