Greetings all! I'm new to this board and I could really use some advice. I'm a long time outdoorsman and I've done a great deal of shooting in my life (sporting clays, trap, competition shooting etc. etc.) However about 2 years ago my father gave me an old .30 .06 DeerSlayer which I shoot well with and have taken whitetail the past two seasons with. My problem is that I really don't care for the loud report the rifle gives and I am little worried about my hearing. I'm a musician at church in my spare time and I really don't want to be hard of hearing before I'm 30. =) So...I'm wondering if there might be a more appropriate caliber rifle which will save my ears a little more. A friend of mine recommended the newer .223 WSSM but I know this is often argued to be a bit smal for deer. Aside from my recent rifle shooting with the .30.06 I don't have much exposure to shooting other caliber rifles and I'm not well educated to the noise and recoil amount that other rifles make.

Any and all suggestions for a new gun are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Any high-power rifle, any handgun, and any shotgun will damage your hearing. There are no exceptions. Wearing hearing protection of some kind, whether it is earmuffs or plugs, or even both together is the only way to mitigate damage to your ears as a result of shooting. Even music played too loud will cause damage!

One of the best is custom molded earplugs. Sometimes at larger gun shows you will find vendors selling/fitting these. Or, you can check with your ORL (Ear Doctor) and see if he has a line on where these can be obtained. A hearing-aid center should be able to provide these also.

Any high-power rifle, any handgun, and any shotgun will damage your hearing. There are no exceptions. Wearing hearing protection of some kind, whether it is earmuffs or plugs, or even both together is the only way to mitigate damage to your ears as a result of shooting. Even music played too loud will cause damage!

Yes I am aware that hearing may be altered with exposure to loud noises in any situation. But there are certianly large differences in the number of decibels produced from a larger caliber rifle and a .22 caliber pistol. I'm not looking for a silent gun...just something a little more friendly. =)

Abemas,

You don't mention in your post if you are a handloader. If so, I've got a suggestion for you.

My kids have all been started on .30-06 rifles getting their feet wet in centerfire weapons, and served as their first hunting rifles. Now, as 10-12 year old kids, the last thing I wanted was to intimidate them with full-snort .30-06 ammo, both in the recoil and noise departments, so reduced-loads were developed for these guns which served to both familiarize them with the guns and raise their confidence levels as well as make them surprisingly versatile and effective.

Of all the loads we've developed in the reduced loads is one using a 130-135 grain bullet and 24.0 grains of 2400 powder, using WLR Primers and most any brass. This load will propel the above mentioned projectile at about 2400 fps! It is easy on the shoulder, easy on the ears, and easy on the pocketbook as well. Also, if you look at the ballistics of this load, it also is slightly more oomph than a 7.62x39 generates, and as such it is very effective on deer sized critters out to at least 150 yards.

Beings that I make cast bullets for a living, of course our bullet of choice for this load is our 135gSPGC bullet sized to .310 to fill up the throats on most factory throats in .30-06 chambers. When not heat-treated, and shot at a BHN 11 for hardness, this bullet, even with its spitzer design expands very reliably, even down to an impact velocity of about 900 fps, and has proven to be an authoritative game harvester.

Now, beyond the cast bullet realm, there are a number of 130 grain .30 caliber jacketed bullets that are designed to perform within the velocity threshold that the above load generates, and will prove very reliable in the game fields with deer sized critters.

I recommend this load simply because it has proven to be so very consistent in ballistic performance, and it's kind of an odd thing to have 24 grains of 2400 powder deliver 2400 fps. Something easy to remember, and it's so pleasant to shoot that it's almost has addictive qualities to it. All I can say is don't take any more ammo with you to shoot than you care to expend.... because you'll come home with all brass empty! :D

If you're a handloader this might be a very viable option for you.

God bless,

Marshall-Stanton's advice is excellent. I personally think the .30-06Springfield is a bit-much for 80% of the deer species.

However you might also want to look into the Managed-Recoil-Rounds from Federal and Remington.

The Remingtons are pushing a 125GRN-Bullet with a considerable reduction in recoil and blast-report.

- I recently tested these rounds during a training evolution...
...I fired about 5-600RDS over a three-day period...and they performed excellent.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/managed-Recoil.asp

- 50% less-recoil...
- Core-Lokt-Bullet...
- Same Zero to 200yds...

Hmmmn...sounds like a pretty good deer-round to me. There's even one for the 7MM-MAG-GUYS :D .

I would look inot a .243 for your deer. Much easier on your ears than the 30-06, and plenty enough to kill all the deer you see.

I'd recomend a 22 hornet. Savage makes a special one called the model 40. I think it was under $400 new here. If you want to spend more a ruger no 1 or bolt action is out there. If you want to spend less, H&R/nef sells their Handi Rifle(Read Open sights)for $250 full retail. I don't think they meant for it to be, but the handi ends up being a heavy barrel because the frame fits up to the 45/70. You can usually buy the hornet in 50rd boxes for the same that you pay for 20 in the 06. It is a quieter, but honest 300yd gun. A case can be made for some of the same rifles in 223 but they are louder. I am also pretty sure that the 223wssm will be as loud as your 06. It is a hellaciously overbore cartridge. Good but very specialized. If you want to hunt deer with your quiet rifle, consider a lever in 44mag,45colt or .357. Both Mags alow the use of thier special version(.38 and .44 specials) and aren't that loud themselves. The Colt is a little tougher because its already a special of itself, but handloading or Corbon ammo will work to get you to deer power for about any gun and Modern Marlins Winchesters and Model 92 Clones will take alot more.I'd also recomend buying an inexpensive singlestage reloading press. In kit form is fine and trying reloading.You can get everything you need in a lee kit and a few really essential extras for about $100 or less from Midway or Graffs and My government run public library even has a few old reloading books. You can load that 30-06 from silent to ripsnorting light magnum loads and save money doing it. A cast bullet from Beartooth meant for the 30/30 doesn't care if its sent at 1400fps from a pre 1899 early model 94 or your deerslayer and it will be as easy on your ears as your 22, and really easy on your budget. 10grains at a time is a lot of shots per pound of any powder if I'm guessing correctly 7-8 dollars for 20 shots is easy with commercial cast and a no brainer if you cast your own, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Try reloading for a quieter gun.


