Hearing protection vs. hearing damage

well this is my first post.
im from australia, and our gun laws are really strict. at ranges u must wear hearing protection.
i think its pretty common sense. when i first started off, i had plugs, later finding out they are pretty bad. i then purchaced some decent muffs, that have batteries in them, i can hear people talking in the range next to me but any loud noises it muffles. great muffs, and being young, and allready having to say "what" lots i want to protect my ears the best i can.
 
Lots of good information in this thread. Personally I like muffs better. The main reason being they are more comfortable for me. I don't like really like ear plugs to much, but it could just be because i've got some crappy ear plugs. They never seem to fit my ear good and sometimes start to back out of me ear. So I think i'll look for a good set of muffs.
 
Prolonged exposure... does that mean that a single 12 gauge shot indoors would not cause permanent damage? I.e. a home defense occurrence?
 
Yes. The damage may or may not be noticeable, but it will definitely damage your hearing. Now, losing something like 1-2% of your hearing isn't a bad trade for saving your own life and the lives of your loved ones, is it? Probably not, but if you can avoid it, it is a good thing. The loss is going to likely be less than that, but you get the idea.

A gunshot indoors results in you experiencing the sound/pressure multiple times versus firing outdoors. As such, you get several impacts. With the initial blast, you get the first report to your ears, say 150 db. That alone is enough to produce mechanical damage to the ear. The second event comes from the sound reflected off of the first wall and is a first even reflection. In fact, first reflections off the walls and floor (if no carpet) will still be quite powerful. In a typical hall or living room with a tile or wood floor, you can suffer 6 first reflective events with the first shot. If your shotgun is 150 db, your reflected events could each be well over 135 db and so all six reflected events will be enough damage your hearing. So your 1 shot has produced 7 damaging events to your ears and that is assuming you don't enough up with two or more impacting you at the same time and potentially doubling the pressure when they do. After that, the sound will bounce a few more times in quick succession such that you won't even know it. You will be hit be repeated events, all travels at the speed of sound and it will likely take place within less than a quarter of a second. The events will each be less and less as the sound/pressure dies off via travel distance (multiple reflections) and by being absorbed in things such as carpeting, furniture, etc.

22-mag noted...
Note: Each increase of 6 decibels doubles the noise level
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This statement is in error or at least not helpful in regard to hearing protection. They may be referring to what is interpreted by the ear such that a 6db increase sounds twice as loud. HOWEVER As noted in the original post, the pressure doubles with each increase of 3 db. So a 6 db increase would actually be a quadrupling of the pressure and it is the pressure that causes the damage.
 
one single shot without HPD's will cause hearing loss.

The sharp loud noise causes microscopic hairs in the inner ear to shear away these microscopic hairs are nerve endings and that is what causes hearing loss.
 
Panino - There are a lot of variables in your question, but usually hearing is lost through frequent exposure.

I am willing to expose my hearing to unmuffled guns during hunting season, where it is just a shot or 2. Range time I use plugs and muffs.

Now that I am going to use a SW .460 to hunt with, I am going to get some electronic plugs that will allow me to hunt, but shut down the BOOM.
 
Protecting the ears

NOTHING. I am currently working with a vet fron Afgan and Irac and according to him NO protection provided at all:cool:
 
the army issues Ear plugs. But when you are trying to communicate in combat it gets a little hard to hear over gun fire and ear plugs. That and if your hearing is muffled you cannot hear the bad guys either.

The only reason they issue ear plugs is to remove them from paying disability for hearing loss. Because they gave you the tools to protect your hearing. At least that is what i was told when I went in for my exit physical. I had notable hearing loss before joining and it was even worse after i got done. Operating heavy equipment without hearing protection is not good for hearing.
 
When i was old enough to buy a handgun. I ran out and bought a HI-POINT .45 acp. took to the range and comenced firing. 100 rounds later with no hearing protection. Needless to say I found out HI-POINTS are crappy and ill never shoot without protection again/ ive had a ringing in my left ear ever since. that was about 5 years ago.
I prefer the plugs...
 
i wear the foam ear plugs when shooting long guns. handguns i may use earmuffs. if i forgot the muffs i'll use the plugs. i keep a pair in my hunting coat at all times. i don't shove them in my ears right before shooting in the woods on the hunt. i have fired a few slugs and rounds of buckshot without the plugs and the first shot wasn't too loud to me but the other shots made my ears ring. i didn't do that anymore. i have hearing loss from too many times of having headphones on listening to rock music(aerosmith,ac/dc.) and shooting the .22 without muffs or plugs. i don't know if the fireworks tossed around the backyard did any damage. i am 34 and there are times when i probably couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerine plant.
 
NOTHING. I am currently working with a vet fron Afgan and Irac and according to him NO protection provided at all
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I would be willing to bet a retirement check if he had tried, he could have got some if he had lost his.

Now if the guys in combat wear them or not, that is a different question. I never ran a range, even in Somalia, that we did not require ear plugs and have plenty on hand for those who didn't have them handy.

But again, outside the wire is a whole different world...
 
Anyone know what military does for hearing protection for foot soldiers while there in active duty?
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I can't speak for the ground pounders, but for naval aviators, we got ear plugs. But that wasn't enough to prevent hearing loss. I knew a flight surgeon who could tell what aircraft type you flew based on what type of hearing loss you incurred.

For that reason, I always double-plug at the range: headset over plugs. I no longer trust one method to fully do the job.
 
everytime you are near a gunshot that is unsupressed it causes hearing damage (without protection). maybe it has something to do with that high pitched bell like noise aka the ringing in your ears. shooting a 12 guage indoors will cause hearing damage. not enough to notice probably, unless you just do something totally crazy with it. definitely worth protecting whatever is inside your house though, the hearing damage is a very small price to pay. and likely if you do shoot somebody it will be the last thing on your mind after you pull the trigger.
 
Haveing tinnitus and a fair amount of hearing loss I can attest to the benefit of hearing protection. I just wish I had used it religiously years ago.
Once it is gone (hearing) it's gone................
 
Your forgot to include my motorcycle.
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I have been using hearing protection for years now.
 
even with hearing protection you run the risk of hearing damage, and once it is gone, you aint' getting it back.

I have tinnitus from my years in the military and I wore double hearing protection (plugs and muffs) on the range, but when I went to war (iraq, afghanistan, etc....) there was no time to call time out so you could put your muffs or plugs on.

Your hearing is a precious thing and do what you can to protect and keep it. I used to have excellent hearing and now I am lucky to hear somebody who is speaking directly to me from across the table. :(

Plus hearing really is a necessity if you go hunting etc... I have had to learn how to adapt my style (used to be stalking, and still hunting) to more of a long range game where I do a lot of glassing and long shots. And competition can suffer as well if you can barely hear the range officer, or those around you.

Just wear the hearing protection (double is best).

JOE
 
I wish the military had said something back in '65 thru '68. Way to much gunfire with no hearing protection. A lot of hearing loss and a great built in whistle.
 
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