Shooting without ear protection

[youngda9]

I would worry about saving your butt and then deal with any hearing issues. This is a non-issue...nothing you should concern yourself about in the least. Nothing you can do about it either unless you want to call time-out to put hearing protection on prior to defending yourself.

You'll be fine from some exposure(from a once in a lifetime SD shooting)...it's the constant battering that will damage your ears should you never wear protection at the range.

 

[Hayseed_40]

I would worry about saving your butt and then deal with any hearing issues. This is a non-issue...nothing you should concern yourself about in the least. Nothing you can do about it either unless you want to call time-out to put hearing protection on prior to defending yourself.

You'll be fine from some exposure(from a once in a lifetime SD shooting)...it's the constant battering that will damage your ears should you never wear protection at the range.

I think even a one time exposure can do irreversible damage. However... you are spot on that at a SD situation is not the time to be farting around with hearing protection. Do your business at hand and worry about that afterwards.

Of course I surprised that OC'ers do not where eyes and ears while walking around - it would make them just that much more prepared...

 

[youngda9]

Of course I surprised that OC'ers do not where eyes and ears while walking around - it would make them just that much more prepared...

I think they all have ear plugs in because they don't hear all of the screams of fear and panic from the children. They keep reporting positive OC experiences all the while they are unknowingly leaving a wake of destruction behind them.

 

[WillyUSMC]

Alright lets get a pole going here...if you opt for always wearing hearing protection everywhere you go, should it be open or concealed protection (something like plugs vs earmuffs)? Discuss.

 

[Mike H]

I hunt therefore I shoot w/o ear protection. I just find it too inconvienent to wear hearing protection while deer or turkey hunting.
Now at the range....thats a different story.
I target shot some when I was young and dumb w/o protection but those days are over.
Right now I have at least a 50% loss in my right ear and a 35% loss in my left ear so to say that I am hearing impared is an understatement.
I was in the USAF 68-72' as a crew chief on T-37's for about 2 years then F-4's for a year. I always wore the supplied ear muffs while on the flight line.
One doesn't know what loud is until you stand next to multiple military jet aircraft running up.
I finally filed for disability through the VA and was awarded 10%. They couldn't prove that I had my hearing when I was discharged. Funny thing is "ears are considered singular, even though you have 2. I now wear hearing aids 12-14 hours a day.
Hearing loss can be like a cancer, starts out slowley and gradually builds.
Thank God I don't have tinnitis.

 

[JetGirl]

I hunt therefore I shoot w/o ear protection.
Thank God I don't have tinnitis.

Yet. It's likely coming.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Yet. It's likely coming.

Yeah, aren't there digital ear plugs that amplify low sounds for hunting but block loud sounds such as gunfire? I know they're expensive, but a good investment in maintaining hearing.

 

[Aaronhome27]

I make it a point to always practice with ears and eyes. While deer hunting I do not. I have never had an issue while deer hunting till last year. I was in a big oak in my stand. I saw several huge raccoons climb the tree next to me. I tried to shew them away as they climbed into my tree on a long extension branch that ended at my stand. At the time I was carrying a glock 23. When the first one bristled up and growled as he headed towards me I knew it was time to draw down. I put several rounds his way before he fell. The next one didnt care and he too followed suit and headed my way. He fell to the same fate. I can tell you there wasnt much adrenaline pumping as I just knew what I might have to do. My ears hurt for nearly a week and my hearing was muffled pretty bad for the first 3-4 days after. I was very concerned during that time. Outside with a .40 S&W is no good without hearing protection. Maybe it was because of no huge adrenaline rush but it was bad. I think I need to get some walker game ear muffs. Glad you brought up the subject. I had forgotten about it. Now off to cabelas website to get my muffs!!

 

[ATOMonkey]

Does anyone else notice that your left ear rings more than the right after you take your shot? Am I the only one?

 

[Jay]

Yeah, aren't there digital ear plugs that amplify low sounds for hunting but block loud sounds such as gunfire? I know they're expensive, but a good investment in maintaining hearing.

Walker"s Hearing Enhancement and Protection ? HD Models

Expensive? Yes, but not nearly as expensive as hearing aids.

