sonic boom = added hearing damage?

[tostada]

Obviously most of us always use hearing protection at the range and use whatever ammo we feel like, but if you actually had to defend yourself you're probably not going to have any hearing protection on. That's actually the reason I've never gotten around to getting a .357 -- I'd never actually load it with .357 except at the range because I'd rather not deafen myself.

I try to use defensive ammo that is right around 1050 - 1075 fps muzzle velocity. So in my Glock 34 (5.3" barrel) I use 147gr HST, in my Glock 26 (3.5" barrel) I use 124gr HST, and if I were going to be tooling around the woods with my S&W 317 (3" barrel), I'd have 40gr Interceptors and not the faster Stingers.

Am I just crazy? Does the sonic boom really raise the dB that much? It seems like it does. All that 9mm 115gr WWB sure does make a shrill crack coming out of a 5.3" barrel, and I wouldn't want to shoot many of them without hearing protection. A .45 sounds less painful than a supersonic 9mm to me without hearing protection.

 

[Kind of Blued]

There was a decent discussion on this topic here a while ago, but I can't find it.

I think generally, the report from the gun is FAR more damaging and higher in dBs. Depending on your ears, the frequency of the sound created by something going supersonic may bother you, or pain you more.

P.S. Can you get a suppressor? They can be incredibly effective and useful devices, especially on a 9mm shooting 147 grain bullets.

 

[franconialocal]

There was even an article in the news I read a couple of days ago about scientists studying hearing damage from TITANIUM HEAD GOLF CLUBS!!!! Because of the very distinct "ping" that it makes, and now they are recommending those who golf alot to wear earplugs!! Can you imagine that?? We all assume that it would take more (like gunshots) because that is what physically makes us say "ow" and cringe, but they say damage starts WAY below that even in dB. ranges that are still "comfortable" to our ears. Go figure!

FORE!!!!!! What...did somebody say something??:banghead:

 

[Ben86]

If I am doing the shooting I cannot tell much difference between the volume of 115 gr vs 147 gr. It all makes my ears ring instensly after a few rounds. After that I just hear ringgggggg...and the gunshots sound more like lesser pops.

I think if you have to use your handgun defensively how loud it is will be the least of your worries.

 

[Owen]

In general if the two sounds are more than 3 dBA different, then only the louder sound counts. Without a suppressor, the crack is softer than the muzzle blast.

With a 9mm, the crack is probably in the 120 dBA range, while the Muzzle Blast is most like in the low 130 dBA range.

Keep in mind, I've never metered a 9mm, so I'm making an educated guess.

 

[rcmodel]

The crack of the bullet has very little effect one way or the other. I've been down-range with .30 cal rifle bullets going 3' - 4' over my head, and it's more like a "snap" then a painful noise.

It is the crack of the high pressure muzzle blast that hurts!

Low pressure rounds like the .45 ACP. .44 Spl, etc are much less uncomfortable then the sharp crack of a .40 S&W, or especially, .357 Mag.

The shock-wave from the bullet is radiating out away from you.
The one from the muzzle blast is coming right back atcha!

rc

 

[Jim Watson]

I wear earplugs pushed about halfway in while working in the pits on a rifle range. The "Crack!" of a Match King going over hurts MY naked ears.

As to supersonic pistol bullets, I don't get in enough gunfights to worry about the extra source of noise. I wear ear protection on the range.

 

[Japle]

Anyone who's spent any time pasting targets in the pits on a military range will tell you the crack of passing bullets is quite loud, even when the shooter is 300-800 yds away. Muzzle blast is a distant pop, but the sonic crack of the bullet can be damaging.

M193 ammo out of a 20" barreled M16 is just going subsonic between 800-850 yds. I always wear plugs in the pits.

I don't know how much it adds to close-range handgun noise, but I wear plugs and muffs when I shoot.

 

[tostada]

Kind of Blued
P.S. Can you get a suppressor?

Well, I don't think a suppressor is what I need for CCW, and I'm fine with wearing ear protection at the range.



rcmodel
The shock-wave from the bullet is radiating out away from you.
The one from the muzzle blast is coming right back atcha!

Now that's interesting. I assume the phenomenon in those pictures isn't limited to just suppressors. So the longer the barrel is, the less of it is coming back at you, right?



