I made a stupid mistake.....

[Younggun]

I was in the military for a while before I started using mine, really didn't start wearing it without being told until my early 20s. When we convoyed into Iraq I my TC wore plugs the whole way, I couldn't do that. I weighed the risk and decided on more awareness. I would even remove my plugs at the range because I felt like I shot better that way. Eventually I learned, as most men do in time, that I wasn't invincible and started using ear protection. Missed hearing everything else so I upgraded to electronic. With whats out there now I don't see how anyone can come up with a reason not to use ear protection. I even keep a box of disposable foam plugs for company. Give them out for free to anyone who is out and needs some.

 

[Younggun]

because your body will tell your ears to cut out that frequency to stop you from damaging it.

Filtering out a sound when it gets to your brain is doing nothing to protect the bones and fine hairs in your inner ear that with be hit with the intense vibration whether your body "filters" it or not.

Nobody is the same, some ears may be tougher than others, but the damage is still cumulitive as others have said. Eventually it will become noticable and it is always irreversible.

 

[dtb93]

Thanks guys, This was the first and last time I will ever do that. I didnt think they would be ringing this bad for this long so thats why I kept going. I learned from my mistake though and I literally just got home from buying some good hearing protection, and not those little foam ear protectors.

 

[Charlie]

ill take situational awareness over cumulative hearing loss. they issue us hearing protection, but i hate that crap. if something with a big boom is gonna go off near my head, sure ill pop em in, but for small arms fire no. a few of my buddies have tinnitus, ive been lucky and im in a combat role, they were not so much.

You do what you need to do for your safety and protection. But please be aware, ear damage does NOT reverse and there is no cure. Listen to those of us that have the damage while you can still hear us.

 

[shooterfpga]

im not recommending you do it, just saying dont lose sleep over it if you do it once or twice. back here, ill wear em and safety glasses, because i really dont need to fear anything happening to me as much. how many leos on here pop ears in before you shoot? how about anyone thats had to shoot an aggressor or intruder? did you pop in your ears? or how about when you heard a noise, was the first thing you reached for were ears and then your gun?

im not disagreeing with you guys at all, i know the risks. for the op, you should get muffs and ears and wear em both.

 

[Waterguy]

Hearing and eye protection is one of the MOST important things you can have!
My dad for years when he was younger stood behind a drilling rig (about as loud as a 22cal pistol for 4 to 5 hours) with no hearing protection, now in his sixty's, he HAS to wear hearing aids just to hear people talk.

 

[rsayloriii]

how many leos on here pop ears in before you shoot? how about anyone thats had to shoot an aggressor or intruder? did you pop in your ears? or how about when you heard a noise, was the first thing you reached for were ears and then your gun?

This is a totally different topic. What you're describing is the difference between life and death ... not a day at the range. Plus in these situations, you're not going in with the mindset of "I'm going to have to shoot someone today".

 

[Texastransplant]

Ears ring all the time, I wear heaing aids, most of the loss was do to an explosion at work where a 6" relief valve blew off on a pressure tank with 150 psi in it, 3ft away, it torn out the hearing blew down a wall 20ft behind it. That finished mine off. I was foolish as a kid and shot my 44 mag 100 times one sunday afternoon. I was sick for three days after from that. I learned my lession and used protection but some things you can't protect againist. The ringing never goes away, I hate hearing aids. WEAR PROTECTION!

 

[dtb93]

im not recommending you do it, just saying dont lose sleep over it if you do it once or twice. back here, ill wear em and safety glasses, because i really dont need to fear anything happening to me as much. how many leos on here pop ears in before you shoot? how about anyone thats had to shoot an aggressor or intruder? did you pop in your ears? or how about when you heard a noise, was the first thing you reached for were ears and then your gun?

im not disagreeing with you guys at all, i know the risks. for the op, you should get muffs and ears and wear em both.

well of course nobodies gonna grab some ears for an intruder. but also are you going to be putting hundreds of rounds through an intruder?

 

[shooterfpga]

well of course nobodies gonna grab some ears for an intruder. but also are you going to be putting hundreds of rounds through an intruder?

lol, no i think that would be considered cruel or something. my point was, everyone is going ape shit over a one time thing. i guess, i understand why though, to stress the importance. ah well.

