# Is black powder louder



## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

hi to everyone in the great outdoors i was just wondering if anybody had
noticed this I have been shooting black powder for a while most recently
a 44 new army revolver and have had calls from concerned neighbors
on a couple of occasions about the noise of the shots they seem surprised
when i tell them it is just a muzzle loader or replica revolver.
the first time i shot my hawken my neighbor phoned thinking that
there had been an explosion.

these neighbors are about 1/4 to a 1/2 mile away I wear ear muffs
so its hard for me to judge.

has anybody else noticed blackpowder firearms being louder?

i dont over charge in fact most of the time im well under the maximum safe
load.

I asked my neighbor yesterday what it was and he said it just seemed
to have a bigger more solid boom as compared to shotguns which is the
other thing i shoot here at home.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I really don't think it is louder,but I do wear Hearing protection,even though my hearing is about gone anyway.

Maybe your neighbors are just use to hearing smaller calibers all the time.

big rockpile


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Black powder has more of a boom than say a rifle, or hand gun, which to me sounds like more of a crack.

I would guess that they will call no matter what you shoot, I have neighbors like that.
Why don't you invite them over, let them try it out?
Might be fun?


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

hunter63 said:


> Black powder has more of a boom than say a rifle, or hand gun, which to me sounds like more of a crack.
> 
> I would guess that they will call no matter what you shoot, I have neighbors like that.
> Why don't you invite them over, let them try it out?
> Might be fun?


the neighbors that called are both good neighbors even coming over here
for a shot now and then its not that i am having trouble with neighbors
just that they called concerned with the noise from the blackpowder firearms.
I guess because the noise or maybee the type of boom from them was different to what they were used to people around here shoot all the time
so i was just thinking that maybee the blackpowder sound so much different
so as to cause concern.


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

Years ago when I got my first BP rifle it was a little .32 Cherokee, got it as a christmas present one year. I didn't have the oppertunity to shoot it much til the end of may or first of june.. Hit a slack spell ,so I got it out one morning and started shooting. Now the neighbor on the farm east of me is a big time auctioneer, kinda hyper and always on the go inna big hurry. Has a routine of hitting the town coffeeshop everyday right after early chores , then back home work awhile then coffee shop again. welp! this particular day everytime he was outside at home he heard me a shooting the charcoal burner..
After his noon trip to town he couldn't stand it anylonger, Tole his DW that dern fella next door is a killing all the squirrels in the neighborhood.
Grabbed his old 12 gauge and took off down to the creek and started shooting gray squirrels. Seen him the next day and he said "man how can you stand tham ticks, chiggers, an nats to squirrel hunt this time a year." 
Like to a had a cow when he found out that I was merely target practising wit the little .32 Cherokee. H e said, "Sounded like a 12 ga. to me, I just knew you was a shooting squirrels." I guess it was possible since I was a newby to muzzleloading and taking my time reloading between shots and walking to the target every shot to see where I had hit..:banana02:


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

I like shooting my BP guns, seems like you can shoot all day and not burn up a lot of money. Fingers get sore, before you run out of ammo.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes it feel good to crank off 30 rds., but with BP you do have to "shoot", not "spray".

Have fun.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

bp is an explosive where smokles is a propelant although most of us use bp substitute witch is just a propelant that borders on explosive.

i personaly think my 50 NEF sounds like a cap gun when i am shooting at deer 
but everyone else wonders where i am hiding the houwitzer.


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

.54 Hawken with 90 gr. of ffg. Satisfying boom but not overly obnoxious. I'd prefer to hear the deep thunderous boom than a piercing "crack" anyday.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

Not bp, but my 45-70's got a nice throaty boom to it. Maybe the calibur has a lot do to with it. My DH has a BP so I'll ask him how different they soud. He'll probably haul them both out and let me listen (he always likes excuses to go shooting).

All our other rifles have more of a "crack" sound to them. Since we moved to SD, we've never had neighbors call about us shooting, at least that we know about. One of the closer neighbors (about 2 miles) is the county sherif, so maybe that helps. We shoot quite a lot.

When we lived in WI, the neighbor up the hill would call the game warden and tell him we were poaching. The first time the warden drove by and waved as we had the targets set up in the hay field. Second time warden called another neighbor and asked if we were out target shooting again. Third time warden told nosey neighbor not to call unless he had a dead animal to show him. BTW - we would see the nosey neighbor drive by, he KNEW we weren't poaching, he just didn't like hearing it. We were not near as acitive with shooting when we lived in WI (not a very gun friendly area).

Both us and complaining neighbor moved to the area about the same time. We got to know everyone, he got a reputaion for being a real pain in the rear. I keep in touch with the people who bought the place, and it sounds like that neighbor has gotten even worse. 

Cathy


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