Loudness of the gun

Millie

Millie

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What makes one gun louder than another?

Is it the grains of the rounds you're shooting, the way the gun is made, the calibre of the rounds, or something I'm not experienced enough to know to ask about?

The reason for yet another question from me is that I've noticed that the Glock 19 sounds louder than any other gun I have. Even the .45s. So what's making it sound so loud to me? The plastic? Someone at the range asked what the heck I was shooting recently, and when I told them 9mm they seemed a bit surprised. I guess they thought it might be a .45 or something? (Not that the loudness is an issue for me, I like the big boom! LoL.)

I'm sure someone here will be able to answer this for me in short order, and probably with some obscure "thing" I hadn't even thought of! That's why I love you guys/girls.
Thanks.
 
Much of it is the gas leaving the barrel. This explosion is influenced by the amount of charge ignited. Another sound comes from the sonic crack of the projectile as the bullet breaks the sound barrier.

Without knowing the specific rounds you are shooting, the 9mm >may< be louder because it is supersonic, and the .45 quieter because it is subsonic.
 
B00ger said:
Much of it is the gas leaving the barrel. This explosion is influenced by the amount of charge ignited. Another sound comes from the sonic crack of the projectile as the bullet breaks the sound barrier.

Without knowing the specific rounds you are shooting, the 9mm >may< be louder because it is supersonic, and the .45 quieter because it is subsonic.
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See, I knew someone would come up with something interesting! Thanks. I'll have to get back with you on the specifics of the rounds.
 
In IDPA match shooting which you participate in, the one thing that affects perceived decibel levels (loudness) to me more than the rounds fired is where you are shooting and in what proximity to hard surfaces (and the subsequent reflected sound) you are located.

Generally speaking:
Shooting indoors louder than outdoors
Shooting under a shelter, louder than shooting in the open
Shooting from inside a vehicle, louder than outside
Shooting next to barrels or other "hard" cover, louder
Standing in the same bay with anyone shooting .357 Sig, AR's, and SBR's - LOUD AS HELL
 
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Millie said:
See, I knew someone would come up with something interesting! Thanks. I'll have to get back with you on the specifics of the rounds.
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A lot can influence the sound, but normally most unsuppressed firearms, even from .22 to .308 are between 157 decibels and 170 decibels. Also take into consideration where its being fired...is it in a confined lane at an indoor range, outside in the open, under a cover.
 
B00ger said:
A lot can influence the sound, but normally most unsuppressed firearms, even from .22 to .308 are between 157 decibels and 170 decibels. Also take into consideration where its being fired...is it in a confined lane at an indoor range, outside in the open, under a cover.
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Indoor range.
 
Millie said:
Indoor range.
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Yeah, that can make them all sound louder...just like screaming in your closet is louder than screaming outside. After a while you will also notice that though they are all "loud" some are loud in different way. .22 seems to "crack" more, and .45 sounds more like a loud boom. Same with rifles, .223/5.56 always sounds "sharp" to me, while 7.62 sounds more dull.
 
Also, 9mm is generally loaded to a higher pressure, which results in the higher velocities (along with bullet weight). This would include the types of powders, faster or slower burning, that are used. And don't forget barrel length.
 
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Supersonic speeds will add to perceived noise indoors also. Your 45 isn't going to do it but a 9mm with 124 or 115 gn pills can easily go supersonic.
 
B00ger said:
Yeah, that can make them all sound louder...just like screaming in your closet is louder than screaming outside. After a while you will also notice that though they are all "loud" some are loud in different way. .22 seems to "crack" more, and .45 sounds more like a loud boom. Same with rifles, .223/5.56 always sounds "sharp" to me, while 7.62 sounds more dull.
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I've noticed that the .380 is a high-sounding, short crack and the g19 is a deeper, "longer" sound. (That's the only way I can explain what I mean...lol.)

That's about all I can notice (so far) except for the loudness. I guess I'm beginning to be able to tell a bit more about my various guns now.
 
Millie said:
I've noticed that the .380 is a high-sounding, short crack and the g19 is a deeper, "longer" sound. (That's the only way I can explain what I mean...lol.)

That's about all I can notice (so far) except for the loudness. I guess I'm beginning to be able to tell a bit more about my various guns now.
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Yeah, reminds me of smoking cigarettes way back in the day...when I started they all tasted the same, after awhile I could tell the difference between a camel and a Marlboro by the smell...
 