 

[dtb93]

lol, no i think that would be considered cruel or something. my point was, everyone is going ape shit over a one time thing. i guess, i understand why though, to stress the importance. ah well.

well now i know the importance of hearing protection, haha. I will never shoot without it again. I dont know how i'd go everyday with this ringing in my ears.

 

[Bithabus]

lol, no i think that would be considered cruel or something. my point was, everyone is going ape shit over a one time thing. i guess, i understand why though, to stress the importance. ah well.

If your ears ring there is a good chance you will have some permanent hearing loss. It's the price you pay for defending yourself. But, firing many rounds like this during training is asking to be deaf.

 

[Nate C]

I used to think I was invincible. I started shooting when I was 8 or 9 years old, and didn't start using ear protection until I was in my early 20s. This was only occasional shooting; nothing on a regular basis, and never a lot of rounds. Most of it was with a .22 rifle, followed by handguns as I got into my 20s.

I am now not quite 40. I have constant tinnitis and my hearing is sufficiently degraded that I can't participate in a conversation in an environment with any degree of background noise. Just hearing the other party during a phone call is often challenging. I don't wear hearing aids yet; but I know that day is coming.

In fairness, maybe it wasn't all from plinking. I also used to own one of those obnoxious car stereo systems that cranked out heavy metal you could hear from halfway down the block.

 

[matefrio]

Ring Ring,
Who's there?
Not your hearing.

This joke isn't very funny, neither is loosing your hearing.

 

[stdreb27]

A 45 shoots over 150 db's. One round and there is damage. Realistically damage starts at 85 db's, with continuous noise. But it doesn't cause pain till around 120-140 db's.

 

[recordingwhiz]

Hearing damage is hardly if ever NOT permanent, if you hear a ringing after wards that is a for sure sign that some damage has occurred, anyone that tells you any different is fooling themselves.

I have been dealing with Tinnitus for the last 15 or so years from being in the music industry for long time and not taking care of my hearing when I was young (drums, loud amps ect.). I know several folks that have it bad enough they actually consider having their hearing nerve severed to stop the ringing.

Once your hearing goes its like your eyesight you DON'T get it back. you may have the ringing go away and lessen but it is accumulative as it has been said earlier. here is a link if you would like to inform yourself a bit about hearing damage. this organization aims mainly at rock musicians, but it applies to any environment that deals with loud noises.

H.E.A.R. | Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers | www.hearnet.com

you can also search the OSHA website as well.

you can survive loud exposures for a bit , but you are gambling especially if you know you are deff going to expose yourself to ANY type of gun fire.

Mine tinnitus can sometimes be set off from a basic drop of an object on a table then my ears ring for hours, well they always do but i can tune t out so to say, but loud noises will aggravate it to the point of triggering headaches. Also cant sleep without having a fan or something making noise to over come the ringing.

Trust me it is well worth protecting your hearing at all times.

Good Luck

 

[recordingwhiz]

Big example of one time incident hearing loss id Pete Townsend from the rock group 'The Who' lost hearing in one of his ears permanently from a single incident where Keith Moon set explosives to destroy his drum kit in one of their shows.

so yes you can cause damage from isolated incidents. every one is built differently and everyone reacts differently but why risk it...

 

[Glockster69]

I also used to own one of those obnoxious car stereo systems that cranked out heavy metal you could hear from halfway down the block.

Nothing personal but you and all the others blasting the F to everyone else who doesn't want to hear your stereos earned poor hearing. Deal with it and don't complain.

 

[M. Sage]

because your body will tell your ears to cut out that frequency to stop you from damaging it.

No, you just can't hear that frequency anymore. It's physical damage. That's why they test different frequencies in a hearing test. The frequencies you get exposed to at high decibels are the ones you lose first.

For patrols, I strongly suggest some good electronic ears. They're expensive, yes, but they can be turned up to the point that you can hear better with them on.

 

[shooterfpga]

No, you just can't hear that frequency anymore. It's physical damage. That's why they test different frequencies in a hearing test. The frequencies you get exposed to at high decibels are the ones you lose first.

For patrols, I strongly suggest some good electronic ears. They're expensive, yes, but they can be turned up to the point that you can hear better with them on.

well mine are good :P do they have ones that are electronic and the same size as foams? what if you are gettin return can you hear that or does it cut it out? i know they say you can hear people talk i just never tried one.