Whats Louder?

[Jason30-30]

Yesterday At the range i was talking with a fellow that claimed 357 magnum was louder than 44 magnum. I would imagine that the 357's higher velocity might make the theory true. What do you guys think.

[Crawdaddy]

My guess would be that the length of barrel and porting would have more of an impact. All things being equal I would think the 44 would be louder simply because of more powder.

Look at it this way: Which is louder a firecracker or an M80?

[1Shirt]

Depends on the load being fired of course. If the 357 is shooting 38S wad cutter loads, and the 44 is shooting Kieth Max loads, would guess that the latter would be louder. The same is probably the same in reverse. And there is as stated, bbl length, porting etc.etc.etc.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[telebasher]

Barrel length, bullet weight, type of powder all factor into the answer. My vote for loudest revolver goes to a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine. Ear plugs and muffs and it still will bring out the flinches in me LOL.

[ku4hx]

Interesting gunfire decibel info here:
http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml

But as hand loaders, we all would know how to stack the deck.

[waksupi]

Not louder, just a different frequency. Although I see by looking at the link, my initial thought is wrong.

Could you imagine a .30 Carbine revolver, with a muzzle break?

[HammerMTB]

My experience is the .357 is sharper
That is, the crack is "cracklier" instead of a big boom like a .44Mag.
But as has been said, it can be varied quite a bit by a number of circumstances that are not caliber specific.

[bbqncigars]

I'll add that the .357 Automag sounds nastier than the .44 Automag, and this is with almost identical powder charges. Although the larger one is pushing 100 grains heavier bullet.

[DLCTEX]

I fired my ported 480 Ruger Tarus one time without protection just to see what it was like. DUMB! I will never do that again except in a life or death situation, then I would be reluctant. It hurt!

[chuckbuster]

I know that if I want some "Elbow Room" at the public range (covered firing points) all I need is to fire a 3 shot group with my .416 Taylor :)

[303Guy]

Although the larger one is pushing 100 grains heavier bullet.That means more of the powder generated energy has gone into the boolit so the muzzle blast will be less. It's a function of muzzle pressure plus remaining energy in the powder i.e volume at that pressure. But it is purely the muzzle pressure that determines the sound pressure level. Don't forget that going from 155dB to 158dB is doubling the sound pressure (it's hard to keep track of that fact when one looks at the sound pressure figures).

[swheeler]

From what I've experienced, with full power loads in both revolvers the 357 IS louder.

[williamwaco]

Don't know about decibels etc. I do know this:

I can shoot the .44 mag with mag loads with ear protection with comfort.

When I shoot the .357 with hot loads, even with ear protection - It HURTS.



.

[GRUMPA]

Yesterday At the range i was talking with a fellow that claimed 357 magnum was louder than 44 magnum. I would imagine that the 357's higher velocity might make the theory true. What do you guys think.

NEITHER!!! My ex-wife :kidding:

[oldgeezershooter]

I had a Horton 3" Model 29 years ago and the rangemaster made me stop shooting it because of the complaints.

[trk]

Not louder, just a different frequency. Although I see by looking at the link, my initial thought is wrong.

Could you imagine a .30 Carbine revolver, with a muzzle break?

The Ruger Blackhawk in .30 Carbine is loud enough! (without the muzzle break) !!


4 shots of .44 Mag, I've seen stated years ago, will give MEASURABLE, PERMANENT hearing loss.

When you ear drums meet in the middle it's TOO LOUD!

[mooman76]

A friend of mine bought a 357 mag and it had a fairly long barrel(6" I think) and when we shot it, it would make out ears ring with hearing protection on. My wife still complains about that gun and it was 20 years ago.

[mpmarty]

I get lots of elbow room at the range when I fire my 7.62 Nato AK with its muzzle brake. Between the noise and the high velocity brass coming out sideways it is impressive.

[Iron Mike Golf]

I fired my ported 480 Ruger Tarus one time without protection just to see what it was like. DUMB! I will never do that again except in a life or death situation, then I would be reluctant. It hurt!

Did the same with a Maw Deuce. Thankfully it was single shot.

[MtGun44]

.30 Carbine is really, really obnoxious, even with good hearing protection.

Neither the .357 or .44 mag bother me much with normal ear protection and I NEVER shoot
without it, so not really sure about the OP question.

Bill

[Mooseman]

IMHO...It is hard to say due to bullet speed and the sonic Crack, Barrel length, and type of powder all factor in to the "Noise Factor"...as to which one is or perceived to be louder. My 50 BMG is the loudest One I own because of the Brake directing the blast backwards. :bigsmyl2:

[leadman]

I had a Contender barrel in 444 Marlin with a 2 1/2" brake on it. 50grs of 4198 behind a 265 gr Hornady would take chunks out of the ceiling tiles at the range. Even with plugs and muffs it was loud!

The loudest revolver I shot was my blackhawk with the 356 GNR cylinder in it. It was a 41mag case necked down to 357. Had a .003" cylinder gap and would shred the leather shooting bags. 180gr boolits would do 1,400 fps out of a 4 1/2" barrel.

