Handgun Caliber Noise

[Konstantin835]

My dad recently got his pistol permit and I am urging him to get a handgun for home defense. This is just theoretical but what handgun caliber would be the quietest and least likely to cause hearing damage or loss if it was fired inside without hearing protection (excluding .22). I know noise is not a way to choose a caliber for home defense but i'm curious. Thanks.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Any gunshot is going to generate well in excess of 130 db. There is a slight difference in the quality of sound between a subsonic round like the .45 Auto and a supersonic like the 9mm Luger or .357 Magnum. The former has more of a long, drawn-out "boom" report, the latter have a sharp "crack" that is more immediately painful. But, realistically, there isn't much difference. If the situation has reached a point where you have to shoot inside your house, do it and worry about the rest later.

 

[harmon rabb]

.45 isn't going to be as hard on the ears as 9mm or 40.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Home defense is a perfect use for a suppressor.

 

[sniper5]

At that point you are fighting for your life. Anything short of death is gravy.

 

[bluetopper]

Use a spear or a pellet gun if noise is a big concern.

 

[outerlimit]

My dad recently got his pistol permit and I am urging him to get a handgun for home defense. This is just theoretical but what handgun caliber would be the quietest and least likely to cause hearing damage or loss if it was fired inside without hearing protection (excluding .22). I know noise is not a way to choose a caliber for home defense but i'm curious. Thanks.

Get a set of Surefire combat earplugs or better yet a set of Pro Ears since you can just slip them on in the dark. I value my hearing and this is a very simple solution rather than becoming deaf from firing a full power .357 mag in a hallway.

.45 isn't going to be as hard on the ears as 9mm or 40.

I looked into this awhile back. All the data I've read says that .45acp registers on the decible meters a little bit louder than 9mm or .40S&W. If you shoot them one after the other or alternate you can definitely tell that .45acp is a bit louder. This is with full sized service pistols to make the comparison as valid as possible.

 

[JLaw]

I'll put my neck on the line and risked getting flamed here.

Personally I'm not worried about noise. Maybe it will jump up and bite me someday, but here's why I don't worry.

Around two years ago I was working a temporary shutdown in a commercial building in the middle of the night. Work was being done in the switchgear room (approx. 10' x 25' room), electrician in the room pumping the switch and myself a few feet away from him.

When the main switch energized, something went wrong and a 2000 amp service shorted out and ka-boomed. When it went, the room turned bright blue and the noise was like a small bomb...according to store employees.

However, both of us inside the room did not experience any temporary blindness or temporary hearing side-effects. Is this some sort of protection system the human body is able to use to protect itself under stress? I don't know.

Just my personal story and my $0.02, so take that for what it's worth.

JLaw

 

[gwnorth]

It's been posted about and discussed here many times now. If you look at reported sound levels for any center fire handgun round, they are all well above the level where serious risk of hearing loss or damage is likely:

http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml

I think debating about which center fire handgun caliber is more or less damaging to hearing is a bit like arguing about which is wetter - tap water or rain water.

Firing a handgun in a closed or confined space inherently bears a high risk of hearing damage or outright hearing loss. Caliber don't enter into it.

As stated by many others, your reasons for having a HD gun is to defend your life and those under your roof. If it comes down to it, you have to accept some trade off for survival of an attack with deadly intent. It's either that, or get busy inventing a real Van Helsing repeating cross-bow or something.

 

[Stealth01]

I assume barrel length may cause a variance but gennerally speaking:

CENTERFIRE PISTOL DATA
.25 ACP - 155.0 dB
.32 LONG - 152.4 dB
.32 ACP - 153.5 dB
.380 - 157.7 dB
9mm - 159.8 dB
.38 S&W - 153.5 dB
.38 Spl - 156.3 dB
.357 Magnum - 164.3 dB
.41 Magnum - 163.2 dB
.44 Spl - 155.9 dB
.45 ACP - 157.0 dB
.45 COLT - 154.7 dB

They are all going to hurt! But, when faced with the alternative...


KRG

 

[Carter]

I'm sure this isn't practical, but...

I noticed with my ear muffs (the electronic kind that amplifies voices and other lower level sounds) on I can hear so much better. Flies sounds like motorcycles, I can hear feet moving 25 yards away, etc etc. You could keep a set of those next to your HD weapon. It'd increase your ability to hear where the bad guy is and what he is doing.

But in all probability you wouldn't have time to put them on if a weapon was needed.

A rifle or shotgun would do the most damage to your hearing in my opinion. Thats one reason I'd never use my XCR for HD (that and I don't want to blast through the walls risking other people and then have to pay for whatever else the bullet did as it exited my house...) and would probably only grab my shotgun if my handgun was for some unlikely reason unavailable.

That leaves handguns. I'd stay away from anything that says magnum. After that everything is pretty much relative. Two or three shots shouldn't do permanent damage. I've had an m1a going off right next to my ear that rattled out the ear plugs I was using at the time (first time to the range) and my hearing was back to normal after a week or two. My hearing is pretty sensitive too. I've also shot a .40 without hearing protection (it was outside though, dumb mistake and forgot to put back on my muffs) and it was slightly painful but no hearing loss (although without doctors test I couldn't tell you if I've lost any slight ability over time). The point is a few shots without hearing protection isn't going to effect you.

I've listened to an officer tell me his story of using deadly force that was literally point blank in a car...the general consensus is in those situations you won't even hear the shots because of your stress and adrenaline levels. He may have some loss in one ear, but he is still an officer and is fully functional and hears just fine, even on the range.

 

[Deadheadted37]

If SHTF I don't you will be worrying about this to much.

 

[rjrivero]

Beretta 92FS + Trident 9=Hearing safe home protection.

 

[DonRon]

At that point you are fighting for your life. Anything short of death is gravy.

Very well stated. In a real life gunfight you will never hear the noise anyway.