Dealing with short-barrel loudness. At the range and IRL? KevinB?

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kirill

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Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of hearing a 10" AR15 fire at a shooting range. I was wearing muffs and I still cringed a little bit from the noise. I realize that when I eventually buy one of my own, I'll have to double-plug, but how is the issue of noise resolved outside the shooting range?

KevinB, you said in your posts that you and people you work with use Sig552s, short-barrel M4s etc. How do you deal with the noise when out in the field?
Do you always have suppressors on those guns, or do you install a krinkov flash hider where possible?
What if you have to fire from inside a car?
How do the military and PMCs in general resolve the issue of loud firearms?

Do you wear any sort of hearing protection?
 
I always find the noise of these guns is a lot louder when you're beside them insead of behind them. Still, when someone shows up at the range with a brake'd rifle or a shorty, I'll put plugs and muffs on, and move a few benches away if possible
 
And it's even worse when you're doing advanced drills and are standing to the front :eek: (but not in front ;) ) of one
 
There are several methods to counter the sound of short carbines,the most common are custom fit or quality electronic hearing protection which are worn constantly. Both can be integrated into comms systems.
This is ideal but not the norm as contacts happen anywhere at any time. The bodies stress reaction includes auditory exclusion,it allows you to experience loud noises often without hearing them, but still does damage.
I have been involved in several firefights where 5.56mm,7.62mm, 25mm,and anti tank rockets were being fired yet was unaffected by the noise or blast from the weapons.A couple of days of slight ringing in the ears was the only effect,although I haven't had my hearing checked since. The body when under stress can do amazing things.

For range practices where the stress levels are not a high I just use fitted ear plugs thye work fine
 
Reaper said:
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Have you ever had to fire a firearm indoors or in a car with or without hearing protection?

I read somewhere that the human ear experiences 150dB of noise when firing a 11.5" carbine, so I would imagine it would take out a lot of hearing. How loud is the 25mm compared to the 5.56 and 7.62?
 
Reaper said:
A couple of days of slight ringing in the ears was the only effect,although I haven't had my hearing checked since.
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That ringing CAN mean the end of being able to hear that frequency. Good that it was slight but not a free ride by any means.

You should get your hearing checked for two reasons...1. like many things, early detection of problems offers more treatment options and 2. OH&S claims.

jl
 
kirill said:
Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of hearing a 10" AR15 fire at a shooting range. I was wearing muffs and I still cringed a little bit from the noise. I realize that when I eventually buy one of my own, I'll have to double-plug, but how is the issue of noise resolved outside the shooting range?

KevinB, you said in your posts that you and people you work with use Sig552s, short-barrel M4s etc. How do you deal with the noise when out in the field?
Do you always have suppressors on those guns, or do you install a krinkov flash hider where possible?
What if you have to fire from inside a car?
How do the military and PMCs in general resolve the issue of loud firearms?

Do you wear any sort of hearing protection?
Click to expand...

We're issued Comtacs and you wear them at all times when on the road.
 
They ARE ear protection. You can get them with comms setup too but I found the clipping to be annoying. You miss out on important verbal info from the people around you when someone is on the net. I run my radio with a speaker mic seperate from my Comtac2s.
 
I wear SwatTacs and also use an internal plug rated for 29dbb when I shoot my 10.5 inside. Try and enjoy the 7.5 as well its much louder. BTW, plugs alone can still result in hearing loss due to mastic bone damage. Double up when shooting the loud stuff. Outdoors is less of an issue.

I would think letting a shortie rip full auto in say a stairwell indoors with no protection would be the permanent end of somebodies hearing for good.
 
kirill said:
Have you ever had to fire a firearm indoors or in a car with or without hearing protection?

I read somewhere that the human ear experiences 150dB of noise when firing a 11.5" carbine, so I would imagine it would take out a lot of hearing. How loud is the 25mm compared to the 5.56 and 7.62?
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Yes I have..it hurt..alot, but had to be done. The 5.56mm and 7.62mm don't even come close to the 25mm as far as noise and blast.
 
Krink works great on the range, however it's 12 months out of fashion so your range buddies may laugh at you. :D

Love mine, looks great and really cuts the noise/concussion :rockOn:
 
Big_Red said:
They ARE ear protection. You can get them with comms setup too but I found the clipping to be annoying. You miss out on important verbal info from the people around you when someone is on the net. I run my radio with a speaker mic seperate from my Comtac2s.
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What about GameEar and similar electronic ear-plugs? Anyone use those?
 
kirill said:
Have you ever had to fire a firearm indoors or in a car with or without hearing protection?
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14" barrel 12 gauge firing 3" magnums in a 10x8 foot room. It wasn't so much the sound that hurt as it was the concussion from the muzzle blast bouncing off the walls. Imagine being punched in the head from every angle. That hurt.

And then I did it again in a hallway.
 
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I try to hit the range in the middle of the week when no one is there, just because shooting the SIG CQB, shorty AR is so obnoxious!:D I feel sorry for the guys shooting next to me at our outdoor range. The firing line is covered and there are plywood dividers between each stall that seem to amplify the noise. Doesn't affect me that much, but the poor guy trying to shoot tiny groups with his target rifle two stalls over is almost crying.:eek: You get to feel like a proper tool when doing any amount of shooting with them...but I can't stop, there so much darn fun!:D

A couple of years back, I made the dumb mistake of firing off a round from the AR while I had one muff tucked behind my ear. Didn't make that mistake again! The noise actually made me physically sick it was that loud. One of the major drawbacks to covered firing lines. Its true what they say though...experience is the best teacher!:D I make damn sure I NEVER even pick up a firearm that I'm preparing to shoot without first making sure the muffs are firmly on!:) I can't imagine how much damage you'd do to your hearing firing any firearm, let alone a shorty AR/CQB inside an enclosed area or vehicle.
 
Reaper said:
For range practices where the stress levels are not a high I just use fitted ear plugs thye work fine
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Ear plugs will dull the sound but you will still get vibrations through your skull that can damage your hearing permanently.

Comtac's are the way to go. Dual inputs are even better, rig 'em into your comms on one input and an ipod on the other :)
 
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