so I fired a 223 inside a small room today

lol try a .308 in a small room its pretty bad

Did you fire a 12 gauge or a .357 Mag for comparison? Even a 9 mm?


They all hurt inside a confined space.

Complete thread hijack. I'm assuming a silencer would help here, but would it? You've still got a decent amount of pressure being created in a small space.

.357 magnum small room yes ears were ringing for several days after.

GR8GIFT said:

.357 magnum small room yes ears were ringing for several days after.

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As is the case with 7.7x58 Japanese fired from inside a 1995 mitsubishi montero.


Don't ask!

Actually, I can tell you from experience that most any handgun or rifle chambering sounds about the same when fired in a small room. Moving from 223 to a pistol chambering will not help you much.

This could be one for Mythbusters:

Does a rifle caliber like .223 do more damage to your hearing than a pistol caliber like 9mm when you shoot them in a confined space?

After a certain noise level they probably sound the same, but I wonder if one is more damaging...

I would think the .223 would do more damage because it's putting out more energy and (I think) a bigger shockwave. Maybe that doesn't have anything to do with it.

"yikes. I hope this ringing goes away someday."



Maybe, maybe not. Mine have been ringing for 30-some years, it just gets worse over time. The few times I've forgotten, or taken a shot hunting without ear plugs, I can tell the difference. The "auditory exclusion" theory about "you don't notice" the shot doesnt mean there isnt damage. I haven't been blessed with that phenomenon anyway. I shoot, at game, whatever, and it HURTS!!!!!!(insert cursing, calling self stupid, etc) I won't even shoot game without putting in ear plugs, no animal is worth losing any more hearing over. One particular shot at a deer with a .338 and no plugs lost noticable hearing in one ear.

I dislike shooting .357's in particular, or anything with muzzle widgets.

As is the case with 7.7x58 Japanese fired from inside a 1995 mitsubishi montero.


Don't ask!

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Oh come on man! You can't start a story like that and not tell it

this is why you either work in soft-cutter ear plugs into your HD routine, or you make sure your insurance covers cochlear implants for when you get older, should you ever fire one from inside.

I mostly shoot at an indoor range, so I can imagine how your ears feel now.

Not sure about the accuracy of this but there ya go:

http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml

I tried a 3.5in magnum 12g with no shot in my closed garage.......the blast actually broke 2 fluorescent tubes on opposite sides of the garage.

Nice find eatatjoes!

Nice find eatatjoes!

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Yes that's very interesting. The handguns actually average a bit louder than the long guns.

Don't forget that the perceived noise will be affected by the barrel length of the firearm and the presence/absence of a muzzle device. How long was the 223 barrel and what kind of muzzle attachment did you have on it?

I'm assuming a silencer would help here, but would it? You've still got a decent amount of pressure being created in a small space.

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Less than you might think. I've not tried it with .223 but I've fired suppressed supersonic 9mm in an indoor range without hearing protection. Once was PLENTY. Ouch. Having occasionally forgotten to lower my muffs when someone else shot various calibers, unsuppressed, I didn't think supersonic 9mm was much better with the can. Certainly not enough better to be "o.k."

A .223, though? OUCH. Can or not, the supersonic crack is going to be painful.

-Sam

hmm you shouldnt shoot ur gun in ur house unless the situation calls for it lol

Complete thread hijack. I'm assuming a silencer would help here, but would it? You've still got a decent amount of pressure being created in a small space.

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Ever work on vehicles and run them with the muffler off or just straight pipes?
The difference is huge, and large displacement accelerating vehicles without silencers would make everyone on the road without hearing protection deaf within a few years.

Mufflers need to meet a certain decibel rating on a vehicle from a certain distance to comply with noise regulations. Firearms are illegal to reduce at all without paying a special tax and registering with the ATF.

The same guy, Hiram Maxim, made the muffler and the firearm silencer. One became required for hearing safety and to reduce noise pollution, and the other heavily regulated and discouraged.
They are the same device, both work to reduce the report of gas being discharged. If fact in British English they are actually called "silencers", just as the ones on a firearm are.

I lost the .223 thing when I shot a 3 gun match with a 11 inch ar..............not good on hearing even with ear plugs!

No a 50-90 sharps..........lol! I just move to pistol for indoors. Besides it is way more mobile than a rifle. Still loud but no muzzle flash like a flash bulb and lacks the feeling like I just got punched in the nose.

Hello friends and neighbors// I use plugs and head phones at indoor range // eatatjoes ; thanks for the chart, perfect info.// No wonder everone leaves when I come in ( S&W 586, 357/38, 6" , I practice with American Arms 38 special 130gr. or 38 special blazers mixed 50 rounds //then start on the 357 American arms 158gr. target usually 30 rounds and finish with 125gr. corbon JHP usually 12 rounds // fun! fun! fun! ///Forgot to put on ear phones when sighting scope on 30.06 last week, did not like it a bit. // I did have the foam plugs in and was outside, I can't imagine small room....