357 mag Ear Killer

D

Doc Holliday 1950

New member
Everything I've read on the FL says don't shoot a 357 mag load out of a 357 mag revolver because the load will kill your hearing and the flash is too great.
Question is if you shoot a 38 special +P load out of a 357 mag. Revolver will the decibel level and light flash be more manageable???? Please feel free to weigh in on this.
Doc
 
Well, GIs shoot AR15s inside of buildings (as in Iraq and Afghanistan) and from what I understand they can still hear.

DPS uses (or did use) the .357 Sig for years and they ain't deaf. Air Marshals use .357 Sigs inside of airliners.

So I don't put much stock on this .357 will deafen you with one shot.

Oh, and BTW, they make low flash loads for the .357 magnum to.

Deaf
 
Hi Lee,
I'm asking about when there is "NO EAR PROTECTION", like at night in your home and you awaken and have to sho0t in your home. Does using 38 specials +P loads make a difference?
Doc
 
Never fired a .357 in my house. I have no plans to. My .357 revolvers are loaded with .38 +P.

When firing .357s on a range indoors, with hearing protection, the difference is quite noticeable to me, compared to .38s. Go to a range and test it for yourself.
 
I fired a 222 rifle inside my house when I was a kid. Never Never will do that again. Never. (I was shooting at a crow in the field behind the house.... didn't want the barrel sticking out the window. ) Mistake..... No harm done, but I am surprised I didn't break any windows from the concussion.

I load 38spl +P's in my home defense revolver. I suspect they will still be very load indoors, but nothing like a normal 357 mag loading.
 
I've always shot......

.....at least one round of every thing I shoot without hearing protection. Possible home defense and sudden appearance varmint firearms at least. Whatever you're going to grab in a quick situation. One round will not deafen you and make you aware of what you're in for. This is not done all in one range session. Strangely enough, I feel the .22 mag out of a revolver is far worse than the .357. Those babies crack!
 
Any commonly available handgun cartridge from .22 Long Rifle up to .500 S&W Magnum can cause permanent hearing damage if fired without hearing protection. While the decibel level of a .38 Special is lower than that of a .357 Magnum (156.3dB vs. 164.3dB) both are well above the threshold (roughly 140dB) to cause pain and permanent hearing damage.

Because of this, the decibel level of my chosen defensive gun is pretty far down on my list of priorities. I simply accept that, if I have to use a gun in self defense, I'll have some permanent hearing damage after the fact if I'm lucky enough to survive the incident. I honestly very highly doubt that, given the limited number of rounds I would fire in self defense (if I have to fire more than a magazine or cylinder full in SD I've got much bigger problems than how loud the gun is), that there would be much difference in terms of hearing loss in the long run. Of course, if you're planning on routinely shooting without hearing protection it's a different story, but I wouldn't recommend that regardless of the caliber.

If you're really that worried about "saving your ears" in a SD encounter, I'd suggest that keeping a set of electronic ear muffs near your HD handgun would go a lot further towards that goal than worrying about the caliber.

As to the flash, that depends a lot on what ammunition you have loaded in the gun. In my experience, .357 Magnum ammo loaded with lighter bullets tends to be "flashier" than that loaded with heavier bullets. Also, the more premium, self-defense oriented lines of ammo (PDX1, Hydra-Shok, Golden Saber, Silvertip, Critical Defense, etc.) is more likely to be loaded with flash suppressed powder. So, if you're using "value line" .357 ammo with 110 or 125gr JHP's then flash might be an issue, but if you're using premium ammo and/or that with 140+gr bullets, it's really no worse than a 9mm +P or .40 S&W in my experience.
 
I don't think I've ever fired any handgun, except a 22 without ear protection and let me tell you, even a 22 handgun is a LOT louder than a 22 rifle.

Having said that, a 357 is definitely a bark and flasher. A lot louder at the indoor range I shoot at than a 38 or a 9mm. Not as loud as a AR or AK rifle. It's more of a high pitched CRACK, especially out of a 4" barrel revolver.

I don't use a .357 for home defense, but the noise would be way down on the list of things to worry about.

But then my ears ring all the time anyway.
 
I can't talk much from a self defense point of view but I do carry a 357 on me as a side arm when I hunt. I use low pressure 357 loads with lead heads to humanly put the animals done at close range which are wounded. About 2 months back I put a pig down in the bush. We were four in the pack. Pig was shot with a suppressed 30 06 in the snout from the front. I put it down with the 357 and all I know is All four of us had ringing ears for a few min, where the 30 06 was a pleasure on the ears. Pity we can't suppress revolvers.
 
Post #8 nailed it. I carry a 357 magnum to protect my life, not my ears. The reputation of extreme noise and flash in 357 is mostly hype.
 
Everything I've read on the FL says don't shoot a 357 mag load out of a 357 mag revolver because the load will kill your hearing and the flash is too great.
Click to expand...

