Once when I shot a deer with a pistol (Ruger Redhawk, .44 mag), I had someone with me. He’d been rifle hunting for YEARS!
Anyhoo, when I let that pistol off and knocked that deer down at @ 65 yards, his eyes were...well, let’s just say you could see a lot of white in his eyes for a bit.
The muzzle blast and reach of that particular round/shot impressed him.
More than loud; it’s a physical concussion.
[Just goofing around, we’d videotaped that hunt. He barely got the camera on the deer when I shot and you can see where the bullet hit the deer. Pretty amazing.]
Me likey!