Jim Taylor
Hearing the shot
Thursday, April 16, 2020, 06:38

The few times I fired a handgun in a defensive situation, I never heard the shots. The one time I am thinking of it was a short barreled 357 Magnum with my hottest handloads. It did not make my ears ring.

When hunting, as Gary has stated, I never hear the shot. Though I have heard the bullet strike on a number of occasions.

It's called "Auditory Exclusion"... from Wikipedia: Auditory exclusion is a form of temporary loss of hearing occurring under high stress. As such it is related to tunnel vision and "the slowing of time in the mind". The phenomenon is discussed in the literature on law enforcement officers and soldiers.

and ..

Auditory exclusion happens as a physiological side effect of increased heart rate. When the heart rate approaches roughly 175 beats per minute, the sympathetic nervous system is activated enough that the brain reduces the amount of attention it pays to hearing in order to focus on sight. Auditory exclusion only occurs when the increase in heart rate is caused by hormonal changes, and will not occur if an individual is voluntarily participating in an intense form of exercise.