Decibal Levels Published Anywhere?

[Ultima-Ratio]

HUH?
Yeppers my ears ring 24/7 same as many of you folks, I'm debating the purchase of a DB meter if I can't find any online resources.
Thanks!

 

[Ultima-Ratio]

FYI-

I found this on Google/Glockmeister-
.22LR Pistol = 152DB
12ga shotgun = 156DB
.45acp = 157DB
9mm = 160DB
.357 Maggie = 164DB
Ya'll realize that yer quality headset that subtracts say minus 29DB still doesn't protect us from permanant hearing loss that some reports claim starts at 85DB?
I wonder what the high pressure loads from rifles or say .30 Carbine, 454 Casull or .500 S&W generate?

 

[sm]

NOt sure if concerns are from shooting only or dailey exposures to other sources.
OSHA
http://www.osha.gov/

Occupational noise exposure. - 1910.95 > decibels>

 

[nvrquit]

Double-up on protection

Once you start to lose hearing, it will many cases never return to any level close to previous capability(if at all in some cases).

And some fellow shooters at the range wonder why I wear plugs and muffs when I shoot. After years of air and impact tools(before returning to school and changing occupations), I've already lost too much high frequency hearing for my tastes... I'll keep all that I've got left, thank you!

 

[Chuck Dye]

NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, offers a compendium of hearing protector devices at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/hpcomp.html Pay particular attention to the link for hunters and shooters where the recommended max exposure to a 12 gauge goes from 5 shots in a 24 hour period with muffs, to 1200/24 hours with muffs and plugs. Note, too, that the unattenuated shot curve shows most of the energy arriving within the first 2 milliseconds and the catalog blurbs for the electronic muffs brag about response time from 2 to 20 milliseconds. As much as I enjoyed the experience of Pro-Ears over foam plugs, I do not think I will spend the loot to buy a pair of electronic muffs.



Link corrected.

 

[Foreign Devil]

Doesn't noise depend on the barrel length of the weapon as well?

Anyway the stupid laws governing silencers are endangering our hearing. I say we start a letter writing campaign to congerss to get the NFA 34 modified for easier silencer access. I wrote a couple one time, more out of boredom than anything else...

 

[Treylis]

Keep in mind that the decibel scale is logarithmic--155 is a BIG step up from 154, 156 is an even bigger step, etc.

 

[Chuck Dye]

In a logarithmic scale, a 3db (actually, 3.01) difference is a factor of 2.

 

[benEzra]

Keep in mind that the A-weighted scale (dBA) will probably be more reflective of actual damage potential than the unmodified dB scale. Also make sure different sources use a consistent distance from the source, and preferably place the mike near the shooter's ear rather than, say, 1 meter in front of the muzzle.

Straight comparisons of hearing protection efficacy are difficult because the NRR ratings are based on continuous low-volume tones at the threshold of hearing, whereas a gunshot is a much higher-level impulse noise of extremely short duration. Also, the NRR doesn't really take into account the way a given set of muffs or plugs fits your head/ears; the quietest muffs I've ever used are Peltor Shotgunner low-profile muffs with a NRR of 21 (IIRC), while my wife's high-dollar liquid-filled-earcup muffs with a NRR of 29 allowed a lot more of the high-frequency transients for me, and my ears would always ring just a tad after using those.

 

[Mikul]

Here's one that I found:
120 Threshold of Pain
120 Siren
130 Jackhammer
140 Jet engine at takeoff

152 .22 pistol
156 12 gauge shotgun
157 .45 ACP pistol
160 9mm pistol
164 .357 Magnum revolver

A 9mm is louder than a 12 gauge?

 

[Ktulu]

I assume it's because a pistol's muzzle is closer to your ears then a shotgun's.

 

[JohnBT]

Here's a list I saved somewhere along the way. I have another list, but I've searched 2 drives already and haven't found it yet. JT

Quiet street 50
Interior home noise 60
Conversation 70
Crowded restaurant 75
Kitchen appliances 80
City traffic 85
Threshold of pain 120
Jet engine at take-off 150
.410 shotgun 152
.22 LR pistol 153
20 gauge shotgun 155
.223 rifle 155
.25 pistol 156
12 gauge shotgun 156
.30-.30 rifle 156
.44 Special revolver 157
.22 Magnum pistol 157
.45 ACP pistol 158
.38 Special revolver 159
.30-06 160
9mm Para pistol 163
.357 Magnum revolver 164