So, me and a buddy, we got into this whole debate, you know? Watching some action flick, and there’s a gunshot, and the hero hears it from like, miles away, clear as a bell. And I’m thinking, “No way, man. That ain’t right.” My buddy, Tom, he’s all, “Yeah, sound travels, especially a loud bang like that!” So, I figured, heck, let’s just find out. Enough talk, let’s do something.
Getting the Gear Together
First off, we needed something that goes “bang” consistently. Didn’t want to mess with actual live ammo or anything crazy like that, not the point. We got hold of a starter pistol, you know, the kind they use for races? Loads .22 caliber blanks. Loud enough, and safe. Then, for measuring distance, I just used my car’s odometer and my phone’s GPS as a backup. Simple stuff. And we needed to talk to each other, so a pair of cheap walkie-talkies did the trick. Didn’t trust phone signal out where we were planning to go.
The most important part was finding the right spot. Had to be open, flat, and far, far away from anyone’s house or business. Don’t want to be scaring folks or having the cops called on us, right? Found this huge stretch of private farmland, mostly unused pasture, way out in the sticks. Got permission from the old fella who owned it. He just chuckled and told us not to spook his cows too much. We also made sure to pick a day with almost no wind. Figured wind would mess with things big time.
The Actual Test Run
Alright, so we got out there. Tom was gonna be the “shooter.” I was the “listener.” Real scientific, huh? I gave Tom one walkie-talkie, kept the other. The plan was, I’d drive off, stop at certain distances, he’d fire a blank, and I’d see if I could hear it. Simple.
We started pretty close, maybe half a mile. Radioed Tom, “Okay, let ‘er rip!” Heard it. No problem. Loud and clear, that distinct crack.
So, I drove further. One mile. Radioed again. Pop. Yeah, heard it. Definitely quieter, more of a pop than a crack now, but it was there.
Kept going. Mile and a half. This time, I had to really listen. Told Tom to fire three shots, just to be sure. Heard two faint thumps. The third one? Maybe? Could’ve been anything, a car door slamming miles away, who knows. Background noise, even on a quiet day, starts to play tricks on you.
We pushed it to two miles. Tom fired. Nothing. Fired again. Still nothing. I strained my ears, cupped ’em, the whole nine yards. Zilch. Nada. We tried a few more times at that distance, just to be sure, but it was a no-go.
We did try another day when there was a bit of a breeze, maybe 5-10 mph. If the wind was blowing from Tom towards me, I could hear it a tiny bit better, maybe stretched that mile and a half a little. But if I was upwind? Forget it. The sound just got whipped away. Even at a mile, it was tough going if the wind was against me.
So, What’s the Deal?
Well, here’s what I figured from my little adventure. You can hear a gunshot, or something like it, from pretty far away, further than I honestly thought, especially if it’s a dead calm day and wide open space. A mile, mile and a half, that was doable for our little starter pistol.
But here’s the kicker: it ain’t that sharp, movie-style “BANG!” you hear from a distance. Nope. It gets dull. Turns into more of a “thump” or a “pop.” And that distinct “crack” of a gunshot? That fades out much quicker. So, if you’re expecting to hear a clear, unmistakable gunshot from two or three miles off, especially with trees, hills, or any kind of wind in the way? Good luck with that.
It also made me think about how much terrain matters. We were on pretty flat ground. I bet if there were hills or a bunch of trees in between, that distance would shrink real fast. Sound waves get blocked and absorbed by that stuff. Obvious, I guess, but seeing it – or rather, hearing it not happen – really drives it home.
So yeah, those movie scenes? Mostly baloney. Or they’re using cannons, I dunno. For your average bang, distance and conditions change everything. It was a fun little experiment, though. Cleared up that argument with Tom, that’s for sure. He owes me a beer now.
