Does .40S&W seem really loud to anyone else?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dorrin79

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2003
Messages
883
Location
Central Texas
Seems like the last few times I've gone to the range I've been sandwiched between two people shooting .40S&W - and it's loud! (at least, compared to .45 ACP and 9x19)

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed this, and what the reason is...
 
My friend says my 9mm is so loud it bothers him when he shoots next to me. I thought it seemed loud compared to other 9's too, but he confirmed it. I think it's because of the high pitch and light loads I shoot. 40? Seems to have more of a 'crack'.
 
The 357 sig round, now that is loud!!!! I shoot CC Blazer 40 S&W rounds and they do seem a bit louder than the 9mm rounds.
 
It may also be the configuration of the guns being fired alongside you. Short or ported (or gawd help us, short AND ported) :what: barrels tend to have a pretty nasty report in any major caliber.


Tom
 
Heck, they're all loud. It's a heck of a sport and/or hobby to have if loud is not your business. With that said, I agree, the .40's are louder than 9mm's. But, as said before, they're a different kind of loud.

I love the sound that comes out of my .44 mag's, boom! :evil:
 
Well, the whole subsonic/supersonic thing plays heavily into this. Standard 230 Gr 45ACPs and 147 Gr 9mms seem pretty tame (with some form of hearing protection) while 125 Gr 357s and 135 Gr 40s seem sharper to my ears. The 180 Gr 40s seem to have a more concussive report than 230 Gr 45ACPs though.

Overall though, I don't think 165 or 180 Gr 40s being fired beside me have any more of an effect on my concentration than 45s or 9mms.
 
Yep. High pressure cartridges are loud. Lower pressure cartridges are less loud. 40SW operates around 32KPSI (357Mag is around 35KPSI, 357SIG is 44KPSI, and the 45 is 19KPSI).
 
Larry - that must be it then.

to be more specific, .40 seems to have a very sharp, slap-like report, where as .45 is more of a *boom* and 9mm (to me, anyway) more of a flat *pop*

It doesn't really bug me - it just seemed noticeably loud compared to other handguns - much like a .357 mag, come to think of it.

Maybe I'll start doubling up on my hearing protection....
 
depends on the ammo. subsonic vs sonic.

357sig is worse from what I hear havent heard one though.

357magnum full house rounds are quite a bit louder than 40S&W
 
What?...can't hear ya

I thought full house .357 Magnum was no louder than, say, .38 +P....until
I set-up next to a fellow firing a ported wheelgun........even with my 29 db Peltors, I had to move......The guy offered to let my fire a few, but I politely declined. :what:
 
I do think .40s tend to be some of the loudest handguns I commonly encouter. The loudest handgun I've ever heard was a ported .44 magnum in an indoor range. I swear, I thought it was a rifle being fired at first.
 
The ammo might have something to do with the decibel level.
I shot a .40 S&W outdoors a few years ago and found it quite loud.
I was complaining about that to a friend who asked,
"What ammo were you shooting?"
"Cor-Bon."
"Well..."
 
I agree about the .40 being loud. I think it's the sharp crack/slap sound that gets attention. Something about it actually makes you feel like you are going to lose some hearing. It's the only thing that's left my ears ringing after a day of shooting (with hearing protection). There is definitely a difference between standard ammo, too. I've noticed Blazer to be quite a bit louder than S&B, Magtech or WWB. Winchester Silvertip was by far the loudest .40 ammo I've shot. The last time I shot some I had only planned to go bird hunting, so I had nothing more than earplugs in and I couldn't stand to shoot more than a few rounds. There are plenty of guns that are louder, but I have yet to hear one that produces a more irritating report than a hot .40 S&W out of a short barrel. Sometimes I think that adds to the satisfaction of shooting it.
 
I agree the 40's seem pretty loud of course when i break out the big gun in 454 and pop a few off nothing compares :evil: :evil: It for some wild reason gets everyones attn
 
I wear good enough ear protection that I'm not bothered by the noise , but I will say that the felt pressure wave from .357Sig CorBons is pretty impressive !
I'm utterly amazed at the number of people who shoot without any ear protection : folks who think that $1 for even foamies isn't worth it get me but maybe they just don't have any hearing left ? :confused: The worst I've experienced was an ND from a CZ-52 about 4' parallel to me - my ears were ringing pretty good for a while after that - I couldn't imagine going through a box of it without anything over or in the ears .
 
I really think it depends on what type of gun it is too. My friends XD 9mm is a heck of lot louder than my cz75 in .40S&W. I can actually feel the vibration on my glasses when i'm shooting his XD.
 
Don't know about lower peak pressure on the 10mm. I think SAAMI runs 37.5kpsi and several safe to my gun loads (as pioneered by others) should be approaching 40kpsi. Gives a flash bigger than a basketball. The concussive force to the next stall is noticeable.
 
My wife always shoots .45 and when we were at the range the other day a guy about 15ft. down the line was sighting in a .300 mag and when he lit that off my wife turned to me and said,"Man that tickled my toes!":p
 
Report and muzzle blash are both nothing but the release of pressure.
The higher the pressure the louder the report. The smaller the exit aperature the sharper the report will seem. Since the .40 operates at a higher pressure than a .45 it will be louder. Since it is smaller it will also appear to be sharper. Both combine to increase the decibel level.

This is also the reason my .41 sounds louder than my .44. Since the pressures are close, the smaller muzzle makes a difference.
Touch off some of those heavy cast Federal .41 maggies or some Cor-Bon in an indoor range and people will stop and stare. :evil:
You'll think you're in an E.F. Hutton commercial.
 
I've noticed this also. Whenevr I fire my Baby Eagle 40 at the indoor range, folks start looking around for me. Its a different bang that gets their attention. One time in the woods, I fired off a round with no ear plugs, and, well, that'll be the last time :banghead:
 
Not for me, I can fire off a few out of my Baby Eagle in .40 and relate the experience to loud popcorn even without hearing protection. My ported .357 is another story. I shot that one time without earplugs or anything and that will be the only time.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Does anyone else prefer the 45 acp over the 40 ? for range shooting ?
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
CWL
C
A
  • Locked
How does the .357Sig compare to the .40S&W?
2
Replies
26
Views
1K
EBRDude
E
T
  • Locked
Ammo selection. 40S&W, what it is and what it is not.
Replies
14
Views
1K
decoy562
D
P
  • Locked
Why was the 40s&w invented?
2 3 4
Replies
99
Views
9K
420Stainless
4
N
  • Locked
SIGPRO - Does anyone actually like theirs ??
Replies
9
Views
1K
Newton
N
Back
Top