Rifles that aren't as horrible to shoot without hearing protection

alowtrail

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Nov 17, 2024
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It seems fairly likely that I'll be in a situation where I need to take a shot without having time for hearing protection, especially when out hunting.

I know that pretty much all centerfire rifles cause hearing damage, but clearly there is a huge difference in the amount of damage between say a 16" .308 with a muzzle brake and a 22" .308 without. I'm trying to contain my collection of firearms to ones that I don't *hate* firing without hearing protection, in case it comes to it. Decibel charts don't seem to tell the whole story here.

Here's my purely anecdotal experience, mostly pertaining to shooting without hearing protection.

.22lr from a 23" barrel isn't bad at all. I wouldn't shoot it all day, but some shots really don't bother me, especially if I use subsonic ammo. If I have to dispatch an animal, I don't mind going without hearing protection.

18" Ruger 10/22 is definitely louder, but not too bad.

16" Ruger 10/22 is getting the point where I'd really rather have hearing protection.

I have shot my 9mm handgun a couple of times without hearing protection. I don't recommend it at all. Definitely quieted my hearing, though no auditory exclusion. It wasn't painful, but not pleasant. I appreciate that I know what it's like and I can tolerate it. I'd be nervous of other handguns not being quite the same.

I shot .32 long out of a Ruger LCR once. I think it was less loud than the 9mm, but more painful. I hated the one shot I did and would only begrudgingly carry it now, in case I did have to shoot it.

.308 subsonic without a suppressor makes my ears ring, but isn't horrible. I think from a 16" barrel.

My .22lr Ruger pistol is very loud, but it dosn't ruin my day to shoot without hearing protection.

My 18" .223 rifle with one can was excessively loud (dissapointingly so), but with another is okay. I have not shot it without a can, particularly based on how it felt with a can.

Obviously, ammunition makes a big difference as well. Shooting indoors completely changes the game for the worse.

Speaking of indoors, I had a 16" .308 (why they make the things, I have no idea unless you are going to run a can) with a bird cage muzzle device. I had good ear muffs on. Immediately quieted my right ear after shooting. I now avoid 16" .308s and double up when shooting indoors.

Obviously, the consensus is to always wear hearing protection. I'm not arguing with that at all. And if not hearing protection, a suppressor. It's just not always possible/practical in all cases.

It seems like some rifles are notably less painful than others. As far as handguns go, semiautomatics are definitely easier on the ear than revolvers (assuming not a Nagant which has no gap.)

A friend of mine has a .44 magnum single shot and says that it's quieter than a .22lr pistol (I can believe this.) It seems like bigger bores, longer barrels, and lower pressures all help. This makes me think that a revolver caliber lever action or single shot would be okay enough for the occasional shot without hearing protection.

I've heard that AR-15s are quite painful regardless of barrel length. I'm not sure if this applies to .223 bolt actions or not, or if it's more to do with the action or muzzle device.

I am pretty sure that 7.62x39 AKs are more comfortable to shoot than 5.56 ARs, but I can't speak from experience. I'm mainly trying to escape the "ruin my day" level of noise (and harshness) that some rifles produce.

So I'm curious, what rifles are in the "ruin your day" category to shoot without hearing protection, and which are a very bad idea to shoot without hearing protection, but don't ruin your day?

For instance, is a 24" .30-06 miserable to shoot without? Is .308 worse for the same barrel length because the pressures are higher?

What about the 18" CZ 527/600 7.62x39 rifles?

What about a 22" .223?

A 29? Mauser? I've wondered if some of the old military rifles aren't as bad as say a modern M4.

AKs, ARs, SKS, VZ58s, etc?

Thank you!
 
Both my ears are ringing as I type this. Gun shots, loud concerts and night clubs, loud industrial environments, lawn equipment, etc.

About the only thing I'd ever shoot for practice without hearing protection these days is a long barreled manually operated .22 LR rifle. 24" long or greater in an outdoor environment.
 
