I want to suppress my 10.5in home defense pistol and know that if the need arises to use it I won’t be in the mindset to throw on ear pro. Does there exist a can that would make it hearing safe since auditory exclusion only protects your senses for lack of a better explanation and not your hearing. Also at what distance on average does .223 go supersonic as my bump in the night plan involves a set of stairs no longer than 20 feet as a funnel and contact point. Failing that is there at least a can that will make it hearing safe outside? Third option. Do I just throw a 300BLK upper on it and suppress that?
Actual hearing safe…I doubt it
I would consider my sandman S indoors on my 10.5 bearable to break off a couple indoors but nothing sustained
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None that I know of, especially out of a 10.5" barrel… may be possible if you throw on say a 338 caliber can.
I’d rather fire a10.5" 5.56 indoors than an unsuppressed anything else. It may not be “hearing safe” but it will be far less damaging to the ears than firing an unsuppressed 16" AR. Less damaging than shooting an unsuppressed 9mm handgun.
I’m not sure exactly when it goes super, probably 3" from chamber would be my best guess.
Inside, no. No can will do that, the reflection of the crack is going to be all over the place, and over 140. Outside, you could get below 140 to the shooter… but keep in mind 140 dB is an OSHA standard for impulse noises. It’s not “safe” it’s just not as dangerous.
But who cares… if it’s for home defense you’ll most likely (by a huge margin) never even shoot it. If you do, you aren’t dumping mags and mags. It’s going to wake you up, but it’s a whole lot less damage than if it was unsuppressed. It’s like saying “Well, I can cut your arm so you’ll need a couple stitches, or I can just saw it entirely off.” Both aren’t good, but one is a whole lot worse.
IMO “hearing safe” is way overblown. Its not a job- OSHA isnt regulating your HD situation, and its rare/wont happen.
Choose the best gun, throw a silencer on it and your in a very good situation.
140 isnt a line that anything under does no damage, and anything over will make you deaf.
I think of it as “taking a cut” to keep from being victimized.
But a suppressed 300BLK or 9mm upper isn’t a bad idea, either.
Exactly. And we, as men, do loud stuff that exceeds the limits frequently in our lives, hammering on something, taking a quick cut on a powers saw, etc.
And I’ve always thought I want a little jarring noise to shock the bad guys. I will know to expect it. Them, maybe not. But I don’t want to shoot it without a can, and be shocked myself.
My 9mm sub guns would be awesome too.
PB
I’ve placed a 5gal bucket filled with damp sand in a bathroom and shot a 10.5” 5.56 AR straight down into it. I was wearing plugs and ear muffs and it still sucked the breath from my lungs out through my nose. It was jarring, to put it mildly. I couldn’t imagine doing that at night, under stress, with potentially multiple rounds flying in each direction.
The 11.5” with a suppressor was merely “annoying” by comparison. I wore no ear pro and experienced mild ringing but it wasn’t bad at all.
If I still believed in using firearms to defend myself and keeping an AR out I would absolutely use a suppressor. I’m sure as hell not throwing on ear pro at 2am, and I consider shooting an SBR indoors in a confined space a safety hazard for the shooter if only due to the disorientation alone.
FWIW I don’t recommend the bucket thing. Sand was EVERYWHERE and stuck to the walls, door, ceiling, etc. it was terrible. Stained the paint on the walls and everything. If you have a wife or live-in girlfriend they might not like that. I recommend Tinder.
Using a combination of some certain subsonic loadings with an action that reduces port noise results in much less sound pressure to the user.
So my old 10.5 unsuppressed would have been a little “barky” eh?
Not too many quality suppressor manufacturers talk about hearing safe or guarantee of that.
More like significantly reduced risk of permanent or temporary hearing damage, which is quite accurate as on 5.56 for example we are reducing the SPL at the shooters ear from 155-165 dB down to c. 135-142 dB ( depending on action type and barrel length etc. )
The U.S. MIL-STD 1474D indicated an unlimited number of exposures for impulse noise below 140 dB. Here in Europe, the EU work health regulations state 137 dB ( C peak ) as one level for impulse noise.
Regardless, it is very smart to suppressor rifle calibres, not only to protect your hearing but for the other benefits as well.
Best Regards!
Tuukka Jokinen
Ase Utra sound suppressors
I might put a mount on my 11.5 house gun so I can put my can on it. I really don’t like shooting suppressed ARs at all. It messed with the bolt speed, it’s filthy, can be gassy, and as a hand loader… my brass is nasty. But for the house gun, none of that would be significant. I’ll just have to get used to the nose heaviness of it.
I am curious why you’re under the impression that a 10.5’’ is quieter than a 16’’ 5.56mm (ETA: Disregard I just realized you were referring to a 10.5’’ suppressed AR versus a 16’’ unsuppressed AR - reading is fundamental).
I had an ear plug fall out and fired two or three shots in a shooting match and had no ringing with a 16’'.
I also once had a friend shoot an Mini-14 once and my ears rang for days.
Auditory exclusion is a thing.
That being said, I’ve fired a 12 GA with no ear plug out of a 26-28’’ barrel bird shot and honestly - it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Mild ringing.
Out of an SBS 12 GA with a 10-12’’ barrel. I honestly had almost an out of body experience is the best way I can describe it. I had a moment where it took a second for me to realize what just happened - my friend’s shoulders were shaking and he was smiling (I realized laughing) and I heard nothing. I emptied the rest of the tube into that tree (3-4 shots). My ears rang probably for the next 2-3 hours and I couldn’t hear much if anything.
I knew nothing about guns and hearing loss - that was my first experience with a firearm. My friend was a redneck and from the persuasion that ear plugs weren’t necessary.
That’s been my experience with barrel lengths of the same caliber.
God Bless,
Brandon
ETA: I now wear ear plugs and muffs and I just don’t screw with anything that makes my ears ring at all. I had an .45 Osprey that we were sound metering (I did a meet up with a group from NFA Talk) and that was too loud (mild ears ringing). All AR’s (10.5’‘, 14.5’‘, 16’'), SCAR’s, and really you name it in 5.56mm have made my ears ring from the supersonic crack. .308 Bolt Action and SCAR 17 as well. That may be back to my prior experiences with hearing loss - I fully realize that, but I’m just not playing that game ever again.
This is why I also haven’t bought a suppressor. I thought about it for a .22 LR and that was worth it on a Ruger MK II (Or MK III) with an SWR Spectre. But, that was the cost of another AR.
Personally, I didn’t feel an accessory that cost as much (or more) than the host firearm was worth it. I came close to an SWR Spectre for my Browning Buckmark. I bought a 16’’ BCM Midlength instead and never looked back.
I still think about an Dead Air Mask HD, but for $649 OTD (Transfer fees, silencers, plus regular sales tax, etc.) - I’ll just get the Glock 34 Gen 5 I’ve been considering.
I think he is saying a 10.5 Suppressed. Vs anything NOT suppressed
Yep, I re-read it and edited my first line.
I try to not edit to remove stuff but only add even if I look like a dupe the first time.
God Bless,
Brandon
I have an 11.5” pistol. With an a2 it wasnt much different than a 16” with sf3p.
I put a sf brake on there and even with muffs and plugs, I could feel it in my brain. Ears didnt ring, but it was uncomfortable to shoot. Sf mini can made an unbelievable difference.
My chamber in my PWS MK116 Mod 2 has stayed cleaner after 300 rounds than my BCM did after 20. Piston guns are awesome suppressed.