Ear protection when hunting with Weatherby magnum?

F

Fremmer

New member
Fellow hunters:

A new guy in our hunting group has purchased a .470 Weatherby magnum rifle for hunting. This rifle has what appears to be porting at the end of the barrel.

I've never fired a .470 Weatherby magnum (or been standing nearby when one was fired), but I'll guess that a .470 produces a mighty roar when fired, expecially with that porting. Should my friend be concerned about firing this rifle without hearing protection? What about me if I'm standing nearby?

Your opinions are appreciated.
 
For that cartridge hearing protection is very strongly suggested for hunting !! If you are standing off to the side you will get a big blast !! Usually those who buy those cartridges hate the high recoil and shoot poorly with them.
 
I hope he's a really big, big fella. Most folks, by the time they get one of those monsters sighted in, look to trade for a pipsqueak like a .30-'06. :D

Yeah, hear-guards. OVER ear plugs.

:), Art
 
Fremmer, I would definitely suggest hearing protection for the .470. What is he going to be shooting in Nebraska that he needs a monster like that for anyways, or will he be taking it out of state?

Hey Art, what's wrong with the good old .30-06?
 
-What's he hunting?

-Are you sure that it's .470, not .460?

-In any event, he'd be crazy and/or stupid to not wear hearing protection with either.
 
Thanks for the replies. I don't wear ear protection while hunting; the retort of a single (or maybe a couple) of .308 rounds from a 24" barrel doesn't seem to cause any ringing or other discomfort. I just hope I'm not standing nearby when he takes a shot.

I suppose he'll need to buy those electronic ear muffs so that he can still hear while he is hunting.

I'll let you all know whether a .470 (or was it a .460?) Weatherby magnum has enough power to kill a doe! :p
 
Just joking, Dave. The '06 has around 3,000 ft/lb at the muzzle; the .460 Wby has around 8,000. Lotsa "ouchie" at both ends of that critter.

One of those deals where I'd love to be a spectator, not a doer.

:D, Art
 
What exactly is this guy hunting? King Kong's cousins? Yeah, he should wear as much hearing protection as he can get. :eek:
 
They claim the walkers game ear is supposed to block out the sound of the blast. I have never tried any hearing protection when I am hunting. I don't hear the 300 mag or 06 go off at all when I pull the trigger on a deer. Must be some kind of mental block. I do always try to wear hearing protection when target shooting though.
 
460 Weatherby MAG is quite the cartridge. Plenty of braggin' rights for the new owner. I've heard braggin' about how much the ammo costs, power at 1 mile, etc.

I know combat veterans of Korea and Nam who had temporary hearing loss from gunfire. Back in the 70's I couldn't hear properly for 3 days after attending an REO Speedwagon concert! But my hearing returned to normal.

You should try stay well behind him when he shoots that cannon.
Jack
 
I took hearing protection for a hunt in MT 15 years ago.....
and lost it somtime before I took my first Buck on that hunt. nbd:No big deal. As I hunted for my next animals (2 does and antelope) I expended almost 20 rounds. I was severely sick that night almost to the point of throwing up as a physical reaction to the noise of my '06. I have sufffered some ringing in the ears since as a result.
The rest of the story: my favorite sporting goods store in Seattle told me the Mcmillan stock for my '06 was a "drop in" stock. I zeroed the rifle before going afield and it was perfect. However, after 1 shot, that poi changed (unknown to me) and when we saw a wolf (in Sako, MT 1991) we shot to kill... with more than a couple shots. We scored a wound but kept on hunting. I zeroed out on the rest of the hunt.
I sold that Wini and bought a Sako and the next year they called me "Rambo" because I killed eveything with one shot.
THE POINT IS: wear hearing protection. It is BS to think that you're hearing will be "protected" by the events of the moment.
 
460 Weatherby Magnum, your friend is more of a man than I am. I believe it has something like 102 ft-lbs of recoil. Think of a 100 lb sack of grain hitting one little area of your shoulder.... pain! I certainly would not brace myself against a tree to shoot that beast. He planning on an African Safari? Yes, wear hearing protection if at all possible. Even the ear plugs are a lot better than nothing.
 
I have a Remington 700 in 300 RUM with a muzzle brake on it. I fired exactly one round without hearing protection, just to see what would be like. I'll never shoot it, either off the bench or hunting, without hearing protection again.

The only experience I've ever had that compares was having a 175db Def Tec 25 Flash Bang (I'm a SWAT Operator and lead a team) detonate at my feet.

I can only imagine the big Weatherby would be worse...
 
Oh man, that's gotta hurt. I've heard that the Weatherby Magnum is damn near the loudest thing you could possibly fire through a gun. Ear protection is a MUSt, without it you probably could be temperarily deaf.:(

I'm looking into a Savage .308. What do you thing about ear protection for that?
 
I always have ear muffs wiuth me when hunting, particularly with my LTR as it is LOUD! ( so loud, in fact, it is getting a supressor put on it as we speak). To be honest, not taking care of your hearingf is masculine, admirable and just plain STUPID. I dont know if you can get them in the states, but I use Peltor Tactical slim ear muffs. Back in my army days they worked just fine when telling a platoon of grunts how to do an assault.
 
+1 with D.F.A. I used the Peltor's this year for all my hunting and they were extremely comfortable. (wore them all day) The only draw back with them was I was pulling a sneek around some salt cedars and steped into a covey of bob whites! CRAP!!!!!! Just about soiled myself! :)

I will be using them from now on. If your a hat wearer, get the behind the head models.
 
I ALWAYS wear hearing protction, wether I am running a new barrel on a Browning 9mm or sighting optics on a Barrett .50.

It dont matter once its gone its gone so look after it, and yes I wear protection when I hunt too.
 
I took most of the elephants out in Nebraska when I was a kid.
I left a few for the zoos up there, but outside of those, there's just not much left up there that your freind needs that kind of weapon for. I can't think of anything I left standing in Nebraska that I can't take with a good ole .308.

My son last year shot his 300 Win Mag with a muzzle break next to a freinds SUV and the blast from the side took out his passenger window.
I would not suggest being ANYWHERE around that weapon when it goes off without hearing protection and a crash helmet.
 
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