35

Yes I am aware that hearing may be altered with exposure to loud noises in any situation. But there are certianly large differences in the number of decibels produced from a larger caliber rifle and a .22 caliber pistol. I'm not looking for a silent gun...just something a little more friendly. =)

This may sound kinda weird, but I think a .22 pistol is loud. Rifles aren't really, but if you've ever fired one close to a car or building or inside one you know.Without hearing protection. Anyway I :cool: think we understand your question.:)

Just my opinion, but I would not hunt deer with a 22 Hornet. They only have about 127 ft.lbs. of energy at 300 yards. Not nearly enough for me. The 30-06 has about 1100 and the .243 is about 1000ft.lbs. at 300 yards. Would not recommend something that small for deer.

Sir,

Welcome.

Remember hearing something about a device called a "game ear". Sounds like it might be a good option for a fellow in your circumstances.

Best.

Steve

Wow! Thank you all for the informative feed back. I realize now that I know even less about shooting rifles than I thought I did. Unfortunately I'm not a handloader (yet) so I'd be looking for stock ammunition....however I will certianly be looking into the reduced recoil ammo. As one of you recommended I should probably also look into some ear protection that would easy to put on quickly when I got ready to shoot or perhaps a game ear.

As a side note I've seen a few posts around here that a 30/30 does the job for whitetail as does the 7mm-08. Can anybody comment on these to cailbers as far as recoil and noise? Also, so I can educate myself a little better...is there any reading you could recommend on the different caliber sizes and their recommended uses either in book form or on the net?

Thanks!

[Well my recommendation would be either the Remington 750 Carbine in 35 Whelen or better yet the 358 Winchester. Both are a lot better as reloader cartridges. One of the things that happens as you open up the bore while leaving the case capacity the same is that effiency is increased. Also the pitch of the report deepens, more of a boom than a crack!

The 358 Winchester is very much a reloaders cartridge. In fact here in Utah I've never seen a box of factory ammo.

The 338 Federal is also a good choice. The last two are on the 308 case.

Can think of noise as having two parts.

The "crack" of the bullet moving over the speed of sound...darned little you can do about that as you will want to toss bullets out at speeds over 1100fps.

The "boom" at the muzzle. This one is toughter, but it deals with the volume and SPEED of the escaping gas.

In general, longer barrels produce less exit pressure, and are a bit quieter than short barrels. Also get the benifit of moving the muzzle farther from your ear (noise seems to fade by the inverse square law..twice the distace = 1/4 the noise....3X the distance = 1/9th the noise).

For reloaders, are other ways to lower exit pressure. In general, faster powders will have lower EXIT pressures. Gets a bit complicated to seperate peak pressure and exit pressure, but in geneeral can predice that at the same PEAK pressure, the lower weight powder charge will produce less EXIT pressure.


But all in all, think the easiest way to deal with the noise is by using the modern earmuffs that amplify sounds, but have a cut-off for sounds above a certain level. Hearing-aid technology put to a differnt use; they work.
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Does bring me back to a question/though i've posted before.

Why some guns have such a distinct sound. Understand that some semi-autos (and full-autos) have cycling and/or gas escape sounds seperate from the muzzle blast and those sounds give some of them a unique signature.

But there are non-moving actions that produce sounds that can be recognized as belonging to distinct rifles. The "crack" of a .224 bore vs. the "boom" of a .308" bore. The wicked "crack" of a .220Swift may not be any louder than the "crash" of a 7mm mag. or the "boom" of a .458, but they certainly sound different from one another.

I imagine that less explosion, means less noise so I would opt for the smaller calibers. I would also use a bit longer barrel to get the noise further from your ears.
I have been hunting lately with a 243 that has a 26" custom barrel on it. I think it makes a difference getting the noise further away
Most importantly, use hearing portection while hunting as well as bench shooting.
I am trying to save what little hearing I have left, and never shoot without them.
Marshal's idea of reduced load is a good one. Cabelas had the factory reduced loads ammunition from Remington for 30-06 last time I was there.
Good Luck

Midway Shooting Supply has the reduced load 125 grain 30-06 for about $17.00 per box.
It will probably change your point of impact some, that's probably your best bet though.
You can google their name and get 'em
Tom

Yes, many centerfire cartridges are quieter than the '06, but all are more than loud enough to damage hearing. I'd recommend either the Game Ear or similar electronic hearing protectors, or for a cheap alternative, a set of Sonic Ear Valves. These are earplugs with little mechanical valves in them that do a pretty fair job of allowing you to hear at near normal levels under normal conditions, but close at any abrupt, loud noise and attenuate pretty well.

Wear the ear protection and don't buy a different gun until you have worked this one up to your highest expectations. Reloading is the best idea in the long run. You can buy dies to reload almost anything in the world. If you don't end up reloading, at least try the low recoil factory loads. They are sweet shooting for the dollars spent. Good luck and God Bless. Bandito

You can go to the 30-30 Winchester for much lighter recoil at around the 10 to 12 pounds of felt recoil, most kids can tolerate that OK. However, the noise factor is still there as in any centerfire rifle. Just make sure your wear earplugs or some sort of hearing device that cuts down on the noise.