WARNING! NEVER shoot near a muzzle brake or compensator!

L

Lavan

New member
I learned very early on about ear protection. I've had severe tinnitus since 40 years ago.
TWO 1911s fired side by side at hip level with NO ear protection.
Very ODDLY.... ;) The very next day the ringing did NOT stop as it "usually" did. Still hasn't. :(

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY......

As I type this, I am in the "nerve death" portion of hearing loss from gunfire.

Last Friday (6 days ago) I went to the range.

I was equipped with my 3M Peltor active muffs as I ...always.. am since losing so much of my hearing so long ago. I even put them on before I get out of the car. These muffs have made SUCH a difference that it is almost unbelievable.

The range is OPEN AIR..... BUT.... has a ROOF !!

The shooter 2 benches down was firing a VERY high intensity rifle. And it was ported.

Although reduced greatly by my Peltors, the sound was still very noticeable. But I stayed and finished.
When I got home, my hearing was just fine.

By 7 PM, my hearing was going NEARLY completely out.

By next day, I would estimate I had ..maybe...3-5% hearing. IN BOTH EARS! It ..varied...through the day. Sometimes as high as about 40-60% of hearing and back down to the 3-5%
Plus I lost directional sensing. As the FIRST DOCTOR was speaking, it sounded as if it were coming from my wife on the side of me.

Next day....next doctor... at Emergency Room because the hearing dropped out completely.

He referred me to another doc who will most likely be 2 docs from my FINAL one who will fit me with the hearing aids. :mad::mad::mad:

So..... I would highly advise ALL shooters at ALL ranges to get up and leave if a ported or compensated gun is being used anywhere NEAR you.

Some ranges are VERY bad. Especially indoor ones that do not have SOLID and THICK dividers between positions.

At my orientation for the club, I brought up that I noticed sewer pipe sections at the end of the benches and asked if they were used for comped guns. I was told that's what they are there for, but it's up to the RO to decide whether to REQUIRE comped guns to be used with them.

Summing up, I have sent an email to the club advising of my situation and that I will NEVER again be able to use the range unless sound directors "pipes, etc.) are required for ported guns.

Where it all ends up is anyone's guess at this time.

I do NOT believe ANY type of firearm should be BANNED from a range, but I ...DO...think these ported guns (since the info is widespread) should be required to use whatever means necessary to force the sound FORWARD!

I will continue shooting as I love the sport.
I will most likely confine it to individual trips to the fields and meadows. (WHERE AVAILABLE)
But will NEVER AGAIN use a range that doesn't value its users' hearing and regulate ported guns.

End rant. Hopefully of use to EVERYONE to save THEIR hearing.

Thanks for reading.

Good shooting. :)
 
I've never had a problem either shooting a gun with a muzzle brake or shooting next to someone with one....I wear double hearing protection every time I shoot.....Muffs and plugs.

Maybe your choice of hearing protection isn't working as well as you think it is?
 
I shoot at an outdoor range that is basically a building missing one wall and we occasionally see brakes, but the report from a brake when I wear muffs only does not cause any prolonged effects for me. I have noticed that when I shoulder an AR that the buffer tube/stock moves the muff away from my ears leading to a nasty ringing. Now, I always try doubling up on internal plugs in conjunction with the external muffs if I can (I have two sets of internal plugs in case I lose one). No more ringing problems as of late at this time.
 
Similar happened to me. When I shoot metallic I use plugs and muffs. Am at the outdoor (roofed) rifle range - only person there at 6AM. Another guy shows up about 30 minutes later and sets up next to me (there are 36 ambi benches) and pulls out a 338 with a brake. First shot and the concussion directed my way had me get up and move back 4 feet until he was done. He didn't stay long (thankfully), but that taught me to watch who was close to me and what they were shooting - anything like that, I just moved back and "took a break".
 
Where it all ends up is anyone's guess at this time.
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Well permit us to hope there is some 'rebound' effect and your hearing comes back.

We should ALL take your story to heart and realize we are all getting older all the time.

Good luck.
 
The hearing SEEMS to be stablizing today.
A good sign, I ....THINK!

I'm sure it will still need aids. I had them before but the technology was not what it is today. They TRIED to deal with the tinnitus but only distorted beyond what I was willing to tolerate so I....adjusted.... quite a bit if not completely to the "new" normal.

I have been shooting competitively and for fun since 1947.
(old man gave me his gun when I was 7)

The muffs had worked COMPLETELY SATISFACTORILY until last week.


WHAT he was firing, I have no idea, but it was stupendous.

The odd thing is that when I quit at 9:30 am from sighting in a .223, my hearing didn't stop til 7 pm! :confused:
 
Hopefully those who think firing a rifle or magnum indoors for HD and thinking the adrenaline will prevent hearing damage will take this to heart. A pair of electronic muffs by the bed with the gun of your choice would be prudent.
 
"...or compensated gun..." Compensators don't send the muzzle blast sideways or back. They send that up.
Any magnum, with or without a brake, will be excessively loud. Was a 338(a Win, I think) for me too. Nearly blown off the bench from 6 plus feet. No brakes at all in those days either.
"...it was stupendous..." Anything can sound stupendous with a brake.
Tinnitus is a symptom of other things as well as being old and hard of hearing. Have your circulatory system checked.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, but keep in mind:

1. You chose to stay. The range did not force you to stick around.

2. The hearing loss may be completely unrelated to the other shooter and their firearm. It is entirely possible that it was actually the recoil from your own rifle, or a mini-stroke, or a certain sound that triggered a localized seizure, or any number of other physical or physiological possibilities that resulted in the worsening condition.



