the .45ACP for home-defence

[GRIZ22]

In a civilian situation, it is extremely important to count your remaining cartridges and remember how many shots you have fired

Everyone says to count your shots. Outside of shooting a qual course on a range counting your shots doesn't happen in the real world. That's why the first thing you should do when an encounter seems over is take cover and reload.

ps This inability to count rounds under stress is common to civilians, LE, and the Military.

 

[mjrodney]

I wouldn't want to do so today, 'cause today I know better, but when I was a young man, beginning in the mid-sixties, I hunted with both a rifle and a shotgun.

Hearing protection wasn't thought of back then, that I can remember.

The earliest I can remember owning ear protection was about 1980 or so.

I believe the damage one sustains is likely to be more long term, as opposed to short term, for I could hear just fine through the years and only now do I suffer from some hearing loss.

 

[perpster]

At the NYPD Outdoor Range the sign says "Don't Shoot Your Hearing--Wear Ear Protection".

BTW, Grizz is right: shot counting goes out the window in the real world no matter how well trained you are.

 

[cyclist]

You might want to try out some different bullet weights in your .357 to see if that makes any difference. Last time I did any real comparisons with a .357 I was shooting 125 gr bullets against either 170 or 180gr bullets. The heavier bullet rounds "boomed", the 125gr rounds had a sharper crack and extremely large muzzle flash. Muzzle flash is another factor you have to consider when looking at home defense ammunition. You could also maybe consider using .38Special ammo as another option.

But if you really just want to get another handgun then the .45acp is a nice option. Factory loaded 230gr ball is a nice way to go. You could also look at the semi-wadcutter softpoint target oriented ammo as another option, just ensure your pistol feeds it well.

 

[welldoya]

I would think it would be similar to a hunting situation.
When I'm sighting in my 30/06 I wear ear muffs and it still sounds loud. I feel every bit of the recoil. But when shooting at a deer without hearing protection (me, not the deer) it doesn't sound loud and I don't feel recoil.
I think adrenaline can make you ignore those things.

 

[hankdatank1362]

Mathematically, the 9mm should be much louder.

Speaking from experience, I've shot both without hearing protection, and to me...

the .45 gave me a headache like I've never felt. I let a friend shoot it (1911, he wasn't wearing any hearing protection either.. I know, we were dumb) and after three shots, he handed it back to me, cursing that , as he put it, "loud ringing motherf***er"!!!

 

[Liko81]

Most cops report that during a gunfight, the auditory system shuts down. Medical science explains that blood is rushed to the systems required for survival (though I'm not sure how nature figured out hearing isn't required for survival).

Fight or flight response. The three principles of karate are, if you cannot see, you cannot fight. If you cannot stand, you cannot fight. If you cannot breathe, you cannot fight. The adrenaline response naturally acts to help you in those areas. Blood flow to the eyes and brain is increased, as is flow to muscles, but the arteries actually contract, with only increased blood pressure keeping them open, so that if blood pressure falls due to injury, blood loss is restricted. Added to that, pain is largely ignored, reducing the incapacitating effects of injury. Lastly, the heart and breathing rate speed up to increase oxygenation. Hearing, smell and taste have nothing to do with close combat and the brain largely ignores those receptors when under adrenaline. Tactile sensation does, but such sensation is also numbed because the extreme of it is pain.

 

[Noxx]

I fired my M44 without hearing protection once. Once.

While having no desire to repeat the experience, I would venture that the level of sound is the absolute least of my concerns when choosing a defensive round. My nightstand gun (most evenings) is a 686 full of .357JHP. I don't really care if it sounds like the end of the world, it's a proven stopper, and that's where my concern lies.

 

[novaDAK]

When I tried shooting one of my full size (4.5" bbl) 9mms (using supersonic 115gr FMJ) OUTSIDE I couldn't hear anything but a subtle ring for a good 5-10 seconds, not even my own voice...something I don't want to experience again if I can help it, but I'd rather go deaf than die.

Just to throw it into the mix, how does .40SW compare in dB?

 

[Bentonville]

Someone said that their ears rang but sustained no damage, or something like that. As far as I know, ringing is damage. If hearing is not protected little by little, or sometimes at one time, the ability to hear is destroyed and mine has been replaced by 1000 crickets chirping 24/7. There is no help for tinnitus.
read up about it. http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2007-03_06.asp http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=246553

 

[BigO01]

You say you consider the 45 to be the superior round for defense than a 9mm , yet it may damage your hearing more than a 9mm , assuming this is all 100% true whats your deal ? Do want to be the corpse in the morgue with perfect hearing , IF you were alive ?

 

[AndyC]

Most cops report that during a gunfight, the auditory system shuts down.

