North East Redneck
New member
Never fired any round in SD. Used to fire .22 rifles and pistols without any protection. Also .38+P and black powder rifles and revolvers. Shot a few rounds out of a friends SP101 in .357 without hearing protection. All these were outdoors. Being young and dumb thought nothing of it. I fired one round of .223 from my AR without plugs or muffs. That one round changed my opinion of hearing protection. It hurt. Now all shooting is done with at least muffs and I double up with plugs and muffs if I plan on shooting rounds that produce much pressure. My employer requires extensive physical tests each year. Had the hearing test done a couple weeks ago, no significant hearing loss detected. I guess I'm lucky. The gun shots, loud pipes on the Harley and extensive exposure to industrial equipment hasn't caused much harm. I'm only 39 though and have noticed an increasing intolerance to 'sharp' loud noises. Used to attend loud rock/punk/country concerts. Now if I go to a show I wear ear plugs. Also been thinking that plugs should be a part of my mowing, splitting and chainsaw use gear.
Last edited: