.22 Handguns,Hearing Protection Important?
- Thread starter ninjatoth
- Start date
Bill DeShivs
New member
Absolutely. Even .22 rifles should be shot with hearing protection.
Bill DeShivs
New member
Ear plugs aren't heavy, are easy to carry, and don't cost nearly as much as a suppressor and tax. However, they aren't as much fun!
Earplugs can be carried on your keychain.
Earplugs can be carried on your keychain.
Any noise over 110dB can damage your ears...
Take it from a guy with -50dB and worse loss in the left ear.
Note: I've had some loss in both ears, easily attributable to 20 years around aircraft and several years riding motorcycles. However, I've had substantially more loss in the mid and upper freqs in my left ear. According to several doctors, this goes hand in glove with a RH handgunner who usually shoots from a Weaver stance; this positions the gun where the left ear takes much more report than does the right ear.
FWIW, I've always worn hearing protection when shooting. I didn't always use double protection, but you can bet I do now.
What it really comes down to is would you prefer plugs and cups now, or hearing aids years down the road?
Cheers,
M
Take it from a guy with -50dB and worse loss in the left ear.
Note: I've had some loss in both ears, easily attributable to 20 years around aircraft and several years riding motorcycles. However, I've had substantially more loss in the mid and upper freqs in my left ear. According to several doctors, this goes hand in glove with a RH handgunner who usually shoots from a Weaver stance; this positions the gun where the left ear takes much more report than does the right ear.
FWIW, I've always worn hearing protection when shooting. I didn't always use double protection, but you can bet I do now.
What it really comes down to is would you prefer plugs and cups now, or hearing aids years down the road?
Cheers,
M
mustang_steve
New member
Most people don't even realize the volume many people set their ipods to is loud enough to cause hearing damage over time.
I know my old workplace was loud enough to cause hearing damage....I still can't hear right after working there for 5 years. Thankfully my hearing was well beyond normal before the hearing loss (I can still hear a key sliding into my front door lock in my bedroom with the door closed).
a .22 is well within that kind of noise level. Now .22 colibris may be quiet enough to shoot without protection...but for everything else, protection is the best answer.
I know my old workplace was loud enough to cause hearing damage....I still can't hear right after working there for 5 years. Thankfully my hearing was well beyond normal before the hearing loss (I can still hear a key sliding into my front door lock in my bedroom with the door closed).
a .22 is well within that kind of noise level. Now .22 colibris may be quiet enough to shoot without protection...but for everything else, protection is the best answer.
What? What? Speak up. Talk Louder. I can't hear a dang thing with this ringing in my ears.
That will be you in about 10 years after shooting without hearing protection. Your hearing suffers in the future from the damage you are doing to it today.
Ask any War Veteran that has hearing loss and Tinitus (Ringing in the Ears). None of us wore hearing protection because we needed to hear the enemy. That was nearly 40 years ago for me. I now wear hearing aids in both ears to be included in any conversation and especially at night, when its quiet, the ringing in my ears about drives me crazy.
That will be you in about 10 years after shooting without hearing protection. Your hearing suffers in the future from the damage you are doing to it today.
Ask any War Veteran that has hearing loss and Tinitus (Ringing in the Ears). None of us wore hearing protection because we needed to hear the enemy. That was nearly 40 years ago for me. I now wear hearing aids in both ears to be included in any conversation and especially at night, when its quiet, the ringing in my ears about drives me crazy.
I wear ear plugs when riding motorcycles, blowing compressed air at work, using loud power tools, and when shooting a .22, especially a revolver. The only gun I shoot without hearing protection on occasion is a long barreled .22 rifle while shooting sub-sonic ammo.
I won't even shoot a cap-gun without hearing protection anymore.
I won't even shoot a cap-gun without hearing protection anymore.
Uncle Billy
New member
I have the same experience. When I was in the Air Force I had an audiologist carefully measure my hearing, and without being told, she was able to conclude I was a right-handed pistol shooter because of the differences in the frequency responses of my ears. The frequencies I couldn't hear from the test machine were exactly on the frequencies of my tinnitus, which was caused by unprotected .22 shooting which I had done extensively from the time I was maybe 10 years old. Later on, being around 2-stroke road race motorcycles (Yamaha TD-2B's and TD-3's), which had expansion chambers in their exhaust pipes, made it a lot worse.
My right ear is worse but I shoot RH. The only gun I have shot extensively without hearing protection, in the past, was rimfire rifles. And outdoors too. They do not seem very loud at the time. Frankly I think my job is by far the worst offender. But even at that the job is not a continous exposure. You would have to be prepared and wear ear plugs all the time for the intermittent loud noises that occur there, sort of impractical to do work that way most of the time. Now my eyes are getting worse too. And that has nothing to do with shooting. Just age.
Hearing loss
is an accumulative thing, it happens over time. Sure if you get ringing in your ears from loud noises, you will accellerate the damaging effect.
I would reccommend always using hearing protection while shooting, be it plugs, muffs (both) or a supressor.... because you might not notice the damage right there & then.... but for what you do today, you will undoubtedly pay for in the future
You wait til the teenagers of today, who listen to music (if you can call it that)
under thier 'hoodies' with those little ipod stereo ear plugs, give them 10-20 years (if they are lucky) & they will be suffering hearing loss 
that is if they don't trip over thier pants (hanging around thier @ss) and break thier neck before thier hearing fails
Do yourself a favor..... wear ear (& eye) protection..... your ears (& eyes) will thank you later.....
I am constantly amazed.... common sense is so uncommon these days
is an accumulative thing, it happens over time. Sure if you get ringing in your ears from loud noises, you will accellerate the damaging effect.
I would reccommend always using hearing protection while shooting, be it plugs, muffs (both) or a supressor.... because you might not notice the damage right there & then.... but for what you do today, you will undoubtedly pay for in the future
You wait til the teenagers of today, who listen to music (if you can call it that)
under thier 'hoodies' with those little ipod stereo ear plugs, give them 10-20 years (if they are lucky) & they will be suffering hearing loss that is if they don't trip over thier pants (hanging around thier @ss) and break thier neck before thier hearing fails Do yourself a favor..... wear ear (& eye) protection..... your ears (& eyes) will thank you later.....
I am constantly amazed.... common sense is so uncommon these days
imthegrumpyone
New member
So let me get this picture now, on or in the night stand, a gun, a knife, a flash light and some kind of ear protection, I Oh forgot, a couple extra mags and a "bug"
Oh forgot, a couple extra mags and a "bug" ^
Of course if it is a matter of life and death, don't worry about ear plugs first up..... lol
Better to be alive and deaf (or ears constantly ringing) than dead My comments are mainly for range or target stuff......that is, in a controlled environment.
Hunting, Law enforcement, S/D.... thats a different ball game, but hearing damage is always a possibility/probability......
Suppressor on the H/D gun seems appealing
Of course if it is a matter of life and death, don't worry about ear plugs first up..... lol
Better to be alive and deaf (or ears constantly ringing) than dead
My comments are mainly for range or target stuff......that is, in a controlled environment.Hunting, Law enforcement, S/D.... thats a different ball game, but hearing damage is always a possibility/probability......
Suppressor on the H/D gun seems appealing