From my experience, it didn't shut down completely as in "Aargh - I'm deaf!" - rather, each gunshot sounded like a very loud "pop" (no concussion or ears ringing), if that makes sense. In one case, I fired 6 or 7 rounds from an AK47 through the door-panel from inside a closed vehicle and I hardly heard a thing. Why that is, I have no idea.

A bigger problem was tunnel-vision - I had to blink forcibly and shake my head to clear my eyesight because my peripheral-vision was just about zero.

 

[Gibbles]

I have shot my 9mm beretta and one of my 1911's with out hearing protection... the .45 is louder. (both out of a 5in barrel)

And will someone answer that damn phone?!


ETA: My night stand gun is a Glock 21 (.45ACP)

 

[mekender]

rom my experience, it didn't shut down completely as in "Aargh - I'm deaf!" - rather, each gunshot sounded like a very loud "pop" (no concussion or ears ringing), if that makes sense. In one case, I fired 6 or 7 rounds from an AK47 through the door-panel from inside a closed vehicle and I hardly heard a thing. Why that is, I have no idea.

and you shot up a perfectly good SUV door for what reason?

 

[Geronimo45]

and you shot up a perfectly good SUV door for what reason?

Pretty sure that's from Iraq, and he shot through that spot because it was the only spot not armored (plate metal on the inside normally, armored glass also?) - and shooting in the first place because people were shooting at him.

 

[AndyC]

100%, Geronimo

 

[Autolycus]

Noise really should not matter when your being attacked. If anything more people will hear it and come to help.

 

[ernunnos]

.45 is both lower pressure and subsonic, which really helps. Particularly when you've got walls bouncing the shock wave back at you.

Even if you don't mentally hear it, it doesn't mean the tiny hairs in your ear aren't getting busted off. That ringing indicates that damage has been done. You lose the smallest, most fragile ones most easily, which is why the high (short) frequencies go fastest.

I love 9mm and .357, but my bedside gun is a .45. Sure, hearing isn't the greatest concern in a self-defense situation, but it's not like .45 is an inferior choice for defense either. If I can preserve my life and hearing, why not? This is also why I don't use compensators or brakes on defensive guns. (With the exception of the Noveske/Bulgarian Krink flash hiders, which do a great job of protecting shooters from blast.)

 

[possum]

personally I think 9mm para is about the maximum of noise your ears can handle when you use it inside your house without hearing protection

.
try 5.56, like out of a SAW!

but I would also like to use it for home-defence since it is a better man-stopper than the 9mm para and has less problems with overpenetrating.

oh boy.

i can tell you from experiece that you will not hear those rds when they go off. all you will bethinking about is putting rds on target and doing so quicker than the bad guy, or before he can cause you or your loved ones harm. you might be in pian after the fact from the noise, or have hering lose as do i but that is the least of your worries.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I own .45's but my Makarov is velcroed to the bedpost. stoked with hot handloads. several reasons why but won't delve into. my Marlin Camp .45 (w/10 rd. mag) and 1911 are ready(hanging on wall) should I have to step outside and 12 ga Magnum SXS leans in corner nearest bed. I live aways off pavement.

 

[GaryP]

now here's my question: does the .45ACP make more noise than a 9mm para

The original poster does not mention if anyone else lives in the house but that would be the biggest concern I would have when choosing a weapon for home protection and then choose my weapon, caliber, & ammo type accordingly. Given the original poster specifies 9mm or .45acp I would go with a .45acp auto loaded with Magsafe pre-fragmented rounds. I would not be concerned about the noise difference between the two calibers.

I just noticed the date on the original post: January 18, 2003 almost 5 years ago!

 

[ERDOC]

Loud ?

In a defense situation,you won't hear anything,except,maybe a pop.With most loads considered,I 've always found the 9mm to be a tad louder,emitting more of a crack,than the thud of a .45 .

 

[C-grunt]

Twice this zombie has been revived. LOL

In my experience, when the time comes you wont notice the sounds being loud. In my battles, I could here them fine, they were just not loud. Now the Abrams and Bradleys....those were still really loud!

 

[Robert]

Any sounds above 90 db can damage your hearing.

Huh?

Having fired a .40 S&W in a small room (for training) it rang my bells even with hearing protection. The concussion rattled me enough to make have to fight on to the next stage... I have never fired my .45 indoors but I would venture a guess that no matter what caliber you use, short of .22, you are going to be walking around for two days saying "huh?".

 

[stalkingbear]

This is pretty much an non-discussion anyway. He stated he lives in country where fmj is the ONLY bullets he can use. 9mm fmj bullets tend to over penetrate and possibly may hit family member/neighbor. The massive frontal area insures the .45acp has been PROVEN to be better stopper-ESPECIALLY when fmj bullets are mandated. The .45acp won't usually produce over penetration as the 9mm bullets tend to do. And NO, the .45acp is no louder than 9mm, and is MUCH milder in muzzleblast/db level than .357.