[Hang Fire]

I know that if I want some "Elbow Room" at the public range (covered firing points) all I need is to fire a 3 shot group with my .416 Taylor :)

The noise from a MN carbine with hot milsurp ammo is not for timid, the fire ball gives good visuals too.

[gasboffer]

Barrel length, bullet weight, type of powder all factor into the answer. My vote for loudest revolver goes to a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine. Ear plugs and muffs and it still will bring out the flinches in me LOL.

I agree! On the silhouette range you could pick out the .30 carbine (revolver) over any other gun being fired!

[Crawdaddy]

I had a Contender barrel in 444 Marlin with a 2 1/2" brake on it. 50grs of 4198 behind a 265 gr Hornady would take chunks out of the ceiling tiles at the range. Even with plugs and muffs it was loud!

The loudest revolver I shot was my blackhawk with the 356 GNR cylinder in it. It was a 41mag case necked down to 357. Had a .003" cylinder gap and would shred the leather shooting bags. 180gr boolits would do 1,400 fps out of a 4 1/2" barrel.


Keep your finger away from that cylinder gap. I made that mistake with a rimfire years ago. Cant imagine it with you gun..

[cbr]

To me it seems like my .44 is not as bad as my .357's, but my .44 has a 6 inch barrel and my .357's are 2 to 4 inches long. Interesting discussion.

[mdi]

When I was shooting a lot of full magnum loads, both .44 and .357, I could tell the difference in powders used, but the sound of a .357 is, seemingly, higher pitch. I could tell the difference between a medium to hot load of Bullseye and a medium to hot load of H110 or AA9. Faster powders had a slightly higher "yelp" rather than a slower powder's "boom". But overall, I think the shrill "pop" of a med./hot .357 is no louder than a .44 Magnum loaded to a med./hot level...

[theperfessor]

Our perception of "loudness" is both physiological and psychological. I find a high-pitched supersonic crack to be more annoying than a low-pitched boom, even though they may be at the same measured sound intensity. I may think it's louder when it's not, simply because of my psychological response. Maybe it's a evolutionary coping mechanism - low pitched booms sound like far off thunder from a storm, a future problem maybe but not immediately threatening. High pitched cracks are close up lightning, or a heavy tree limb overhead cracking off and hitting you.

(I recently had a hearing test and talked to Dr about this kind of stuff. He told me I'm losing hearing in the "wife frequency" range. Better than average hearing at low freqs, below average at high freqs-the typical range of female voices. There really is an organic reason why old married men don't hear what their wife says.)

[chboats]

I agree with theperfessor. Perception is everything. The 357 has a sharper crack but the 44 has more volume. It is like the difference between a 3" speaker and 16" speaker. If they are each set to the same sound level output the larger speaker will appear much louder. If I shoot my black powder canon in the front yard it will rattle the windows of the third or fourth house down the street. A 357 won't do that.

Carl

[Janoosh]

I have done sound testing for a firearms range. The Prefessor and Waksupi are correct on this issue. It is frequency that causes the difference in sound. High pitched sound doesn't travel far, low pitched sound does. Shoot a pistol of 35 cal in the woods as compared to a large bore rifle and the large bore rifle report will resound thru the woods. The pistol report is short lived. A 44 mag revolver will have a different frequency. If the decibel level is the same, the damage is the same.

[Ghugly]

My friend and I were both surprised that his .22 mag Ruger is louder than his .357 S&W. In fact, we both were pretty impressed with the .22 mag. My .44 mag is louder than either of them. Lower pitch, to be sure, but the concussion and the boom is way louder.

[Ghugly]

Our perception of "loudness" is both physiological and psychological. I find a high-pitched supersonic crack to be more annoying than a low-pitched boom, even though they may be at the same measured sound intensity. I may think it's louder when it's not, simply because of my psychological response. Maybe it's a evolutionary coping mechanism - low pitched booms sound like far off thunder from a storm, a future problem maybe but not immediately threatening. High pitched cracks are close up lightning, or a heavy tree limb overhead cracking off and hitting you.

(I recently had a hearing test and talked to Dr about this kind of stuff. He told me I'm losing hearing in the "wife frequency" range. Better than average hearing at low freqs, below average at high freqs-the typical range of female voices. There really is an organic reason why old married men don't hear what their wife says.)

This is one old married man who just had to pick himself off the floor and wipe the tears out of his eyes. I'm still laughing.

[Boolseye]

The .357 shooting full-house loads seems to be a more penetrating blast to me. I suspect it would do more damage to unprotected ears. Wouldn't want to experiment...I shot 1 round of .38 special once with no protection, just to see how loud it was, and my ears immediately commenced to ringing. I'm a musician, so I can't afford to take those chances.

