It seems it might not be.
Guns with no muzzle devices can easily exceed 160dB.
Your typical set of over-the-ear muffs maxes out at around 32dB reduction-- and that's a GOOD set. Cheaper ones can be as low as 25-26dB.
That means that even with GOOD hearing protection, you're still seeing something like 130dB to your ears with every shot.
Is that acceptable?
I don't know. The one thing that I think keeps gunfire from being *as* damaging is that it tends to be low-frequency and single impulse. Human hearing is comparably far more robust at lower frequencies.
However, gunfire is NOT a bass frequency. Yes, there's a "boom' that you'll feel as blast, but there's also higher frequency content that is NOT infrasonic. Some ears might be sensitive enough that they can't shrug off 130dB at that frequency.
But what if you want to be able to take off the muffs and hear conversation?
I propose you consider a high-fidelity earplug like a "musician's earplug." These kinds of plugs have low reduction ratings (typically 10-20dB), but reduce all frequencies somewhat evenly. Meaning you don't get that muting of all high frequencies that make it impossible to understand speech and such.
Here's a great one from Etymotic that allows for variable levels of attenuation: Etymotic Research, Inc. - Musicians Earplugs High-Fidelity Hearing Protection
Here's another model that has variable attenuation form another company: MusicSafe Pro Professional Musicians Ear Plugs - Consumer Packaged Reusable Ear Plugs
By wearing these kinds of earplugs UNDERNEATH your regular muffs, you can add another 10-25db of noise reduction while really only having to remove ONE set of hearing protection to be able to communicate.
If you have the fancy muffs that have the microphones and such in them, then you have it all-- maximum attenuation of 40-50dB and STILL no need to remove your hearing protection to understand speech.
An extra 10-25 db might not seem like a whole lot, but if you shoot a lot for a long time, it might be the difference between being an elderly deaf person that can't hear the grandkids or having no problems at all.
Remember: HEARING DAMAGE IS CUMULATIVE!
So I highly recommend beefing up your hearing protection, and if you shoot indoors, I'd consider it almost a must-have.
Protect the one set of ears you have.
Happy Shooting!
H
Guns with no muzzle devices can easily exceed 160dB.
Your typical set of over-the-ear muffs maxes out at around 32dB reduction-- and that's a GOOD set. Cheaper ones can be as low as 25-26dB.
That means that even with GOOD hearing protection, you're still seeing something like 130dB to your ears with every shot.
Is that acceptable?
I don't know. The one thing that I think keeps gunfire from being *as* damaging is that it tends to be low-frequency and single impulse. Human hearing is comparably far more robust at lower frequencies.
However, gunfire is NOT a bass frequency. Yes, there's a "boom' that you'll feel as blast, but there's also higher frequency content that is NOT infrasonic. Some ears might be sensitive enough that they can't shrug off 130dB at that frequency.
But what if you want to be able to take off the muffs and hear conversation?
I propose you consider a high-fidelity earplug like a "musician's earplug." These kinds of plugs have low reduction ratings (typically 10-20dB), but reduce all frequencies somewhat evenly. Meaning you don't get that muting of all high frequencies that make it impossible to understand speech and such.
Here's a great one from Etymotic that allows for variable levels of attenuation: Etymotic Research, Inc. - Musicians Earplugs High-Fidelity Hearing Protection
Here's another model that has variable attenuation form another company: MusicSafe Pro Professional Musicians Ear Plugs - Consumer Packaged Reusable Ear Plugs
By wearing these kinds of earplugs UNDERNEATH your regular muffs, you can add another 10-25db of noise reduction while really only having to remove ONE set of hearing protection to be able to communicate.
If you have the fancy muffs that have the microphones and such in them, then you have it all-- maximum attenuation of 40-50dB and STILL no need to remove your hearing protection to understand speech.
An extra 10-25 db might not seem like a whole lot, but if you shoot a lot for a long time, it might be the difference between being an elderly deaf person that can't hear the grandkids or having no problems at all.
Remember: HEARING DAMAGE IS CUMULATIVE!
So I highly recommend beefing up your hearing protection, and if you shoot indoors, I'd consider it almost a must-have.
Protect the one set of ears you have.
Happy Shooting!
H