Blaming the range is not the answer.
 
I have a DPMS LR308 AR rifle with a Benny Coolie muzzle brake on it. It's extremely effective at reducing recoil but VERY LOUD. I always setup 3 or 4 benches away from other shooters. If anyone wants to setup closer I advise them about the loud muzzle brake!! I have them stand behind me when I want to shoot and they don't hear very much of the sound. But if they get about 6 ft or more to the side of me they get the full blast and sound. My ears have rang steadily since I was about 25 years old. When I was a teenager no one wore hearing protection. Too many years of shooting with no protection did my hearing NO good.
 
So..... I would highly advise ALL shooters at ALL ranges to get up and leave if a ported or compensated gun is being used anywhere NEAR you.

At my orientation for the club, I brought up that I noticed sewer pipe sections at the end of the benches and asked if they were used for comped guns. I was told that's what they are there for, but it's up to the RO to decide whether to REQUIRE comped guns to be used with them.

Summing up, I have sent an email to the club advising of my situation and that I will NEVER again be able to use the range unless sound directors "pipes, etc.) are required for ported guns.
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No offense but nobody forced you to stay and shoot there. Dictating what type of firearms may or may not be used is the beginning of a bad downward slope.
 
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Sorry for your hearing issues.

I am surprised that a person with your shooting experience doesn't double up with muffs and plugs. Not sure what exact model of active Peltors that you have, but most offer a NRR of 19-24, IIRC, which is not sufficient hearing protection for most unsuppressed centerfire rifle shooting, let alone dealing with the sound of exceptionally loud rifles nearby.

That you have been shooting for 70 years and are just now experiencing this issue with other loud shooters?
 
I've been blessed with very sensitive ears and hearing. Not bragging, for sure. Just sayin'. When I get out of the car in the parking lot of the range, I stuff as much cotton in each ear canal as will fit. When checking in at the range, I put on the muffs on top of that.

Both the cotton stuffed in the ears and the muffs on top of that have worked well for me, and I don't seem to experience any ill effect from the loudest of shots - even a 50 cal.

For me, the muffs alone, however, were insufficient, and I learned on day one that even with the muffs, the noise was stinging the ears. So, the cotton was added quickly.

Bayou
 
Safety

The 338 and 50 cal with brakes should be avoided. The 460/500 handguns have side blast from the barrel/cylinder gap, beware. Never stand to the flash hole side of a flintlock muzzle loader. Flint chips can hit you at high velocity. As for ear protection, double plug. Use plugs and muffs. If people handle firearms while your down range, leave the area. Hope the hearing returns.
 
Hope your hearing is returning. I have a .50 with a muzzle break. Very loud and I require everyone around it to have ear plugs AND muffs.
Many .50s come with that suggestion.

On the other hand an AK with some ammo is very loud.
 
TMD said:
No offense but nobody forced you to stay and shoot there. Dictating what type of firearms may or may not be used is the beginning of a bad downward slope.
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Safety isn't about someone being offended; it's about people being injured. Hearing loss is an injury.

If one had a rifle particularly punishing to those on either side, what reasonable basis could he have for insisting on using it in a lane that increases exposure to injury?
 
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We all have to be aware of our surroundings when the RSO calls a ceasefire on a range --- Take for instance... just last week at our range: The blackpowder match director called a ceasefire, while the shooters in my section were shooting rimfire, centerfire and shotguns. I looked around...and saw nobody had any hot {loaded} BP firearms to shoot off before being allowed to go downrange.

So I took off my earmuffs, while to my shock and amazement...saw this punk kid, about 10 feet away from me --- still handling his home defense 12 gauge Mossberg pump shotgun on the firing line --- He cracked off a round of birdshot --- And I said--- in a firm voice --- Don't you know that they just called a ceasefire? He said "Yes, but I had a loaded round in the chamber, and it was no way for me to get it out unless I fired it." :mad:

I said...Don't you know that pump shotguns have an ejector lever near the trigger guard? He said: "No...I just bought it, and haven't read the instruction booklet yet.":eek:

That's with me having tinnitus in both ears for at least 30 years.

It's also good protocol at a range...to look around before you crack-off a round after the line is called hot, so as to make sure everybody nearby is at least wearing some form of hearing protection --- And to have all active shooters firearm muzzles forward of the firing line.
 
Ever had a man in your duck blind with a ported gun? It's all about respect. I always bring a extra shotgun just in case they insist on staying in the blind.

If you are at a public range please respect others. I understand muzzle breaks are used to help enjoy shooting your guns. You are prepared for the extra noise but others there may not be. At very least separate yourself as much as possible and notify others that your are fixing to use these.

Otoh, if I've been there for awhile and someone brings one out and the only bench available is next to me, I take a break and hope they don't have an extended session planned. He has as much right to be there as I do. I do own a few rifles with breaks but out of respect for others I never took them out of the truck when the range was busy.
 
If you are at a public range please respect others.
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It's the same reason I put up a net if I am firing a rifle that will shower brass on my neighbor. There is no rule requiring it; their attitude is that this is all part of being at a range.

Nevertheless, that isn't something I knowingly do to anyone.
 
Dictating what type of firearms may or may not be used is the beginning of a bad downward slope.
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He specifically said he did not want to dictate what can be shot there. He would like usage of the pipes that the range provides to be mandatory, just like other safety practices, as some people are not considerate enough to use them otherwise.
 
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