Author Topic: first centerfire handgun kill- second try (Read 1943 times)

sw28 · « **on:** April 28, 2008, 03:13:19 PM »

hi all ' i have been reading a lot of post on here for several weeks. lots of great info and stories. i have become interested in whitetail hunting with a handgun to get more excitement so i purchased a used like new S&W model 28-2 in .357mag been shooting at paper a while now getting practiced up. well anyway i been after a squirrel that's been getting in my garage, saw it Saturday an grabbed the .357 an some bird shots a buddy had loaded for me. shot the critter sitting on the top plate of the wall. knowing i was gonna shoot inside i put on safety glasses in case the shots ricochet off the fir boards forgot the darn earplugs........that little pistol sure is loud. i was so proud i hit it my ears rang like bells all afternoon.now if i can get a deer in there come November to shoot at I'll be all set

221fireball · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2008, 03:40:02 PM »

I know a guy shooting a 357 without ear protection lost most of his hearing and as far as i know it hasn't come back!!!

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2008, 04:59:58 PM »

Congratulations on your first kill!

On a serious note though, I've only got about 10% of my hearing left in my left ear, and it's 100% deaf on a wide range of tones. My right ear is a little better, but still severely damaged. I'm sure it's the accumulation of hundreds of thousands of shots over my whole life, but it definitely went down very quickly when I started shooting a 357 revolver a lot. I've been very careful now for the last couple years, but it hasn't improved, so I'm guessing it's permanent.

Sweetwater · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2008, 06:52:44 PM »

My congrats!! That birdshot can be very effective, I have shot many grouse with it.
I also wear hearing aids today because on Jan 9, 1979, I went to my local gravel pit, set up my targets, and started shooting a new load in my new Model 19 S&W 357Mag - without my hearing protection. I felt no pain, which I took to be an indicator of sorts that things were ok to proceed, and at the end of 50 rounds, I was totally deaf. Well, TOTALLY ENOUGH! It was 3 days before I could hear anything, sure was quiet around the house, which back then was a good thing. It took 13 years and my Dad's hearing aids to convince myself that I just plain couldn't hear correctly. I've had them now over 15 years and do detest them, but I hear better with them, though not perfectly. Protect those ears at all costs!!! My wife sure got tired of "what?" every time she spoke to me.

Regards,
Sweetwater

jlbeebe · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2008, 11:10:00 PM »

Hearing protection is a must but sometimes can be easy to forget. I hunt whitetails primarily with a muzzleloader but carry a super redhawk .454 for follow up shots. One day last year I walked up on a doe I had shot with my rifle and she was still alive. I shot her with my revolver forgetting that I had taken my earplugs out. That will NEVER happen again.

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2008, 12:39:17 AM »

sw28: Congradulations on your first squirrel. From the sounds of it, it was his time............

But, how are ya gonna get a whitetail to sit on that top plate?

?

I don't care who I was earlier on in my life 'cause I found out pretty quick that not having hearing protection hurts a lot. So whenever I go afield I go with ear plugs or hunting muffs (the kind that will let you hear but still speak - and be heard).

One thing that bothers me is the muzzle brakes I have on some of my rifles - can not shoot those things without hearing protection but that means that even for the 'possible shot' I need to have something 'on my ears' or I will be deafer than deaf, and I do not need another painful lesson.

And please let me tell you about that 'only 1 shot' business when not wearing hearing protection - it seems to hurt worse. Hearing protection is the only thing that lets me enjoy shooting any longer, espspecially when the targets look like hillary or obama or chuck schumer or diane fienstein (aka woozburger), or bill, or charley daly.

Ummmm, lemme see, one more question.... Where's Jerry Lester---Jerry, from a revolver bbl the 357 is painful on unprotected ears and I know you are most likely wearing hearing protection when you shoot your 357 carbine or rifle but I am curious how much sound reduction you think you get from the longer bbl and whether you get the same sort of muzzle blast with the longer bbl. I have such a thing for a lever action in 357 but just have not yet found the right carbine or rifle - I have been thinking Puma but not sure..... yet, I don't want to mess with anything new thinking a longer bbl will help reduce the shock to my eardrums. Mikey.

