Your thoughts on the noise level of .357

[Deputy25]

I fired a model 19 loaded with Remington .357 125 SJHP ammo indoors while defending myself. That was over 20 years ago. I still have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), although the shots did not seem loud at the time. I don't know that any handgun wouldn't have caused the same problem. I do know that 125 SJHP is VERY effective against attackers.

 

[David LaPell]

What?

I can tell you that while the .357 is noisy, what handgun isn't? I can tell you that when I was younger and about 19 I made the mistake of firing off a box of .357's without ear protection and have paid for it ever since, but do I still shoot them? You darn right. It's more of a blast to me than noise when wearing muffs but I really enjoy touching off some 1,200 fps rounds from my 27-2.

 

[BobR1]

I might as well throw my 2 Cents in the pot too.

I normally have 2 loads for my revolvers. I have a Lite Range/Plinking Load, and Full House Loads. In the Summer, I carry HillBilly Concealed Carry loads quite a bit. That would be 2 shotshells followed by lite loaded semi wadcutters. Most of my gun fights are with copperheads, and Cotton Mouth's. No time for hearing protection. The lite loads help. If I am going to town on purpose I will switch my ammo to hollow points.

At the range I wear hearing protection when shooting any handgun. No matter how lite I have them loaded.

For Self Defense ANY handgun with enough Horse Power to depend on is going to be very loud. With Carry Ammo, if it is not loud enough to ring your ears without hearing protection, you do not have enough gun.

Bob

 

[jkc]

Many posters have pointed out that in the excitement of hunting or self-defense shootings, you won't "notice" the loud sound of gunfire. Nonetheless, it's still hearing-damaging loud, whether you notice it or not at the moment. (Mas Ayoob has frequently mentioned the technical name of the phenomena of not "hearing" shots fired in the heat of battle, but I'm too lazy to look it up ...)

No one has pointed out how simple and quick it is to insert plugs in many shooting situations that are fairly dynamic. I hunt with rifles and handguns, and when so doing, have a pair of corded plugs dangling around my neck and tucked into my shirt front so they don't get tangled with other neck-mounted equipment such as glasses, binocular straps, game call lanyards, etc. Takes but a moment to don these. I even wear them in camp when I anticipate having to shoot marauding varmints.

I spent many youthful hours around high sound levels in the rock-n-roll biz, and am thankful to have escaped the hearing damage I probably deserved. Now I guard my hearing assiduously.

 

[snowman]

(Mas Ayoob has frequently mentioned the technical name of the phenomena of not "hearing" shots fired in the heat of battle, but I'm too lazy to look it up ...)

Sir,

I think I've heard it referred to as "auditory exclusion" or something like that.

Andy

 

[oldafsp]

Hearing loss and tinnitus is a terrible condition to suffer from.

Use hearing protection at the range...always.

Over the years I have fired .38's in enclosed rooms and .357's.

The muzzle blast in dark room from a .357 is not nice thing to expirence.

And yes, for each 3db of sound the magnitude DOUBLES.

In defensive mode you need all of your sensory functions and you don't really hear the report of the shot.
You will notice it after the fact,however.

My personal preference is the .38+P.

Everyones tolerance level is different.

Just my .02 worth.

 

[K1500]

#1 Just because it 'doesn't bother you' or 'you will not hear it' due to auditory exclusion during a fight, doesn't mean it won't permanently damage your hearing.

#2 It is not a stupid question. Do you guys carry a gun on the premise that you will never have to fire it? The .357 is significantly louder than many other choices. The difference is enough to cause additional hearing damage.

If you want .357 power for a little noise as possible, a 10mm in an auto may be the way to go. Autos are do not have a b/c gap, and big bore rounds can generate the same energy level with a lower sound pressure waive. A 10mm is loud, just not as loud as a .357.

 

[sirrduke2010]

Hearing protection and loud noises. Hearing protection is essential with any loud noises or hearing damage can result. Both OSHA, NIOSH, and other safety organization contain information on the exposure of noise levels that can result in damaged hearing. If you fire a gun at the range hearing protection is essential. You just don't know who your next door neighbor is and what he will be firing.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Association the exposure of noise is also affected by the time of exposure. A person can tolerate louder sounds for a short period of time so that the noise exposure won't damage one's hearing. OSHA, which enforces the guidelines in the workplace puts a Gunshots at 140 dBA. However if you stay at the range above 85 dBA for long periods of time then the amount of noise exposure for prolonged times decreases as the sound level increases and prolonged exposure can cause hearing loss if the sound level is over 85dBA. At 140 dBA any exposure will cause hearing loss, which is the lower end of the gun range, which will cause hearing damage. A shotgun has a noise level of 160 dBA. According to "The National Campaign for Hearing Health's Toxic Noise Guidelines any exposure above levels of 130 dBA will cause hearing loss. Safe dB Levels. OSHA, oftentimes, has lower standards than NIOSH for exposure damages due to the levels of noise and the time of exposure than other safety groups and organizations. The Academy of Pediatrics, the National Campaign for Hearing Health, and NIOSH of the CDC have all established a guideline minimum concerning exposure to loud sound at above 85 dB for the noise is considered dangerous. I noted one article that spoke of a suppressed gun shot at 120 dBA which could still cause noise damage.

