Loudness of guns fired indoors

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AlfonsDeWolf

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I find it interesting few talk of the loudness of guns fired indoors. I once fired a .22lr, I think a 40 gr Winchester Wildcat, out of a 4.5" pistol on a semi enclosed outdoor deck of my out in the country home. (yea, it was safe) The loudness nearly dropped me to my knees. :eek:Would anyone else like to share their experiences?
 
Yes. Guns fired indoors are very loud, and will cause hearing damage.

Obviously, firing a gun indoors in self defense is going to be an unpleasant experience. If you are in a situation where gunfire is needed to preserve your own life you won't hesitate and might not even notice the noise.

If it's not a life and death situation, then there's time to consider hearing loss and do something about it. There are good hearing protection solutions available today at very reasonable prices and there's just no reason to do that to yourself.
 
We always shoot at indoor ranges, so hearing protection is very important.

We make shure we have hearing protection on before entering the stand (actually before opening the door to the stand)

We double check al other people on the stand have hearing protection on before we start shooting

when we fire high energy centerfire rifles (6.5x55, 308, 30-06, 30-30, 7.5x55, 270 win, 7.62x54R and 223) we use DOUBLE protection, that is made to measure earplugs AND headphones, because with single protection, these soundlevels still can cause permanent damage, without you feeling pain or hearing a ringtone

We also use hearing protection when we shoot trap, obviously outdoors.
 
"The loudness nearly dropped me to my knees." What. A .22 LR ?

No mention of "hearing protection." It`s on you.
 
I think the point he was trying to make was it was surprising for a small caliber gun and that noise levels play a part in choosing a sd gun.

It's the exact reason my grand idea of carrying a .44 never happened.
 
I have always used ear plugs rated for chainsaw work while shooting. They carry 32 or 33 decibel protection I believe. They seem adequate outdoors, even when shooting 460 magnums (though it's probably unsafe in hind site). But I have started going to indoor ranges more lately, and when I'm shooting a 3" 357, the noise level is unpleasant. When my after holiday funds are replenished, I plan to buy some electronic muffs and double up. No reason not to.

I was out shooting an FNP-45 once in the woods when I thought I heard a dirt bike coming. So I pulled one plug out and listened, to make absolutely sure there was no safety concern. I wasn't shooting across a road, because doing so is both illegal and stupid, but I wanted to be safe. Well, the dirt bike moved out of the area, and I raised my gun and fired.

The ringing in my left ear only lasted a few minutes, but it was enough of a reminder to never be absent minded about hearing protection again. I simply forgot to put the plug back in. And that was only with a 45 acp. I immediately thought about how bad it could have been with a magnum round.

It made me totally rethink using 125gr 357 rounds in my HD gun, as I realized that the blast would be horrendous indoors without hearing protection, as is likely going to be the case if caught off guard. Standard 38 specials and 45 acp at the most. No more in home magnums.

It's also a reason to consider a threaded barrel and suppressor.

Protect your ears, and no more experimentation!
 
If I need to defend myself with my carry 9mm, continuing to live trumps continuing to hear. If I have time to get to my safe, there's a set of amplified muffs on top of the safe that go on before I use the 870 or AR.

I would love to see the data, from real world self defense shootings, on hearing impact.
 
Artillery ruined my hearing decades ago, the loud pipes on the hawg and stereo in the cage pretty much finished off my hearing by the time I hit 30.

I like to preserve what I have left.

Tinnitus is no laughing matter. Double up or say "What?" for the rest of your life
 
I worked as a Food Safety Inspector in packing houses. I have seen and heard many calibers used to stun animals for slaughter, including 12 gauge shotguns. The concussion from the magnums and a shotgun knock the cobwebs off the walls, much less damage a person's hearing. I sincerely hope I never have to use a shotgun indoors for home defense.

Conversations during an indoor gunfight are another Hollywood fantasy.
 
Yeah, 22's are loud indoors. I once fired a 22LR revolver in an indoor cement hallway and my ears rang for almost 24 hours. I can't even imagine what firing an AR indoors w/o hearing protection would do to hearing. That's both my wife and I have hearing protecting next to the bed.
 
I use hearing protection for shooting but never for hunting...until I started hunting ducks in pit blinds. A few years ago a buddy swung around and fired a 3 1/2" magnum in front of me. It wasn't dangerous but the concussion rocked my head. I now wear plugs.

I often deer hunt from an enclosed blind. Normally my barrel is outside the blind when I fire but last year I took a shot to my left where the end of the gun was still inside the blind and my ears were ringing.

A 22 makes a pretty loud crack rather than a boom but I imagine it is still rough inside an enclosed area. They do it all the time on The Walking Dead so it can't be too bad.
 
A gun fired in an enclosed space is not any louder than the same gun fired outside. There is simply more energy reflected back at you. When fired outside that energy simply goes away from you and does not return. You must wear hearing protection in either case.
 
jrdolall said:
A 22 makes a pretty loud crack rather than a boom but I imagine it is still rough inside an enclosed area. They do it all the time on The Walking Dead so it can't be too bad.
Click to expand...

Yup, because a TV zombie apocalypse drama is just the place to get your firearm safety tips?

At my club we have a roof over the pistol range firing line with the firing line back under the edge of the roof. Just having a metal roof overhead signficantly increases sound level at your ears. Multiple people shooting centerfire pistols at once is a lot and I start thinking about doubling up at around 4 shooters. It's amazing how just stepping four feet forward to get out from under the roof makes the sound turn from a loud bang to a dull thud
 
jrdolall said:
I use hearing protection for shooting but never for hunting...until I started hunting ducks in pit blinds. A few years ago a buddy swung around and fired a 3 1/2" magnum in front of me. It wasn't dangerous but the concussion rocked my head. I now wear plugs.

I often deer hunt from an enclosed blind. Normally my barrel is outside the blind when I fire but last year I took a shot to my left where the end of the gun was still inside the blind and my ears were ringing.

A 22 makes a pretty loud crack rather than a boom but I imagine it is still rough inside an enclosed area. They do it all the time on The Walking Dead so it can't be too bad.
Click to expand...

Um ... you realize they use blanks or CGI on TV shows .... right?:scrutiny:
 
You haven't lived till you experience a 308 going off at an indoor range. If you any fillings they will be rattled. One range allows anything short of 50 BMG at the indoor range.
 
Okay guys. I assume that most of us are adults and should be able to infer sarcasm without an emoji. I can understand that some statements may need clarification but...never mind.
 
I never used ear protection through decades of shooting, chain saws, etc and, in my mid 50's, my hearing is still pretty good. I really started using hearing protection maybe 10 years ago. Maybe my hearing would be excellent if I had used it through the years and maybe it will deteriorate much faster as I get older.

Tommygun I am not a part of the United States of the Offended. I take it all in stride. :what::rolleyes::neener::cool::evil::p;):fire::D:cuss::eek::banghead::(:uhoh::)
 
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