Guns and blasts, rankedHow loud is a gunshot?

Q: How loud is a gunshot?

At the shooter's ear, a handgun peaks at 148–171 dB, a rifle at 140–174 dB and a shotgun at 150–170 dB. These are instantaneous peaks, not averages, and all reach or pass 140 dB, the impulse limit used by NIOSH and OSHA and the UK and EU exposure limit value, so one unprotected shot close to the ear can damage hearing.

Q: Can a single gunshot damage your hearing?

At the loud end of their measured ranges, 9 of the 10 reach a hearing-risk level (85 dBA or more, or a peak of 140 dB or more): artillery (166.1–183 dB peak, none safe), stun grenade (160–180 dB peak, none safe), rifle (140–174 dB peak, none safe), airbag deployment (165–173 dB peak, none safe), handgun (148–171 dB peak, none safe), firecrackers (142–171 dB peak, none safe), shotgun (150–170 dB peak, none safe), starter pistol (148–165 dB peak, none safe), toy cap gun (120–155 dBC peak, none safe). Times are the NIOSH daily limit at the loud end of each range.

Handguns, rifles, shotguns, artillery, flash-bangs, airbags and firecrackers, ranked by peak sound pressure at the ear. Almost all of them pass 140 dB, the level where a single shot can damage hearing.

Loudest: 166.1–183 dB peakArtillery (howitzer)
Last on the list: 120–137 dB peakSuppressed rifle
At a hearing-risk level: 9 of 1085 dBA or a 140 dB peak, at the loud end

Bars run from the quietest to the loudest figure measured; the dashed line marks 140 dB, the impulse limit. The tag is the NIOSH daily limit at the loud end.

Guns and blasts, loudest first

1
Artillery (howitzer)
Firing a towed howitzer puts up to 183 dB of peak pressure at the gunner's position.

166.1–183 dB peakat the gunner's position
none safe
2
Stun grenade (flash-bang)
A flash-bang's bang is quoted at 160 to 180 dB peak within a few feet of the blast.

160–180 dB peakwithin about 1.5 m (5 ft)
none safe
3
Rifle
A centre-fire rifle peaks at 159 to 174 dB at the shooter's ear; a .22 rifle about 140.

140–174 dB peakat the shooter's ear
none safe
4
Airbag deployment
An airbag fills in milliseconds, putting a 165 to 173 dB pressure spike in a closed car.

165–173 dB peakat the occupants' ears, inside the car
none safe
5
Handgun
A pistol shot peaks at 148 to 171 dB at the shooter's ear, far above any continuous noise.

148–171 dB peakat the shooter's ear
none safe
6
Firecrackers
A single banger peaks at 171 dB half a metre away.

142–171 dB peak0.5 m to 8 m
none safe
7
Shotgun
A shotgun blast peaks around 152 to 170 dB beside the shooter's head.

150–170 dB peakat the shooter's ear
none safe
8
Starter pistol
A race starter's blank peaks at up to 165 dB at the official's ear.

148–165 dB peakat the shooter's ear
none safe
9
Toy cap gun
A cap pistol fired at arm's length peaks at about 155 dBC.

120–155 dBC peak25 cm
none safe
10
Suppressed rifle
A suppressor cuts a rifle shot by about 20 dB, but supersonic rounds still peak at 120 to 137 dB.

120–137 dB peakat the shooter's ears and 1 m behind the shooter
peak <140

Reading these numbers

A shot is over in milliseconds, so it is measured as an instantaneous peak, not an average, and a peak in dB is not comparable with the dBA of a lawnmower or a concert. NIOSH and OSHA treat 140 dB peak as the ceiling for impulse noise, and in the UK and EU 140 dB(C) is the exposure limit value, so every row marked none safe can harm hearing in a single exposure without protection. A suppressor helps, but suppressed rifles with supersonic ammunition still peaked at 120–137 dB in one study, and in another, near the right ear of an AR-15 shooter most combinations stayed above 140 dB. How the limits work.

Questions

How loud is a gunshot?

At the shooter's ear, a handgun peaks at 148–171 dB, a rifle at 140–174 dB and a shotgun at 150–170 dB. These are instantaneous peaks, not averages, and all reach or pass 140 dB, the impulse limit used by NIOSH and OSHA and the UK and EU exposure limit value, so one unprotected shot close to the ear can damage hearing.

Can a single gunshot damage your hearing?

At the loud end of their measured ranges, 9 of the 10 reach a hearing-risk level (85 dBA or more, or a peak of 140 dB or more): artillery (166.1–183 dB peak, none safe), stun grenade (160–180 dB peak, none safe), rifle (140–174 dB peak, none safe), airbag deployment (165–173 dB peak, none safe), handgun (148–171 dB peak, none safe), firecrackers (142–171 dB peak, none safe), shotgun (150–170 dB peak, none safe), starter pistol (148–165 dB peak, none safe), toy cap gun (120–155 dBC peak, none safe). Times are the NIOSH daily limit at the loud end of each range.

Every figure links through to its own page, with the measurement conditions and verbatim quotes from each source. General information, not medical advice.