Barrel length can make the same caliber and same ammo sound “louder” how much of a pressure/shockwave wave is generated and felt by the ear drum. A .22lr out of a handgun will sound louder than one out of a rifle at the shooter’s ear due to the pressure wave not being as strong due to the ignition of the powder being more in the barrel of a rifle not just outside the muzzle of a handgun ... plus the point where the pressure wave is started is at least a foot further in front of the shooter and does start to dissipate earlier so not as strong of a wave hits the shooter’s ears. Another “kinda sorta” factor is the actual level of pressure a cartridge actually generates ... take a 5” 1911 in .45acp and compare it to a 5” 1911 in 10mm and in general that 10mm will be louder due to the strength of the pressure wave that hits the shooter’s ears. A .45acp is a lower pressure round at approximately 21,000 psi while a 10mm is 65% higher at 35,000 psi (very general numbers) so the felt pressure wave is stronger.

Now there are other factors that include volumetric movements and such ... big bores moving more air also increase the strength of the pressure wave ... and my little brain does not quite understand it all much less know to say it to well outside of the more air the muzzle burst moves the more it can increase the felt pressure wave. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen dust kicked up when rifles are fired prone but that is a crude display of a muzzle pressure wave ... how much dust, grass, dirt, gravel etc is moved is kinda a tell-tale sign of how loud that round will likely sound to the shooter’s ear.
 
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NCFubar said:
Barrel length can make the same caliber and same ammo sound “louder” how much of a pressure/shockwave wave is generated and felt by the ear drum. A .22lr out of a handgun will sound louder than one out of a rifle at the shooter’s ear due to the pressure wave not being as strong due to the ignition of the powder being more in the barrel of a rifle not just outside the muzzle of a handgun ... plus the point where the pressure wave is started is at least a foot further in front of the shooter and does start to dissipate earlier so not as strong of a wave hits the shooter’s ears. Another “kinda sorta” factor is the actual level of pressure a cartridge actually generates ... take a 5” 1911 in .45acp and compare it to a 5” 1911 in 10mm and in general that 10mm will be louder due to the strength of the pressure wave that hits the shooter’s ears. A .45acp is a lower pressure round at approximately 21,000 psi while a 10mm is 65% higher at 35,000 psi (very general numbers) so the felt pressure wave is stronger.

Now there are other factors that include volumetric movements and such ... big bores moving more air also increase the strength of the pressure wave ... and my little brain does not quite understand it all much less know to say it to well outside of the more air the muzzle burst moves the more it can increase the felt pressure wave. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen dust kicked up when rifles are fired prone but that is a crude display of a muzzle pressure wave ... how much dust, grass, dirt, gravel etc is moved is kinda a tell-tale sign of how loud that round will likely sound to the shooter’s ear.
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I'll be looking for some little videos of rifles shooting so I can see the dust, etc. move....great idea!
 
Pressure, speed, powder, barrel length.

G19 has shorter barrel; typically shooting faster, higher pressure round; all combined it is probably louder.
 
Millie said:
I'll be looking for some little videos of rifles shooting so I can see the dust, etc. move....great idea!
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Not just rifles move dust ... I’ve got a snub-nosed 2 1/2” .357mag that will knock dust out of the rafters under a range shelter but my 8 3/8” target model will hardly cause anything to fall ... and yes that little bitch seems twice as loud also so it rarely gets fired except at outdoor ranges and not when with a bunch of unsuspecting people around just to be nice. It has however been called on to “remind” some individuals that range courtesy does go both ways ... :D
 
NCFubar said:
Not just rifles move dust ... I’ve got a snub-nosed 2 1/2” .357mag that will knock dust out of the rafters under a range shelter but my 8 3/8” target model will hardly cause anything to fall ... and yes that little bitch seems twice as loud also so it rarely gets fired except at outdoor ranges and not when with a bunch of unsuspecting people around just to be nice. It has however been called on to “remind” some individuals that range courtesy does go both ways ... :D
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My buddy pulled his little Smith 640 pro out while we were goofin off the other day and shot a few rounds. Holy Cow, stuff was falling out of the tree above us. That thing was painfully loud.
 
Subtracting the supersonic crack, which if memory serves is a non directional and fairly consistent decibel between firearms, the report of a weapon is made by the expansion of the hot gasses as they leave the barrel behind the projectile. The higher the pressure the louder the report. As @J R Green stated, the caliber of the barrel controls the tone or note of the report. The larger the caliber the lower the note.

That is the true decibel of the weapon, but much like recoil (there is actual and felt recoil) many things can contribute to the felt decibels and there are things that can increase or decrease the actual decibels.

