Handgun noise levels - Page 2

Northof50 · February 10, 2018, 01:33 AM

"One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss"

You've got to be kidding. Yes...and even 1 cigarette can cause cancer and kill you.

Webleymkv · February 10, 2018, 02:28 AM

.22 LR isn't as loud because you've got a relatively small amount of powder being burned. The centerfire cartridge with the most similar report is probably .25 Auto because it's burning a similarly small powder charge. .25's however, usually have quite short barrels so unless you're shooting a short-barreled .22 handgun like a Beretta 21a or NAA Mini, the .25 will probably still be noticeably louder.

Green Lantern · February 10, 2018, 08:29 PM

Just shoot outdoors. Problem solved.

Seriously though. I stood 6 feet from a guy shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor outdoors and WOW, what large blow-by they have. Pretty sure my hair blew back.

Cosmodragoon · February 11, 2018, 11:05 AM

Quote:

"One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss"

You've got to be kidding. Yes...and even 1 cigarette can cause cancer and kill you.

There is no joke here. Yes, smoking puts junk in your lungs. Some of it gets coughed up eventually and some enters the bloodstream. Much like shooting in a poorly ventilated indoor range where the air tastes sweet, it's certainly bad for you. However, it's a very different class of bad for you.

Hearing is based on sensitive structures within our ears. These structures can be permanently damaged by very loud noises, like gunfire (especially indoors). You might not notice right away but that damage tends to be cumulative. Here is an overview:

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noi...d-hearing-loss

Northof50 · February 11, 2018, 06:05 PM

Health and Human Services? I'll pass.

Mike38 · February 11, 2018, 09:59 PM

Quote:

.32 S&W and .32 S&W long are very mild centerfire cartridges.

Yep. Light loads in a .32 S&W Long (<700fps) are not much louder than a .22 LR std velocity. Not much more recoil either.

FlyFish · February 12, 2018, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Hearing is based on sensitive structures within our ears. These structures can be permanently damaged by very loud noises, like gunfire (especially indoors). You might not notice right away but that damage tends to be cumulative.

I don't think anybody here would question any of that. The statement at issue, however, is:

Quote:

One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss.

I agree with Northof50 - that's simply not true. Based on the HHS reference you provided, continuous noise needs to exceed 85 dB to result in damage. The threshold for an impulse noise like a gunshot is considerably higher (the MIL STD is in the area of 140 db, but there are complexities about how to measure an impulse noise that make a direct comparison difficult) - much higher than a suppressed .22 [rimfire].

hdwhit · February 12, 2018, 02:51 PM

Quote:

johnwilliamson062 wrote:
25 ACP

I agree. Sounds about the same as a 22 to me.

hdwhit · February 12, 2018, 02:55 PM

Quote:

T O'Heir wrote:
One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss.

Do you have a citation for that?

I know, firsthand, exposure to 22 LR unsuppressed can cause permanent hearing damage, but I'd like to know who is saying suppressed 22 can do that and what mechanism they are attributing it to.

Armybrat · February 12, 2018, 07:45 PM

I understand that factory load .327 Federal magnums can be VERY loud out of the shorter 3" barrels such as the Ruger SP101. Being a high pressure round and a short barrel must be a noisy combination.

I'll find out whenever I take my new revolver out to the family land to shoot it (with a new pair of electronic Howard Leight ear protectors over some little foam earplugs).

Cosmodragoon · February 15, 2018, 05:08 AM

Quote:

"One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss"

You've got to be kidding. Yes...and even 1 cigarette can cause cancer and kill you.

My tired eyes got confused between "suppressed" and "non-suppressed". Part of the problem is that I've seen the latter answered that way too many times in the course of my life. At least I got the link up. I know most of us have heard it a thousand times by now (and those that can't hear it anymore have learned the hard way). I don't mind repeating it though. Vigilance on safety practices goes a long way towards saving life and preserving quality of life.

Jack19 · February 23, 2018, 03:16 PM

Here's what you do.

Buy or rent the 10mm pistol of your choice.

Buy a box of Buffalo Bore 10mm 220 hardcast ammunition.

Shoot it at your indoor range.

Everything else with now seem mild.

February 10, 2018, 02:28 AM	#27
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,176	.22 LR isn't as loud because you've got a relatively small amount of powder being burned. The centerfire cartridge with the most similar report is probably .25 Auto because it's burning a similarly small powder charge. .25's however, usually have quite short barrels so unless you're shooting a short-barreled .22 handgun like a Beretta 21a or NAA Mini, the .25 will probably still be noticeably louder. __________________ Smith, and Wesson, and Me. -H. Callahan Well waddaya know, one buwwet weft! -E. Fudd All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures. -J. Caesar

February 23, 2018, 03:16 PM	#37
Jack19 Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2001 Location: Nawth Karalina Posts: 619	Here's what you do. Buy or rent the 10mm pistol of your choice. Buy a box of Buffalo Bore 10mm 220 hardcast ammunition. Shoot it at your indoor range. Everything else with now seem mild. __________________ “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” —Malcolm S. Forbes.

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February 10, 2018, 01:33 AM	#26
Northof50 Junior member Join Date: January 5, 2018 Location: Northeast USA Posts: 232	"One shot, even from a suppressed(not legal in most places), .22 can cause permanent irreparable hearing loss" You've got to be kidding. Yes...and even 1 cigarette can cause cancer and kill you.

February 10, 2018, 08:29 PM	#28
Green Lantern Member Join Date: September 9, 2017 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 95	Just shoot outdoors. Problem solved. Seriously though. I stood 6 feet from a guy shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor outdoors and WOW, what large blow-by they have. Pretty sure my hair blew back.

February 11, 2018, 06:05 PM	#30
Northof50 Junior member Join Date: January 5, 2018 Location: Northeast USA Posts: 232	Health and Human Services? I'll pass.

February 12, 2018, 07:45 PM	#35
Armybrat Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2009 Location: Round Rock, Texas Posts: 706	I understand that factory load .327 Federal magnums can be VERY loud out of the shorter 3" barrels such as the Ruger SP101. Being a high pressure round and a short barrel must be a noisy combination. I'll find out whenever I take my new revolver out to the family land to shoot it (with a new pair of electronic Howard Leight ear protectors over some little foam earplugs).