Your thoughts on the noise level of .357

[Lost Lake]

Maybe I should clarify. There is a thread, in this forum, where a guy asked what a .357 magnum sounded like outdoors. He took a pretty good beating simply for asking the question. A lot of guy's said he'd be
foolish to fire one without protection and many told stories of their
having tinnitus from having done so. That being the case, I'm wondering if the noise level of a .357 has driven anyone to go with a lower pressure round? I'm not worried about overpenetration. I'm not worried about recoil. I'm not some overly concerned sissy. I'm just curious. Thanks everyone, for your input.

I've shot my .357 hundreds of times with no ear protection. Sure it's loud, but so are lots of things. Yes a 44 mag is worse. Do you NOT buy one because it's loud? No. It's a fantastic gun and you can put 38's in it if it's too loud for you. Do you shoot it just for fun? No. That's what a .22 is for. Do you care how loud it is when a bad guy attacks? No. You'll never even hear the shot.
What do you want a gun for? When you answer that, I can tell you which caliber is going to work. Sure it may be loud, but that's not the important factor to consider. If you want to hunt elephants the gun will be loud. Squirrels? Quiet. Bears? Loud. Go plinking? Quiet.
I've never considered the sound my weapons make to make me choose one or the other. This is very interesting to me.

 

[RaceBannon]

Lost Lake,

Although I probably won't fire it without protection, if you have, hundreds of times, and you're not deaf, then I see no reason not to get that Model 19. Thank you.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Sir, having fired both .357 mag and .45 ACP without hearing protection (I know, I know), I can assure you that there's a very significant noise difference in the real world. The .357 is by far the louder of the two.

Bear in mind that decibels are logarithmic rather than linear. I can't remember all the science, but basically every 3 dB increase doubles the signal level. So going up from 157 dB to 164 dB doesn't just raise the noise 7 units--it quadruples it.

That said, I'd agree that a .357 is a good camp gun. Good power-to-weight ratio, accurate, lots of choices available. Outdoors, the noise isn't a huge problem. (Indoors is another story.) As you say, wear hearing protection while plinking, and in the unlikely event of having to shoot a threat in camp, noise is the least of your worries.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

I understand. But I also think you understand my point. Once you get over 140db, hearing damage WILL occur whether it be a 357 or 45. Doesn't much matter after that.

I found the DB levels on a Google search. They admitted using guns with different barrel lengths. So db levels will increase or decrease with different guns as well as different calibers.

 

[mrerick]

The sound intensity will also vary with the square of the distance from the ear. The progress of the impulse will also vary with nearby objects (walls, trees, etc...) that reflect the initial sound impulse.

Marc

 

[Rule 303]

In a Gun Battle, a Fire Fight or a High Stress Situation, the rounds going off will not bother you. Take my word for it.

Rule 303

 

[panhandle_gunslinger]

You're deer hunting and come across a gigantic buck innocently grazing away; you crouch, you slowly level your rifle, and you focus on the crosshairs as you gently squeeze the trigger...BAM!! The buck drops and you sigh in relief. As you're examining your new trophy, you replay the shot in your mind: it's funny though...you couldn't remember hearing a sound. All you remember hearing was your controlled breathing. Even the recoil escaped your memory.

Two weeks later, you're camping with your family. It's dark with no moon, a little windy, a bit on the chilly side, and the only light is coming from your campfire. Then suddenly...you hear something in the tree line. Then you see it!! A massive mama grizzly charging as she lets out a satanic scream. You reach for your custom fitted, lined leather holster (to protect your beautiful Model 19 of course), and pull out your Smith. As you focus on your sight picture, you notice her eyes getting wider, her teeth getting whiter, and she postures with her three inch claws ready to scoop up your little daughter. But...you calmly squeeze the trigger...BAM!! The mama grizzly lays in a quiet heap inches away from your daughter. Your perfectly blued .357 magnum with 158 grains of pure power just splayed her head wide open. The bear never saw it coming...and you never heard the shot!

Month later, you and your family are enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in front of your fireplace while you guys admire your new bear rug!

Meaning = safety first, hearing last...

 

[Maximumbob54]

In a gunfight, no you won’t notice the noise as much. But the after effects of said gun battles are what retired FBI agents from what I have right here on this forum. It’s not like it stopped them, but it was noted. Either way, I still double up at the range and I’m fine with .38’s in the house gun. I have thought of getting some Pro Ears to shuck on since they both amplify your hearing and cut out the gunshot. Both would help out in a night time incident since helping you to hear a prowler would aid you and they would protect your ears.

 

[Lost Lake]

Lost Lake,

Although I probably won't fire it without protection, if you have, hundreds of times, and you're not deaf, then I see no reason not to get that Model 19. Thank you.

What?

I never said I'm not deaf! I started driving tractors all day long in the fields when I was ten. The muffler on an Alice Chalmers 45 comes up out of the hood about 6 feet in front of the driver. And they aren't quiet.
Then we used to trap shoot all the time with no hearing protection. Milling corn is extremely loud. Silo unloaders, combines, choppers, chain saws for hours on end, life on a farm is loud!!! We didn't know better back then.

I have tinnitus now, but of course now I am older and wiser and always wear hearing protection shooting and sawing wood.

