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357. Mag hearing question.

6K views 38 replies 32 participants last post by  hogdaddy 
#1 ·
Looking to pick up a .357 for defensive carry (Currently use .45 or 9mm).. I keep reading around the internet about how the .357 will blow your ear drums out if used inside and even outside and stories about people who shot them without ear protection for the first time throwing the gun thinking it has exploded.

I have tired to find some dB measures to compare a .357 to other guns, and some places list a .45 acp louder than the .357 mag and others have the .357 mag louder, (only 5 dB louder/less seems to be the ) but most have a consensus that the .357 is about 10dB louder than a .38. If I recall right 10dB= twice the loudness based on the human ear.

So .357? is a myth that its soo freaking loud.

I guess also what makes one bullet louder than the other? I know the speed of the bullet supersonic vs subsonic, but is it the overall amount of powder?
 
#3 ·
Myth, absolutely. While asserting that it's a myth it is always smart to wear proper hearing protection with using it, or any firearm for that matter.

Sometime before my dad retired a co-worker was going on and on about how a .357 Magnum was so powerful that its recoil would split open a shooter's hand. My dad snorted that his tiny daughter-in-law could handle the .44 Magnum with ease and the .357 was not such a fearsome round.

Some people just have to make it up as they go.
 
#7 ·
Heh, heh! Good one.

I'm there on hearing damage only I did it to myself way back at 18-20 shooting mass quantities of .38 Special without hearing protection.
 
#32 ·
Shizzlemah has the math right.

...


I myself Do own both and often take them both to the range and shoot them back-to-back (.45 and .357)

Here's my input:

The major difference is more to do with a revolver vs auto than the caliber. And the root cause of THAT is the cylinder gap.

I have a Dan Wesson .357 and that means that I can manually adjust the cylinder gap. (the barrels are interchangeable and cylinder gap is set every time you change the barrel)

I can say from first hand experience that if you have a revolver that is even 0.002" out of spec, that the felt blast and noise will be substantially higher than if everything is ship-shape with your revolver. -- If you have a particularly worn revolver that may be 0.006 out of spec, then you have to be careful not to loose your shooting glasses if you load up hot rounds. And the guy in the next bay over is definitely going to start a conversation with you...


but to tie that in with your actual question: the particular gun you are firing the .357 rounds out of will be the critical part of the equation. If it has a tight cylinder gap, you won't notice more noise from that gun than any other you may be shooting that day. If not, you may be coming home with that little "white noise" sound in your ears.
 
#8 ·
If you are shooting it without ear protection..... it is loud, and consistent use that way would probably cause some hearing loss. But, that's true of almost any gun. However, in a self defense situation..... it will also make bad guys run and who cares how loud it is at that point. It won't break your ear drums, at least it never has mine and I've shot them inside and outside numerous times. I guess there could always be that 'one' case with anything.

To me, they are not louder than a .45 cal. Both are louder than a .38 , without doubt.
 
#9 ·
I've never shot a 357 indoors and I can't really say whether it's louder than a 45 or not. What I can say is that in my younger, stupider days I did a lot of shooting without hearing protection (that was for sissies) and I can say without a doubt that no handgun round hurts my ears as much as a 357. For me, it's not the actual decibel level as much as it is the pitch. Just seems to have a much higher frequency "crack" compared to the "boom" of other handguns. In a defense situation, you'll never hear the sound. You may feel the effects the next day but I do not believe that a single defensive situation inside a room would cost you your hearing. In the unlikely event that you did end up with some slight amount of hearing damage, I'm willing to bet you'd consider that a fair trade for your life.

Hoss
 
#33 ·
...
it's not the actual decibel level as much as it is the pitch. Just seems to have a much higher frequency "crack" compared to the "boom" of other handguns.
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Hoss
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I have been shooting the .357mag for over 30 years and it is very loud. It seems to have a sharper "crack" than other calibers.

tex

The .357 has a "sharper, higher crack!" because you're getting two separate sources of noise. (three, if you count the cylinder gap and muzzle as separate. )
+ Many handgun rounds (and darned near ALL .45 loads) are loaded below 1100 feet per second. Or they quickly fall below that speed as they go downrange. That means all you hear is the powder expansion.
+ most .357 rounds go over 1100fps, and maintain high speed. So the bullet is making it's own Sonic Boom as it breaks the sound barrier and travels down range. - the Sonic Boom is a higher pitched "ripping" noise compared to the percussive pulse from the powder.