S.B. · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2008, 04:38:11 AM »

I find the .357 magnum,audibly, more offensive than most other handgun calibers I shoot? Keep up the good work with your tree rat eradication program?
Did the bird shot kill or just severely wound this critter?

sw28 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2008, 01:03:20 PM »

i damaged my ears long ago too , shooting high power rifles with no protection now its painfull too shoot without plugs or muffs. its very rare i forget too wear any. the bird shot killed the critter instantly, there reloads in a .357 case i was surprised how snappy it was.an as far as getting the deer on the top plate im gonna put an apple up the so he crawls right up lol.

timothy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 29, 2008, 01:43:38 PM »

A hornady 110gr xtp over max charge of unique is the worst sound I've ever heard, that will ring your ears even with plugs. Does anyone know if the oldtimers like Keith ,Askins ,Mcgivern ,Jordan had hearing problems?

Sweetwater · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2008, 05:42:06 PM »

From what I've read, I'd say they were all deafer than a haddock.
All the old people I knew as a kid were 'prematurely hard of hearing', as they liked to put it. Now, I'm one of them. Guess you could say I've crossed over. I've heard that the 30 carbine in a Blackhawk is worse than the 357mag, but I have no first-hand knowledge there. Knowing what I know now, when I was vacillating between that nickel plated model 19 S&W and a Colt 45 Commemorative at just a touch more, I'd have opted for the 45 and shot the daylights out of it. It was what I call a real Colt, a SAA, and it was less than $400 (just about a week's wages at the time-mid '70's) The drift being, I might have a little more hearing today than I do, but I also may have been more prone to shooting without muffs because of the lower noise level. I actually loved that 357mag, but it did my ears in with my help. I thought the 357mag 'had more power' than the 45Colt - I have learned a lot about power since then. I don't own a 357mag anymore, my 41's get shot less and less and I'm shopping for another 45 all the time.
That's my take on evolution! LOL

If you get that Whitetail to the top plate - please post a picture! LOL

Happy Hunting!! Sounds like you have just begun a great journey!

Regards,
Sweetwater

IMshooter · « **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2008, 06:45:16 AM »

Congrats on using a nice pistol to solve your rodent problem...

Back when I was young and stupid, I would shoot without hearing protection. To make matters worse, I also was a mechanic on jet aircraft and disdained the use of hearing protection. Now I wear hearing aids. And today I always use ear protection when target shooting.

But one thing I should improve upon, is using hearing protection while hunting. Any suggestions?

myronman3 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2008, 08:20:12 AM »

my ears ache just reading this!

StrawHat · « **Reply #12 on:** May 02, 2008, 05:52:38 AM »

Quote from: timothy on April 29, 2008, 01:43:38 PM

A hornady 110gr xtp over max charge of unique is the worst sound I've ever heard, that will ring your ears even with plugs. Does anyone know if the oldtimers like Keith ,Askins ,Mcgivern ,Jordan had hearing problems?

Not sure about McGivern or Askins but I remember finding Keith and Jordan at the NRA convention was easy enough, just look for the guys hollering to each other.

Now, I am a dumb member of the same club. When I started shooting ear protection was unheard of. It was until I started working around turbine engines that I found out about ear muffs and plugs.

I have about 50% hearing in both ears now and no, it does not add up to 100%.

It inhales greatly not to be able to hear my kids or my wife.

kennisondan · « **Reply #13 on:** May 03, 2008, 07:05:20 PM »

Hey : enjoy the shooting.. take the advice on the hearing protection.. I have about seven grand in hearing aids today ... and it is second best to actual ears ...
as to what to do for hunting.. once your ears are ruined... just get top notch hearing aids like mine... they compress sounds over the level of a 22 rifle.. to a bit below that level... it is pure bliss to be able to hear again and also to go straight to shooting without worrying about the noise when hunting..
takes some getting used to... big bores shooting quietly.... etc. but I like it a lot...
I agree it was the 357 that did it for me... I did not realize untill folks in the house would finally ask : are you gonna answer that phone ?
years later... cannot hear for work any more and had to spring for some hearing aids... got good ones and hear birds and water and speech for the first time n many many years.... that takes getting used to also...
It would be wise to take care of your hearing now and spend the money on guns, instead...
Oh SORRY... I .... SAID.... IT WOULD BE.... HECK ... ..... TAKE... CARE OF ... YOUR .... .HEARING..... UNDERSTAND

signed : sign language is good ... in Louisiana..LOL dk

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #14 on:** May 08, 2008, 04:00:57 AM »

