A Question On How Far Away Gunshots Can Be Heard

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Masonrk

So, I like to look around at some houses around my area(NH, VT, ME, etc.) but at time a I like to look at more secluded places with more acreage(Colorado, Texas, etc.) so I saw a house in Colorado and it had about 80 acres of land, I don't think any houses around it either.. So que my question; how far away could someone hear say a .308 from? I'm spitballing terrain here but say 20 acres of pasture, 40 of woods, and since I don't think the house is built smack dab in the middle, I'll leave 20 acres of wiggle room in the calculation. I'm not seriously looking at houses or anything(as much as I wanna leave ct) but it's just interesting to see what my friends at NGF think! Thanks! #1 · Sep 1, 2014 So, I like to look around at some houses around my area(NH, VT, ME, etc.) but at time a I like to look at more secluded places with more acreage(Colorado, Texas, etc.) so I saw a house in Colorado and it had about 80 acres of land, I don't think any houses around it either.. So que my question; how far away could someone hear say a .308 from? I'm spitballing terrain here but say 20 acres of pasture, 40 of woods, and since I don't think the house is built smack dab in the middle, I'll leave 20 acres of wiggle room in the calculation. I'm not seriously looking at houses or anything(as much as I wanna leave ct) but it's just interesting to see what my friends at NGF think! Thanks! Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Sep 1, 2014 The crack of a high powered rifle can be heard a long way off. My neighbor lives nearly a mile from me and can tell WHAT I am shooting when I get into the big stuff. There is a large wood lot and about 200 acres of pasture between our houses. #3 · Sep 1, 2014 I live in the middle of a small forest, about 60 acres, and the local Sheriff has a massive firearm training facility basically 1 mile away. It's a busy place, they rent it out to LEO in a 5-state region. I can hear their rounds loud and clear, and I suspect most of that is .40 pistol. There's something bigger they're shooting, which is way loud. Unless lots of LEOs are using .50BMG, that's the .308s I'm hearing. I sit on a corner of my property, so that's roughly 1/2 mile of clear area (crops, highway) and 1/2 mile of forest between me and the shooting. If you're concerned about noise and like the bullet in the .308 (.30, basically) you might want to look at .300 Blackout, which is also very suppressor-friendly. You'll want to think about local laws, of course. #4 · Sep 1, 2014 (Edited) Terrain and sound absorbing forces can make it almost impossible to zero in on a specific number.. for example... fireworks in the air with no terrain or sound aborning trees or buildings or hills can be heard 8 to 12 miles away...A battle ship with 16 inch guns can fire a hot round 24 miles, and it can be heard from the beach long before it actually comes in Its in air flight is 1 and 1/2 minutes. Shooting between mountain ranges can add a lot of audio distance due to reverberation... there are just too many variables to give an accurate answer. #5 · Sep 1, 2014 All I can say is 80 acres will not even come close to shielding the sound of a gun. #6 · Sep 1, 2014 I kinda figured, but for I was asking for kicks... I suppose you could just get a permit to shoot on your land, but that depends if your in a neighborhood is full of libtards that will complain about gun fire or not... Granted you have the proportion licenses, backstop, etc. Thanks for the advice dudes!! #7 · Sep 2, 2014 You guys need a permit to shoot on your own property? Everyone needs to get out of CT. Show more replies 0 Reply #8 · Sep 2, 2014 I have heard gunshots at distances that I cannot begin to guess. I have had someone shoot repeatedly with a 270 just over a hill and 300 yards away and never heard a sound. It depends on wind direction, terrain, and the direction of the shot in relation to your location. You can be down in a creek bottom and no one will ever notice. Alan #9 · Sep 2, 2014 As others have stated, sound travel distance is effected by atmospheric conditions, topography and ground materials. Generally a .308 rifle report can be heard between two and ten miles away, depending on conditions. However with the use of subsonic ammo and a suppressor, you could effectively muffle the rifle report to less then a half mile. #10 · Sep 2, 2014 Acreage is not a measure of distance but of area. 20 acres can be 8 feet wide or a mile "wide." And everything else above. ;-) --Wag-- #12 · Sep 2, 2014 We have a no projectile ordinance in my town.. ( small town 10,000 people )..... outside you can not shoot a bow, sling shot, a BB gun or a pellet gun.. let alone a fire arm.. #13 · Sep 3, 2014 We have the same thing in my town. Basically, anything that shoots or spurts or flings is illegal. And people wonder why kids huddle around computers in the house playing gore-splattering shooter video games and getting obese and so on. 0 Reply Insert Quotes Post Reply

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