Which rifle is loudest?

Anything with a break and fast bullets.
The worst I have endured was one round from a Rem 700P in 338 Lap Mag with the factory break. Ears were ringing for 4 hours after that.

*Yes I know a dumb thing to do, but what is done is done :(
 
Over the years I have seen quite a few really stupid parents letting their young kids and teens shoot without hearing protection. It's pretty sad really.
 
Bandits said:
Anything with a break and fast bullets.
The worst I have endured was one round from a Rem 700P in 338 Lap Mag with the factory break. Ears were ringing for 4 hours after that.

*Yes I know a dumb thing to do, but what is done is done :(
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yea, i'll have to go down that road as well- 338 with a muzzle brake- not so much in front as to the side-shock wave when it goes off too- not just recoil- and my go-to gun is a 308/180
 
Short barrels and muzzle brakes = loudest

I am completely deaf in my left ear and I do not always wear a plug in it but when I shoot my handguns especially my 45 Colts & 454 Casulls even though I can't hear the shot the pressure from the shot really hurts my inner ear so I always wear a plug in that ear when I shoot handguns.

I have an ATC so when in the bush I wear a hearing aid in my right ear that amplifies sound but cuts off sounds that are over 83 dbs and a plug in my left ear.
 
I am not sure of the loudest, but from shooting at the range I can tell you those triangle barrel Remingtons in .308 aren't very pleasant to have one shooting beside you!
 
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Given equal barrel lengths, full powdered loads in commonly encountered cartridges, with optimal powders and bullet weights, without muzzle breaks, and fired under similar environmental conditions, the over bore small bore cartridge will always be louder than either a standard or big bore cartridge. A .22-250 or a .243 is much more objectionable than is my .375 Ultra carbine.
 
I would say, judging by the name, the loudest would be the ".22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer":D

Supposed to be a >5000fps .22 based on the 378 Wby.
 
My loadest probably is my Ruger #1 in .45-70, but only with stout loads. The 22" barrel is a big factor I think. It's pretty loud, but no louder than a 300 win mag in any factory hunting rifle I think. Hard to say with my hearing protection on though.

However, it doesn't even hold a candle to the guy who was shooting beside me the other week. He was a Canadian military guy who was practicing at the Poco range with some sort of military issue .338 Lapua. I actually moved several benches away, as the muzzle blast was knocking over boxes of .45-70 cartridges on my bench. It also blew all of my black powder cleaning supplies right off of the bench :D

Now that was loud, and windy :D

Chris.
 
Jetting or heavily compressed gases cause the noise so the shorter the barrel, the more powder and the smaller the bore, the loader it gets. Add a brake and it gets even louder. Loudest I have heard by far was a .257 STW with a brake at the Lethbridge range. Guy claimed his 100gr Ballistic tips where doing 3900fps. You couldn't hear the gong hardly over the blast. Even with plugs and muffs and 30ft of distance I felt like I'd been punched in the nose. Offensive creature.
 
22to45 said:
my 45/70 is unbearable with heavy loads. Has anyone actually measured the volume of various cartridges?
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In general, the larger calibres with short barrels, make a very big bang. My 308 Browning BLR (not necessarily a very large calibre), is very loud. Still, to this day, when I fire in the woods, I am astound at the loudness of the bank.

And yes, always wear ear protection when shooting at the range. It is not practical or logical to do so while hunting, but always protect you-self when firing repeated rounds.

Regards
Robert
 
Loud doesn't bother me so much at the range. I wear ear protection.:D

If I'm on the right side of someone shooting a M14 or similiar I find it really difficult to concentrate on shooting, the concussion coming out just rattles me.
Same with someone shooting a big bore with a brake.

Probably one of the nastiest was a 700 in 338 Lapua on the next bench. Ouch.
 
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