Have you personally fired a gun in a car or room without ear protection?
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buck460XVR
New member
Much of my shooting when I was young was without protection. Add to that loud rock music and working in construction most of my life and how much damage was done to my ears shooting inside a building/car is hard to calculate. I do know in the instance of shooting my .460 revolver in a enclosed a shooting blind without protection was a painful experience that affected my hearing for a coupla days. Was on the phone with my brother when a nice buck stepped out of the woods and I dropped the phone and picked up the gun without pulling my muffs back on. Wouldn't want to do it again.
Without knowing what the firearm was the lady had or whether or not the muzzle was outside the vehicle(out the window), it's hard to guess if or how much her(and her kid's) hearing was affected. No matter, any hearing loss she encountered is a moot point when it comes to her and her kid's safety.
Without knowing what the firearm was the lady had or whether or not the muzzle was outside the vehicle(out the window), it's hard to guess if or how much her(and her kid's) hearing was affected. No matter, any hearing loss she encountered is a moot point when it comes to her and her kid's safety.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
Once, unintentionally. Meaning I fired by intention, but I had been distracted while switching firearms and loading magazines, and forgot that my ear protection wasn't in place.
It was painful. VERY painful. The round was .45 ACP. I already had tinnitus, so I can't blame that on this one shot but I'm sure it didn't help.
It was painful. VERY painful. The round was .45 ACP. I already had tinnitus, so I can't blame that on this one shot but I'm sure it didn't help.
Twice with shotguns, first was AD by my cousin in his bedroom the other was intentional by me in the barn, both were unpleasant and I’m sure had a part in the tinnitus I suffer today.
The worst was from a .357 mag lost hearing in my left ear for 3 days and was miserable for a week.
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The worst was from a .357 mag lost hearing in my left ear for 3 days and was miserable for a week.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ask a veteran. Then, speak UP, and ask them again!
I've done it, and had it done while I was in the room /vehicle. Even the smallest rounds DO cause hearing damage!!!! The more powder burned (along with the auditory geometry of the location) the greater the damage.
This is someplace where most movies and TV shows DO NOT accurately portray real life. Not even close, most of the time. There are a few modern war movies where a shell explodes near the character, and there is no sound heard for a minute or so (the SHORT time of deafness is a lie, done to keep the audience from leaving....)
It can be hours, or days (and possibly longer) before your hearing returns to what you think of as normal. And, it never comes back ALL THE WAY!
We don't realize it, at first, because it takes special testing (with an established baseline) to show the damage..at first. We're all immortal and invulnerable, until we're not....The damage is cumulative, and permanent.
When the word you use most in conversation is "what??", and you find you NEED the subtitles to know what the actors are saying (and you need help reading them, ), when you can't make out what the person next to you in a crowded room is saying, THEN its hard to ignore, but until then, most don't realize they have been injured.
The famous "auditory exclusion" (adrenaline, tunnel vision, etc.) only affects what the brain perceives, at the time. The ear hears the shot, SAME AS ALWAYS, and is damaged by it. Your brain, being very focused on something else (like an attack) doesn't recognize the shot the same way, but the physical sound and the damage it causes is there even if you don't notice it, or only notice it after things calm down.
FrankenMauser
New member
Unfortunately, I've been around for at least a dozen such incidents.
.22 Handguns (rooms), 9mms (room and vehicle), .38/.357 (vehicles), a .44 Mag (room), and even some rifles, on up to .300 Weatherby in a three-(and a half)-sided shooting shelter.
It hurts, a lot. It causes permanent damage. As 44 AMP said, it takes days to get back to what you then think is 'normal'.
But you don't need to be in a confined space for permanent damage.
I think I suffered as much, if not more damage, from a person emptying a .357 Mag about 10 feet from me, in the middle of the desert, while none of us had hearing protection.
Those incidents, combined with my time working in, on, and around turbine-powered aircraft, are the primary reason for me deciding to suppress as much of what I own as possible. The type of hunting that I do is not conducive to hearing protection use, and I don't like wearing it in the woods/desert anyway. Even if I only fire three to five shots per year without hearing protection, they're still doing damage. ...And I've already lost too much.
So, to reduce* further damage to my own hearing and give my son a better start than I had, I'm attaching the hearing protection to the firearm(s) instead of my ears.
*(The suppressor(s) won't eliminate hearing damage, but they should reduce it.)
.22 Handguns (rooms), 9mms (room and vehicle), .38/.357 (vehicles), a .44 Mag (room), and even some rifles, on up to .300 Weatherby in a three-(and a half)-sided shooting shelter.