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I have a Henry Big Boy X in .357. It's as quiet as a suppressed .22lr when you shoot it with .38spl suppressed. Even with .357 magnum unsuppressed, it's not very loud as long as your're not shooting from a covered bench. It's definitely easier on my ears than a 4" .357 magnum revolver, and it really benefits from the longer barrel length (I get about 1650-1800fps with 125gr bullets) I still wouldn't want to shoot more than a few shots like that though.

I also have a Ruger American Ranch in .300 Blackout. You could get away with a couple of shots out in the open without hearing protection if you had to.
 
Smaller case capacity cartridges with longer barrels will be less obnoxious.

I use Krink brakes on all my 16" rifles that I hunt with. They are extremely effective at cutting the blast to your ear but shorter than a suppressor and no tax stamp required. It is essentially a single chamber suppressor but does not suppress enough for the ATF to regulate it as a suppressor.

There original purpose was to trap some gas pressure to help very short barreled AK's cycle

1731858616971.jpeg
 
Very bad game to start. It’s like you’re trying to figure out how much rat poison you can eat before your eyes start bleeding.

My ears have been ringing since 1998 and I have less than 50% hearing in my left ear, as I’m sitting here somewhere about halftime on how long I need my ears to work. I can’t hear high frequency in my left ear at all - like the rattle of powder in a rifle case. I can’t hear drivers talking when I’m in a passenger seat. That’s what happens when you play this game.
 
My father in law shot 5 deer in one morning with a 270 with a brake on it and was rewarded with ringing ears for a few weeks. The ear doctor said he had 70% loss in one ear and 50% in the other. He does seam to have gotten some of it back over the years but I took that lesson to heart. I still hunt without hearing protection but I will not use a muzzle brake on anything I hunt with and use Krink brakes on all the short barrel stuff. Outside of 3 or 4 rounds a year hunting, the only thing I will shoot without muffs ever is a few that I have setup to shoot subsonic and suppressed and a couple long barrel 22's with subsonic ammo.
 
My advice to you is, don't. Absolutely, some are tremendously worse than others but they are all bad. I've been shooting since childhood and always used hearing protection at the range but not when hunting. Spending my teen years and early 20's with 12ga shotguns, .22 rifles and pistols, in addition to loud music and motorcycles have resulted in constant ringing at 50. I've also had a constant tension headache for about three years, that 1-4 times a month gets so bad I throw up, can't sleep and can't function. I'm convinced the tinnitus is playing a role in that too. I usually carry a pair of soft plastic ear plugs to use when I take a shot at a critter but a month ago I finally got my first rifle suppressor. A good pistol can, a rimfire can and a good rifle suppressor are definitely worth the investment.

If anyone on ANY forum EVER listens to anything I ever post, heed the warning to protect your hearing.
 
Why not have full time in-ear protection, with safe sound enhancement.
Something like this,

Lots of choices to investigate.
 
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My .22lr Ruger pistol is very loud, but it dosn't ruin my day to shoot without hearing protection.

Maybe not but it's going to eventually ruin your hearing. I started shooting as a little kid when no one had even heard of hearing protection and I was up into my twenties when my Air Force mechanic brother-in-law gave me a pair of ear muffs. What a difference and recoil even seems to lessen with the muffs. I cannot understand speech with any back ground noise at all, have problems with fast talkers and especially with women with high pitched voices that talk softly. I have tried hearing aids without success. One good thing is I have lived long enough for the crickets that used to chirp constantly in my ears to have died. Ears are like eyes. You only get two in your lifetime and there are no replacements so take care of them. I have refused to fire a gun, any gun, without hearing protection for many years and my only regret is that I didn't start sooner. I have used electronic protection for quite a few years now and like it. You can hear what is said and gunshots are only a low pitched thump for me.

Every time I see or hear something about hearing aids I am reminded of an old joke. Two geezers are sitting on a park bench and one says to the other, "I just got hearing aids and now I can hear as well as ever". The other geezer asks,"What kind", to which the first looks at his wrist watch and replies, "It's 10 o'clock." I have known quite a few people with hearing aids and none were entirely happy with them.
 