Back to those first centerfire handgun kills, I think that I got my first when I was around 12. That .38 cal revolver belonged to my Uncle who was a retired deputy of the County sheriffs office.
My Cousin, who was 14 at that time would sneak that gun out and we would trade off shots at the ground squirrels around the farm

We got ammo from my cousins older brother as cheap reloads could be purchased at a local shop. We thought it terrible that he would charge us an extra 50cents for doing this but I suspect that he used this money to purchase a gal of gas for his car.

We had great fun although there was many more misses than hit's. To get a hit was kind of like Christmas morning! it was a great learning experience though.

IMshooter · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2008, 07:00:36 AM »

My first centerfire handgun kill was a cottontail rabbit. Got him with a .357 magnum. Let me say this - the .357 magnum is WAAAY too much gun for bunnies!

S.B. · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2008, 08:16:23 AM »

Been a long time ago but, I think my first kill was a rabbit with my trusty K22, if I remember correctly?

Sweetwater · « **Reply #17 on:** May 09, 2008, 03:51:40 AM »

Believe my first handgun kill was a porcupine, high in a birch tree. A long time ago; Fall in Maine after the leaves dropped. My S&W Model 19, a 125gr JHP and a stiff charge of W296 was just too much for it. Hit it square between the shoulder blades and it just let go and gave up the ghost. I was at the local dump and it was down in some bottomland. There wasn't much elevation difference, as I wasn't shooting up into the tree.
Shot a cottontail once with my 41mag. Hit it in the lower ribs and killed and cleaned it all to once! It was enough gun! LOL

Regards,
Sweetwater

StrawHat · « **Reply #18 on:** May 10, 2008, 02:45:34 AM »

First kill was a snapping turtle with a 38 Special.

148 grain WC.

Like the Hammer of Thor!

Been using the WC in 38 Special ever since when appropriate.

Working up a 235 WC load for my 45s.

LarryL · « **Reply #19 on:** May 12, 2008, 01:58:50 AM »

Been so many years, I'm not sure! I think it was a rabbit with a 22 Ruger single six.

When I was a kid, my dad would take us to the sand pit and sight in his 30-30 to get ready for deer season, and we'd all do some 22 rifle and pistol shooting. Nobody wore hearing protection back then.

When I got out of high school, I got my first larger handgun, a S&W model 27. I remember my first and last trip to the sand pit with it, without hearing protection. I fired off many cylinders of 38s with no real discomfort. Then I decided to move up to 125 gr HP .357s. The first shot was like someone had slapped both sides of my head, leaving my ears ringing. Then, like the young dope that i was, I figured I might as well finish off the other 5 shots at least. When I got done, my hearing was muffled. I went back to my car and I couldn't hear the radio playing. My hearing gradually recovered over the next several days, but never completely recovered.

Since then, I have had a ringing in my ears when it is quiet. Also when it is quiet, I occasionally have an odd rustling sound that seems to come from behind and to my left. It can catch me off guard every so often when I am out hunting, making me think I can hear something coming. After I turn to the left a couple times, I realize it is just my ears playing tricks with me again. I also have a hard time hearing people when there is any background noise. If I am sitting in a resteraunt, or with a group of people, I can't filter out the background noise and other voices enough to hear the people I am with. If I look right at them, that does help. Guess I am partially hearing them, and partially reading their lips.

Since that day, I always wear hearing protection when shooting. Unfortunately, a bit like closing the barn door after the horses are out. Still, figured I should try to salvage what I have left. For a while I used plugs. Then I went to muffs. Now I wear plugs and muffs. The only place I don't is when I go hunting. I shoot a SRH 7.5" barrel when hunting, but shots are usually just single shots, and only perhaps one or two a year. That hasn't seemed to bother too much. The woods tends to soak up a lot of the noise. I tried Peltor electronic muffs when hunting, but I found them very hard to use. They pick up every little sound. I was not able to find a volume level that would sound normal. The slightest breeze or a squirrel would sound like a herd of deer coming!