- Yeah, I know I'm a geek...


.
 
#13 ·
I know at the indoor range I go to my .357 is definitely louder than my .45, .40, .38, or 9mm. I can feel the percussion from that thing. Outside it doesn't seem as bad. I'm sticking with the .40 for house defense. I love the .357 round, but I love my hearing more. The way ammo is going up I can't afford to practice with it anyway...
 
#15 ·
Back when I was younger I would shoot an old Cold .45 1911 without hearing protection without to much pain. But the other day I was talking with the wife and forgot to put my left ear plug in while shooting a 2" .357 snubbie and WOW!! That hurt my ear!! Im not sure if its cause of the short barrel of my revo but it did hurt...actual pain in the ear which I have never felt before with the .45.
 
#16 ·
There are so many variables as to what causes the increased noise. Is the gun ported? Is the same type of powder being used?

I have loaded my .45 and my .357 with the same powder, and have found that my ported .45 seems to match the .357 whereas the .45 that is not ported, and has a slightly longer barrel is significantly less compared to the ported .45 or the .357 mag.

To get a honest to goodness measurement - the .357 and the .45 should be fired from as similar guns as possible (same barrel length, non ported, etc), and use appropriate loads for each caliber, but use the same powder. However, with this said in real life - to many variables to really care that much, just use the hearing protection and enjoy!
 
#17 ·
The only handgun I've ever fired without hearing protection was a 6" 586 S&W .357. I was outside and it was quite unpleasant. Only other guns I've fired without hearing protection are a .22 rifle (bearable) and a .270 Win rifle (once, absolutely horrible).

While at the range (ie. with hearing protection), I can notice a definite difference between your typical 9mm and any magnum revolver round. The mags are noticeably louder. I can't fathom shooting any firearm indoors without protection. Better than dying though. :yup:
 
#18 ·
My 357 is definiately louder than my 45, but it also has a 2 inch barrel versus a 5 inch barrel. At the range I usually wear double hearing protection, plugs and muffs. I know too many people with hearing trouble, so I am probably more concerned with it than most. Either way, neither is as loud as 5th row at an AC/DC concert indoors. I did this several years ago and my ears rang for 2 days.
 
#19 ·
I've done it

I've shot a .357 magnum (4 inch 686) while deer hunting, without hearing protection. I wouldn't recommend doing very much of it.

It sounds like... BANG, riiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg......

By the way, I got a very nice 8 point white tail with 158gr. handloaded JHPs.

If you have to shoot to protect yourself, 20 minutes of ear ringing isn't really an issue. I expect with every shot, you would loose just a tiny bit of hearing. Keep doing it long enough, and it will become significant.
 
#20 ·
Why shoot a firearm w/o hearing protection anyway? I can see throwing one mag-full downrange w/o it just to see, but constant torture????

I was a professional drummer for years, and after the first few months of practicing "bare", I swiftly donned ear-plugs to save my head from damage.

It seems silly not to keep your senses healthy when you can control the circumstances.

On topic: .357 is about the same BANG as any other firecracker in close quarters.
 
#21 ·
I was just concerned over a possible need to use one in the house for defense, if on the first shot I would blow my ear drums out and be in so much pain that I couldnt follow up with the next..

When I go to the range like another poster said they always double up on ear protection. I do the same I have the plugs in my ear plus over the ear protection. I do this not only to save my hearing but I noticed when wearing eye protection the over the ear dont get a full seal due to the glasses. (This becomes more apparent when the guy next to you is blasting a .308 down range indoors)
 
#22 ·
Ah...I see.

Well, in times of stress just PERSEVERE. Bleeding ears or not, fall back on your defensive practice and eliminate the threat. In one of my Psychological Anthropology classes, it was brought up that sometimes in periods of intense stress, the body turns off certain functions (acute hearing is one). If your level of fight or flight is that high, ear damage is less likely to occur or even be noticed.
 
#28 ·
I've been shooting my .357 magnum(2" snubbie) for about a year now, and I can only shoot about 3-4 rounds(outside) without hearing protection before It starts to hurt. Where as with my .45 I can shoot unprotected all day. I can't tell you if it's louder than a .45 but it does have a higher pitched "crack" that hurts more. As far as inside shooting, the only gun I've shot indoors is an m16 (.223) when you're shooting and getting shot inside, you can hear the shots but your adrenaline keeps you from feeling the "bang"
 
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