315 rifle makes hell of a noise

[dr.jayakumar]

hi friends,i bought a new iof 315 rifle.it makes hell of a noise,tried using ear muffs,plugs..no use still looks like it will make me deaf.suppressors are out of question as it is illegal,any suggestion is welcome,wanna save my ears!!

[Amit357]

Hi Dr, try not to shoot it .Its 8 mm,with God alone knowing the grains of gun powder in it.

[prashantsingh]

Sell the .315 and buy a .22 . LOL
I think all rifles of that calibre (or above) will make approximately the same amount of noise. If not more.

[psm]

Dear Dr.
I have also .315 and I don't think its giving deafing sound. You will get accustomed shortly. Don't get disheartened.

[xl_target]

Use earplugs and ear muffs.

[Baljit]

Sell the .315 and buy a .22 . LOL
I think all rifles of that calibre (or above) will make approximately the same amount of noise. If not more.

Baljit

[prashantsingh]

Looks like Doctor saheb bought the rifle without firing a single shot . When one decides to buy a weapon, one should always fire a few shots and check it out. Just like you test drive a car before deciding to go for it.

Now that you have bought it. Keep it. Like psm has said....You will get used to the sound (noise).

[Vikram]

You will get used to the sound (noise).

You mean once he becomes deaf,he won't be bothered with the noise?

Jokes apart, I have been sagely advised by Grumpus Von Maximus and others that even a .22 lr going off closer to ears can damage hearing and continued exposure to loud noises is certain way of losing hearing capacity irretrievably.

As xl_target suggested, the best way is to use both ear muffs and plugs to preserve the ears.All times with all calibres.JMHO.

Best-
Vikram

[james]

Congratulations for buying new Rifle , Fire 10 shot of .375 Holland & Holland Magnum Rifle if you can get it from you friend and you will be comfortable with 315 rifle music . Enjoy . James..

[prashantsingh]

can damage hearing and continued exposure to loud noises

Vikram

Hey Vikram. You forgot the quota restriction (on ammo) per licence (in India) .
The question of "continued exposure" to gun fire does not arise when you get 25 carts annually (unless you are a sports person).
More likely to go deaf on the metro roads with the "Continued" honking.
Cheers

[Vikram]

Not nitpicking,Prashant.But,getting exposed a few times is enough it seems.

[TwoRivers]

Enough to damage your ears, for sure. It's not "getting used to it", but non-repairable hearing damage. Still remember the way the first .22 LR hurt my my ears, but now no noise can hurt them! But along with others, smaller ones, some 90mm and 105, and 155s, really helped me to "get used" to it. But yeah, Doc, it's a gun, after all! Get a pair of ear muffs, and plugs, if you still have good hearing and want to keep it. Cheers.

[shooter]

Not nitpicking,Prashant.But,getting exposed a few times is enough it seems.

even 10 unprotected shots/year are enough to damage hearing.

[The Doc]

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

Gunfire Sound Levels

Keep in mind that conversational speech is approximately 60-65 dB, and the threshold of pain is considered to be 140 dB. According to Dr. William Clark, Ph.D. senior research scientist in charge of the NOISE LABORATORY at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, the damage caused by one shot from a .357 magnum pistol, which can expose a shooter to 165 dB for 2msec, is equivalent to over 40 hours in a noisy workplace. A serious byproduct of this exposure is sensory-neural hearing loss, which cannot be restored to normal. With the introduction of MUZZLE BRAKES and PORTING, the risks of hearing loss dramatically increase.

Dr. Krammer, Ph.D., Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana has documented the following pressure levels.
Table 1. SHOTGUN NOISE DATA (DECIBEL AVERAGES)

.410 Bore 28" barrel 150dB
26" barrel 150.25dB
18" barrel 156.30dB
20 Gauge 28" barrel 152.50dB
22" barrel 154.75dB
12 Gauge 28" barrel 151.50dB
26" barrel 156.10dB
18" barrel 161.50dB

Dr. Krammer continues to say that shotgun noise averaged slightly more that 150dB. This is approximately 14dB beyond the threshold of pain, and more than sufficient to cause sudden hearing loss with complications.


Table 2. CENTERFIRE RIFLE DATA

.223, 55GR. Commercial load 18" barrel 155.5dB
.243 in 22" barrel 155.9dB
.30-30 in 20" barrel 156.0dB
7mm Magnum in 20" barrel 157.5dB
.308 in 24" barrel 156.2dB
.30-06 in 24" barrel 158.5dB
.30-06 in 18" barrel 163.2dB
.375 in 18" barrel with muzzle brake 170 dB
Krammer adds that sound pressure levels for the various pistols and ammunition tested yielded an average mean of 157.5 dB, which is greater than those previously shown for shotgun and rifle noise levels. There was also a greater range, from 152.4dB to 164.5dB, representing 12 dB difference, or more than 10 time as much acoustic energy for the top end of the pistol spectrum. It should be noticed that this figure of 164.5 dB approaches the practical limit of impulse noise measurement capability inherent in most modern sound level meters.


Table 3. CENTERFIRE PISTOL DATA

.25 ACP 155.0 dB
.32 LONG 152.4 dB
.32 ACP 153.5 dB
.380 157.7 dB
9mm 159.8 dB
.38 S&W 153.5 dB
.38 Spl 156.3 dB
.357 Magnum 164.3 dB
.41 Magnum 163.2 dB
.44 Spl 155.9 dB
.45 ACP 157.0 dB
.45 COLT 154.7 dB
The above averages are for all types of ammunition used in these firearms, and should be considered fairly representative. No wonder we hear numerous reports about hearing loss as a result of firearms including acoustic traumas that take hearing completely as a result of one shot. Imagine what the noise levels must be when we incorporate muzzle brakes or porting into firearms, or have a gun explode near the ear due to malfunction.

OUR WARNING IS SIMPLE AND IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF EACH SHOOTER. AS THE SOUND PRESSURES INCREASE, SO DOES THE RISK OF PERMANENT HEARING LOSS. IF YOU INCORPORATE A PROCEDURE INTO YOUR SHOOTING THAT INCREASES THE SOUND LEVEL, YOU ALSO INCREASE THE RISK OF HEARING LOSS TO YOURSELF AND POSSIBLY THOSE WHO STAND NEAR YOU. BE SURE TO USE ADEQUATE EAR PROTECTION WHEN USING A FIREARM AND BE CAREFUL OF THOSE NEARBY. LAWSUITS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR GUNFIRE NOISE THAT HAS RESULTED IN HEARING LOSS. ALWAYS CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL AUDIOLOGIST, OTOLOGIST, OR OTOLARYNGOLOGIST WITH YOUR HEARING PROBLEMS. Hearing loss is not fun and can be prevented.

More ...... http://www.t-gone.com/noise-tinnitusz1.htm

best,
Rp.

P.S The upper case typing has been used in the original article possibly to stress upon a point . No, I am not shouting, I don't want my fellow men on IFG to go deaf !

[prashantsingh]

Thanks guys.
Looks like I need to get a good pair of muffs after all, when I fire my cousins .315 next. Surprisingly none of the big game hunters I have known (who are now in their 80's and above) ever went deaf.
Also need to e mail this info (by The Doc) to my PH in South Africa.