357 without ear protection?

[USPcompact45]

Has anyone fired the 357 round without ear protection outdoors? I know it varies in doors and I wanted to know if the sound difference between the 357 and all the other calibers is a lot. Is it that much louder than the 9, 40 and 45? I know that firing without ear protection would damage your hearing but I'm not sure if the 357 would make you deaf.


As for bullet setback, is it possible that if you leave the round in the magazine (not chambered), would the bullet setback?


I hope that a situation never occurs when a shot has to be fired but I'm confident that a 9mm is capable of stopping the threat, thus if the 357 would make you deaf, I rather go with the 9mm.

[spcwes]

I doubt it will make you go deaf. I have fired a Glock 31 several times without the muffs but it was not that bad. It is not load enough to just blow eardrums unless right next to your ears.

The 45ACP in a 1911 is the loadest I have fired. I am sure the 10mm in that set up would be worse but it is by far worse than any of my glocks. The 45ACP in a 1911 is painfully load without hearing protection.

[Ulysses]

It varies from person to person. Shooting LOUD calibers WILL cause hearing damage. Some people are more prone to hearing damage. Some have problems the FIRST time.

Frankly I would avoid it. I have tintinitis and hearing loss in one ear from farm equiptment operation and hunting where I DO NOT use hearing protection for others safety.

Now that they have hearing protection with microphones that will change.

I have heard annecdotal stories of people having hearing damage with 1 shot.

I would NOT want to shoot a 357 of any kind in an enclosed space.

I like subsonic calibers...

[G33]

In my 9mms I use +P Gold Dots.
Not much difference.

[USPcompact45]

Thanks for all the responses.

G33, do you mean that the +p 9mm is not that much difference in efficieny or in sound?

Can bullet setback occur in the magazine? Thanks again.

[Rastus]

Bullet setback will only happen when you chamber a round repeatedly, has nothing to do with the mag. I never chamber a round more than twice and I've never seen setback in any caliber. I don't doubt it can happen but I'd say it's easily avoidable.

[G33]

Originally posted by USPcompact45
Thanks for all the responses.

G33, do you mean that the +p 9mm is not that much difference in efficieny or in sound?

Can bullet setback occur in the magazine? Thanks again.

Sound.
The speed is still different.
Lot of discourse on the 9mm+ vs. .357 Sig.
Do not want to go there here.
Sound is subjective also.
This is based on my shooting both with electronic ears.
And the reaction of guys around my booth.
YMMV

[G33]

Originally posted by Rastus
Bullet setback will only happen when you chamber a round repeatedly, has nothing to do with the mag. I never chamber a round more than twice and I've never seen setback in any caliber. I don't doubt it can happen but I'd say it's easily avoidable.


Yes, excellent point.

[DeadMansLife]

Originally posted by Rastus
Bullet setback will only happen when you chamber a round repeatedly, has nothing to do with the mag. I never chamber a round more than twice and I've never seen setback in any caliber. I don't doubt it can happen but I'd say it's easily avoidable.

I beg to differ.

Leaving a few rounds at the bottom of a mag and topping it off(in a match) may cause bullet setback with normal(read brass) ammo. It will in fact occur with Blazer Aluminum(357 Sig ammo is no longer loaded in Al).

I really cannot say what will happen with brass cased ammo as I have learned my lesson with the Al case. All I will say is that was one very hot round.

[The Pontificator]

IS YOU CRAZY? ;5

[SDBettas]

In what parallel universe?

[Nukem]

.

[SIGShooter]

I've fired the 31,32,33 without. I've never had a problem with doing it. (I think it is important to fire at least a couple of rounds with out just in case you ever have to use it real world.)


I wil say this... I have owned a USP compact .357 SIG and a USP compact .45 and the .45 by far was the loudest pistol I have ever fired (CCW pistol). I couldn't hear for the rest of the day.

[spcwes]

My SA 1911 loaded model with the nice green finish is so much loader than the Glock 31 even stoked with DT 125gr HPs that is painfully obvious. My brother has a SA Loaded SS model and it is just the same. My Glock 21 is pleasant to shoot without muffs.

[ILikeFtLbs]

You won't go deaf, but it'll muffle your hearing for a few seconds.

[Peter M. Eick]

Don't do it with a 229 sport and AA9. Even with plugs and muffs that is loud!

[gman32c]

I had an indoor ND with a PM40 (no hearing protection) and have been dealing with about 50% hearing loss in the ear closest to the blast since then. I would not recomend shooting anything above a .22 w/o protection. Hearing loss is not repairable.

[USPcompact45]

Thank you.

It really seems like the sound depends on the firearm used. Hmm, I guess it doesn't really matter.

I found that sound:

357sig>9>45>40

I found the 40 to be most quiet for some reason.

[long shot]

USPcompact45 ... what bullet weight were you shooting in .40?

357 Sig runs at 40,000psi.

Standard pressure 9mm and .40 run at 35,000psi ... +P and +P+ 9mm seem to be between roughly 37,500psi and 40,000psi.

While the .45acp operates at the lowest pressures of any of them, I have heard several people remark that it can be quite loud in platforms with shorter barrels.

To me, standard pressure subsonic 9mm and 180gr. 40 loads ... are usually the most "mellow" sounding, though all would of course be loud indoors without protection. Just some moreso than others. Both loads I mentioned are running at about 35,000psi and both are subsonic. While the .40's pressure usually peaks quicker, that seems to be reflected more in a slightly quicker recoil impulse rather than increased noise level with the 180gr. loads.

[USPcompact45]

Thanks for the posts. I was shooting 230 gr .45, 165 gr 40sw, 115 gr 9mm and 125 gr 357 sig.

[USAOGMS]

Hearing loss is cumulative. The more you shoot the more hearing you are going to lose unless you use hearing protection. The more efficient the protection the less the loss. Generally hearing loss caused by shooting is very gradual and imperceptible but it's there nonetheless. That applies to shooting any firearm from the .22 rimfire on up.

I started competetive shooting in college in 1964 and fired ten of thousands of rounds of rimfire ammunition on indoor ranges. Then I fired on several military high power teams. If anybody used any kind of hearing protection I never knew it. Finally in the late 60's muff type hearing protection became available. The result for me is a noticable hearing loss that I attritute to those days of shooting without hearing protectors.

To me, the .357 Sig is at least as loud as any magnum caliber handgun I've ever fired. It isn't likely to deafen you with one shot if you shoot it unprotected, but it sure isn't going to do anything good for your ears! I never shoot anything without at least a pair of muffs.

[New23]

Originally posted by DeadMansLife
Leaving a few rounds at the bottom of a mag and topping it off(in a match) may cause bullet setback with normal(read brass) ammo. It will in fact occur with Blazer Aluminum
Can you clarify that? I don't understand what action(s) can cause the setback you mention.

[DeadMansLife]

Tactical reloads. During a match, where tac-reloads were requiored, I just topped off my mags. This left the same 3-4 rounds in my mag all day while I was just shooting the first 6-7.

The recoil slammed the cartridges around enough to cause setback.