Car Gun: Decibel Level

[Dragline45]

I was in the front seat of a car when a friend had a ND in the back seat with a 9mm, all windows were up. My ears rang for the rest of the day but they were fine the next.

2 years prior I fired a single .357 round at an indoor range without hearing protection and my left ear rang very loud for a few months and I had to wear an ear plug when showering or driving or it wreaked havoc on my ear. The ringing eventually subsided, although it left me with permanent ringing in my left ear.

My doctor told me ever since the .357 incident my ear is more sensitive to sound than before and susceptible to damage. But even with being exposed to the 9mm in a car 2 years later it did not cause tinnitus in my other ear or increase the level of tinnitus in my left ear. I had a hearing test during a physical a few months later and there was no difference from the year prior. With that being said any gun fired without hearing protection will cause permanent damage, though in the case with the 9mm in the car I either got extremely lucky or the hearing loss I experienced was at such a high frequency that it did not register.

While the 9mm in the car was loud as hell, it wasn't as bad as expected.

I seem to remember a funny scene in the Sopranos where the character Silvio (If my memory is correct) discharges a gun in a car. He shoots the guy sitting next to him in the car and afterwards he bails out of the vehicle grimacing and clutching his ear in pain as he runs down the street. I remember thinking that was probably one of the times where Hollywood got it right when depicting a shooting.

I remember that too, it wasn't Silvio though, it was Gigi Cestone, the guy who dies from a heart attack on the toilet.

If you watch the show Archer a running joke in the show is his constant battle with tinnitus, and they actually call it tinnitus, kudos to them for doing their research. It pops up in a handfull of episodes but here's the only clip I could find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tekhh7Iy-sM

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[jrothWA]

against a tree, whhile squirrel hunting.

That's why my "tinnitus" is singing right now.

[BarryLee]

Quick update:

Called the individual I referenced in the OP and apparently he went to a LGS last weekend to look at .22 revolvers. He was surprised to find they only had two in stock a LCR with a Crimson Trace Laser for $640. The other was apparently a Single-Ten which he liked, but thought was too large. He was shocked at the cost apparently his motivation to get the .22 had less to do with concerns about recoil or noise and more to do with his desire to save a few bucks.

Anyway, the folk at the gun store apparently gave him similar advice to mine and encouraged him to get a small .38 or .380 for his purposes. They had some J-Frames and LCRs minus lasers in the $400 to $450 range. As of now he hasn’t made a decision and I sort of wonder if he will. I offered to meet him at a range sometime and he didn’t seem real interested. Maybe his latest impulse buy has lost some of its attraction.

[lefty60]

All other issues/opinions expressed aside;

I fired my .45 auto from inside my car, windows down, muzzle inside. Don't remember hearing the shot, but was stone deaf for almost 2 days

That was almost 50years ago. Pro'ly one of many reasons my ears ring to this day.

Just say'n

[bedbugbilly]

This is just a "personal opinion" but I probably wouldn't be worrying about the decibel level of a car gun. Attempted car jackings, attempted armed robberies, etc. do certainly happen but in those cases, I'd want something with stopping power and not something that is just going to PO a hyped up perp. I would be carrying what you would normally be carrying for CCW and that you are comfortable with. In my case, that's a 38 and sometimes a 9mm. Chances are (an pray that it is "never") it will never be an issue but if it is, the decibel level is going to be the least of your problems - no different than if you ever had to discharge a 38, 357 or a 12 gauge inside your house during a home invasion.

[Elerius]

I'm going to disagree with most of the opinions on here. Is hearing damage the biggest concern? No. But it is a significant concern. It's all fine to say that *if* you had to fire, you'd rather be alive and deaf than dead, until you talk to some people who are living with constant ringing and pain in the ears from firing a gun in enclosed spaces. Then you'll spend the rest of your life wondering: if you had chosen a lower pressure round, maybe you wouldn't be having hearing problems and you probably could have defended yourself just as well with a .45 acp rather than a .357.

I have been in the presence of a 9mm fired inside a house. It was a surprise, but my hearing was back to normal after a few minutes. Likewise, I once shot a mag of .40 outside, and it took a couple hours for hearing to come back. The round you choose makes a difference.

I can think of two examples of why your friend would need to fire in the car. In Connecticut, a few towns over from me, a CCW man was fired on by the car next to him at a red light for no apparent reason. He returned fire from inside the car, and the other vehicle fled. An investigation found no answer to the reasoning. He needed his gun, and it probably saved him.

Another potential is a car accident combined with road rage resulting from the accident. You may be hurt, your car undriveable, and the other driver very aggressive towards you, sometimes with weapons. A similar incident happened to a friend of mine, though he doesn't own a gun, and the guy restrained himself from beating my friend with a bat. You never know.

Tell your friend to absolutely never go with .22 for defense. Stick with .38, .380, 45 acp or 44 special. 9mm is probably acceptable in a car, considering my experience in the house.

[RamItOne]

Consider why you will be using a gun, most likely someone is at your window. When you draw and aim you won't be sticking your arm out the window. Chances are you gun will be in front of your chest. Depending on the load you are using, a revolver can have some nasty flames coming out near the forcing cone. While you may not flinch from a loud noise due to the adrenaline, some very hot gas in your face/eyes will probably affect your ability during the incident.

[JD0x0]

Chances are you gun will be in front of your chest. Depending on the load you are using, a revolver can have some nasty flames coming out near the forcing cone.

That's why personally, I don't think a revolver is a great choice for a 'car gun' that and only having around 6 shots, isn't ideal. I'd rather have brass flying around than hot gasses getting blown right into my body. Brass burns would be minor compared to the potential burns you'd get from having the cylinder gasses burn you.

[berettaprofessor]

I remember thinking that was probably one of the times where Hollywood got it right when depicting a shooting.

Probably, but a much better time is a Walking Dead episode in the first year when Rick fires a revolver(?) inside a buttoned down tank. He was instantly disoriented and stunned.

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Called the individual I referenced in the OP and apparently he went to a LGS last weekend to look at .22 revolvers. He was surprised to find they only had two in stock a LCR with a Crimson Trace Laser for $640. The other was apparently a Single-Ten which he liked, but thought was too large.

Taurus 94 4" - Budsgunshop.com

If he's trying to save money, get an PA63 or Makarov.

[Dragline45]

Probably, but a much better time is a Walking Dead episode in the first year when Rick fires a revolver(?) inside a buttoned down tank. He was instantly disoriented and stunned.

I disagree, having fired both a .357 indoors without hearing protection (which is the gun Rick fired in the tank in the walking dead) and been in a car when a 9mm was fired, (which is the situation in Sopranos that was brought up), the scene in Sopranos is far more realistic. Firing a gun in an enclosed space does not make you disoriented or stunned, although it may make you grab your ears in pain like the scene in Sopranos.