357 Mag: Is 158 grain easier on the ears?

About supersonic bullet speeds...I don't think they play a huge part in increased sound level.

The "crack" you hear from supersonic rounds is relatively subtle compared to the powder blast. Sonic "booms" are from objects creating sound as they break the sonic barrier; due to the speed, sound is multiplied as sound created over a longer period arrives at the ear at the same time. The original sonic boom was from aircraft, making a lot of noise.

But a bullet traveling through the air doesn't create nearly the sound volume of the powder blast (or a jet aircraft)...so while supersonic shots (from a distance) are unique and heard as a crack in addition to the boom of the powder blast, up close it is basically drowned out by the powder blast.

JMHO.

Blue1
 
Wear hearing protection when shooting especially handguns. As far as SD situations, you do the best you can but I would not be fumbling around looking for my muffs if I had a home intruder. I keep my Ruger GP-100 loaded with 38spl +P's at home.
 
well its always been said, loading a 357 with 38 special is a good choice. ive only ehard of a few dedicated low noise 357 magnum loads and well, its better to use the 38 special jhp because, they cost less, give the same rough energy, and do the same in testing medium.


its kinda like teh debate between 357 and 327 federal.
same recoil in a snub, same noise, less energy in 327 compared to the 357, but more hten the 38 sepcial. but why get it when your 357 magnum can still shoot 38 secial when you cant stand the recoil anymore?
 
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Originally posted by Billy Shears

Joshua,

I'm no expert on these things, but I "think" there are two main "ingredients" in muzzle blast:

1. When the bullet breaks the sound barrier...roughly 1150 fps at sea level; and

2. When unburned/still burning powder is still rapidly expanding as it leaves the muzzle.

This is why in my previous post I suggested slower bullets and faster powder.

I believe it is mainly this second reason that gives the .357 its notorious ear-splitting blast and is easily replicated when handloading. A load of H-110 is FAR louder than a load of Unique.

9mm cartridges are typically loaded with faster burning powders than factory .357s. Therefore, even though the bullets are theoretically moving at the same velocity, and should have similar levels of sonic boom, the revolver round is still "exploding" as it leaves the muzzle. That's the source of your sinus clearing blast.

I'm sure this explanation is both incomplete and partially incorrect, so hopefully others with far more knowledge will be along shortly.
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This is, I believe, pretty much correct. It's not so much the velocity of the bullet as it is the amount of burning powder and gas coming out of the barrel. Think about it for a minute: a gun with a short barrel is almost always louder than a gun of the same caliber firing the same ammunition from a longer barrel. If the velocity of the bullet were directly related to the loudness of the report, the situation would be inverse since the guns with shorter barrels usually produce lower velocities than guns with longer barrels.

The difference between a 158gr .357 Magnum and a 124gr 9mm +P is that, even though they produce roughly the same velocity, the .357 Magnum is burning a lot more powder to get there. For example, my standard "full power" .357 Magnum handload consists of a 158gr LSWC bullet over 14 gr of Alliant 2400. While certainly not a starting load, it is still well below current book maximums though I hold it a bit lower since I'm using Winchester primers. That being said, I rarely see 124 gr 9mm loading data with any powder/primer combination using a maximum load of over 8-9 gr and some of the faster powders are even a good bit less.

The reason that I think the full-power 125gr .357 Magnums are so ear splitting is not because of their higher velocity, but because they use even larger charges of powder than the 158 gr loadings do. For example, the book maximum powder charge for a 158 gr .357 using 2400 is less than the starting load for a 125 gr .357 using the same powder. While I've never pulled them apart myself, people who've been ambitious enough to do so have reported that full-power factory 125 gr .357 Mag loadings often contain powder charges similar to maximum or near maximum book loads of slow powders like H110 or Winchester 296. Per Hodgdon's website, the max load for both of these powders is 22 gr. By comparison, the heaviest maximum charge they list for any 124 gr 9mm loading is only 6.6 gr of HS-6, so the .357 Magnum is burning over three times as much powder.
 
Always wear hearing protection when you can. Accept that there may be some damage to your hearing in a self defense scenario. We've had officers involved in shootings inside with every gun imaginable including .357 Magnum. No one has ever been debilitated due to the sound.

I've been a couple feet from guns being fired and didn't notice the sound at all. Just kinda realized it was gunshots.



Accept it or study Kenjutsu. A three foot long razor blade may be unwieldy, but it is effective and quiet. :)
 
I keep a pair of electronic ear muffs on my nightstand that I will use if I have the time. Our home has an alarm system and we use it at during the day and at night. The alarm goes off there is a horn in the attic that makes 110db noise. The keypads make high volume noises as well and so it wakes me up. I am assuming that the BG or BGs will run away once the alarm goes off.
 
What am I missing here?
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The obvious.

Kinda like asking, is crashing into a wall with you car at 80 mph easier on you than hitting it it @ 100?
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You need to research the decibel levels of different caliber gunshots and the effect such acoustic trauma has on your hearing. Above 22 rimfire, it's all going to harm your hearing, whether you perceive it or not.

I met a fellow at the range. Police officer. I was shooting a 44 magnum and he told me about firing his 357 magnum, indoors, without hearing protection, in the line of duty. He never fully recovered his hearing after several years.

Actually, all this has now prompted me to put my electronic muffs next to my Glock 19/w/tac light. If a bump in the night awakens me and I have the time...............
 
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