357 magnum and permanent hearing damage

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Stopsign32v

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I really want to run 357 magnum 125gr out of a 2"-4" barrel for protection. However one issue is holding me back, permanent hearing damage. Does anyone here run it and if so how do you approach that issue? My fear is being in the car and having to use it or inside a small building.
 
Not exactly the same but I had to fire two shots from a 357sig in self defense, it was in the living room (about 12x12) of a cinder block house. I had ringing in my ears for several hours after and a headache for a day or so but no noticeable hearing loss
 
Most people who carry a gun for SD never have to use it. I would not allow the fear of having to use any gun without hearing protection effect what you carry. Personally I load my .357 Magnum that is in the bedroom with .38 Special ammo because of the flash-bang effect in a small room but also for over penetration concerns. You always have the option to carry .38 Special ammo.
 
Many older peace officers have hearing loss from years of shooting without hearing protection. Back then no one knew the damage it could cause. Having to shoot a few times, in an enclosed area, may or may not cause permanent damage, but even if it does it is better than losing your life. If it concerns you greatly, ask an ENT physician for an answer.
 
I practice in an abandoned house. On a few occasions I have pulled a gun and fired just as I realized I forgot ear protection.

It hurt for a moment and I went and put ear protection on and continued..

What's that you said.. JK..
 
As noted above, exposure to loud noise will cause measurable hearing loss - you may not have consistent ringing or notice immediate or sustained hearing loss but it will show up on a hearing test. This will happen with a .22, a .500 or anything in between but louder rounds will be worse.

If you are concerned about close-range effects in an enclosed space, perhaps starting out with .38 + P and adequate hearing protection would be a good start. Just about any indoor range I've visited would be a decent simulator :). Any flash and noise will be worse if you have to use it seriously.
 
You will suffer hearing loss from the discharge of any pistol in an enclosed space, even .22 LR. The only legitimate reason for that discharge is to save a life. Count your blessings if you succeed at that. The escaping gas will be supersonic, even if the projectile is not. It's that sudden expansion that produces the noise.

Practice is another matter, and you should always wear hearing protection. In-ear conformable plugs are probably the best, followed by over the ear muffs. Some people use both. Safety glasses cause ear muffs to leak a lot of sound, and ear plugs would mitigate that effect.
 
You guys talk about any firearm, well that's simply not true. I have fired a 9mm in a house and didn't even have ringing ears. A 357 magnum is several times doubled the noise of a 9mm or 40s&w.

38 Special to me (to me as in IMO) makes carrying a revolver pointless over a semi auto.
 
If you have repeatedly fired a 9 mm indoors without apparent hearing loss, please consult your local audiologist...they may differ. Good luck in your decision.
 
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Carry what you need and stop worrying about it. I have shot a 357 mag from a Ruger Security Six indoors, in my bedroom with the door closed. It was an accidental discharge. It did ring my ears for about an hour or two but I got over it. What surprised me even more was that the bullet went straight through the hardwood floor (bedroom was on the 2nd floor) and lodged deep into the hardwood flooring on the 1st floor. I couldn't even get it out.

All calibers will have noise and without hearing protection everything is amplified. A few years ago I bought a few boxes of that CCI Quiet 22lr and was told that I wouldn't need hearing protection. Took my single action revolver into the woods and shot it alongside regular 22lr. Both sounded the same to me and I came to the conclusion that the "Quiet" rounds were just a marketing gimmick.
 
Having tinnitus myself(which I think is more age related than shooting related(though I wasn't that smart with protecting my ears from various noises,including some gun fire, many years ago....Sooner or later,everything catches up with you) you may want to take whatever grief might be coming your way,rather than have the tinnitus.
 
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357-RevolverGuy said:
Carry what you need and stop worrying about it. I have shot a 357 mag from a Ruger Security Six indoors, in my bedroom with the door closed. It was an accidental discharge. It did ring my ears for about an hour or two but I got over it. What surprised me even more was that the bullet went straight through the hardwood floor (bedroom was on the 2nd floor) and lodged deep into the hardwood flooring on the 1st floor. I couldn't even get it out.

All calibers will have noise and without hearing protection everything is amplified. A few years ago I bought a few boxes of that CCI Quiet 22lr and was told that I wouldn't need hearing protection. Took my single action revolver into the woods and shot it alongside regular 22lr. Both sounded the same to me and I came to the conclusion that the "Quiet" rounds were just a marketing gimmick.
Click to expand...
I think that the dif is more noticeable out of a rifle.
 
Also note that hearing loss from loud noises is cumulative. That means that every shot causes a little damage EVERY time. The fact that you did not experience pain or ringing in the ears has nothing to do with it. You will notice it, along with your audiologist, in time.

Chain saws, guns, motorcycles, power saws, and rock 'n' roll for a lifetime and I am pretty sure I am headed for electronic aids in the not too distant future. I even have to wear muffs to run the vacuum cleaner now or suffer ringing, dizziness, and general disorientation. Well, the disorientation could be from any number of causes :)

Protect yourself and double up. You won't be sorry.
 
Hearing sensitivity varies from person to person, hearing loss is gradual as has been mentioned, and if/when you get hit with (possibly lifelong) tinnitus as the result of a loud noise is pretty much unpredictable.

In a self-defense shooting, I'd worry more about getting killed than my hearing. That said, you need to evaluate where you spend most of your time. I don't consider the .357 a particularly suitable round if you are most likely to have to use it in confined spaces, rooms, cars, around lots of people. Quite apart from damage to your hearing, unnecessary levels of noise, muzzle blast, recoil, overpenetration, can be a liability in confined spaces.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
I did a quick search and found some sound info. It seems the .357 Magnum is nowhere near "several times doubled" the sound produced by the 9mm or 40 S&W.

9mms = 160 db
45 ACP = 157 db
.357 Mag = 164 db

How loud is your gun
Click to expand...

Actually I'm getting different answers all over.

One says 3db is twice as loud. Another source says 5db is noticeably louder and that same one said 10db is twice as loud.

I read 159db for 9mm
165db for 357 magnum
165db for 12 ga

A known youtube gunner reported ruptured eardrum from a 357 magnum shot.

Hearing loss/saving your life argument doesn't make sense to me as there are clearly more quiet loads out there that can stop a perp.

I simply WANT to carry the 357 magnum
 
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Stopsign32v said:
.....
A known youtube gunner reported ruptured eardrum from a 357 magnum shot.

Hearing loss/saving your life argument doesn't make sense to me as there are clearly more quiet loads out there that can stop a perp.

I simply WANT to carry the 357 magnum
Click to expand...

In that case you're just going to have to take your chances. It could depend on completely unpredictable and uncontrollable factors, like how is your head turned or is the muzzle jammed into the perp's clothing. Neither science nor any know-it-all here will be able to give you any guaranteed answer.
 
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