Whats the best gun for me?

W

Want2shoot

New member
First of all I am new here and I want to apologize for such a long post and if I posted in the wrong area. My question is so broad that I don't know what section is best. Second I admire this place so well because after reading some posts people here seem to be of great help and no smart ass remarks. ;) Here is my problem.

I am hearing impaired since I was two years old from a high fever and virus. I am listed at profound deaf and wear hearing aids. I can hear quite well for what I have. I have come to terms that there are thing that I want to do but I can;t and so I accept that, that includes being a police officer. I am a college graduate. To cut to the chase I love guns and being around them. However I never shot a real gun...until today which I will get to.

I really love the glocks and recently the springfield XDs since my sister's new boyfriend has one and showed it to me. He has numerous once including a AR-15 and a 12 gauge and so forth. So my interest in guns sparked up again. I want to shoot really bad and own guns but its not worth it if it damages more hearing because I need what I have and its all I have. My sis is going to be a cop so she has been shooting them all with him and said I should be fine. Just because its fine with most does not mean its fine with me. You can walk into a very loud bar with music and people yelling after an hour or so you might be fine but me it sounds like I came out of a concert.

So I bought a gamo big cat 1200 I figured its as close as I will get to shooting. I was amazed to find that my gun is as loud a .22 rifle. So I shot the .22. Her boyfriend shot a 12 gauge within 20 yards of me and I am fine.

To sum it all up what can I shoot and be ok without hurting my hearing? I was set on handguns but they seem louder upon reading threads than rifles. Am I just stuck with a .22 rifle? Will a full size .45 ACP be ok or too loud? Basically I won't take the risk if its not worth it. My hearing is everything but I would love to shoot but I won't take the risk if its not worth it...part of my life. So send me your opinions and advise.
 
None of those will hurt your hearing if you wear hearing protection.

Take out your hearing aids, install disposable foam earplugs, and if you are really feeling paranoid, put on muffs too. Here, your deafness can be an advantage. :cool:

As for a good first gun, do a forum search in the thread titles, in this forum for "first gun" and you'll find a ton of good information.
 
Unless there is something we're missing about your hearing condition, Smaug's comments are spot on. Do some research on good muffs and double up with plugs if you are comfortable with removing the hearing aids and want the extra protection.

Chris
 
Earplugs will give the best protection followed by the muffs and you will need the same protection as the rest of us. Now not all earplugs are equal. Look on the packaging of any hearing protection and you should see the NRR or noise reduction rating number. The higher the number the better protection they will provide. So a good rule of thumb is to look for protection with the highest number for the best protection. For a earplug that will be the models that are soft and you can collapse or roll to make them smaller before inserting them in your ear. They will expand after installation and fill the ear canal blocking sound. Most of the better ones will have a NRR number somewhere around 30.
You could probably get by with just turning off your hearing aids as they are custom built for your ear canals and wearing a good set of muffs. Your hearing aids will act just like earplugs.
 
Great info so far! I always take my hearing aids out and but in my custom made plugs for mowing the lawn and tonight I double with my plugs and muffs. I got a NRR 33 muffs. But you see what I am scared of or can't come to terms of is a gun shooting 160DBs and the muffs are only 33DBs so I am still getting 127 through and 120DBs is the threshold. So Should I stick to my air gun or get a .22 or will I be fine shooting a standard .45? I am scared of shooting a 9mm or anything short barreled at this point since I don't know what to expect in loudness and protection. What about a long barrel AR-15?

TCman: she said at first no but after talking to DRs that I might be ok since its a quick wave sound not a constant soound. So you see my problem here, I have no one to trust so far so I am seeking all information I can.
 
As others have said hearing protection is important for everyone and every firearm.

I would stick with the air gun for now and move to the .22 later. The reason being you have the air gun now and might as well use it. You also don't want to rush into buying a rifle or handgun, there are so many out there to choose from.
 
I agree buzzcook, but I have been around so many and know how to handle them....of course shooting and recoil is a different matter. At this point I will stick to the air gun. I am just wondering with the huge avaible of option I am exposed to...basically I can shoot what I want cause he as them but just not sure if I can without hurting my hearing and thats with doubling up on protection. If so what would be best? For now I will stick with the air gun but down the road?
 
With foam ear plugs properly inserted and good muffs, I don't see a problem. Check with your Dr., He or She can probably advise you better than any of us. Good luck and I hope you are able to shoot whatever it is you want. What you shoot does not make the man.:)
 
After reading the thread that was given to me I have decided to stick with my air gun and maybe get a .22 rifle later on. As much as I would love the big boys and the other handguns I am pretty much convicnced its not worth the risk as much as I would enjoy doing it. :(
 
I have a hearing impaired friend, and she has hearing aids to wear all the time... she had the same fears you do...

she now owns and shoots a Ruger Blackhawk .357 Mag, and loves it... she has been doing it for 2 or 3 years now... and no further loss of hearing...

her trick is fitted custom plugs AND quality muffs...

she was at my range (private property) the other day, when we were sighting in the deer-rifles... she started out hanging WAY back, and kind worked her way up, being careful to pay attention to the feeling of "pressure" on her ears...

by the end of the day, she was shooting my 30-06 (loved shooting it, HATED the recoil of a fly-weight '06! LOL) but she has "appropriated" my .284 Win... and claims she's going hunting with me...

we did NOT get the .50 BMG out while she was there... (I was GONNA take it hunting, just for fun!)

If you wear good plugs and muffs, and work your way into it, you can likely enjoy MANY fine calibers and firearms... just be careful!
 
There is still more you can do...

Earplugs...

Earmuffs...

and a silencer!

ALWAYS wear hearing protection when shooting, even if it doesn't seem too loud.
 
Want2shoot - Before you give up and settle for airguns, try doubling up. Just try it. You're not going to lose hearing with over 50 dB of noise reduction. NR33 earplugs with NR 28 earmuffs puts the sound of gunfire VERY far off. It is almost like the blast is happening in another world.

You probably experience more noise walking by a diesel truck or from wind noise in the car.

I maybe take my hearing for granted, but I shoot with only earplugs or muffs most of the time. Sometimes, I double up. No noticeable hearing loss after many years of bi-weekly range trips.
 
I double up all the time with NR 33 plugs and NR 33 muffs. Even the sound from shooting a .500 magnum seems well within the normal range. I am a pianist and am also very careful with my hearing - I even put muffs on before I shoot when I am hunting. Before you limit yourself to airguns, just give your doctor's office a call and ask. The doctor will probably call you back within a few hours and you can ask him personally. :cool:
 
You want to preserve what hearing you have.

Just wear ear muffs everytime you shoot.

They are comfortable and easy to put on and off once you get used to them.

As far as a first time semi auto handgun to shoot.

Any 9mm handgun will be the cheapest centerfire handgun you can shoot.

If you want to take time and learn handguns,your best bet for a first gun is a Browning Buck Mark or a Ruger 22 LR handgun.

But 22's can get boring quickly if you expect shooting excitement.

Right now 9mm is the cheapest centerfire ammo to shoot and the quality guns availible for it are very numerous.
 
I shoot with a guy who has hearing aids and he has no problems at all. But he did buy a set of electronic muffs but some how they interfere with his hearing aids so he couldn't use them. So just by a good pair of regular muffs:)
 
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