So yes, wear hearing protection, but not while defending your life. That one sound blast you get will be much better than losing your life to a bad guy....

 

[chief38]

My hearing is literally shot to hell! I stupidly fired thousands and thousands of rounds as a kid with no hearing protection. Back in the day, it wasn't cool to wear it. Now I am paying the price - my most widely used word is WHAT?? My wife & kids are on my case big time to get hearing aids, but I am just not ready. Soon I won't have much of a choice. Most of the shooting I did as a kid was from a .22 rifle indoors, and yes I do admit I was stupid (or naive) at the time. Now that I know better I wear ear protection ANY TIME I do something loud ---- snow blower, shooting, using a loud power tool or air tool, and even when using the leaf blower.

I own many 357's and I do shoot them. They are loud and I will ONLY shoot them outdoors with good quality ear plugs AND a good quality set of muffs used together. I also carry a .357 Magnum from time to time, and I hope I never have to use it, but of I do I accept the danger to my ears from it as a balance for how efficient the round really is. A couple of shots at this point shouldn't make a huge difference in my hearing loss, but it just might save my bacon one day.


Chief38

 

[celticfisherman]

I wouldn't fire a 22 short without hearing protection in just a shooting situation. Hunting or self defense though is a different story.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I shot a 4" .357 magnum once while standing on a loading dock. There was a metal building directly behind me that went about 100 yards to either side. That had to be the loudest, most painful earsperience I have ever had. Yes, earsperience is a word even though I made it up. I don't shoot hand guns without hearing protection unless I'm hunting. Like some others have said, you don't really notice the noise so much at that time.
Pray for America,
Gordon

 

[keith44spl]

Well let's see 'hear',

Need a gun in camp,

A .357 rings my ears...I must be alive.

The gruntin ever breath and poppin of teeth general drown out the gun fire.
Being kilt will stop the ringing in the ears.

The time we had a sow grizzly and two cubs came into camp one nite,
wasn't thinkin too awful much about the noise of a little gunfire

Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[M29since14]

Being kilt will stop the ringing in the ears.

Sure, buy the Model 19. It is perfect for a fellow who normally shoots .38s. As for, "I probably don't need this gun," what are you talking about? Of course you do.

I have always been fanatic about wearing hearing protection whenever I shoot, but even so, I would never worry about shooting anything, anywhere, if it were necessary to save my life. On that topic, I agree with Dave.

 

[RaceBannon]

LOL. I think I'm just in denial. I have about two dozen handguns now.
With every purchase I've convinced myself that there was some practical reason for owning this gun. Then, I start to feel guilty and try to talk myself out of it, only to buy the gun anyway. Then, sooner or later, the next one shows up. This all started about seven years ago with a hundred year old, reblued, Franzite gripped M&P that I wouldn't look twice at today. Man, what happend?

 

[yashua-p]

If you use it when you need it, it won't matter. Other circumstances you can control. for me it is a non-arguement.

yashua

 

[samuelrp]

My 686 is still my go to gun at 3 am when I hear a noise. But I must tell you that part of the reason for the constant ringing in my ears is shooting it without (or with poor) ear protection. Fact.....

 

[jtpur]

xcop is correct. I have never heard the gun go off in an actual shoot out either....I saw a big orange flame and was seeing it in super slow mo and wondering what was on fire when reality shocked me back to what was actually going on.....it wasn't his hand on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dubhelix]

.357 noise level

I've been thinking about this myself. It is quite possible that I might be indoors during a defensive shooting. After much debate and several range trips, I have taken to loading all my wheelguns with Buffalo Bore 158 Grain Heavy .38 spl, Standard Pressure (non +P), Short Barrel, Low Flash. It shoots to Point of Aim in all my Smiths. It is both sufficiently powerful, and controllable. I'm sure it would be plenty loud indoors, without hearing protection. So I ask myself, just what am I trying to accomplish with the same projectile, pushed to 1300 fps, instead of 850 fps? Am I going to hesitate due to the .357's recoil and report? I recall firing a full house .357 from a snubnose and standing stunned for a moment, thinking "what just happened?...Oh, I hit the 10 ring." When I shoot the same gun with a .38 spl loading, It's just "pop,pop,pop...pop,pop,pop", while retaining situational awareness. If I really need more firepower than my trusty .38, I'll have to grab my carbine. I've jammed some Peltor indoor/outdoor plugs in the handguard for easy retrieval, cause I really don't want to fire that thing off in the living room with no ears on.

 

[chuck-ia]

I am mainley a lurker here, but will chime in on this. I am mainley a .22 and muzzleloader shooter. A few years ago I wanted a centerfire handgun, bought a .357 blackhawk, allways used hearing protection at the range, then I forgot to put them in, BAM, my ears were ringing the rest of the afternoon. Decided then I would trade it for a smaller caliber, a model 10. The .357 was just too much for me. I still wear protection with the .38 at the range, but have shot it without protection and the noise is tolerable. I just did not want to mess with hearing protection when out poking around the woods. The .357 is just not for me. chuck

 

[NKJ nut]

My thoughts on the noise level of the .357

The .357 magnum has been popular for longer than most of us have been alive. If the noise level was that bad it wouldn't have remained so popular. Wear hearing protection when you can. Don't worry about it when you can't, such as in a self defense shooting. And enjoy one of the very best handgun calibers available.