.44 magnum SD?

N

nanney1

New member
OK, I've read that the .357 magnum can be painful to shoot and that if you ever had to shoot indoors without ear protection, you can risk permanent hearing damage. And if shot outdoors, temporary hearing damage.

So, wouldn't the same thing hold true for a .44 magnum whether it was for SD or large predator defense? I don't know. Also, where does .44 special fit in this question about loudness?
 
Shooting most any SD/HD handgun indoors will give a degree of permanent hearing damage. Bigger the boom, bigger the degree of damage. .44 special makes the same size hole in a human and will do a similar amount of wound damage with substantially less noise and recoil. Shoot more than a few rounds of .357 outdoors without ear protection and the damage will not be temporary.
 
Yes I agree. When I was on the Force, I shot my 4" Python without ear protection
& that was in 1970-73. My ear function suffered & I'm wearing hearing aids now.
Be young/old & stupid or be smart but if you ever have to use your 44 or 357 or whatever for protection the initial noise might scare the begees out of you & throw you off. You have to be prepared.
 
If suppressed weapons were not specified as illegal for concealed carry in Texas, I'd pack an automatic instead of my .357.
I pack a Rhino. It's not physically painful to shoot. It is loud. If I ever have to use it to save my life (or another's), I'm not thinking about my hearing. It would be nice to have the luxury of hearing afterwards if I could use a suppressed weapon.
 
Anything shot indoors will be loud.
The .357 is a little snappy, but well within the average
person's ability, IMO.
The .44 Mag is louder, with heavier recoil, perhaps a little
out of the average person's range of comfort or liking.

Hearing damage is much more likely with repeated or
constant noise sources.

OTOH, I would not fire a gun indoors, without good hearing
protection, ever, unless forced to defend oneself.
 
My Model 29 is not used for SD, but I do kept 200gr Gold Dot .44Spls loaded in it just in case I have to grab it for HD.
 
The .44 was designed as a HUNTING cartridge. It was NEVER designed for personal defense usage against humans.

There are numerous reasons for this. Even Detective Harry "Dirty" Callahan of the San Fransisco PD, carried .44 Specials in his .44 Magnum S&W Model 29.
 
(This from a deaf person that has to wear hearing aids.)

Firing any center fire round without hearing protection will cause damage to your hearing. Depending on more factors than I care to get into here it can be anywhere from not very noticeable. Up to permanent damage, along with ruptured ear drums. Auditory exclusion may make one not notice it right then. The thing is there is still going to be some amount of damage.

Do not be an idiot that wants to see what it is like by firing one off outside without protection. It is not worth the damage to your hearing. I also advise to if you go to public ranges be a hero by buying a cheap bottle of ear plugs to put into your range bag. If you see someone that has no hearing protection. Offer them some ear plugs.

A .44 Magnum load inside would be a bad idea. Even a Special load will cause damage.
 
I've been present when both a 45 ACP and 357 mag were fired indoors with no hearing protection. While I don't recommend it, neither were any louder than a 9mm or any other commonly used SD gun. If a 357 or 44 mag were what I had I'd not hesitate to use them out of fear of hearing loss. Neither would be my 1st choice either, but if you really have to use a gun for SD hearing loss is way down on the list of concerns.

That said I know of 2 LE officers who had to retire early after discharging 357 mag revolvers in enclosed areas. They suffered enough hearing loss that they could no longer pass physicals. Both of these involved cases where they were involved in a physical struggle and the gun was fired in an unorthodox position nearer their heads than normal.

Given the choice between a full power 357 load, especially from a sub 4" barrel, and a mid range 44 load I'd take the 44 load every time. I find a 240 gr load at around 1000-1100 fps to be much more pleasant to shoot and believe it to be at least as effective as a 357 mag load. You can always load up to full potential for outdoors use and hunting.
 
HUH? WHAT? Did someone say something?

Besides the constant ringing in my ears, I'm constantly having to turn up the TV to hear dialog. Music and explosions come through just fine, but what did that guy say to the medic? Forget it.

Anything fired inside is going to damage your hearing, even if as people like to say, you won't hear it in a self-defense situation. The fact that you "don't hear it" simply means that your mind blocks it out as it narrows down to focus on what is immediately important. The noise is still there, you just don't perceive it.

And finally to answer your question directly, I've never fired any of them inside without protection, but a 357 and a 44 Magnum are both LOUD even with ear muffs. I can't imagine them unprotected. The 38/44 special might not have that ear splitting CRACK the magnums do, but they're still LOUD.
 
In "Friends of Eddie Coyle" both book and
movie I believe the last line after a .38 Special
is fired inside a car, "Boy, that was loud!"
 
I would go for 44 special.

I had to fire a round of 357 once, outdoors, in a SD situation.

That is probably one of the reasons my hearing is so poor now.
 
"...shoot indoors without ear protection..." Is really as stupid as stupid gets. Even a .22 will cause permanent hearing damage. There's no such thing as 'temporary hearing damage. And a suppressor will not matter.
This is from another forum. No idea where the data came from.
https://www.m1911.org/loudness.htm
 
My 357 is more higher pitched then my 44. I've shot outside without hearing protection with both and if I'm shooting the 357 it's always hearing protection it makes my ears ring for a couple days. Seems like the 44 is more of a deeper bass sound
 
Bill Jordan wrote that the 44 Magnum had too much kick for a fast follow up shot and while he doubted "anyone clobbered with this cannon" would need a second shot you might be facing multiple assailants. Facing a predator ? Don''t hunt myself, AFAIK hunters do not wear ear protection. IMHO in a SD situation the risk to hearing is like fighting without eyeglasses-you have to weight the pros and cons. IIRC it is prolonged to exposure to loud noise that is harmful.
 
In "Friends of Eddie Coyle" both book and
movie I believe the last line after a .38 Special
is fired inside a car, "Boy, that was loud!"
Click to expand...

From Wiki:

Dillon gives instructions to the young hood on how to drive out of the city to Quincy. As Dillon explains the machinations of the hit and the young hood's payoff, the drunk Eddie sleeps in the front passenger seat; using a .22 caliber revolver, Dillon shoots Coyle inside the moving car.
Click to expand...

I thought I remembered it being a .22. When first got my model 19 and a box of Remington 357 loads I fired the first shot out of the window of my truck while way out in the country. OMG!!! That was LOUD!!! And it hurt. My HD gun is a model 15 loaded with Remington 38 caliber 158gr lead hollow points. It would be loud but doable.
 
Ratshooter,

Thanks for the correction on "Coyle."
Perhaps it was just the movie or
more likely a bad memory all around
on my part. :o
 
I have been hearing impaired since 1969 along with tone deaf. I can't hear certain frequencies.

I have testified before that I was sitting next to an uncle in a small room when he inadvertently fired a factory round from a 4" S&W 357 Mag.

I was instantly totally deaf for a good 15 minutes. I could not hear a damn thing, even screaming.

As has been noted numerous times before this post, anything short of a pellet gun fired indoors will be detrimental to your health.

Even a 22LR in a handgun is very loud. They are loud outdoors as well.

I have to wear hearing protecting around ANY loud noise.
 
One of the reasons I sold my Contender (though I have regretted it ever since)...

Fair chase black bear in VT in 1990...Fired a round from my 10" 'Hunter' barrel in .45-70 without protection...All I 'heard' was a very loud "TING!!!"

Ears have never been the same...
 
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