shooting without ear protection at the range

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I WOULD NEVER shoot at the range without hearing AND approved eye protection in my case foam plugs.


After you wear em for awhile you get used to em, heck I can and have slept in the things and even the most basic foam plugs will offer better noise reduction than all but the most expensive muffs.

In fact I'm not a fan of muffs at all for shooting as the safety glasses I mention above dramatically compromise their effectiveness.


Tapatalk post via IPhone.
 
Plugs and headphones....ALWAYS. I like my Peltor Tactical 6S headset. Easily talk to those around me,but with them and plugs pretty good protection,too.
 
I forgot my earmuffs one time, shot 20 rounds through my Mosin anyways. That thing is LOUD.

Ears were ringing after first shot, didn't hear too much after that. My hearing was OK though. I have done more damage to my hearing from impact guns and air hammers in an enclosed mechanic shop environment than from firearms. But I try to still wear the earmuffs (if I remember them!).
 
I've done it before but not extensively, and NEVER underneath any kind of overhead covering or a confined area. Shooting out in the open vs. shooting under an aluminum shelter or indoor range are two very different things.

If earmuffs make it hard to shoot or just feel funny, use ear plugs.
 
No, I would absolutely not shoot without ear pro at the range.

If you want to, I guess it is your body to destroy as you see fit. Just make sure you come back and update us in a year or two to tell us what you think then.
 
Ears were ringing after first shot, didn't hear too much after that. My hearing was OK though.
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I am not a doctor, but if your ears rang after the first shot, and then you shot an additional 19 rounds? You did some damage, friend. You may not notice it now, but you will. Hearing damage is cumulative, not immediate. Also, you are probably right that you have done damage with the industrial noise.
 
Ear plugs AND headphones together!

I'm a professional musician. The ringing in my ears from being stupid in my teens SUCKS!

What really bothers me has happened several times at the range where I shoot. Idiot parents bringing their little kids to the shooting range without hearing protection. They kids are uncomfortable and holding their ears while the parents tell them, "it's just a gun! Get used to it."

About a month ago one such brilliant mind made his little 8-year-old-looking scrawny boy walk up to the target and shoot his .45 acp. Gun kicked back and kit the kid in the nose! Crying commenced. What did they THINK would happen???
 
Never. I almost always wear plugs and muffs when shooting, regardless of whether I'm required to or not. I think pretty much the only way I would shoot without hearing protection were if the consequences of not shooting were worse than hearing damage.

Going without hearing protection while shooting isn't nearly as benign as, say, riding a bicycle around the neighborhood without a helmet. The odds of a traumatic brain injury while riding a bike helmetless are very, very low (not much different from the risk of walking helmetless), but the risk of hearing damage from shooting without muffs or plugs is close to 100%. You won't lose all your hearing all at once, but you will lose some of it each time, and eventually you'll miss it.

If you have trouble with traditional earmuffs, try good earplugs. Or try some slimline earmuffs rather than the big blocky ones (I personally like the Peltor "Shotgunner" series).

http://www.amazon.com/PELTOR-BULLS-EYE-SHOTGUNNER-BLACK-PEL97011/dp/B004D9S0IS
http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-97011-Shotgunner-Hearing-Protector/dp/B0002INNUO
 
I would never shoot at a public range without plugs and/or muffs and I only shoot at my ranges without using (some) suppressors. With all of the choices of muffs, foam plugs and custom molded plugs you just don't have any argument as to why not.
 
Hearing damage nearly ruined my career in the Army before it really even started. Ear pro is a no-brainer for me.
 
Re: bike helmets, I should clarify that I always wear a helmet trail riding, when you're going pretty fast in proximity to trees and such, as well as when commuting (traffic, drain grates, etc). But pedaling around a typical neighborhood, the risk of head injury is statistically about the same on a per-mile basis as the risk of head injury while walking (car hitting pedestrian, pedestrian tripping, etc.).

I think helmets are more important when someone is first starting out on a bike, as their risk of crashing is much higher. My daughter (age 10) always wears one, but I probably won't make her wear one when she's 17 or whatever unless we're trail riding or riding in traffic/etc.
 
Pay now or pay later...

i have a hard time shooting with ear protection at the range because the muffs feel weird on my ears
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And if, through cumulative damage, one ends up wearing hearing devices, one ends up with something in or over one's ears, anyway. And that would be everyday for the rest of one's life.

Take your pick, live with it.

MR2
 
http://www.thehighroad.org/member.php?u=159400
Michael R.
shooting without ear protection at the range
hello,
i just have a quick question for all to answer. if you could, would you shoot without ear protection at the range? i have a hard time shooting with ear protection at the range because the muffs feel weird on my ears. so, if you had the choice, would you shoot without ear protection at the range?
Click to expand...

What was that again???

I inadvertantly shot a 22LR round w/o hearing protection (1st shot at the outdoor range) and my ears rang for a good 10 minutes. Don't wear muffs if it's uncomfortable (and hot). Ear plugs are more than sufficient for outdoors. Some of the better ear plugs do ok indoors too.
 
Well because of my foolisness when young I now wear $3000.00 worth of aids in my ears.

I suggest you wear plugs and muffs, but then they are your ears.
 
Absolutely not. I value my hearing. Even with all of my attempts to save it, in my late 30's it's going due to shooting and being around a lot of machinery and power tools, lawn mowing, etc. I try to wear ear pro now all the time around stuff.

I made the mistake of once touching off some .357s in the woods without ear pro. It was actually painful. Will never voluntarily do that again.

You can shoot with ear muffs if you just learn. And there are also foam plugs available.

The REAL question should be what people plan to do in a home defense shooting situation, where ear pro may be a secondary concern...
 
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