Shooting without hearing protection?

I use ear plugs when duck or phesant hunting. Now I have a number of pairs of the AO Safety, valved earplugs for hunting. When not shooting there is very little noise blockage and they provide reasonable protection.

I had one person say they don't wear earplugs when bird hunting because they can't hear anything. I am willing to bet that after 1 or 2 shots I can hear a whole lot better with my earplugs than he can.

Indoors or with large centerfire rifle, I always double plug and make my kids do the same. Always buy, and wear, the best muffs you can.
 
You only go deaf once, so why even take the chance?

Having lost a bit of high freq from childhood firecracker pranks, and blank cartridge engagements in the army... I never take a chance any more!

Usually it's plugs and muffs for me!

Although, being married, it sometimes is a convenient excuse to ignore SWMBO!!

;)

Neal
 
windsor said:
This means my Comtac (rated at 19dB NRR) won't do the trick? :confused:
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30 dB NRR is the best I've been able to find (the muffs cost $60). For 22LR, those might be ok, but as Darren said, 27 dB is the minimum. I find this page explains best the differences between different sound intensities: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question124.htm

Basically, you start to incur damage at 85dB and above for long exposures and 115 dB for short exposures(link). If the gun you are firing emits sound at 130 dB and you use 30dB muffs, you hear 100 dB, which is below the 115 dB threshold.

I remember someone on AR15.com measured how loud a 11.5" AR is: 150dB. Not something I would want to shoot every day.
 
I made the mistake of shooting my first gun (a 12 gauge shotgun) without hearing protection at the age of 18, and I'll never do it again. Anyone who regularly shoots without hearing protection is a complete idiot, in my opinion.

As many on this thread have already said, you only go deaf once and hearing damage is cumulative over time. I always double up on my hearing protection - plugs and muffs for anything over .22 caliber.
 
The first time I got my .45 I couldent wait to try it out so I drove out to the range and realized me ear muffs were in my dads truck... I figured Oh well, I just wanna try it out... bad idea. I fired a shot and my ears were absolutly ringing. Went home after that... actually I put an ATV helmet on and fired a few more, looked pretty goofy though lol
 
I think we all have done this at one time or another. I had my regular fall hearing test a couple of years ago at work the day after a great evening at the range. Even with the muffs on there was a noticeable drop in my hearing that was questioned by the tech. Don't remember what the drop was but they were quite surprised. If I remember right the next test was back the range of the base line test that I had.

I always have a couple sets of muffs in the truck now as well as a handful of the foam plugs in the glove box. I have had to lend out on many occasions to guys who show up without any hearing protection at all and with their kids.
 
kirill said:
30 dB NRR is the best I've been able to find (the muffs cost $60). For 22LR, those might be ok, but as Darren said, 27 dB is the minimum. I find this page explains best the differences between different sound intensities: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question124.htm

Basically, you start to incur damage at 85dB and above for long exposures and 115 dB for short exposures(link). If the gun you are firing emits sound at 130 dB and you use 30dB muffs, you hear 100 dB, which is below the 115 dB threshold.

I remember someone on AR15.com measured how loud a 11.5" AR is: 150dB. Not something I would want to shoot every day.
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Start looking into industrial sector providers. Any of them easily carry a huge assortment of different styles, plugs with different types of fittings and such. Highest I believe at the moment is in around 33 rating. If you likes plugs, disposable plugs in boxes of 200 can be had at under 20bucks(which I think are probably better than reuseable...how many times do you want to stick that piece in your ear?)
 
Ask your friends why I am wearing hearing aids? The answer is we used cotton batten on the range when I served in the US Army. My audiologist told me one time at the range without muffs can do it. Regards, Richard :D
 
richardoldfield said:
Ask your friends why I am wearing hearing aids? The answer is we used cotton batten on the range when I served in the US Army. My audiologist told me one time at the range without muffs can do it. Regards, Richard :D
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Sounds familiar, we used to use cigarette butts, break off the filters, use them, smokes are cheap right??? Course, I never wore plugs in theater, but losing your hearing is the least of your worries....
 
since they had been shooting skeet all day without any ear protection they, of course, made fun of me when I walked over wearing my big peltors
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Well, seeing as a 12ga meters at around 155 dB, your friends are doing permanent damage to their ears with each shot. So who looks dumb now? The only gun even close to being safe to shoot without hearing protection is the lowly .22 rimfire rifle.
 
some .22 as a kid. I have forgotten to put my muffs on a few times at the range as its declared 'hot' .223,.357,.45 seems to be the first thing to go bang when I do...ouch! I have a spare set of muffs and 6 ear plugs I offer to those who I see with out ear protection (meh..I need all the good karma I can get). Not only is it stupid to use them but down right painfull! The shock wave/blast knocks ya sideways...
 
I have shot without hearing protection to see what a rifle and pistol sounded like in their full fury... That being done I will never do it again. My ears rung for a day and a half. No hearing protection is crazy talk!:eek:
 
I prefer good quality earplugs to muffs but I've heard recently that much of the ambient sound of gunfire etc is absorbed and transmitted to the ear's working parts through the bones (the skull) surrounding the ear. Therefore although plugs reduce the "heard damage" there is still significant damage being done. Sort of like the explaination of "felt recoil".

Muff style protection (heheh sounds kinky :cool: ) actually provides a protective shield to the skull surrounding the ear and better protects your hearing. Anyone familiar with high tech radio headsets using bone conductive/throat mikes and headphones would agree that this is valid.

I have not yet bought a set of peltors or similar muffs but will soon. They are expensive but give you the best of both worlds. I do not see the cost benefit in spending thousands now on pimped gun parts when I can avoid risking my hearing permanently for a few hundred bucks.
 
Our most valueable tools to communicate with the outside world - hearing and eye sight. Once they are damage, there is no way to restore them back to 100% normal. When compare to wear hearing aids, to put on a ear muff during a shooting session is not uncomfortable.
 
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