Jim Watson
As to supersonic pistol bullets, I don't get in enough gunfights to worry about the extra source of noise. I wear ear protection on the range.

Regardless of how many gunfights you get in, it'd be nice not to be deaf afterwards. I've always been shocked by how many people carry .357 snubs. If you fire it, you will have permanent hearing damage. I know that I personally would hesitate to use a weapon that I knew was going to damage my hearing, so I'm not going to carry one.

 

[jaydubya]

My 686+, which is a SD/HD weapon, is loaded with +p .38sp -- good stuff. And, like many of you, I remember that loud snap of bullets passing overhead when working the targets. But the sound a Nike Sumo driver makes when contacting a golf ball is more painful. HOOWAH!

Cordially, Jack

 

[rcmodel]

I assume the phenomenon in those pictures isn't limited to just suppressors.

.44 Mag revolver photo:

 

[alexanderplatz]

I'm always amazed that veterans of wars aren't all stone deaf. The one time I fired my hunting rifle without ear plugs it was downright painful. (More so for the deer, I expect.) I think I'd lose my mind operating a machine gun.

 

[Nero_Atrum]

I'm always amazed that veterans of wars aren't all stone deaf.

I couldnt agree more with that. I shot off about 15 rounds from an AR-15 as fast I could pull the trigger a few months back with no protection. It wasnt painful, but my ears were ringing for a good amount of time.

 

[rcmodel]

WHAT??

My ears have been ringing since the mid 1960's and Army infantry service.
More then once I came off the 106mm recoilless rifle range with blood running out of my ears. We tried to use cigarette filters or empty cases for ear plugs when we could.

We didn't get issued real ear plugs until about 1968 or 69.

And no, I don't hear a lot of things, like talking in crowds, or my wife most of the time.

See, it isn't all a bad thing!

rc

 

[makarovnik]

It's louder that's for sure. Use the right hearing protection and you'll be OK.

I suppose the report from a 9mm might be louder than from a .38 in the same gun. Revolvers might tend to be louder I don't know. There is more gas leakage.

 

[woad_yurt]

Check out the following link. According to them, the .357 Magnum is the loudest by some good amount. Keep in mind that every 10 decibels more is ten times as loud. EG: 110 decibels is ten times as loud as 100 decibels.

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

 

[jaydubya]

Ironically, what wiped out all my upper frequencies, right down to 3k, was the white noise coming from my earphones for umpteen thousand years of flying. Those same earphones did a fine job of screening out much louder noises associated with strenuous efforts to do me harm.

They will never fix it, guys. We must do our best with what we have.

Cordially, Jack

 

[RippinSVT]

This is the exact reason I changed my defensive weapon from a 2" .357 Mag to a 9mm Sig. I fired the .357 once with fullhouse loads without earplugs and it was awful. 9mm on the other hand, is bearable for me.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

The muzzle blast of firearms is caused by the gasses escaping at high pressure...sonic boom has very little to do with it. I'm not sure about handguns....but most rifle bullets exit and release about 10,000 psi in a millisecond. I'm guessing the average 45 acp releases around 3-4,000 psi...357 Mag, maybe 6,000 psi. (just guesses in the pistol rounds...anybody with QuickLoad can give a better estimate)

Think of a cracking whip...that's a sonic boom...not very loud.

 

[alexanderplatz]

Check out the following link. According to them, the .357 Magnum is the loudest by some good amount. Keep in mind that every 10 decibels more is ten times as loud. EG: 110 decibels is ten times as loud as 100 decibels.

I thought 101 dB was ten times louder than 100 dB.

 

[tostada]

Decibel comes from "deci" meaning 1/10th and "bel" which is a logarithmic unit of sound pressure. Bels are a simple log base 10 representation of the ratio comparing two measurements of sound pressure. So, 2 bels is 10X as loud as 1 bel, and 3 bels is 10X as loud as 2 bels.

People decided that was a little awkward to work with a scale that got so big so fast, so we use decibels. 20dB is 10X as loud as 10dB. 30dB is 10X as loud as 20dB.

Well, 10X the sound pressure isn't exactly what we perceive as 10X as "loud," but it's that's a different discussion.