Percieved noise in carbines, 44 mag vs

Hi Fellas,
Just wondered what the perception was of 44mag noise in a carbine or rifle vs high powere rifles with normal length barrels. My own take is pistol calibres have less blast than high powered rifles, this from using a 357 lever a lot. I consider my old 357 rossi quieter than the 30-30 and even some 223 setups.

Was wondering how the 44 mag stacks up. Obviously more powder there. But out of a reasonable length carbine( say 20") would you still say its quieter than

308win in standard length barrel
30-30 in similar lever?
12ga shotgun with 3" shells?
Im assuming a 223 will run quieter though?

When I say quieter both to the firer but also onlookers. Not meant to be an exacting debate, this was just an interesting discussion that came up around a campfire and part of it related to those of us who may have dogs with us. Some fellas do appears to perceive noise differently.

 

Interesting. I've never fired a .44 magnum carbine.

I can definitely say that my 16" barrel .357 magnum lever gun is much less "blasty" than my 17" barrel .308 bolt gun.

 

I guess I would have to put together a lineup of stuff to shoot back to back in order to be really objective but from my experience I would put in order of quietest to loudest,

12 ga shotgun
44 magnum rifle
30/30 win
223
308 win

 

This.

How loud a cartridge sounds is largely subjective, but doesn’t really have to be. There are some aspects which are difficult to quantify, like sharper, higher cracks vs. low, deep booms, but we’re really talking about total ejecta energy and muzzle pressure. The 44mag case is small and relatively low pressure, with a larger expansion ratio (larger bore volume to case volume ratio) than most bottleneck cartridges, so we don’t see much residual muzzle pressure when the “cork pops” and we don’t have much powder to begin with. It’s a big boomer, and shouldn’t be considered REMOTELY hearing safe, but it’s not as loud as most of your list here.

Volume to observers depends upon how far away they are as well. Your dogs close by won’t have quite as much volume or concussion to deal with, but neighbors farther away might hear a lower pitched 44mag better than a higher pitch crack of a 30-30.

 

If I remember correctly, a 240gr 44mag out of a 16" carbine has very similar pressure as a 45acp handgun at the muzzle. Alot of suppressor manufacturers claim that their 45acp cans are g2g with 44mag out of a rifle length barrel.

I'd actually say that's a pretty good barometer for how it'll sound.

In my experience shooting both 45acp handguns and 44mag carbines, they're pretty similar. Won't blow your ears out, but not exactly comfortable. Loud boom versus a sharp crack.

Definitely less concussive than a 223 or 308.

 

Thanks fellas, also reasonable to assume that moderate charges of Blue dot and 2400 will be quieter again than full house loads of H110, Lilgun etc

 

Faster powders should be notably less “blasty.” 2400 is generally a little less raucous than H110, but some faster powders still can bring that blast way down, only giving up a couple hundred fps to H110, king of the magnum revolver powders.

 

To my ears .44 Mag sound signature out of a lever or bolt( M77/44) comes nowhere near what is produced by say a .25-06 or 7mm.

Even my hot rodded Deerfield specific XTPs ( to ensure reliable cycling) being pushed by 2400 or 296 don’t approach those calibers in auditory discomfort.

 

In revolvers 2400 is certainly less blasty than H110. You can even go way down to like a fast shotgun powder like titegroup, red dot, 700x, ect... I load a subsonic 300 grain load with 6 grains of 700x that is even quieter on the ears than a shotgun.

 

IMHO there are two aspects to sound, volume and pitch. Low volume and high pitch can be just as bad as high volume and low pitch. 22mag out of a rifle is not THAT loud but the pitch just kills me. 38 out of the lever gun is not that loud but the pitch is much lower.

 

That is true but some rifles are just noisier than others too.

 

I can't speak for the 44mag, but my 41mag Henry Big Boy has a pretty significant crack when it goes off. Compared to my rifles, .308, 30-30, 243 & 223, the 41mag is quieter. Part of the reason I think it is so loud is the shorter carbine barrel. The same is true for my AR-15 carbine in .223 compared to my Ruger bolt action rifle with a 22" barrel. The carbine is definitely louder.

 

Both my Ruger 96/44 and 99/44 are pretty tame. Big long bore and not a lot of pressure makes for a deep pop instead of a sharp crack. 44 special in them is a powderpuff. The 99/44 wont even cycle them.

 

I like the term "auditory discomfort" . When all said & done, thats what it comes down to.

 

First time I fired a .44Mag carbine, probably 25yrs ago, I was shocked at how low the recoil and noise were. Both noticeably less than the .30-30.