Posted by mbt2001:
Anything over 120 decibles catastrophic to hearing... The point is .357 .44 .45 doesn't matter, they are all over that level.
You're wrong again.
I've fired a .45 ACP indoors without hearing protection---no catastrophe whatsoever.
I found it more bearable than having to shoot in the lane next to a .357 shooter at my private OUTDOOR range, WITH my protective muffs.
Being a supersonic round, the .357 also makes a distinct ear-splitting "crack" as it breaks the sound barrier.
The .45 ACP is a subsonic round that doesn't break the sound barrier, thus no ear-splitting crack.
So .357's are considerably worse for your hearing, any way you cut it.
So don't kid yourself. Loud = Loud. I am not debating that the .357 isn't louder, I am saying that if you think that the margin is going to save your hearing, you are mistaken.
I'm not kidding myself. YOU are kidding YOURSELF.
As the trained scientist at the Department of Energy clearly explained, there is a SUBSTANTIAL difference at only 3 decibels. At 7.3 decibels, the difference is ENORMOUS.
At my private outdoor range, I've stood better than 10 feet behind guys shooting .357 Magnums, and can still feel the shockwave emanating from the weapons. Stand the same distance behind a .45 ACP, and I feel nothing.
The highly experienced CCW trainer who I took my concealed carry course from, doesn't even allow students to use .357's on the qualification range.
Many indoor ranges also don't allow .357's. Some that do allow them, often restrict their use to the less busy hours and/or days of the week. On multiple occasions at indoor ranges, I've personally witnessed people pack up and leave once a guy with a .357 started shooting in a lane near theirs.
Get the amplified hearing muffs for indoor shooting.
Uh yeah, right. If someone's dead asleep when multiple armed invaders bust down their front door, I'm sure their hearing protection is the first thing they reach for.