Everyone knows guns are loud -- but exactly HOW loud is a very good question.
First off, it's important to understand that sound and distance have an important relationship: as you move further away from the source of the sound, the sound levels drop off dramatically. So if you're one yard away from a gun being fired, you might get 150dB of sound. If you move back another yard, so that you're two yards away, you only get 1/4th of that sound. Move back to three yards away, and the noise dose is reduced down to 1/9th! This is called the Inverse Square Law. The key point to remember is this: how loud a gunshot is -- and how it will affect your hearing -- depends on how close you are to the gun itself, and taking a few steps away can dramatically reduce the dose of noise you get.
Of course, you're probably most interested in how loud YOUR own gun is when YOU are firing it! Check out this data Dr. Krammer, Ph.D., of Ball State University, Indiana has collected on how loud different types of guns are, from the point-of-view of the actual shooter:
Shotgun Data
|
.410 |
||
| (.409") | 28" barrel | 150dB |
| (.409") | 26" barrel | 150.25dB |
| (.409") | 18" barrel | 156.30dB |
| 20 Gauge | ||
| (.614") | 28" barrel | 152.50dB |
| (.614") | 22" barrel | 154.75dB |
| 12 Gauge | ||
| (.729") | 28" barrel | 151.50dB |
| (.729") | 26" barrel | 156.10dB |
| (.729") | 18" barrel | 161.50dB |
Centerfire Rifle Data
| .223 with 18" barrel | 155.5dB |
| .243 with 22" barrel | 155.9dB |
| 7mm Magnum (.276) with 20" barrel | 157.5dB |
| .30-06 with 24" barrel | 158.5dB |
| .30-06 with 18" barrel | 163.2dB |
| .30-30 with 20" barrel | 156.0dB |
| .308 with 24" barrel | 156.2dB |
| .357 with 18" barrel and muzzle brake | 170dB |
Centerfire Pistol Data
| .25 ACP | 155.0dB |
| .32 LONG | 152.4dB |
| .32 ACP | 153.5dB |
| 9mm (.354) | 159.8dB |
| .380 | 157.7dB |
| .38 S&W | 153.5dB |
| .38 Spl | 156.3dB |
| .357 Magnum | 164.3dB |
| .41 Magnum | 163.2dB |
| .44 Spl | 155.9dB |
| .45 ACP | 157.0dB |
| .45 COLT | 154.7dB |
Aside from distance, gun type, bullet size, and barrel length, there are other factors that can change how much noise exposure you get from a gunshot. While the blast noise from the gun actually being fired lasts only an instant, that noise can and will be reflected off the ground and other objects, significantly increasing the dose of noise you're actually subjected to. (Consider: the difference between firing a weapon in an open field, versus firing a weapon indoors in a small room... ouch.)
Also, direction makes a big difference in how loud a gunshot is, in terms of how much sound actually reaches your ears. The sonic crack component of a gunshot sound travels in a cone shape pointing forward and spreading outward from the barrel of the gun.
That means it's best to stand well to the side and a bit behind someone who is shooting, to reduce the punishment your ears take from your buddy's gunfire. (Obviously, standing directly in front of the gun would smack you with the biggest and most damaging dose of noise the gun can produce -- but of course, if you ever find yourself in that situation, impending hearing damage probably won't be your biggest concern!)
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom Bergman, Marketing Director
More Ways to Connect With Us:
Special thanks to Vassilis of Thessaloniki, Greece for providing a correction here: The Centerfire Pistol Data table previously contained an error, and he was kind enough to point it out! The above data has now been corrected, so what you see here is accurate. Thanks again, Vassilis -- and a big thank you to all our readers: we love your feedback, your corrections, your questions and your comments in response to our newsletter and blog articles! YOU are an important part of making EPSS great. We appreciate you!
Info on .22 would be nice as well, since it is a very popular round for target shooting...and I can't think of the last time I saw anybody wear hearing protection while shooting .22. Maybe not needed?
Posted by: Jim Frank | 09/07/2017 at 12:15 PM