Originally Posted by
taadski
The short of the matter is if you're looking for hits on the steel itself or listening for a 'ding', you're training yourself to do it wrong. Like nwhpfan mentioned, focus on learning to see the front sight lift the instant the shot breaks. The location it lifts from is where the shot will go. This is different than guaranteeing a hit, but it will allow you to SEE a miss as soon as it happens (and allow you to make it up) without having to wait for the noise on the steel. This is the end game.
FWIW, shooting steel extensively can actually hinder people's shot calling development when new to the concept b/c it reinforces relying on the noise instead of what they see. Not being able to hear the steel ring could be considered an advantage in this respect. Don't worry too much about the noise but TURN UP the volume of your vision. :)