Jeremiah/Az
New member
Has anyone ever fired a .357 revolver inside a room in the dark (flashlite only on)? Could you see for a follow up shot? I'm sure that you could not hear. Thoughts?
.357 fired inside?
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bamaranger
New member
not inside, but plenty in the dark
I have never fired .357 indoors as you suggest, but have shot plenty in the dark by flashlight, headlight and limited/twilight, mostly all out of 4" S&W revolvers, K and L frames. I am one of the dinosaur's that carried a .357 revolver as a duty gun.
One thing that was apparent was the varying degrees of flash associated w/ different ammo types. The high dollar, LE/SD loads were typically less flashy, the powder no doubt treated w/ some type of flash suppressant. Cheaper ammo, like white box and tan box sort of stuff, flashed a bunch, reloads were bad also.
The flash was hard on night vision, and older eyes took longer to adjust back. I was a young guy then, and didn't mind as much as now. Often the followup shots on multiple round strings got delivered mainly by muscle memory and a consistent stable shooting form. The reduced light time frames were slightly extended, but not by much.
We still see varying degrees of flash, w/ auto pistol ammo.
I have never fired .357 indoors as you suggest, but have shot plenty in the dark by flashlight, headlight and limited/twilight, mostly all out of 4" S&W revolvers, K and L frames. I am one of the dinosaur's that carried a .357 revolver as a duty gun.
One thing that was apparent was the varying degrees of flash associated w/ different ammo types. The high dollar, LE/SD loads were typically less flashy, the powder no doubt treated w/ some type of flash suppressant. Cheaper ammo, like white box and tan box sort of stuff, flashed a bunch, reloads were bad also.
The flash was hard on night vision, and older eyes took longer to adjust back. I was a young guy then, and didn't mind as much as now. Often the followup shots on multiple round strings got delivered mainly by muscle memory and a consistent stable shooting form. The reduced light time frames were slightly extended, but not by much.
We still see varying degrees of flash, w/ auto pistol ammo.
Doodlebugger45
New member
I guess I never fired a 357 inside the house before. But I did shoot a .454 Casull inside the house in the dark. I don't remember the flash particularly, but I couldn't hear very well for a couple days.
spacecoast
New member
Thoughts... don't do it. With nearly everything being more ear-friendly than a .357 mag, there are LOTS of better choices for home and self defense situations where you might need to fire without ear protection... .44 SPL, .45 COLT, .45 ACP, .38 SPL, even a short-barreled 12 gauge shotgun, to name a few.
http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml
.38 Spl 156.3 dB
9mm 159.8 dB - twice the sound pressure of the .38 Spl
.357 Magnum 164.3 dB - more than twice the sound pressure of the 9mm, ~6 times the sound pressure of the .38 Spl
These numbers, of course, are highly dependent on other factors, i.e. barrel length, walls nearby, etc.
http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml
.38 Spl 156.3 dB
9mm 159.8 dB - twice the sound pressure of the .38 Spl
.357 Magnum 164.3 dB - more than twice the sound pressure of the 9mm, ~6 times the sound pressure of the .38 Spl
These numbers, of course, are highly dependent on other factors, i.e. barrel length, walls nearby, etc.
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This reply is related to your question, but not directly on-point. I own and use a fair number (six) of .357 magnum revolvers (Ruger SP-101 and GP-100s, Smith 27-2 and 627s). When I have one (or more) loaded for home defensive purposes, I almost always use a top-quality .38 Special +P load (currently Buffalo Bore's 158 grain LSWCHP/gas-check), specifically due to the muzzle flash, noise and recoil (target reacquisition) issues. I am NOT a law enforcement officer with great concerns for barrier or automobile penetration. However, my belief is a 158 grain projectile (especially, a long-proven design like the LSWCHP), at approximately 1000 FPS, probably provides more than adequate velocity, energy/power, penetration and expansion, with considerably less potential for the .357 magnum's adverse attributes (in engineering and physics, there are no "free lunches" -- you have to "pay" for that additional energy and velocity).
AcridSaint
New member
Have shot 357 outdoors in pitch black and looked at just about every other major defense handgun cal in the same blackness. It's not blinding to me.
Action_Can_Do
New member
I've fired 9mm OUTDOORS and lost my hearing in my left ear for a few hours. Believe me, anyone who thinks that they can't be blinded or deafened by a 45 auto or 38 special when shooting indoors is in for a real surprise. It's not a problem unique to the 357 magnum.
Onward Allusion
New member
MANY years ago, I'd fired a 22LR indoors in a cement hallway. I couldn't hear for about 10 minutes and ears rang for about 1 hour. I can only imagine what a 357 will do. Granted, it probably won't be in a cement hallway...
spacecoast
New member
That wasn't the assertion. Those extra decibels mean a lot, however. 9mm is also pretty bad if you check the chart. An extra 3 decibels is twice as loud.