 

[blamecharles]

In a self/home defense situation i am not worried about it. I do have tinnitus and some hearing loss as a result of military(M1A1 tank crewman) so i wear hearing protection any other time i am firing. My FIL didn't wear any hearing protection and after firing 1 box of .44 mag his ears rang for 2 days and he said that was the last time. Lets be very clear though you are going to have hearing loss if you keep it up and that hissing/ringing noise when there isn't other noise is tinnitus.

 

[lrahm]

Let's take this a step further. How many people out there have kids that work at one of the mall with loud music playing in the store. This is juat as bad. Maybe worse since they might be exposed to it 20 hours plus per week.

 

[badmac183]

I shoot .22 everyday without protection and I'v shot well over 100 rounds of 12 gauge at one sitting multiple times without noticing any hearing damage. But this was outside of course.

The worse experience i ever had was me and my dad shooting two .223 rifles side by side for about 30-45 minutes straight my ears rang all night he said it didn't bother him at all.

 

[Scutter01]

After spending two decades in and amongst servers with high-pitched fans, I now have severe tinnitus pitched to the same tone, as well as some hearing loss. I now wear hearing protection when shooting (and when in the datacenter) to prevent it from getting any worse. Tinnitus SUUUUUCKS.

 

[lovemachine]

After spending two decades in and amongst servers with high-pitched fans, I now have severe tinnitus pitched to the same tone, as well as some hearing loss. I now wear hearing protection when shooting (and when in the datacenter) to prevent it from getting any worse. Tinnitus SUUUUUCKS.

Dang, that sucks.

I must be lucky. I've been working as a machinist for 14 years now. Everyday I listen to loud machines. No hearing problems for me.

 

[PriestEG]

spent 5 years as a machine gunner in the USMC and i can say i only wore ear pro once or twice during that time frame. the only caliber that ever bother me was .50 bmg but that can get you even with cute lil muffins on

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Think of the path of the sound. When you fire, bang. The sound spreads from the source spherically. Outside, most of what it encounters is very absorptive, as well as being far away. The intensity drops with the square of the distance, and that works for reflections as well. Inside, even if all you have is a roof and concrete floor, you get a lot of reflections, not only that, they're coming right at you now, from close by. Much more damage. Plus, when you're hunting, you're not doing mag dumps, maybe two or three shots at the most. At the range, not only is each shot more damaging, there are a lot more of them.

Always wear my muffs when I'm planning to shoot, and my glasses are polycarbonate, rated for protection anyway. In an ad hoc situation, I'd put a little potential hearing loss in the future at a lot lower priority than stopping someone from demising me right now.

I have some experience with ears; enough otitis media as a child that I needed a replacement eardrum by the time I was 19. I've studied it pretty well. The doctor gave me a dirty look when I took my son in at the age of 1 and said "otitis media right ear". Then he said "how did you know that" when he found out that's what it was.

 

[blamecharles]

Tinnitus SUUUUUCKS.

IT really does suck, going to sleep sucks, my gf hates anything being on and i hear buzzing/ringing noise without anything on, can't stand it.

 

[G_Stines]

I always wear ear protection at the range, like everybody should, but what happens when you shoot without them like you would in a self defense situation? You run the risk of severely damaging your hearing. A gun shot, even .22 and .380 and the smaller calibers run around 140 decibels, and anything over 85 can damage your hearing. Especially true if going from near silence to 140 db. The pressure change can actually perforate your ear drum. But deaf is better than dead,

I have talked with some hunters who told me that they hunt without ear protection and that it's not painful on their ears when they fire, because of the adrenaline.
They may not feel it, but that doesn't mean the damage isnt done.
I dont know how many hunters actually hunt without ear protection, I have seen a few wearing ear muffs.
Soldiers usually use some kind of ear plugs on the field too. Now they do, but not always, if theres a raid on a camp or attack on a temp base, they go out without them.

So who uses guns without any ear protection?
Im thinking maybe police officers or civilians in self defense situations. I would agree with that.

Will I really not get hurt by the loud noise if I shoot a gun inside my home, inside a car or outside, even if I shoot a shotgun inside?

You may not feel pain from it due to the adrenaline at the time, but the smaller the space and the larger the charge, the louder it will be, that's simple physics. The higher the db count, the higher the risk for damage, possibly irreparable. It is highly probable that you will have damage, but its permanence is up to the body, and everyone is different.

 

[Krush1127]

Inside a house with any caliber of substantial force would hurt for days I imagine