Protect Them Ears!

[parson]

I've read a lot of threads about new shooters being discouraged by their initial encounter with firearms. In my experience, and observation, good hearing protection goes a long way in taking away the perceived recoil, especially with handguns.

My wife, son, daughter and granddaughter all have gone from 22s to shooting a S&W 629 44 mag, and I know that without proper "ears" they never would have developed much interest in shooting. The girls still prefer the smaller calibers, but the "fear factor" has been overcome.

Also, because of my own experience with the above mentioned 44 mag, without proper protection, my left ear is continually playing a one note song!

Just my own PSA contribution to the site.

 

[ballisticmike]

i have some low profile electronic ears rated NNR 22 which is ok if on a range with smaller calibers or whatever. But if there a cannon beside me, or if i plan on being there a long time i'll double up and put in some Howard Leight MAX disposable plugs. They have the highest NRR rating in my resaerch , at NRR 33. They are blaze orange, cheap, very soft and comfortable.. easy to roll up.

 

[RH822-A]

Once the ringing starts, it never goes away. My ringing started at 18 because I missed a Fire Mission call on an 8" howitzer. At 47 my hearing loss is significant and getting worse every year.

 

[reno]

huh????What???? Ringing is pretty much constant, Too many loud bangs, some practically next to my ears, Sometimes, depending on the pitch, everything is a roar,
Wear the hearing protection, every time.
Great post,

 

[INyooper]

Herring protection??? Why protect yourself against herring? I could see piranha or barracuda even, but herri ....oh, you said hearing protection! Oh, yeah, I can see that. Good advice!

I think I'm doing fairly well, even for standing in front of a bass amp and surrounded by drums and guitar amps for the past <gasp> three decades. Shooting at the range, I do use a pair of foam plugs along with a pair of Howard Leights electric muffs. Not only do the HL's add sound suppression, they also amplify the ambient sound, which counter-acts the plugs to some level when no one is shooting.

I did catch the sound of a .45 going off a few feet from my head without a plug in my right ear some time ago. Wow ...being outside, it was loud enough; can't imagine how loud that would be inside a room with no hearing protection (ie. a situation those who carry might find themselves in someday).

 

[SSGSAD]

Once the ringing starts, it never goes away. My ringing started at 18 because I missed a Fire Mission call on an 8" howitzer. At 47 my hearing loss is significant and getting worse every year.

Diesel engines, turbo whinning, gunfire, all of it causes loss, or ringing, I wish someone, would answer that darn phone !!!!! HUH, what ?????

 

[IndyBeerman]

I just bought a new set of Howard Leight's model #R-01526 through Amazon for a mere $35.99 rated at I think NPR-22 to replace my Caldwells, and if the noise reduction is not enough I can switch over to my old conventional Howard Leights rated at a NPR of I think 33 (they knock to much darn noise down to hear commands).

 

[tenring]

Once the ringing starts, it never goes away. My ringing started at 18 because I missed a Fire Mission call on an 8" howitzer. At 47 my hearing loss is significant and getting worse every year.

A blast from the past when you were just 4 yrs. old, started with tinnitus, and then gradual hearing loss.Finally filed for hearing loss with the VA, now have a set of hearing aids that make a huge difference in not being subjected to the ringing noise so much, and my hearing has improved greatly. No longer have to have the TV blasting and having the other half jumping my case about how loud the boob tube is. And it put me into Category 3 with the VA, and will save me a ton of money in the coming years as far as Medical bills are concerned. Do you have a hearing test after the incident? Is it on your Medical Records that you "sought" treatment? New studies have shown that your sinuses can be effected big time by blast waves from an explosion by basically collapsing the sinus walls. Read this and see what you think. I just found this a few weeks ago and will be taking a copy to an ENT appointment at the VA hospital in a couple of weeks. http://www.issiraq.org/Airconataining_Cavities_Blast_Implosion_Injuries.pdf

HTH

 

[Dwight D]

When I started working on the ranges in the USMC I was always careful to wear hearing protection and still am very careful about this when shooting or at work. So far at age 48 my hearing tests within normal limits al though I can tell it is not as sharp as it used to be. I am a big fan of the roll up foam plugs and usually have a pair or two in my pockets.

 

[Ash]

Yes, hearing protection is a plus for me also. I use earplugs when mowing the grass, on the range of course, and if I need to beat the hell out of something with my 4 pound hammer (auto repair, home remodeling, etc.) Most of the time I use the foam plugs at the range. But, for the bigger stuff I use my Peltor Ultimate 10 Earmuffs. They are NRR 30 dB. I like.

