Anybody Ever Fire a .357 in Self Defense?

[kbm6893]

How bad was it? I've touched off .38, 9mm, and a 22 without hearing protection. I shot each time just to experience it. 38 and 9mm left a ringing for a few minutes. A friend of mine fired a 357 once before I got my ears on. It felt like an ice pick www jammed in my ears.

I wear ears all the time except for those 2 9mm and 38. I was in a room once when a 12 gauge went off. Man was that loud. Ears rang for hours. I have no ears ringing and I intend to keep it that way. I had to shoot s groundhog last spring with my 22 and I put my muffs on.

But guys talk about loading their 357 with full house loads for woods walking in case they need to dispatch an animal. I'm aware of the auditory exclusion that sometimes happens when your life is in danger, but that doesn't mean damage isn't being done. And yes, I know a loud shot is better than being eaten.

But how is the boom of a 357 without muffs on?

 

[Iggy]

I fired a .357 without ear protection in a non self defense situation once. It was like a sharp slap in the face and ears. It also was a STRONG reminder, "Hey dumb butt, put your ears on, NOW!!

I fired a 41 Mag in a serious social encounter and don't remember the muzzle blast, but I've had a serious case of Tinnitus for 40 years as a result.

 

[turbo6]

Never a 357 but 9mm a few times. Ears rang for a few minutes no biggie. Subsequent times it hardly bothered me but generally I don't make a habit of not wearing ear protection.

 

[ronnie gore]

shooting without ears

I have fired a 357 mag outside on the roadway and a 45 auto from inside my police vehicle 7 times, I never heard the rounds go off. of course someone was shooting back.

 

[t2203]

In a self defense situation you won't notice it. There is a thing called auditory exclusion. When your gun goes off fighting for your life it sounds like pop corn popping. When your not stressed and shoot a dog you will go deaf for a couple days.

 

[Florida J Frame]

Auditory exclusion does not mean there is no permanent damage to your hearing. It just means you didn't notice it at the time. All hearing damage is cumulative and you can't fire any gun without protection without having some level of damage.

 

[NJM15]

How bad was it? I've touched off .38, 9mm, and a 22 without hearing protection. I shot each time just to experience it. 38 and 9mm left a ringing for a few minutes. A friend of mine fired a 357 once before I got my ears on. It felt like an ice pick www jammed in my ears.

I wear ears all the time except for those 2 9mm and 38. I was in a room once when a 12 gauge went off. Man was that loud. Ears rang for hours. I have no ears ringing and I intend to keep it that way. I had to shoot s groundhog last spring with my 22 and I put my muffs on.

But guys talk about loading their 357 with full house loads for woods walking in case they need to dispatch an animal. I'm aware of the auditory exclusion that sometimes happens when your life is in danger, but that doesn't mean damage isn't being done. And yes, I know a loud shot is better than being eaten.

But how is the boom of a 357 without muffs on?

I don't know about a .357 but I was without ears when a guy next me fired a .44 mag my ears are still ringing

 

[Rpg]

I've never had to shoot anyone.

That said, any supersonic cartridge is going to be exquisitely more uncomfortable than a subsonic cartridge.

One reason I much prefer the 45acp and 38 special for sd.

 

[TTSH]

I learned long ago that the crack of a .357 going off was too much for my ears, even with hearing protection on. It probably wasn't the very best rated hearing protection for its time, but shooter-grade hearing protection nonetheless. I had to give it up. I'm fine with just about everything else, but the .357 was different. I can't even imagine having to shoot a .357 without hearing protection in place. God bless those of you that have to do it.

 

[Triathloncoach]

It's less painful than not firing it when confronted with a self defense situation.

 

[JDBoardman]

I have never shot a .357 in anger, but I have fired a number of .223, 40mm and 81mm rounds without 'ears'. Somehow, when Charlie was streaming over the perimeter, hearing protection didn't seem too important.

 

[just for fun]

Without going into detail ( so you won't know how dumb I was) myself and best friend shot his Dad's 357 without hearing protection. One box full, later we thought it was funny how bad it made our ears ring. Hearing was never the same after that day- 55+ years ago! Should have said we did this when his dad was out of town!!

 

[rwsmith]

Especially indoors.

I think you'll find few people that have fired ANY gun in an SD situation. But I want to keep my ears so I keep my indoor SD guns downloaded to where there are almost not .357.

 

[djt17]

I wear hearing aids now thanks in large part to shooting a lot in my younger days without ever
wearing protection. Shotguns, rifles, handguns, & an occasional dynamite. Yes I am old....but,
I am much smarter now.

 

[kcphelps]

Without going into detail ( so you won't know how dumb I was) myself and best friend shot his Dad's 357 without hearing protection. One box full, later we thought it was funny how bad it made our ears ring. Hearing was never the same after that day- 55+ years ago! Should have said we did this when his dad was out of town!!

Been there, done that. None of us in my group back in the early '70s used hearing protection. EH?

 

[John R]

I've put down a lot of deer on the side of the road over the years, without hearing protection, a 40 is pretty loud, but the ringing stops in a couple of hours.

 

[Florida J Frame]

I've never had to shoot anyone.

That said, any supersonic cartridge is going to be exquisitely more uncomfortable than a subsonic cartridge.

One reason I much prefer the 45acp and 38 special for sd.

I thought the same thing until I checked the decibel levels of different rounds. There really isn't that much difference. They all damage your hearing.

 

[Bat99]

As mentioned, early '70s no hearing protection was fairly common around here. My wife has hearing loss but I don't so much. Shotguns (12 & 20), 44 mag and 357 mag. Yeah there was ringing, but we can still hear well enough to get annoyed at loud music from the grandkids.

 

[MikeyB]

I fired a .44 mag (M29 6") from inside a deer blind while shooting a hog. Needless to say it was painful and I had a headache for a few hours.

 

[Camster]

Frankly,I was shocked by how loud,and how it impacted my hearing for a while,when I fired a .22 rifle from within the house,at a rat in the backyard.