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I fired a .40 cal inside a small bathroom in a building that was being demolished. We were actually doing some training and seeing what actually was good cover vs just concealment. After we were finished for that day, I wanted to see just how ferocious firing inside a small room would be. The floors were hard tile, not carpeted, so there was no "cushion" for the sound to be absorbed and there was no light on inside. Totally dark. I took off me hearing protection for my little experiment to get the full effect.
After firing one shot, seeing was no problem. Hearing was what was expected...pretty darn loud ringing in my ears for 15-20 minutes or so I guess.
The WORST thing that ever happened to my hearing was when my late Uncle John fired a 9mm P-08 Luger when the end of the barrel was equal with my right ear and perhaps 3 feet out to the right. When he fired it, that actually hurt my ear inside. I tried to show my toughness by not saying anything or complaining and he shot it a 2nd and 3rd time. I remember moving behind him at that time while he finished shooting with my hands cusped over both ears, eyes squinched shut and teethe beared! THAT really hurt and it was dumb of me to try to "tough it out" while he was firing so close. I was about 12.
After firing one shot, seeing was no problem. Hearing was what was expected...pretty darn loud ringing in my ears for 15-20 minutes or so I guess.
The WORST thing that ever happened to my hearing was when my late Uncle John fired a 9mm P-08 Luger when the end of the barrel was equal with my right ear and perhaps 3 feet out to the right. When he fired it, that actually hurt my ear inside. I tried to show my toughness by not saying anything or complaining and he shot it a 2nd and 3rd time. I remember moving behind him at that time while he finished shooting with my hands cusped over both ears, eyes squinched shut and teethe beared! THAT really hurt and it was dumb of me to try to "tough it out" while he was firing so close. I was about 12.
I once was a part-time instructor for a small police department. No good muffs in those days, but range firing was done with .38 wadcutters, with the shooters using ear plugs or Lee Sonic ear valves.
One of the cops was a gun "nut" who carried a .357 loaded to the top with 2400, a favorite load in those days. One night on patrol, he spotted a truck parked in the alley beside a department store and people loading up TVs. He entered the alley and was greeted by a shotgun blast that went way over his head. He fired back with his .357 and promptly fell down, hands on ears. The brick walls on both sides of that narrow alley made it an echo chamber. It took him several days to get his hearing fully back and for the pain to go away. (The Staties caught the thieves on the highway out of town.)
Jim
One of the cops was a gun "nut" who carried a .357 loaded to the top with 2400, a favorite load in those days. One night on patrol, he spotted a truck parked in the alley beside a department store and people loading up TVs. He entered the alley and was greeted by a shotgun blast that went way over his head. He fired back with his .357 and promptly fell down, hands on ears. The brick walls on both sides of that narrow alley made it an echo chamber. It took him several days to get his hearing fully back and for the pain to go away. (The Staties caught the thieves on the highway out of town.)
Jim
Jeremiah/Az
New member
Several people I have talked to have a .357 on the nightstand beside the bed. That is why I asked the question. Probably should have .38's in them.
Buffalo Bore advertises that there 357s PD loads (not the heavy loads) have less muzzle flash and less report than typical 357s, I believe them but I think its still too loud for indoor use.
It is better than nothing on the night stand but I would personally go with a shot gun if that is an option. The 357 is my favored caliber but I don't think it makes a good night stand gun.
It is better than nothing on the night stand but I would personally go with a shot gun if that is an option. The 357 is my favored caliber but I don't think it makes a good night stand gun.
I have been present twice when a .357 Magnum was fired in low light (not pitch dark, but definately low light). The first time was with Winchester 110grn JHP from a 3" barrel indoors and the second was with Cor-Bon 140grn JHP from a 2 1/2" barrel outdoors. While in both cases the flash was noticeable and the blast made my ears ring (I was not wearing hearing protection either time), in neither case was it disabling or disorienting. I've also been present when a .44 Special was fired indoors and I honestly don't remember the .357 being significantly worse.
I wouldn't recommend making a habit of firing any handgun without hearing protection, regardless of caliber, as just about any centerfire handgun available is loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage and most are above the threshold that will typically cause pain.
I wouldn't recommend making a habit of firing any handgun without hearing protection, regardless of caliber, as just about any centerfire handgun available is loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage and most are above the threshold that will typically cause pain.
Charger Fan
New member
I have no desire to try a .357 indoors without ear plugs or muffs, however I do currently have one as my HD gun. For the sake of my ears, hopefully I never have to use it.