The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Plumose wrote:Are these sounds meters any good for measuring a gunshot, I would have thought the impulse would be shorter than they would cope with?

I can't comment on the cheap models but the higher end units will have no problem. You really do get what you pay for with these things.

LL

Lancs Lad wrote:

Plumose wrote:Are these sounds meters any good for measuring a gunshot, I would have thought the impulse would be shorter than they would cope with?

I can't comment on the cheap models but the higher end units will have no problem. You really do get what you pay for with these things.

LL

Exactly this. I havent used the Lidl one but cheaper ones always struggle with short noises. Even measuring the volume of a car engine they often read lower than proper ones because they miss the pulses.

I picked a nice if not slightly hot day for this. 26 - 27 degrees. No real breeze noticeable.

The rifle today was my sako finnfire.

I fired RWS and CCI subsonics through a mae rimfire sound moderator. I know from experimenting with the chronograph that the RWS are approaching 100 fps slower than the CCI and as a result to my ears are noticeably quieter.

I also fired some remington high velocity ammunition through the sound mod, without a mod and with a muzzle brake.

The results - most of the readings for all the ammunitions types and rifle configurations were 85 decibels.

I think this rings true of some of the comments above that a cheap sound meter can't catch a gunshot, as the difference in noise levels was pretty apparent.

DL. wrote:I picked a nice if not slightly hot day for this. 26 - 27 degrees. No real breeze noticeable.

The rifle today was my sako finnfire.

I fired RWS and CCI subsonics through a mae rimfire sound moderator. I know from experimenting with the chronograph that the RWS are approaching 100 fps slower than the CCI and as a result to my ears are noticeably quieter.

I also fired some remington high velocity ammunition through the sound mod, without a mod and with a muzzle brake.

The results - most of the readings for all the ammunitions types and rifle configurations were 85 decibels.

I think this rings true of some of the comments above that a cheap sound meter can't catch a gunshot, as the difference in noise levels was pretty apparent.

I looked into this a while ago whilst running different moderators and trying to test the sound moderation.

The impulse gunshot happens at it's peak much quicker than a lot of sound meters can sample audio, since they sample at a certain frequency, the gunshot can easily pass between samples, or certainly the peak of it can.

The MOD put together a document for their authorised method of testing moderators which requires a specific sound level meter. I looked into hiring one, as they come in at around £2k+, but for a hobby it wasn't worth the expendature.

I wish I could remember the details, but it was a few years ago now :(

I realize that you guys are not looking for courtroom accuracy, but just for a laugh, I will share this with you.

I have been looking into this subject for work, and the issue is that gunshots are a very specific type of sound (very high peak and very short duration) and while obviously any sound pressure reading will pick up the sound, for really accurate measurement you need both a sound pressure metre specifically calibrated for gunshots, and computer software to properly analyse the results.

The cheapest one I found was NZ$5,750, and that was a couple of years ago. I don't imagine they will have gotten any cheaper over time.
http://www.larsondavis.com/products/sou ... el-lxt1qpr

Probably a silly question , but wouldn’t the NRA have such equipment for hire at Bisley?