Muzzle blast...relevant to self-defense?

[xray 99]

I flirted with the 357 SIG a few years ago and found it recoiled less than the .40. However, it was clearly a loud round. Is muzzle blast something to be considered when choosing a self-defense pistol?

[Dropkick]

Muzzle Blast with regards to self-defense? I'd say no.
Even if it was something crazy like .454 Casull, I'd rather be deaf than dead.

[peterb]

If it affects the speed and accuracy of your shooting, it's worth considering.

[DocGKR]

It can become an issue in training, which can translate into problems in the real world.

[DonovanM]

As I carry that round, I'd like to think so. I like that it sounds like the fist of an angry god. Is some vague possibility of a heightened psychological effect worth the added expense and lessened availability? That's for you to decide. I know that I at least don't need to shoot very much of it, as the recoil control I learned from 9mm has directly translated over to 357 SIG and I can run that round comparably well.

[John Hearne]

As long as you can shoot it well, the louder the better. There is a whole psychological side to the stopping power and I think that blast and noise is a part of it. As a bonus, things that go "boom" instead of "pop" run the slide harder and will cycle under less optimal conditions.

I have a friend who personally witnessed a one-shot stop from a 2-3" Model 66 loaded with full-house .357 magnum ammo. They called for the bus and assumed the guy was dead as he was unconscious on the ground - he wasn't even hit.

[Kyle Reese]

As long as you can shoot it well, the louder the better. There is a whole psychological side to the stopping power and I think that blast and noise is a part of it.

Can you expand on that just a bit?

Lots of bad guys have been killed quite effectively with suppressed weapons.

[DonovanM]

Can you expand on that just a bit?

Lots of bad guys have been killed quite effectively with suppressed weapons.

Of course, but I don't think John's argument is that muzzle blast is required to kill someone, but that there's an extra psychological component to stopping power. Every little bit helps, right?

Besides, a large majority of said weapons were probably carbines or SMGs. I don't think too many people, comparatively, have been killed with suppressed pistols. I could be wrong though.

[DocGKR]

Approximately 50% of individuals who are shot with handguns simply choose to stop fighting, in other words they are NOT physiologically incapacitated, but are instead psychologically incapacitated. Psychological incapacitation is an extremely erratic, highly variable, and completely unpredictable human response, independent of any inherent terminal performance characteristics of a particular projectile. As such, loud, concussive loads with a bright flash can be like a mini flash-bang and definitely contribute to psychological incapacitation in susceptible individuals.

[Corvus]

Against Pee Wee Herman....yes

Against Cole Younger..........no

So I guess as usual "It Depends".

[John Hearne]

Approximately 50% of individuals who are shot with handguns simply choose to stop fighting, in other words they are NOT physiologically incapacitated, but are instead psychologically incapacitated. Psychological incapacitation is an extremely erratic, highly variable, and completely unpredictable human response, independent of any inherent terminal performance characteristics of a particular projectile. As such, loud, concussive loads with a bright flash can be like a mini flash-bang and definitely contribute to psychological incapacitation in susceptible individuals.

What he said :)

[Chuck Haggard]

The last time I banged rounds out of my M4 at work it was dark and I wasn't wearing ear pro, I never even heard my shots go off.

I'd guess a 14.5" 5.56/.223 is louder than a .357Sig.

Just an observation.

[JodyH]

My one exposure to hostile gunfire was a .357mag in the cab of a Toyota p.u., I never heard it go off.

[Abraxas]

I really think the answer is, yes and no. Even Doc's response gives a number of 50%. So I guess the moral of the story is, it cant hurt, but don't depend on it.

[jslaker]

I really think the answer is, yes and no. Even Doc's response gives a number of 50%. So I guess the moral of the story is, it cant hurt, but don't depend on it.

Bingo. The other factor is these BANGPOWBOOM especially loud pistol calibers tend to be more difficult to shoot. I'd rather shoot twice as much less impressive 9mm and be more capable with the weapon than worry about the psychological effect of a louder, larger muzzle blast.

[John Hearne]

As with most things, it's situationally dependent. My first instinct is that flash and blast will have the most effect on the least dedicated advesary. On the other hand, there are folks who's mind ignores the sound of gun shots while under stress. While I've never been in a gunfight, I have experienced this while hunting, especially when engaging animals that present themselves with little warning.

There other folks for whom this is an issue. If you watch the official FBI debrief of the FBI Miami Firefight, Ed Mireles, comments explicitily on the sounds of the various weapons being fired. He goes so far as to call Platt's .223 "psychologically devastating."

[Chuck Haggard]

I think it makes a great deal of difference if the muzzle blast is yours and outgoing, or the other guy's and incoming.