Definitely less than carbine/rifle rounds, when used in a similar-sized package. The muzzle of an 18.5” shotgun puts the noisy end further from your ears than a handgun.
I’m less worried about my hearing in the years afterwards than I am about my life during. Without extenuating circumstances, no professional would choose a handgun over a long gun. By handgun, I mean an actual handgun in a handgun caliber and not an AR or AK pistol chambered for a carbine/rifle round.
-More accurate/easier to shoot accurately. Longer sight radius, 3 solid points of contact that are further from each other which equals greater stability, etc.
- More effective caliber. Even if it’s a pistol caliber, the longer barrel = greater velocity = greater energy.
-Easier to deploy with lights and optics. Lights are great positively ID’ing the threat, and optics like a RDS are quicker to acquire and easier to see in lowlight.
As far back as the Old West, when gunfighters knew they were going into harm’s way they grabbed a shotgun/carbine/rifle. Col. Jeff Cooper, Clint Smith, etc. all agreed.
