April 21, 2025

The Loudest Firearms Ranked by Decibels

Firearms are loud—dangerously loud. Many produce noise levels that exceed 140 decibels (dB), the threshold where immediate hearing damage can occur. Without proper protection, repeated exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss.

Gunfire noise is caused by:
Muzzle Blast – The explosive release of gas from the barrel.
Sonic Boom – When bullets break the sound barrier (~1,125 ft/s), creating a sharp crack.

The decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning every 10 dB increase equals 10× more sound intensity.

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Top 10 Loudest Firearms (Estimated dB)

.50 BMG Rifle – 168–170 dB

.500 S&W Magnum Revolver – 166–168 dB

.44 Magnum Revolver – 164–166 dB

12-Gauge Shotgun (Short Barrel) – 160–165 dB

AR-15 (Short Barrel) – 155–165 dB

M16/M4 Carbine – 158–163 dB

AK-47 – 155–160 dB

.308 Winchester Rifle – 158–162 dB

.357 Magnum Revolver – 160 dB

9mm Pistol – 159–160 dB

Protect Your Hearing
Even the quietest on this list exceeds safe noise limits. Double hearing protection—earplugs plus earmuffs—is strongly recommended, especially for high-caliber and short-barreled firearms.

Suppressors can reduce noise by 20–35 dB but won’t make firearms silent.