Yes, some guns "hurt" your ears more than others when you fire them, but they all damage your ears every time, and it's cumulative, one day you notice you can't hear stuff and your ears won't quit ringing.

There is zero excuse to fire guns without hearing protection these days, with all we know about it and such good reasonably priced electronic ear protection out there.

Do your self a favor and always use hearing protection, trust us, you don't want tinnitus, and you don't want to not be able to hear your kids ask you a question.

Welcome to THR
 
This is what you seek.
Axil GS Extreme 2.0 IMG_1099.jpeg
I can wear them all weekend on one charge.
They provide between 13-23 db NRR depending on the tips you use.
You can adjust the volume of the ambient sounds.
Bluetooth so you can have your phone or other device connected.

There is currently a buy on get one free on their site for $200 or you can get them at Cabela’s for $129.00
 
It’s why I suppress all things. Even a large bore suppressor (46cal) is a tremendous improvement over bare barrel noise.

My first suppressor was a Hybrid 46 and I utilize their ASR mounts and it gets shared on all my rifles. Well not so much anymore as I purchased a few more suppressors.

So for $700 for the Hybrid 46 + $200 tax stamp, +$80 per ASR muzzle device I had a suppressor that saves my hearing and those around me.

Obviously, it gets more expensive if you don’t have threaded barrels on your rifles, but anymore I don’t buy rifles without threaded barrels unless they are something special such as a Ruger No1 or something of the sort.

If suppressors are an option I would look into the above.
 
I have a .410 single shot NEF shotgun that I found... doesn't ring my ears when shooting it without Hearing Protection.

A starting 38spl 158gr LRN load out of my 20 inch Rossi 92 357 is just about suppressor silent w/o a suppressor.
 
A NFA silencer will address your concerns.

If you want to avoid an NFA item consider a linear compensator. Linear compensators redirects sound forward.

Kaw Valley and Tacfire have reasonably priced compensators.
 
I can't tell you which firearm is the least damaging to your hearing. I can tell you when I was young we didn't use hearing protection when shooting. I haven't hunted in about 12 years but we never did when hunting either. I worked in a print shop with offset web presses for about 5 1/2 years after high school. I've worked 35 years as a sheet metal worker since then. My ears have rang for about the last 12-15 years. There is better quality hearing protection available now than when I was young. I would strongly suggest you wear hearing protection.
 
I volunteered for the Navy and flunked the hearing test. My tinnitus takes the form of a constant high pitched tone. Hearing aids help a lot but will never replace good ears. All due to shooting before we thought of hearing protection.
Today I wear ear plugs when mowing or running the shop vacuum. I have a 22 can, but wear hearing protection even with that.
For culling pigeons in the city they use a shotgun with a six foot barrel. Fairly quiet and side steps the suppressor hassles.
 
I appreciate your replies!

I understand about hearing loss being cummulative, regardless of whether or not the shot is immediately and obviously painful. I already have some hearing loss and tinnitus and it's very terrible. Obviously, a suppressor and/or hearing protection is the ideal way to go. I'm not advocating anyone fire without suppressors and/or hearing protection. Just wondering what is the quietest without it that's still somewhat capable.

One of my concerns is if I can have a 200 yard deer gun that won't damage my hearing as much as another rifle if I shoot it without hearing protection.

Such a rifle will perform even better when suppressed, any. I'd love to always run suppressed. Unfortunately, it's a very mixed bag. Mirage after a few shots (depending on the caliber), the suppressor getting dangerously hot to the touch pretty easily, and horrible gasses back in the face on AR platforms. I own two suppressors. I wish I bought a Huxwrx can for the AR. Kind of an expensive lesson to learn. Maybe I'll get more in time.

Regarding linear compensators, I have tried many and have not been impressed with the results most of the time. I couldn't tell much difference. Maybe if I was not shooting into a berm it would be more obvious. I've also heard of some linear compensators making it much louder for people around you, (and not just your target) which may be a concern for some.
 
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