It hurts, a lot. It causes permanent damage. As 44 AMP said, it takes days to get back to what you then think is 'normal'.
But you don't need to be in a confined space for permanent damage.
I think I suffered as much, if not more damage, from a person emptying a .357 Mag about 10 feet from me, in the middle of the desert, while none of us had hearing protection.
Those incidents, combined with my time working in, on, and around turbine-powered aircraft, are the primary reason for me deciding to suppress as much of what I own as possible. The type of hunting that I do is not conducive to hearing protection use, and I don't like wearing it in the woods/desert anyway. Even if I only fire three to five shots per year without hearing protection, they're still doing damage. ...And I've already lost too much.
So, to reduce* further damage to my own hearing and give my son a better start than I had, I'm attaching the hearing protection to the firearm(s) instead of my ears.
*(The suppressor(s) won't eliminate hearing damage, but they should reduce it.)
Yes, 4 or 5 years ago. At an indoor shooting range during the qualifications for my carry license. One of the *instructors* distracted me; I took off my ears so we could discuss whatever it was he wanted to talk about, and I forgot to put them back on. Then none of the instructors (there were about 3 or them) checked to make sure we had our eyes and ears when back on the firing line before telling us to Fire. I had mild tinnitus already. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as I expected. My tinnitus is noticeably worse, and loud noises (like being too close to a PA speaker) literally hurt my ears now -- which I think is why my flinch has gotten so bad.
I haven't been back to that range much since then even tho' I'm a member there. My carry license has lapsed and I haven't been in any big hurry to re-qualify. I do need to get back to the *outdoor* pistol range with doubled-up hearing protection and work thru my flinch issues. I used to enjoy shooting, and think I still would with adequate hearing protection (I don't think adequate is possible at that indoor range; it's a concrete box with no sound absorbing baffles except for the dividers at the firing line)
I haven't been back to that range much since then even tho' I'm a member there. My carry license has lapsed and I haven't been in any big hurry to re-qualify. I do need to get back to the *outdoor* pistol range with doubled-up hearing protection and work thru my flinch issues. I used to enjoy shooting, and think I still would with adequate hearing protection (I don't think adequate is possible at that indoor range; it's a concrete box with no sound absorbing baffles except for the dividers at the firing line)
DaveDerrick
Inactive
I did it unintentionally, I walked into a closed shooting range to talk to someone without hearing protection, and had a .357 magnum fired 4 feet from my ears (entirely my fault). It took 2 days for the ringing to stop, but all good afterwards.
Ruga Booga
New member
When I was a teenager I experienced this several times, with high powered rifle(06 and 30-30), semi auto pistol(45 acp) and revolver(357 mag). Very deafening and brain rattling with ringing that lasts for days. Permanent damage
Outdoors a ton. I'm 60, didn't start wearing any ear protection until I was in my early 30's. I've been present when guns were fired indoors with no hearing protection twice. Both with handguns, 357 mag and 45 ACP. Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping, but I honestly didn't recall hearing a thing those 2 times. I've been bothered much worse when shooting outdoors with no protection.
But 44 AMP gave good info. Just because you don't feel any different that doesn't mean damage wasn't done. The damage is cumulative over time. Depending on the situations the damage can be very slow and not a detriment for years. Or enough damage can happen from just one shot to be a real handicap. I don't advise shooting without protection it unless the alternative is worse. If you have to choose between your life or hearing it is a no brainer, shoot.
Maybe I was just lucky, but I started shooting at a young age and simply never wore any protection. Ive fired over 100 shotshells on many afternoons, I owned and shot many, centerfire rifles, and a few magnum revolvers back in the day. Part of it may have been that in those days I couldn't afford to shoot as much.
But starting in my 30's I had to pass a complete physical once a year in order to do part of my job. It included a hearing test. During the 1st hearing test the Doc asked if I shot a lot. He told me I had minor hearing loss in my left ear. The one closest to the noise for a right handed shooter. My right ear was still 100%. He told me that with most sounds and tones I was still 100%, but there were certain tones that I simply couldn't hear at all. I never had any problems with normal conversation. Had I been a musician it may well have caused issues. But there have been very, very few shots fired since without hearing protection. Always when practicing, I wear them for most all shotgun hunting. Usually not when deer hunting, but that doesn't involve a lot of shots.
Five years ago I went to bed with near perfect hearing, woke up completely deaf in my right ear, the good one. After multiple tests and DR visits they still cannot tell me exactly what happened, but confirmed that shooting, or loud noise wasn't the cause, the left ear had gotten no worse. A couple of rounds of steroids to hopefully regenerate growth of damaged nerves etc. did bring back limited hearing in that ear.
