Ringing ears. fuuu

[cement head]

Thanks for the reassurance.

I'll check out your EE post. I'm a little low on funds right noiw though. Silly college!

edit: Gotta say though, that was the loudest thing I've ever heard in my life. Cant wait to hear a .50 cal (jk)

Not to sound rude but if your just in College and you never had any ringing in your ears before then it will likely go away. try many years of shooting and driving a large truck with the window down and Mega rock concerts and lots of parties. next time your buddy shoots something off and doesn't wait till you have your hearing protection on give him a piece of your mind . or slap him one up side the head. if your shooting in doors put ear plugs in and Muffs also . double up .

[kodiakjack]

For the price, foam plugs perform very well. But they’re slow to put in, and slow to take out. Pretty annoying if you’re trying to talk to someone after every few shots.

Muffs are great for usability, (easy off and on), but their performance drops off when using them over thick glasses frames, facial hair, side burns etc.

My favorite way, is to put foam plugs under “game ear” type muffs. “Game ear” muffs go on sale all the time at places like TSC and crappy tire. Basically, they’re ear muffs with several microphones on the outside that feed speakers on the inside. The premise being that you can hear people talking, but loud shots will clipped by the mics. The catch 22, is that all that “stuff” going on in the muff means less room for insulation, and overall sihtty performance when blocking sound.

But combining them with foam plugs gives you great noise abatement, while having little speakers just outside you foam plugs that allows your co-shooters to talk at normal volumes, and you can hear them clear as day without removing the plugs or muffs.

I think I paid about 40 bucks for my cheapy pair of game ears when they were on sale.

[yomomma]

I have had ringing in my ear since doing stage security for Teenage Head back in the day.(partially def in one ear....mind you AC/DC concert didnt help)

Latest development is I hear cicada noises in the night.

Protect your hearing!!!!

Gets worse the older you get and they havent figured out how to fix it yet.

[Odinson]

Years of air tools in auto shops did in my hearing. Ear plugs/muffs were not a "thing" in the 60s and 70s. I'm surprised that you can't hear the ringing from where you are sitting. Never goes away .......... just gets louder.

[metalbender]

And yet NCIS and FIVE-O have small wars in buildings and all is normal conversation afterwards. Mention this to people, they don't understand. Made the mistake of answering my cell on the line, lifting one earpiece. Guy beside me fired a .40 cal, bad frickin" idea on my part. Lesson learned.

[kodiakjack]

And yet NCIS and FIVE-O have small wars in buildings and all is normal conversation afterwards. Mention this to people, they don't understand. Made the mistake of answering my cell on the line, lifting one earpiece. Guy beside me fired a .40 cal, bad frickin" idea on my part. Lesson learned.

Yeah, I feel like all the major directors in Hollywood should be taken into a small room without ear pro, then have someone fire one shot from a popular Hollywood pistol. We would see a little more realism portrayed in movies after that methinks.

[Tecktic]

Be mindful of the damage to your hearing from ear plugs alone. The mastoid bone that sits just behind our ear contains hairs that assist in our hearing and ear plugs alone do not protect that area. Continued elevated noise levels to this area will damage the function of the mastoid and degrade your hearing. Full over/behind ear protection should be your minimum with additional ear plugs for the louder days. Those that shoot black powder and high caliber already know to double up.

I do agree that the electronic ear protectors are a great option. Spent the extra couple of bucks and buy a comfortable set so there is no need to remove them even under safe range conditions. That way you never forget to put them back on before the next round goes down range. As a long time range safety officer at our club it has been a bit of a mandate to see that we all protect our hearing as best we can, cuz once we lose it .............

[jibistewart]

Never ever fire without taking proper precautions. You may face loss of hearing!

[antiqueguy]

it should go away 1 round may not do anything long term I have tinnitus not from shooting but from being in a auto body shop pretty much since I could walk no one wore much of any personal protection back in the day till about 10 years ago when it became mandatory

[N Wansbutter Esq]

Electronic earmuffs are worth every penny IMO. Considering how much firearms cost, a good pair is not very expensive. I use Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Pro Sound Amplification Electronic Earmuff ($81 on amazon.ca) and have been very happy with them. You can have regular conversations and hear range commands when on a course, but they dampen the gunshots nicely.

Reading this thread I realize I am very lucky I didn't get serious damage to my hearing when in the army. We were only issued those cheap/ineffective orange foam earplugs that basically did nothing.