The length of the barrel (if you are the one firing the weapon) places the report closer to your ears so it feels louder. If you are at a range the report of a weapon being fired next to you will feel louder because the gases expand around and to the sides of the muzzle, many times around the shooter who is insulated, to a degree, from those swirling gasses (a shorter barrel negates this effect).

Muzzle brakes significantly increase the actual report as the expanding hot gasses slam into them and are redirected as well as increasing the felt report to anyone standing to either side of the weapon.

A damaged crown can increase the felt report as well if it interferes with the natural flow of the expanding gasses and redirects them in an odd way.
 
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Chdamn said:
Subtracting the supersonic crack, which if memory serves is a non directional and fairly consistent decibel between firearms, the report of a weapon is made by the expansion of the hot gasses as they leave the barrel behind the projectile. The higher the pressure the louder the report. As @J R Green stated, the caliber of the barrel controls the tone or note of the report. The larger the caliber the lower the note.

That is the true decibel of the weapon, but much like recoil (there is actual and felt recoil) many things can contribute to the felt decibels and there are things that can increase or decrease the actual decibels.

The length of the barrel (if you are the one firing the weapon) places the report closer to your ears so it feels louder. If you are at a range the report of a weapon being fired next to you will feel louder because the gases expand around and to the sides of the muzzle, many times around the shooter who is insulated, to a degree, from those swirling gasses (a shorter barrel negates this effect).

Muzzle brakes significantly increase the actual report as the expanding hot gasses slam into them and are redirected as well as increasing the felt report to anyone standing to either side of the weapon.

A damaged crown can increase the felt report as well if it interferes with the natural flow of the expanding gasses and redirects them in an odd way.
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I sorta got all that, but crown? What.
 
Millie said:
I sorta got all that, but crown? What.
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The crown of a barrel is the very end where the projectile exits. They are usually a rounded shape but there are a few different varieties. A damaged crown is accepted to cause deviations in the trajectory of the round but it can also effect the felt decibels.

crownr5.jpg


SWM64-3Four-InchRangeReport011.jpg


flush_cut__recrown_bull_barrel.jpg
 
Chdamn said:
The crown of a barrel is the very end where the projectile exits. They are usually a rounded shape but there are a few different varieties. A damaged crown is accepted to cause deviations in the trajectory of the round but it can also effect the felt decibels.

crownr5.jpg


SWM64-3Four-InchRangeReport011.jpg


flush_cut__recrown_bull_barrel.jpg
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Got it, thanks.
 
Back in the 1900s. Mid to late 80s when I was heavily Gaming to win trophies to make me feel better about myself, T.L. Almond from Charleston, S.C. and I did some "figuring" on escaping gases . When the volume of the barrel exactly matches the volume of the comp and ports you can shoot a paper target from 6 inches away and get Nothing but a hole. All this to work against recoil. If the ports were too small, the paper was torn to shreds and if they were too big no recoil reduction. Either way, it was Much Louder.
 
I think some powders are louder than others.
Compare like guns with equivalent PF loads. Load one with PowerPistol and one with a different powder.
To me Power Pistol always seems louder.
 
Here is a side by side of the most usual crowns.

Crown%20types%20-%20Clint%20Beyer%20Barrels.jpg
 
B00ger said:
Was a Camel lights man...remember collecting tons of camel cash and never spent it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I ended up with Va Slims Lights Menthol...ewwwww. (Still kinda miss 'em even after over 20 years...)
 
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In no particular order......

- amount of powder burned.....a magnum cartridge that uses a charge of 25 grains of magnum powder will be louder than a non magnum cartridge that uses 5 grains of powder.
- barrel length...... A shorter barrel will be louder than a longer barrel. I used to have a Beretta Bobcat (22lr) that had a 2.4 inch barrel. With a CCI mini mag.....it was stupid loud.....even with such a small cartridge.
- a muzzle devices.......a muzzle brake will make a firearm much louder, while a suppressor will make it much quieter.
- your environment.....like already said, shooting indoors tends to be louder than outdoors.

To me those make the most difference.

Some other tid bits......

Some have a different sound, not sure they are much louder than one another but.... A 9mm (that operates at 30k units of pressure) with a 5 inch barrel will sound different than a 5 inch barrel 45acp that operates at 20k units of pressure. Louder??? Not sure but didferent tone for sure.

The type of action-lock up time. While using the same ammunition.....a mini 14 is louder than an ar15. A semi automatic rifle is usually louder than a bolt action rifle....while the bolt action remains closed during firing (helps contain a bit of the noise) the semi auto cycles the bolt just after firing........letting a little bit of noise escape from the ejection port.

Thse crown is new to me.....imma lookninto this.
 
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