Shooting without ear protection

[Manan]

To all of you folks that shoot without wearing hearing protection, please let me give you my card.

I have been a hearing aid dealer for 15 years and I manufacture some excellent hearing protection (ShootersEar.com). Let me give you a little advice; WEAR YOUR HEARING PROTECTION WHEN YOU SHOOT when possible.

The number one disability from a career in law enforcement or the military is hearing loss.

 

[Captain Bligh]

I spent my my early years shooting and hunting without ear protection. It did not bother me at the time. No ringing in the ears or anything nor would I have complained that it was loud or painful. By the time I hit college I was diagnosed with a high-tone hearing loss. They said it was the kind one gets from exposure to loud noises.

Now, I am a big proponent of ear protection. I wear protection at the range, using my weed eater, on the Harley, and at the race track. Hearing loss from loud noise is gradual and irreversible. You lose hearing before you think you have. Take care of your ears; they need to last you a lifetime.

 

[mtgasten]

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?

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.
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.

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

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?

I generally just get a ringing in my ears that lasts for a couple hours and then goes away. a

 

[buckstopshere]

I hunt without ear protection so I can hear everything around me. When the thunderstik goes boom, I barely notice it. Must be because of the adrenaline though cuz when I'm in the parking lot at tater bury before I get the "ears" on, I feel my who,e head rock.

Could also be the woods allows for the sound to disburse more. Dunno.

 

[9mmfan]

Before I had more than one gun, I went to many heavy metal concerts; KISS, Motley Crew, etc, and more than once I drove home with my ears ringing. The only time I shoot without hearing protection is when I shoot at a friends house who live way out in the country, and then not a lot.

 

[blamecharles]

I generally just get a ringing in my ears that lasts for a couple hours and then goes away. a

That ringing is called hearing damage, just like your skin burns for several hours after being in the sun, just like welding without hood/glasses hurts the eyes. Just be aware Tinnitus and hearing loss suck really bad. Imagine that ringing NEVER going away or hearing the buzzing of a fly ALL DAY.

 

[blamecharles]

To all of you folks that shoot without wearing hearing protection, please let me give you my card.

I have been a hearing aid dealer for 15 years and I manufacture some excellent hearing protection (ShootersEar.com). Let me give you a little advice; WEAR YOUR HEARING PROTECTION WHEN YOU SHOOT when possible.

The number one disability from a career in law enforcement or the military is hearing loss.

Any Tinnitus related items yet i know the technology is lacking so far. I have read about frequency offset type stuff, just curious.

 

[patandhisruger]

ive fired my gun three times w/o protection...inside? your ears will ring for a day or so, outside?...not that much more than a really loud firecracker inmho...

 

[Jay]

ive fired my gun three times w/o protection...inside? your ears will ring for a day or so, outside?...not that much more than a really loud firecracker inmho...

Imagine the little shooter icon in your sig line as you shooting without hearing protection.....

The little dude running in circles trying to save himself would be your hearing.....

But hey, it your hearing.....

 

[Uncle Lee]

Left ear ringing more than the right one? You shoot right handed.
It is known as "shooter's ear".
That is the ear that you will start loosing your hearing in first.
I'll soon be 70 and have been shooting most of my life, started squirrel hunting by myself before I started school.
I have lived most of my life where I could walk out the backdoor and shoot all I wanted to without worring about bothering any one and I did.
I started loading my own in the 70s and a thousand rounds a week was nothing unusal. What I carry I want to be good with so I shoot it. Not just standing there but laying in different positions and shooting at different angles. I shot a LOT.
About 8 years ago I realized that I couldn't hear things anymore.
I went to the doctor and he tested me and looked my ears over real good.
He then said "You shoot a lot without hearing protection don't you."
I asked him how he could tell.
He told me it was because of the ammount of hearing that was gone in my left ear was more than in my right one.
He then fitted me with hearing aids.
Presto! I can hear (somewhat) again.

Having hearing loss has its advantages.
If the wife is mad, turn the hearing aids off.
If you want to take a nap in the afternoon, take the hearing aids out and the Harleys running up and down the street don't keep you awake.

Of course it has its disadvantages as well.
Birds singing don't sound the same with hearing aids.
Music don't sound the same either.
If the wife likes to whisper sweet nothings in your ear after you go to bed don't take the aids out or you aren't going to hear them anymore.
You are in a movie and your aids start to whistle.... Dog gone, forgot to put new batteries in the aids.

They are your ears treat them as you wish.
Muffs ain't macho, so don't wear them.
They make real little hearing aids and no one can tell you have them in your ears.

 

[Manan]

Any Tinnitus related items yet i know the technology is lacking so far. I have read about frequency offset type stuff, just curious.

There are tinnitus maskers (Kinda like hearing aids that emit a tone equal and opposite of the tinnitus) and they work for some. Sometimes just wearing a hearing aid helps mask the tinnitus. There are also a few alternative "therapy's" that work for some.

To the young folks that think it won't happen to them, I promise you, it will. Wear good hearing protection. And to the hunters, wear electronic hearing enhancement / protection.