I actually do pretty good, but it does cause problems. In a quiet room I hear conversations and TV pretty well with my good ear. I have to position myself so the good ear is pointed toward the source. In a noisy environment it is very hard to pick up what one individual is saying. And it is a lot harder to locate which direction sound is coming from. Turkey hunting is almost a waste of time anymore unless I go with someone with good hearing. I hear the birds, just can't figure out where they are.
But 44 AMP gave good info. Just because you don't feel any different that doesn't mean damage wasn't done. The damage is cumulative over time. Depending on the situations the damage can be very slow and not a detriment for years. Or enough damage can happen from just one shot to be a real handicap. I don't advise shooting without protection it unless the alternative is worse. If you have to choose between your life or hearing it is a no brainer, shoot.
Maybe I was just lucky, but I started shooting at a young age and simply never wore any protection. Ive fired over 100 shotshells on many afternoons, I owned and shot many, centerfire rifles, and a few magnum revolvers back in the day. Part of it may have been that in those days I couldn't afford to shoot as much.
But starting in my 30's I had to pass a complete physical once a year in order to do part of my job. It included a hearing test. During the 1st hearing test the Doc asked if I shot a lot. He told me I had minor hearing loss in my left ear. The one closest to the noise for a right handed shooter. My right ear was still 100%. He told me that with most sounds and tones I was still 100%, but there were certain tones that I simply couldn't hear at all. I never had any problems with normal conversation. Had I been a musician it may well have caused issues. But there have been very, very few shots fired since without hearing protection. Always when practicing, I wear them for most all shotgun hunting. Usually not when deer hunting, but that doesn't involve a lot of shots.
Five years ago I went to bed with near perfect hearing, woke up completely deaf in my right ear, the good one. After multiple tests and DR visits they still cannot tell me exactly what happened, but confirmed that shooting, or loud noise wasn't the cause, the left ear had gotten no worse. A couple of rounds of steroids to hopefully regenerate growth of damaged nerves etc. did bring back limited hearing in that ear.
I actually do pretty good, but it does cause problems. In a quiet room I hear conversations and TV pretty well with my good ear. I have to position myself so the good ear is pointed toward the source. In a noisy environment it is very hard to pick up what one individual is saying. And it is a lot harder to locate which direction sound is coming from. Turkey hunting is almost a waste of time anymore unless I go with someone with good hearing. I hear the birds, just can't figure out where they are.
+1.If you include hitting a .22 round with a hammer in grandfather's garage, then, yes.
I'm pretty sure you're not the only one who did that.
My only two firearms discharges without hearing protection were an M16 as a kid learning to shoot and I forgot to put my ear pro on and that hurt. (It was outside and yes I meant M16 not AR15)
The other was at knob creek when the line went hot. I heard ready on the left, ready on the right etc. but just sort of whiffed on putting ear pro on. For a split second it was painful and then......just sort of running water.......as my hearing was destroyed while I desperately fumbled for my ears.
I cannot imagine lighting off even a .22LR in an enclosed space much less a martial caliber. I mean in a SD situation sure as that is the least of my problems but if at all possible I want ear pro.
Hell I wear ear pro with some air rifles.
The old saying “you almost never learn anything new the second time you are kicked in the head by a horse comes to mind.”
The other was at knob creek when the line went hot. I heard ready on the left, ready on the right etc. but just sort of whiffed on putting ear pro on. For a split second it was painful and then......just sort of running water.......as my hearing was destroyed while I desperately fumbled for my ears.
I cannot imagine lighting off even a .22LR in an enclosed space much less a martial caliber. I mean in a SD situation sure as that is the least of my problems but if at all possible I want ear pro.
Hell I wear ear pro with some air rifles.
The old saying “you almost never learn anything new the second time you are kicked in the head by a horse comes to mind.”
About 10 years ago, I learned why most ranges tell you to put your ear pro on before you walk in and leave it on the entire time. We called a cold range on a hot day, I put up my ears because I was sweaty, and some guy started doing mag dumps next to me when we hadn't called the range hot. I jumped, my ears fell off my head I had to just cover my ears with my hands. It was my fault for not having my ears on, but we hadn't called the range hot, I kind of let the guy have it. My ears were still ringing the next day, and it was only a 3/4 shelter.
I mean if I have to fire inside my house, something worse than my hearing is on the line, so I'll take the consequences.
I mean if I have to fire inside my house, something worse than my hearing is on the line, so I'll take the consequences.