[Reload3006]

which is more annoying? lol My wife when she is really pissed is pretty ear splitting:kidding:

[felix]

A music man, eh? Then I guess you know about sound pressure. An equalized hi-fi system will sound soft and pure, even WAY above normal hearing thresholds. Turning up the volume more causes immeasurable ear damage for years to come. Years ago the professional specs pushed making a room/auditorium smooth at 80db from all the instruments. The audience would better appreciate (long term) settings at 75-77 db, depending on the music type. Keep in mind that every 3db increases/decreases sound pressure by TWO!!!!! ... felix

[UtopiaTexasG19]

I remember back years ago when I shot my .357 magnum and .44 magnum for the first time during the same shooting session. As many have stated the .357 seems to have a higher pitched blast than the lower "boom" of the .44 magnum. What is impressing about the .44 magnum though is the air wave concussion from the blast you physically feel on the whole front of your body when the round goes off.

[felix]

Yeah, no different than that boom box going down the street. I can hear that racket 100 yards away, and I live through woods between that road where the hippies roam and the house. ... felix

[blackpowder man]

Interesting question. By far the most annoying firearm to have shooting beside me at the range is an AR or any similar rifle. The fact that they always seem to have 100s of rounds to shoot off of the bench at a target 25 yards away using a scope doesn't help.
I had a guy at the range "explain" to me that the .357 has the largest blast from the cylinder gap than any other revolver. I did not want to argue with him. Seems like simple physics to me. More powder or more gap=more blast. Granted there are other variables just like the volume thing.

[fredj338]

Even loaded to the same vel, I find the higher pitch or crack of the 357smag louder, especially in shorter bbls. If yo uwant shock wave, full power 357mags in a snub will remove insulation from the indoor range's ceiling, ask me how I know.

[gabe123]

For me, the loudest thing is the 38 Super Auto. I have to use muffs when I shoot it, plugs just don't cut it.

[41mag]

Well I know that the loads I used to shoot from both my 41 and 44 were way worse than anything I ever pushed out of my .357's. Granted I don't shoot those anymore, as I have found much easier "on me and the gun" loads to shoot, which are just as accurate and way more effective.

This said, the wife and I saw a benefit concert by Uncle Ted at our local rodeo grounds last year, and were only about 40' from the stage, I believe that show, did more to my hearing than the last 20yrs of shooting firearms, just sayin, but it was worth every bit of it.

[Mohillbilly]

My auto Mag III shoots 30 carbine (5") and the guys with the 357 snubnoses jump and can hear me shoot when their 357 is going off. The 444 marlin is right loud . have to admit the 50 BMG single shot is the loudest.

[happyfast79]

I shot my 4" muzzle braked 500 s&w hunting once with out hearing protection and is by far the worst bark ive ever heard from a revolver. a good week and a half of ringing in the ears

[troy_mclure]

i just shot back to back:

my dads 6" ruger gp100 .357 with 158gr federal hydrashocks, and my 5.5" ruger sbh .44mag with .240gr hydrashocks.

the .357 was a noticeably sharper sound, but the .44 had a larger "shockwave" as it caused more/further ripples in the pond we were shooting across.

the .44 also had a more noticeable echo off the hills as well.

[Judan_454]

My Tarurus 454 6 1/2 inch barrel is the loudest gun I have. When I hunt with it I take a pair of ear muffs with me,if I have time I will put them on before I shoot ,not alway possible. I do think muzzle porting has a lot to do with it.

[bbqncigars]

For pure loudness, it would be a toss-up between my stoutly loaded .58 flintlock pistol and my .50BMG rifle. Which is louder would depend on where you were in relation to the blast zones from the rifle's muzzle brake.

[Sonnypie]

NEITHER!!! My ex-wife :kidding:

[smilie=l::not listening::2_high5::goodpost:


I don't want to listen to either.
That's why I wear hearing protection. [smilie=1:

[Leadmelter]

According to the Range Officers at my club, the most obnoxious pistols are:
44 Auto Mag with heavy to moderate loads. I once set off 3 car alarms with one shot.
30 Cal TC Contender with WW296 loads: Need a light for that smoke?
357 Auto Mag with moderate loads in a 10" TC SSK barrel.
41 JMP TC Contender with some heavy WW296 loads.
We had this discussion last spring. If you want quiet, use an airgun or join a monastry.
Gerry

[T-Bird]

All of these rounds are very loud. I shoot 44mag, 45colt +p, 357, Ruger 30 carbine, to me the 30 carbine is head and shoulders above the others for obnoxiousness (is that a word?). Bottom line is if it makes your ears ring, you have suffered damage and it is cumulative. I too have lost my hearing in the "wife" range. High range hearing loss is from acoustic trauma and irreversable. T-Bird

[Canuck Bob]

I have no opinion on the pistol calibers but the link opened my eyes to just how loud even a 30-30 is! My 444 will bark out of a 22" tube when those heavy bullets scream out at 2400fps. Loudest gun I owned was a 375 H&H heavy load 230 grain bullets. Luckly I never noticed due to recoil!!!

My pipsqueak factory loaded 32-20 long barrel rifle loads are so pleasant to shoot these days. Is it just me getting tired of noise and recoil from almost everything I shoot?

I owned a Colt Series 70 45ACP and will never forget my first clip full. I figured no muffs to get the full effect, only did it once!

[btroj]

My 30 carbine Blackhawk is bad, as is my K-hornet 10 inch Contender.

Short barrel, realativly hgh pressure- that is a recipe for loud.