Hearing Protection?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Hey

I was at a large event this weekend and noticed nobody on the firing line was wearing any ear protection that I could see. This was a living history shoot at a historic site. I got a good look at many sets of ears and didn’t see anyone using them.

I also attended a little class about how to fire a flintlock rifle, with some live fire at the end. It was a lot of fun but no ear pro was provided to the students and the instructors didn’t wear any either. I fired two shots with none and it wasn’t too bad. The gun was loaded fairly light.

Do you wear ear protection when shooting your flintlocks or percussions? If so, why or why not? Thanks!

 

[Phil Coffins]

Now yes, I have to remove my hearing aids to put the plugs in. When I started I was much to manly to use any protection. Getting smart late has cost me.

 

[Ninering62]

Hey

I was at a large event this weekend and noticed nobody on the firing line was wearing any ear protection that I could see. This was a living history shoot at a historic site. I got a good look at many sets of ears and didn’t see anyone using them.

I also attended a little class about how to fire a flintlock rifle, with some live fire at the end. It was a lot of fun but no ear pro was provided to the students and the instructors didn’t wear any either. I fired two shots with none and it wasn’t too bad. The gun was loaded fairly light.

Do you wear ear protection when shooting your flintlocks or percussions? If so, why or why not? Thanks!

Good topic.
I've had a few sidelock percussion ML's & BP shotgun & pistol, I never wore any hearing protection with any of them until a cpl yrs ago when I forgot to pull my earplugs down & fired my inline with a 5 port brake & instantly got permanent Tenitis in my left ear.
That constant high pitch ringing SUCKS!
So after that genius move, I now wear some form of hearing protection when shooting anything.
After 50yrs of shooting, mostly with no hearing protection, I'm amazed that I didn't get Tenitis in both ears decades ago.

 

[bore_butter]

i do now to protect what little hearing i have left, i was in the rivet gang at the railroad back in the early 60's and wore ear plugs but it still destroyed my hearing. i have no idea what kind of weapon you would have to shoot to match that.

 

[Ninering62]

Now yes, I have to remove my hearing aids to put the plugs in. When I started I was much to manly to use any protection. Getting smart late has cost me.

Yes, as I just posted about my own experience, finally wising up a little in my old age, has costed me, & like most of the valuable lifes lessons I've learned, the only way I know , is the hard way.

 

[Brazos John]

Coming from cowboy shooting, I almost always wear ear plugs when shooting MLs.
I use pliable wax plugs for kids when swimming. They are clearish/grey in color, and don't stand out too much. In fact, in my avatar, I'm wearing them. They're cheap at Wallyworld.
I already have tinnitus, I guess, and it's not too bad, but I wish someone would answer that damned ringing phone!

 

[andy52]

I will not shoot without hearing protection, no one has to be that HC.

 

[Whitworth]

Coming from cowboy shooting, I almost always wear ear plugs when shooting MLs.
I use pliable wax plugs for kids when swimming. They are clearish/grey in color, and don't stand out too much. In fact, in my avatar, I'm wearing them. They're cheap at Wallyworld.
I already have tinnitus, I guess, and it's not too bad, but I wish someone would answer that damned ringing phone!

Same here, nobody picks up the phone but could be worse, could be deaf. Many years ago I took 3 old trap shooters to a gun event, the conversation in the car was amusing as these guys yelled at one another nearly deafening me Glad I started wearing muffs and earplugs when still fairly young.

 

[Steve Martin]

YES! I wear hearing protection when shooting my muzzleloader rifles. I always have worn hearing protection shooting ever since I went shooting as a 13-year-old with my uncle (a tough WW-II vet who didn't think anyone should need anything to protect their ears). By the end of the day I couldn't hear anything anyone was saying and could not sleep that night for the loud ringing in my ears...fortunately my hearing recovered but I have never shot anything without hearing protection since! When shooting my modern unmentionables I often put in ear plugs AND then my Walker sound activated headphones as well.

 

[Black Powder Guy]

Yes from day one. That's about forty years. lol

 

[deermanok]

I don't when hunting. But always at the range.

 

[Eutycus]

I try but once in awhile I "forget" and pay dearly for it.I guess I'm too forgetful or stubborn to wear hearing protection 100% of the time.

 

[Black_Feather]

I will not shoot without hearing protection, no one has to be that HC.

Speaking of HC, makes me wonder what people used way back if anything….cotton?

 

[Kansas Jake]

I too am in the “What did you say?” group. I shot mostly 22s growing up and 12 gauges in hunting season. I also worked around lots of noisy farm engines. It makes very little sense to not at least use ear plugs. There are some great electronic ear plugs and muffs these days. It makes little sense to spend hundreds of dollars on firearms and shooting supplies and not spend a couple of hundred on great hearing protection when shooting. Even a few shots starts the damage.

 

[Ninering62]

I don't when hunting. But always at the range.

Yeah, me too - not while hunting. I don't see a need to wear hearing protection while hunting with a traditional ML or an inline - without a brake ). It feels weird having to wear hearing protection while hunting, still, when I'm using one of my ML's with a brake on it.

 

[biliff]

Between high frequency loss from flying in the Navy to shooting every week, I always wear hearing protection at the range. Only exception is when hunting.

 

[EC121]

I wear earplugs(33NRR) and headphones when shooting. For hunting I just use the earplugs. Most of the time the deer just walk out without making any noise anyway.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Walker makes electronic earplugs and muffs that sell for less than $50. A small price to pay for protection. I’ve used the muffs at the range and they enhance my ability to hear. I met a get a set of the earplugs for hunting. I’m sure there are other good choices. I sometimes use conventional ear plugs and the muffs at the range when folks are shooting firearms with muzzle brakes.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hey

I was at a large event this weekend and noticed nobody on the firing line was wearing any ear protection that I could see. This was a living history shoot at a historic site. I got a good look at many sets of ears and didn’t see anyone using them.

I also attended a little class about how to fire a flintlock rifle, with some live fire at the end. It was a lot of fun but no ear pro was provided to the students and the instructors didn’t wear any either. I fired two shots with none and it wasn’t too bad. The gun was loaded fairly light.

Do you wear ear protection when shooting your flintlocks or percussions? If so, why or why not? Thanks!

With all my guns I use ear protection. Why? I learned the hard way............got old and deaf. When I started in the early 70s it was not encourage nor taught. I did not know any better. I worked in commercial construction, that too took my hearing to the city dump. Again, in the 60s and 70s hearing protection was not encourage where I live. Safety in the US has come a long ways in in the last 30 years.
Larry

 

[andy52]

Speaking of HC, makes me wonder what people used way back if anything….cotton?

It's possible if they connected the dots with hearing loss, otherwise most likely not.