Cheers

 

[Bunnykid68]

Yes, hearing protection is a plus for me also. I use earplugs when mowing the grass, on the range of course, and if I need to beat the hell out of something with my 4 pound hammer (auto repair, home remodeling, etc.) Most of the time I use the foam plugs at the range. But, for the bigger stuff I use my Peltor Ultimate 10 Earmuffs. They are NRR 30 dB. I like.

Cheers

+1 for this post. Most people do not even think about hearing protection when using mowers, weedeaters, and chainsaws.

 

[ballisticmike]

+1 for this post. Most people do not even think about hearing protection when using mowers, weedeaters, and chainsaws.

same "hear"... i even wear them when im riding offroad bikes. the pipes on most of these nowadays is 94db, some over 100. At the end of a full day of riding i will feel less fatigued if i wear plugs. Heres another one- movie theaters.. .some of those damn commercials.. SO bloody LOUD.. i hate that
however, my 1000 watt truck stereo is my own doing

 

[Sylvain]

I agree, ear protection are very important for any shooter and especially new shooters if you want them to come back to the range.
I wear ear protection for any caliber, including .22LR.
Just as important is eyes protection.
It's quite rare that I see people being introduced to firearms wearing BOTH ears and eyes protection.
Well maybe not rare but quite often I see them wearing no protection at all or just half the protections needed.

 

[Leo]

I have hearing damage and ringing in my ears. I even wear ear plugs on my motorcycle. My mufflers are very quiet, but the constant wind noise can hurt you also. Good luck

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

I have some mid range loss and it was long before I started shooting.
Concerts
Motorcycling
Lawn mowing
All regular activities through High School and College and I wasn't smart about wearing plugs. Now I dowhen doing anything that's noisy, including all the above items. Problem = it's too late.
The best thing that could have happened to me would have been an early education. I never got it.
I'm glad to see folks on INGO spreading the word.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Yes, hearing protection is a plus for me also. I use earplugs when mowing the grass, on the range of course, and if I need to beat the hell out of something with my 4 pound hammer (auto repair, home remodeling, etc.) Most of the time I use the foam plugs at the range. But, for the bigger stuff I use my Peltor Ultimate 10 Earmuffs. They are NRR 30 dB. I like.

Cheers

When I bought our current house the walk behind was not going to work mowing 1.2 acres so I purchased a ZTR that was very loud, even with a good exhaust.

So I had some older model Peltor Bullseye 7's that basically sat in the safe because I was using a much quieter set of Howard Leight's rated at 31db reduction, so I took the Peltor's and did a little modifying to put speakers in them.

So I cannibalized an old set of headphones and installed speakers in them by drilling 2 holes on the bottom and 1 on the top of the right side, 1 hole on the top of the left side, ran the wires through and soldered the connections and viola, a great set of rugged noise stopping headphones.

This knocked out much more noise than the AO Safety WorkTunes AM/FM headset I bought to initially use and I listen to pod casts of the Greg Garrison show or the Bob and Tom Show when mowing, because I'm not in a hurry, it's a relaxing time for me and I want to enjoy the peace by myself.

BTW, in the last pic the speaker looks like it's right on the ear when wearing them, it is not, it sits in far enough that it never touches and can be comfortably worn with sunglasses because of the snug fit that the Peltors create.

The biggest factor when wearing ear protection is making sure that the foam is fully compressed (or expanded for internal ear) when wearing headsets to prevent sound leakage, other wise you just bought expensive head decorations to dangle about and impress people.

 

[Rollerman]

I realize this thread is old, but searching tinnitus here, brought me here.

As my log on name suggests I'm a roller operator on an asphalt crew.
Even though I wear hearing protection the high frequency vibes on the bigger rollers get to your ears after being in the seat 10-12 hour days all summer.
When you spool up the vibrators it feels like your ears are floating away from your head.

It's been awhile since I've been exposed to any loud noise, but recentley (3 weeks or so) my left ear has started ringing as if there is a cicada bug inside of it.
I've gone to my regular Dr who refered me to a specialist & I have a hearing test/exam scheduled, but won't be till the 11th of April.

Any tips or advice on how to tone down the ringing a bit.
Sleeping is getting to be a bit difficult

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Hard to convince the yutes to protect it while they have it. My ears have been through some stuff; right eardrum was replaced due to damage from infections. I've used muffs a lot, been laughed at, but I can at least hear them laughing. I do wish I'd put in for a patent on the electronic ones 30 years ago when I thought of it.

 

[Footfighter]

I learned my lesson last weekend on Sunday when I went shooting with friends. I started shooting without any ear protection with my Springfield 1911 45 and man shooting that was so loud. My ears were ringing for 3 days after. Ear protection is a must for me now, I don't want to ruin my hearing.

 

[dubsac]

Cheapo foam plugs for me