Which rifle is loudest?

[Dogleg]

I'm sure that there's louder, but my .338 Edge with brake is viscious. Hunt with earmuffs loud.

 

[janesy]

anything of the hood or bedrail of a truck sounds ten times louder than it really is. My 7600P really lets out a bark with its 16.5" barrel.

 

[444shooter]

Never noticed any worse than the other with my electronic muffs on..never shoot without them. I do remember many years ago shooting a 19" barreled Mannlicher Carcano under a metal roofed outdoor range and that sucker was loud.

 

[Holleyman]

It was just mentioned by ykkid and I found it funny as well. I shoot my M96 in 6.5X55 and I find it loud even with plugs at the range, but shooting a deer this season I cracked off two shots and don't even remember the noise or the recoil. Strange how the brain can react differently in different situations to the same stimuli.

 

[philthygeezer]

A 416 Rigby with a 12" ported barrel.

 

[anthonyfrechette]

my Savage 300 Ultra w/ muzzle break is violently loud

 

[Forcedair]

I've had comments/complaints about my 300WSM. People shooting next to me say they can feel the shot. Others have wandered over to see what I'm shooting because of the loud report.

 

[79Jimmy]

Fast bullets like the .220 swift combined with a muzzle brake. OUCH!

No s#%t. I was at the range last week and the gentleman next to me was sighting in a .223 with a muzzle brake, it was a good day to work on the flinching skills. I got back at him though when I brought out the 45-70 guide gun

 

[Suputin]

Has anyone actually measured the volume of various cartridges?

Yes. Check out

Silencer Research http://www.silencerresearch.com/

or

Silencer History and Performance by Al Paulson

Both of these resources will have sound data for unsuppressed firearms of all sizes and shapes.

The average gun shot is 140 to 170 decibels. 85 db is considered harmful. One shot from any firearm without hearing protection will cause permanent hearing damage, including a .22 LR(about 134 db). Some air rifles can produce 104 decibels. A shotgun runs around 160 to 170 db.

Not sure where your numbers come from but they are a wee bit off.

You are correct in that the vast majority of small arms will produce a sound pressure level (SPL) between 140 and 170dB. Typically a .22 rimfire rifle will be in the 140 dB range where it takes a 50 BMG to approach 170 dB. Most centerfire rifle cartridges will be in the 165 dB range. A 12 ga shotgun will only produce about 150-155 dB depending on the load.

It is important to understand that impulse sound (what is produced by a firearm) is quite different from constant noise. Hearing damage is a function of noise x exposure time and the blast from a firearm is VERY short.

The limit for hearing damage from impulse sound is 139 dB.