Are you guys deaf? (Seriously)

A

Amish Gangsta

Inactive
I remember the first time I shot my rifle this past summer (Mak-90). It's the first gun that I offically bought and own. Before that, I was probably about 8 years old when i fired my dad's .22. When I shot the Mak-90 I couldn't hear for about 15 minutes because my ears were ringing so loudly. Then, at the beginning of January I was at the shooting range. They gave me some of those ear muffs. The guy in the stall next to me had some kind of high powered rifle and when I came out of there I couldn't hear out of my left ear.

I was watching movies like Saving Private Ryan and Thin Red Line and pretty much any war movie and got to wondering..how do they keep from going deaf? I guess once your eardrums get blown out you don't notice it so much huh.

Later,
Jason aka- Amish Gangsta
 
WHAT???!! Sorry, couldn't resist. Most of us use hearing protection when shooting. But yes, those that are exposed to continuous high levels of noise suffer hearing loss. The damage begins in the high frequency range and progresses.

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"...and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."
Luke 22:36
"An armed society is a polite society."
Robert Heinlein
 
AG-
Protect your hearing. That's all I have to say. That ringing I used to get when shooting my AR off the porch in NC was fun...when I was still invincible. It's come back to haunt me and many others in social situations. There's no need for it...and it doesn't take too many hundreds of rounds to do the damage. Unfortunately, you won't notice it for ten years or so.
Rich
 
AG:

Always,always wear hearing protection when shooting on the range or in compeition. My high frequency hearing is pretty well gone and I have tinitus (permanent ringing). All the result of one year in combat in RVN where one obviously couldn't wear hearing protection.

Once it's gone, it's gone.

Mike
 
Get some good muffs AND use earplugs if necessary. When wearing muffs, the guy in the lane next to you at the range shouldn't affect your hearing unless he's firing something REAL potent.
 
Don't forget music. It has the same effect! I should know.

I don't know how your ears could have been rung if you had the ear protection on--if you go back check both sides to make sure the foam is there. My local range has a couple of pairs that have lost it somehow and they don't do much good.
 
At the ripe old age of 48, no problems here.
God knows why, though. When I was kid, I NEVER wore ear protection!

It wasn't like I was just shooting a .22... my 8mm Mauser I recall being fairly loud. When a buddy of mine and I would shoot clay pigeons I remember that my ears would ring for hours! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Maybe the fact that I never attended rock concerts helped. :)

Mike Spight - permanent tinnitus has to be uncomfortable. My son is former USMC and by his admission is hearing impaired in one ear. You're right - when it's gone, it's gone.

Jack 99's advice is dead on - I always wear my 'ears' (muffs) and have spare plugs packed in my bag just in case.

Cliff
 
When I got out of the service in 1967 after being exposed to 3" naval gun fire, 20 mm cannon, and every kind of automatic and semi-auto rifle and pistol fire without hearing protection, the government said I had a hearing loss but not enough for a disability.
I have been gettng regular OSHA physicals for a long time and every year my hearing gets worse. I now have a "Profound" hearing loss. I have been using hearing protection for the last twenty years. It still gets worse. I am using muffs with a 29 NRR rating. I just ordered a new set of electronic muffs in the hopes that I'll keep them on instead of lifting them when someone talks.
For God's sake, protect your hearing. Always.

Neil Casper
 
Lessons learned firing my Desert Eagle .50 Action Express :

1. Wear GOOD 'muffs and the foam ear inserts together.
2. Close my darn mouth. I can't explain it but it helps SIGNIFICANTLY.
3. Eye Protection. DE XIX brass still seems to go everywhere.

#1; Doubling the hearing protection, reduces FELT recoil so that the .50 feels like a .44 or even .357. I've fired my .50 bare naked (no protection what-so-ever) and regret it.
 
Ok...it has been 12 years since Grad school...and Lord knows where my textbooks are so I am going to try to do this from memory. :eek: I believe what many gunnies have is a noise induced hearing loss. It is also known as an acoustic trauma notch, since the loss occurs between 3000 and 6000 Hz, with the peak loss falling around 4000 Hz. This is right in the speech range. Tinnitus is also a big problem in this range as well.

So, bottom line...just as the importance of safety glasses was discussed in the ricochet thread, Professor Otter can not stress enough the importance of hearing protection as well.

Then again...if you don't use it that just means job security for me!!!! ;)
 
I have some hearing loss and occasional ringing. Even though I wear hearing protection at least 98% of the time I shoot, I used to NEVER wear ear protection all those times I stuck my head into the stack amps at Ted Nugent's concerts! :D

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We ARE the Militia!
 
I have a good friend who used to live in Winchester ,Ca
He would like to shoot at the crows with his 6mm
but you know? crows are smart !
everytime he would stick his gun out, the crows would leave !
so one day he lays down in his laundry room and eases the door just a pinch,,with the barrel inside and BAAAMMM!!!He told me
"Im ROTFLMAO!!" That everything went silent!COULD'NT HEAR A THING! for about a day and a half!! I'm still rolling telling you this!

Anyway? Always use ear protection folks!
I can point you to "many buddies"
Pot$shooters/Trap shooters that I thought were named "Huhwhat? LOL!
 
Not deaf, Jason. Just can't hear a thing my wife says for the ringing in my ears. :D Got some of them e-lec-tronic earmuffs, love'em.
 
I always wear ear protection on the range (even with .22s)

Last time I went hunting, a "friend" let loose with a 6.5 x 55 about 6 inches from my right ear. It hurt for a full week.

Now, I wear ear plugs when I hunt, too.

B
 
Rich, once again, is correct. I left a twenty-year Navy career with considerable hearing loss, due to firearms, large surface ship guns and primarily jet engines.

I urge all "young and invincible" TFL members to preserve their hearing. You can shoot and hear, but you must take reasonable precautions.
 
I served in the USN in Vietnam on the gun line as a Radioman and my battle station was in the emergency radio room which was located directly under the aft gun mounts. Everytime those babys were fired it was like being inside of a big metal drum and having some one beat on it with a sledge hammer. To answer your question I do say huh a lot. Wear ear protection, the damage is irreversible, thats what the VA told me...7th Fleet :(

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.

[This message has been edited by 7th Fleet (edited February 05, 2000).]
 
A while back, as part of a pre-employment process, I had to take a hearing test. As I walked out of the booth, the test operator just looked at me and said.."Rifles or Shotguns?" I replyed ".357s on an indoor range." Man were we stupid. Never use glasses back then either.

Many thousands of rounds later, eyes and ears are manditory for anything I shoot. My ears still ring constantly. And I have had way to many bounce back rounds hit me. The last one hurt like the dickens as it doubled me over the bench. You can all guess where THAT one got me. I love this sport. But I now take all the proper precautions; including a cup for bowling pin matches. ;)

DVC



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Bubba
IDPA# A04739
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It is long been a principal of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully. - Jeff Cooper
 
I'm 53, with 70 year old ears, according to my last test. Hearing above about 3KH is but a memory. Lots of gunfire, jet engines, explosions, chainsaws and rock and roll did it. ALWAYS USE PROTECTION!!
 
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