 

[AllenM]

Left ear ringing more than the right one? You shoot right handed.
It is known as "shooter's ear".
That is the ear that you will start loosing your hearing in first.
I'll soon be 70 and have been shooting most of my life, started squirrel hunting by myself before I started school.
I have lived most of my life where I could walk out the backdoor and shoot all I wanted to without worring about bothering any one and I did.
I started loading my own in the 70s and a thousand rounds a week was nothing unusal. What I carry I want to be good with so I shoot it. Not just standing there but laying in different positions and shooting at different angles. I shot a LOT.
About 8 years ago I realized that I couldn't hear things anymore.
I went to the doctor and he tested me and looked my ears over real good.
He then said "You shoot a lot without hearing protection don't you."
I asked him how he could tell.
He told me it was because of the ammount of hearing that was gone in my left ear was more than in my right one.
He then fitted me with hearing aids.
Presto! I can hear (somewhat) again.

Having hearing loss has its advantages.
If the wife is mad, turn the hearing aids off.
If you want to take a nap in the afternoon, take the hearing aids out and the Harleys running up and down the street don't keep you awake.

Of course it has its disadvantages as well.
Birds singing don't sound the same with hearing aids.
Music don't sound the same either.
If the wife likes to whisper sweet nothings in your ear after you go to bed don't take the aids out or you aren't going to hear them anymore.
You are in a movie and your aids start to whistle.... Dog gone, forgot to put new batteries in the aids.

They are your ears treat them as you wish.
Muffs ain't macho, so don't wear them.
They make real little hearing aids and no one can tell you have them in your ears.

+1

 

[sidewinder27]

When I shoot my pistols I always wear ear protection. But when Im shooting my long barrel shoguns I don't always. My short barreled shotguns I always wear ear protection. If Im shoot a rifle it just depends on my surroundings and what rifle Im shooting. Also when Im hunting I don't wear them. To me it depends on the barrel length and caliber. Seems like the longer the barrel the less it bothers my ears.

 

[blamecharles]

There are tinnitus maskers (Kinda like hearing aids that emit a tone equal and opposite of the tinnitus) and they work for some. Sometimes just wearing a hearing aid helps mask the tinnitus. There are also a few alternative "therapy's" that work for some.

To the young folks that think it won't happen to them, I promise you, it will. Wear good hearing protection. And to the hunters, wear electronic hearing enhancement / protection.

I am 34 and will definitely vouch for using the hearing protection. I had my ears damaged in the Army( M1A1 crewman) my Captain and I were driving back from a meeting during training when a battery of artillery went off less than 50 yards away. The HMMWV was rocked up on two wheels from the force of it and we couldn't hear each other for a good ten minutes. This along with being near the tanks really has my ears ringing/buzzing to this day. It is a constant hassle that I hope can be resolved some day but I try to preach hearing protection to anyone who will listen. You can't make it come back in the case of loss and you can't make it go away in the case of tinnitus.

 

[upchurch67]

I certainly have hearing loss from a combination of shooting without hearing protection and attending rock concerts as a young man. I am 43 and for the last 10 years everyone around me says I should have my hearing checked. I just say, "why, I know I can't hear?"

As someone with a little life experience under my belt now, it makes me cringe when I see someone shooting at the range without hearing protection. More than once, I have handed out foam plugs at the range. When deer or turkey hunting, I don't wear any, but when dove hunting, I always have foam plugs in my ears.

 

[BowhuntnHoosier]

Shot for years without protection. Then one day while shooting my S&W 686 with full power magnums my left ear was actually damaged. But not that big of a problem just a constant ringing in the left ear nowadays. I usually wear protection now but still occassionally shoot without. Never wear protection while hunting. I am not at all concerned about it if I were in a self defense situation. I always make sure others have protection though.

 

[JNG]

I have shot a pistol without ear protection on two occasions. Both times were physically painful.

I take shots hunting without ear protection, and, like the OP said, never notice any pain, or ringing, or any other effect. I wear muffs when using these same guns in practice.

 

[Earl Sinclair]

I have read many reports of people who fired in self-defense and had no memory of the sound of the shot afterwards (very few know how many shots they fired, either). The fact that the adrenaline/stress response blocked the memory of the noise did nothing to protect their ears from the sound. Experiencing the noise of gunfire (or any other loud noises) without hearing protection is to be avoided whenever possible. As has been mentioned before, noise does not have to reach the threshold of pain to cause permanent damage.

The audiologist who made my ear plugs for work recommends wearing plugs and muffs together to maximize protection from the concussion/sound pressure of gunshots. I've used this method (with electronic muffs) at the range and in rifle class this past summer and highly recommend it.

All that being said, if I find myself in a situation where firing in self-defense is justified, I'm not going to hesitate because I don't have hearing protection.

 

[Booshie]

I usually wear hearing protection when I'm out plinking around, and the noise level definitely gets my ears ringing. Although, when I'm out hunting, I've never worn any type of hearing protection and the noise doesn't even seem to bother my ears, and I don't even recall experiencing any recoil (even 3.5" magnum turkey loads). It's got to be an adrenaline thing, so I would think in a serious situation, you would have massive amounts of adrenaline rushing through your body and you wouldn't even notice the shots.

 

[climber409]

Learned the hard way 20+ years ago.Always wear hear protection.