Why do I bother with this because any exposure, without hearing protection, to a gun shot can cause hearing damage even if the shot is suppressed in sound. A .357 Magnum being shot has a minimum noise level of 140 dBA which will cause hearing damage with any exposure.

 

[kbm6893]

As I recall he took the beating because he is supposed to be a leo with firearms experience and to ask that question he came across as someone who didn't know jack.

I took a beating because this forum, like so many others, is filled with people who THINK they know what they are talking about because they read SWAT magazine. I did 20 years in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, and have heard 9MM's and .38's on the street and indoors. I once heard a 12 gauge indoors and my ears were ringing for hours. I was asking if anyone had ACTUALLY ever fired a .357 outdoors in an emergenc and what the feeling was like. Sorry if my question wa so stupid. Some of the ones I have read on this board have been real doozeys. Mine wasn't, even if some Chairborne Ranger thinks it was.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I've had occasion to fire .357 magnum revolvers, both indoors and outdoors, in law enforcement encounters back in the 70's and 80's. Not pleasant at all, massive disruption of all the senses. It is more than the noise, there is a massive difference in muzzle blast, muzzle flash, and recoil that make it very difficult to focus on the situation at hand, much less address the need for a follow-up shot, time to seek cover, etc.

I've also used .45ACP for clearing huts, bunkers, and tunnels in Vietnam. Again, nothing pleasant about being inside an enclosed space with a serious handgun being fired, even when you are the person doing the firing. Not pleasant at all, very disorienting to say the least.

I'll use .357 magnum loads for hunting, when necessary. For personal defense, home defense, or other routine uses I will stick to .38 Special +P ammunition, thanks all the same. My J-frames will be loaded with standard velocity loads, not +P's.

The current trends for small-frame .357's, ultralight .357's, etc, all seem to be little more than marketing ploys for the unitiated and unenlightened.

YMMV, I'm sure.

 

[Practical]

Caliber doesn't matter if your not using ear plugs or such. So your post doesn't make sense.

Can't think of a better camp gun than a 357. If your just plinking, use hearing protection. If you need it in emergency, you won't notice the noise anyway.

140db is considered the threshold of pain.

357 mag is 164db
9MM is 158db
45ACP is 157db
25ACP is 155db

Get the point? Not much of a difference once you get over 140db.

db are logrithmic so the energy is NOT the same!

Double power = 3db, double loudness = 6db (10db to our ears)

 

[feralmerril]

Years back I was rideing in a car with two other guys. I was by the right front window. We were down in louisiana in the boonies. The driver stopped to look at a wild pig. All of the sudden it felt like someone hit me alongside the head with a plank! The idiot in the middle shot at the pig with a .22 revolver with the muzzel a inch or two from my left ear! I had no idea he even intended to shoot! I dont know if my hearing is bad from that or working around jets all my life, but I am sure it didnt help! I am guilty of hardly ever wearing hearing protection except for sighting in guns off the bench. Of course when I was working and requalifying we always wore muffs, but just rideing in the boonies and shooting I still dont.

 

[oldafsp]

As soon as my ears stopped ringing, I would have slapped the fool outta him.....

 

[feralmerril]

There was a interesting story on the follow up on that.

 

[mtheo]

Kinda like LoboGunLeather I have learned that standard velocity .38 allows me to shoot with more effect in dark enclosed spaces than with the "what just happened" .357 magnum. I have actually set up silhouettes in a hallway at night and compared my performance with a 3" j frame and 4" model 66 in the dark. Wearing ear muffs, of course!

If I wanted a camp gun and bear or cougar were a concern I would probably carry a 4" model 65 loaded with .357..... It always rains when I go camping.

 

[Pete99004]

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.

Yea, but he got a hell of a twitch from it.

Pete

 

[michael thornton]

To me the 357 has got a sharp sound that kills my ears! kinna like sticking a big nail in your ear, but its still one of my favorite guns, i learned to wear ear plugs.

 

[venomballistics]

as I stated elsewhere revolvers have three advantages.
power potential
out of box accuracy
and has earned the phrase "six for sure"

357 is the smallest cartridge that takes advantage of a revolvers power advantage over any auto.
it would be the smallest revolver i'd consider.

 

[AZretired]

I have hearing loss (about 40%) and tinitus. Yes a .357 is louder than a 45 ACP. In an actual shooting, no you will not notice the noise but you will still do damage to you hearing. I religiously used ear plugs or muffs when shooting, except for the one shooting I was involved in. What did the most damage ti my hearing was years of accumulated noise from lawn mowers, power tools & loud music. Never thought about hearing protection till it was too late.

 

[Drail]

Bottom line, some may seem louder than others but ALL of them will damage your ears. Even if one doesn't seem to "bother" you as much it's doing damage. When you hit 50 years of age you will wish you had protected your hearing. The .357's problem is so many of them are loaded so hot that a large percentage of the powder is burned after the bullet has left the barrel. Why so many people think this is the best load for a snub is something I never quite got.