.357 Sig Muzzle Flash and Noise

[gallo]

I often hear that the .357 revolver's muzzle flash and noise would leave you momentarily blind and deaf for a couple of days, especially when fired in the dead of night.

My question is how does the .357 Sig compare in muzzle flash and noise level to the .357 revolver.

Assume that both guns are service level (4" barrel).

Thank you.

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

I would guess that the SIG round would have slightly less flash and bang. The best way to find out is to either buy both or shoot someone else's.

 

[grimjaw]

Having fired off a .22LR round from a handgun indoors w/o hearing protection, I can tell you that it doesn't matter what centerfire round you pick, you're going to be deafened and potentially blinded if you shoot it indoors.

The revolver has the added flash sometimes of the cylinder gap, so I would think the noise and blast would seem louder.

jm

 

[gallo]

I once shot my .22 Buckmark without ear protection at the indoor gun range. I was the only one in there at the time. The noise did not make my ears bleed but it was not pleasant either.

 

[Walkalong]

Just because it does not "make your ears bleed" does not mean it is not doing damage. Damage is cumulative.

 

[rbernie]

I cannot stand shooting next to a 357 Sig shooter; the round is very obnoxious. Dunno how it seems to the shooter, but it's dang loud and flashy to the bystanders.

 

[RobMoore]

Try standing on a whole firing line full of them on an indoor range.

As to the muzzle flash, if you use speer gold dots, the muzzle flash is considerably less. I'm no expert on how they do it, but something mixed in with the powder makes it low flash.

 

[WC145]

I've fired Speer 357sig Gold Dot indoors and there was no flash to speak of but it was some damn loud!! Of course it was loud outdoors at the range also. No question when I touched one off.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

We did some night shooting in the defensive pistol class I took. In regards to flash and noise the lone 357 sig present was certainly no worse than the 3.5" SA V10 Ultracompact .45 I was using at the time.

During a break one of the instructors got out a 3" Smith 500. Now THAT was a bit obnoxious.

 

[GearHead_1]

I don't know that I agree with the blind for a couple of days part of the question but there is no doubt in my mind it could affect your hearing even permanently depending upon the circumstance. I think that most people who have done there fair share of shooting have forgotten at one time or another to get there ear muffs down or plugs in. It can be a very bad thing and a .357 SIG or Mag is particularly nasty with their sharp crack. When compared to a .44 Mag which in my opinion has more of a boom the .357 is harder on you. When comparing my Glock .357 SIG verses a .40 Glock the SIG is significantly louder. I don't believe there is much difference in the recoil. I at one time made the mistake of having my electronic ear muffs in hand while a friend got a little ahead of the group and what they were doing while shooting a .50 BMG. I was easily 25 feet behind him but still within the Chevron (blast zone) of a Barrett's muzzle brake. It literally put me to my knees and I was done for the day. I'm not a wuss it just took all of the ambition and anticipation that I had built up to shoot away. The noise was like nothing I had heard during 30 years of shooting but it was the concussion that I couldn't deal with. I could feel it in my chest and limbs, instant headache. For a brief moment I remember thinking what just happened? Was I shot? When observing one of these guns you are much better off to be directly behind the shooter. Don't set up your station right next to one. A .50 BMG can ruin your day in more than one way. I laugh about this now but it wasn't funny at the time.

 

[Geronimo45]

Personal experience re: shooting minus ear protection follows.
You are not deafened (this is .45 ACP echoing against concrete, glass, brick, and low roof). The noise will be painful (unless auditory exclusion's going on and you don't notice it) and your ears will likely ring. You may have some degree of hearing loss afterwards, but, to the best of my knowledge/IME, you do not go stone deaf at any point. Whispers may be hard to hear, but normal jabber can be heard inbetween shots (this is with 'young ears', for the record. Older folk might see different results).
Interestingly, the noise wasn't bad in the least when adrenaline was flowing. It was painful when target shooting only. I have since bought earplugs and muffs. Shooting has been much more comfortable since.

As for muzzle flash blinding you?
To make sure it doesn't bother you, wear sunglasses or practice on your flinch.

 

[cornman]

Grimjaw is right. ALL centerfires will make you deaf. This is why I shoot for fun and not for defence. Guns are really archaic when you think about it. I will wait for a laser gun before ever thinking about using one in self defence.

 

[gallo]

Thank you for your feedback. I have on my sight an XD in .357 Sig. Your comments have been most valuable.

 

[slik_rik30]

To answer the original question the .357 sig has significantly less flash and noise than .357mag. (in my opinion and experience)

My comparative experience was a .357sig Glock 31 and a Dan Wesson .357mag wheelgun.

The former is a .40 on steroids and the latter is a cannon!

 

[gallo]

slik_rik30,

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[P. Plainsman]

GearHead 1,

That was a very vivid anecdote. Yikes. Sorry you had to go through that!

I will try to profit from your experience and be double careful about keeping ears on and giving a wide berth to any truly ferocious boomers at the range. A .50 BMG definitely qualifies. (I've never seen one at my usual rifle range, but there's an impressive long-distance range not far away, and I bet they might show up there.)

 

[GearHead_1]

GearHead 1,

That was a very vivid anecdote. Yikes. Sorry you had to go through that!

I will try to profit from your experience and be double careful about keeping ears on and giving a wide berth to any truly ferocious boomers at the range. A .50 BMG definitely qualifies. (I've never seen one at my usual rifle range, but there's an impressive long-distance range not far away, and I bet they might show up there.)

Sadly enough we all came in the same vehicle and we were all prepared to shoot our own .50's (mine is an AR50). It's actually not a range we were at. It's an area in the desert we had set up steel targets from 500 - 1600 yards. My friend was just a little faster in set up and the other two of us weren't paying proper attention. It was my fault but we usually call out, eyes, ears and make sure everyone is ready. I seriously never pulled the trigger that day. I got in the van and drove a quarter mile away and just laid in it until the other two were ready to leave. Shooting a .50 is a lot of fun as long as you have sufficient distance to do it. 200 yards just isn't that cool.