That's the power of the forums...one person says it, then another picks it up and repeats it, and then another, and before you know it, it's a mantra. I've definitely noticed this "evolution" concerning the 357 Mag on the forums in recent years.

Here are a some other oft repeated themes…

“SP101 is built like a little tank”
“Taurus basher”
“get training…training…training…training”
“Kahr is a great little gun”
"mines bigger than yours" (well in sentiment anyway)

:eek::D
 
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GIs shoot AR15s inside of buildings (as in Iraq and Afghanistan) and from what I understand they can still hear.
Click to expand...

And GIs shot ARs out side in Vietnam and cant hear today.

ANY firearm including 22s will destroy your hearing without good hearing protection.

NEVER SHOOT WITHOUT HEARING PROTECTION. Granted in SD situations you wont worry about it. No body is gonna hunt up hearing protection when they hear a bump in the night.

Those rounds are few and far between, shooting is constant otherwise. So use hearing protection EVERY TIME you pull the trigger.

Of you'll be like me, you cant go to a movie because you don't have any idea what they are saying. You cant go to a restaurant without your wife because she needs to relay what the waitress says (l learned to read her lips).

Each and every one of us needs to call our representatives and senators and have them support the law introduced to remove suppressors from the Class III protection, allowing us to buy them across the counter like firearms w/out paying the $200 stamp.

Still never pull the trigger on any firearm without proper hearing protection.

To the OP, shoot 357s in your 357 Revolver. 38s will get you without proper hearing protection so you're not saving anything.
 
+1 on removing suppressors from class iii. They are very common in Europe which has much stricter gun laws.
I shot my 6 inch gp100 in 357 without protection outside once. Once. Never again unless to protect myself or someone else. True pain and ringing in my ears for the rest of the day.
Another consideration here is the barrel length of the gun. A snubnose revolver will be much louder. Indoors will be much louder still. If you are using 357 for home defense (and I would say that you should not if you have any concerns about thin walls, innocents and overpenetration) pick a longer barrel and be prepared to not be able to hear for several minutes after that shot. Potential for hearing loss too, especially if multiple shots fired.
I have shot my 38 special revolver with a three inch barrel outside a few times dispatching prey. Loud and somewhat unpleasant but no ringing, no pain. Very substantial difference from a 357 even from a longer 6 inch barrel.
I have also shot 357 from my 20 inch 357 lever action outside without hearing protection. Loud and unpleasant but not unbearable and no pain or ear ringing. Wouldn't recommend but quieter than most deer rifles.
I once shot my 25 acp raven outside without hearing protection. Surprisingly loud. Caused some ear ringing. I chalk it up to the very short barrel.
Now, unless I am hunting, I ALWAYS have ear protection when I shoot.
 
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I once fired a hot 125 gr .357 round out of my car window without ear protection.
It was a religious experience.
I wear hearing aids these days, but that shot isn’t the reason. It was LOUD! My ears rang for a day or two, but I doubt there was any significant permanent damage.

Other times, I’ve been exposed to very loud handguns, rifles and machineguns w/o my ears on. It was pretty bad, but at age 70 I can still hear well enough to get along and with my hearing aids in, I can hear just fine.

A limited number of bangs won’t deafen you, but it all adds up. Eventually, you lose some hearing range and volume.
 
I don't understand how your laws are SO STRICT on suppressors but you can walk in to a Walmart and buy a rifle off the shelf and have no limit to the weapons you own (as I understand it)! Here in South Africa it's the COMPLETE opposite!
 
I once fired a hot 125 gr .357 round out of my car window without ear protection.
It was a religious experience.
I wear hearing aids these days, but that shot isn’t the reason. It was LOUD! My ears rang for a day or two, but I doubt there was any significant permanent damage.
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The damage is cumulative. Now you understand why at least in part. I shot my Python one cylinder full with no protection. Won't do it again. As you said, my ears rang for a couple days, but I got over it.

In an ideal SD situation, I'd love to have hearing protection. But in the real world, suffering through the noise and flash inside a building is better than loosing your life.
 
Gun Fire Noise levels Note that decibels are a log function.... So on the table the .357 is ~10 times as loud as a .38. That is very significant. If you keep your rounds sub-sonic (by reloading or shooting .38s), it's much better on the ears (although any gun shots without ear protection is bad). That is one reason I carry a .44Spec Bulldog. Heavier and bigger vs. light and fast.
 
"...Everything I've read on the FL says..." Where?
"...a 357 mag load out of a 357 mag revolver because the load will kill your hearing and the flash is too great..." Is nonsense. If you fire ANY firearm anywhere near yourself without hearing protection, you will have immediate, permanent, hearing damage. Far worse if you do so indoors. It has nothing whatever do with revolvers or the cartridge, sub-sonic or otherwise. A .22 CB will damage your hearing.
 
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