In another thread, there was discussion of short barrel AR sound levels in a range setting.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-trends/page10
Another poster and I reported being disturbed by people shooting short AR pistols near us. In the example I gave, my wife and I were down range of the AR shooter, separated by a dirt berm, and the intensity of the shots interfered with our ability to hear our timer's beep and concentrate on the drills we were doing. I was pretty annoyed at the gentleman doing mag dumps of 5.56, out of his shorter than 10.5 barrel AR onto a large piece of steel..... on a pistol bay.
TGS nicely asked if it was age related, and Google says that people with hearing loss are sensitive to loud noises. Between flying and shooting for decades, I am certainly a candidate for hearing loss. The first thing I did was take an online hearing test which reported that my hearing was "normal." The next thing that occurred to me was whether TGS is so young, that his hearing has not fully developed making him more tolerant of loud shots, but I think that is unlikely.
I started Googling short barrel 5.56 decibel levels, and it seems that a 10.5 inch barrel is about 162 db. I couldn't find a number for a 7.5 inch barrel but I assume it is higher than for a 10.5.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/-...460124/&page=1
My experience hunting and firing .300 WM class projectiles without ear pro is that you are best off right behind the rifle. Being to the side or down range of the barrel is worse.
Now for some math and science that I need help with. Let's assume a 7.5 AR is 165 decibels, modestly more than from a 10.5. What will the decibels be to the side or down range. Using a MSA Sordin headset rated at 25 db reduction, does that get subtracted from the 165? How do in ear plugs factor in -- is their db rating added, for example 25 + 30 = a 55 decibel reduction? What kind of noise level will be damaging?