I had a XVR 460 a few years ago. I thought it would be great for handgun hunting. It was fun to shoot. It didn't have much recoil for what it did. What I hated was the extreme muzzle blast. The noise was terrible. It would blow stuff off of the shooting bench. People shooting next to you at other benches would move. I actually got scared of taking it hunting. Shooting it with just ear plugs only was painful. Had to have muffs and plugs(not the easiest thing to do when hunting). Was also scared to rest it on something for fear it would blow pieces of bark every where. I did take it hunting but only with heavy loaded 45 colt loads.(44 mag power). It only took one trip to make me wonder why I was carrying this over size cannon just to use 45 colt loads.
For hunting purposes, you'd be right to wonder why you are lugging around a full-length XVR with .45 Colt. Just because it can shoot .45 Colt doesn't mean that it will be the ideal platform for it, especially while hunting. That's a
lot of extra real estate to send .45 Colt at game.
That said, it does put out a significant blast wave and a lot of fire. Is it as horrible as you describe? I don't think so. Typically, I don't like firing it at a crowded range with people right next to me. I think that's a matter of courtesy with any "big boomer". Luckily, I don't live in an urban area and outside of events, my range is never crowded. Part of range etiquette that applies to any communal shooting activity is making sure that everyone knows what is coming, has appropriate hearing protection, and is not close enough for concern.
As per hearing protection, I've never "doubled up" with mine. When it comes to plugs, just make sure they are firmly rooted in your ear canal. I've always twisted mine thin and quickly inserted them while pulling my ear away from my head, followed by slowly letting them expand in the ear canal with my fingers over the exposed portion. It gets a really snug fit. If you are using muffs, make sure that your shooting glasses aren't creating a tiny gap. If air can flow freely, even a little, then sound can ride it right into your ear. This caliber is certainly loud and shooting with your mouth open lets you feel it in your teeth
but proper protection has always worked for me.
As per a bark explosions, has anyone tested this out?
Don't take this the wrong way, because no offense is intended, but it sounds to me like you had some fearful expectations before you even took it out. It sounds like the same thing that causes trigger flinching in any caliber, just at a larger scale. I don't know your particular circumstances but I'd be willing to bet a pint that had you stuck with it, it could have worked out FTW.
I could not image shooting one indoors. I had a friend who wanted to shoot it. He had no hearing protection. Said he didn't need any. I gave him a full cyl full. He only shot it once. Could hear for a week. I told him not to do it but he insisted.
BTW, I would
never shoot that thing indoors, with any level of protection. I know how much indoor acoustics enhance the noise of "normal" calibers. I often question the popular use of .357 magnum for home defense or EDC in mostly indoor environments for exactly this reason. As per "smart" friends,
I never let anyone, ever, under any circumstance, shoot anything bigger than a .22 short out of any of my guns without hearing protection and hearing my spiel above about the proper use of hearing protection at least once.
