A note to my fellow shooters

[Butch]

When I was a kid ( about 40 years before Moses left Egypt ) we shot 22's every day & lots of them . Never shot much of any thing larger til I got drafted into Unc's army but my hearing was damaged beyond hope . I can't, quite literaly , hear it thunder now.
Use the protection , even for 22 rifles, they will destroy your hearing.

 

[King]

"Hearing" you guys loud and clear........protect your ears!

 

[dairycreek]

Dont' just "gloss over" this thread!

I can't tell you how many of my friend who are now in what is euphemistically called "later life" suffer from impared hearing. Each have a common story. That is, when they were faced with situations (shooting, loud work space, etc.) and had the opportunity to wear ear protection ----- and didn't!! Now they are sorry --- really sorry. Protect your hearing!! Good shooting

 

[dairycreek]

Dont' just "gloss over" this thread!

I can't tell you how many of my friends who are now in, what is euphemistically called "later life", suffer from impared hearing. Each has a common story. That is, when they were faced with situations (shooting, loud work space, etc.) and had the opportunity to wear ear protection ----- and didn't!! Now they are sorry --- really sorry. Protect your hearing!! Good shooting

 

[jrhines]

Go into any pro-music store that caters to rock musicians and you will see a large selection of ear protection. Look carefully at any performing musician surrounded by big speakers, and you will notice they are wearing them, especially the older guys. I saw my cousins go deaf from working with chainsaws and poaching deer (meat in the pot). My stepdad is almost stone deaf from a cabinet shop...I wear ear protection in my shop, outdoors working, on the range, never without 'em. Gave my son my good pair of electronic muffs, he shoots more than me!

J.Rhines
Seneca, MD

 

[whoami]

hehehe....if I had a choice, I'd prefer to have done it by shooting.....

I have a consistent slight ringing noise in my ears, enough so that with much background noise (like, say, at a cocktail party) I tend to not hear clearly higher pitched voices. And how did this wonderful event occur?

When I was 19 or 20 (26 now), my family was boarding a plane in Europe. We were flying to somewhere else in the same local, and it was a somewhat older plane...the one's where you can get on from the front, or from a stairwell that drops from the tail of the plane. It's engines were not on the wings but extended outward from the sides of the tail. Well, here I am, stuck with most of the family luggage...two bags in each hand and my own heavy backpack. They decided to board the plane from the rear...RIGHT IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO RUNNING ENGINES!!! I had no way of covering my ears, and they hurt like hell for about 3 days following. Ever since then I've had the noise........

If I'm outdoor, I do with a pair of muffs (31db)...indoor it's always double up with plugs and muffs. I figure I got off rather lucky, and I don't want to make things worse.

 

[NewShooter78]

Ever since I was a young aspiring musician I have more than not worn hearing protection. I always remembered the stories from famous older musicians that wished that they had worn some form of hearing protection back in the 60's and 70's but didn't because it just didn't look cool. I'm glad that I heeded their warnings. When I got into shooting it didn't take me long to buy my own set of "ears" after going to the range and not liking the one's that were there because they didn't cancel out enough noise. I don't even listen to the music in my car that loud, and reprimand my friends who try and turm my stereo up louder than I allow. They always tell me you can't hear the music as well when it is at a low volume, and I say no, you just can't hear it anymore because you've always listened to it too loud.

And ditto on the eye protection as well. After reading enough stories on TFL about bullet fragments coming back at people, I'm not going to take that chance either. But then again all the ranges I've been to absolutely do not allow you to shoot without both eye and ear protection.

 

[10-Ring]

Great advice! I have met many who have some level of hearing loss from either shooting or loud music (mostly the latter). I am currently trying to train my 15 y/o son to wear ear plugs at the music events he attends...shows, practices, etal.

 

[NewShooter78]

10-Ring

If your son feels a bit embarrassed, one of my old teachers told me that you can cut the foam ear plugs in half if they stick out too far and they should still be effective. Plus there are custom molded ear plugs that greatly reduce dbl levels even more than regular foam earplugs, but they do cost quite a bit more. Since your son is probably still growing these might not be the best choise for another couple of years, but it is probably worth consulting a hearing specialist about to get some price quotes on them.

 

[PATH]

Plugs and muffs. I have been told that muffs are necessary because the mastoid process has a hand in hearing. I double up all the time because hearing is a gift that can be lost forever.

 

[KMKeller]

My boy wears hearing protection to shoot his Red Ryder... mostly I think it's so he looks like dad , but it's a good habit to get into.

 

[Russ]

HIPOWER,

Sorry you had to learn that lesson the way you did. I've double up on the plugs and muffs for years. I guess I can thank my Father for that. I'm 47 and he taught me to protect my hearing when I was first starting out.

Sure hope they find a cure for tinitus soon. Lots of hard core rock and rollers have developed the same problem. I have heard interviews with a number of people with it and it sure sucks.

 

[MR.G]

When I was young, I shot a lot without hearing or eye protection. Now I have some hearing loss and ringing in my ears, probably partly due to shooting. Now I tell anyone who says that they want to try shooting that the first thing to do is to buy a very good set of shooting glasses and hearing protectors. Until then, don't fire a shot. The price of the best hearing and eye protection is a lot less than the cheapest doctors.

 

[Jesse H]

I cannot agree more.

When I first started out I was using those foam disposable ones that work quite well. Then I realized I was shooting more often so I went and bought some re-useable earplugs.

For a long while my shooting never improved. I flinched alot despite dry-firing fairly often.

Finally got a set of good Peltor muffs. Groups really did tighten down.

 

[Jesse H]

I cannot agree more.

When I first started out I was using those foam disposable ones that work quite well. Then I realized I was shooting more often so I went and bought some re-useable earplugs.

For a long while my shooting never improved. I flinched alot despite dry-firing fairly often.

Finally got a set of good Peltor muffs. Groups really did tighten down.

 

[mnealtx]

I was born with a high frequency loss (was 3 months premature). I don't recall a time in my life where I DIDN'T have tinitus.

Growing up shooting a .22 rifle, always had some sort of plugs, usually those wax things. Always use plugs or muffs at the range. Still, due to on-the-job noise I've lost a bit more. (no way to "plug up" when equipment alarms are, to me, faint beeps - I'd never hear them plugged!)

I'm now trying to get information about hearing aids with the suppressor circuitry built in. Won't help with noise at work, but I can turn the volume down then.

One of the first things I taught my daughter when she started shooting was that EVERYONE wears "eyes and ears" - and she makes sure that we all have them on when we leave the gunshop to head to the firing lanes. Now that she's getting even more into music, I'm going to have her start wearing plugs along with the muffs.

<edited to correct bonehead spelling errors>