Hearing Protection?

[gunnyr]

I am at the time of my life where I can see where I failed to protect my hearing. Ringing sound and always
saying what did you say, Even though I started late I wear hearing protection for any time I'm shooting'
Even wear them in the shop. Did a lot of range work while in the military didn't wear anything except while
on the firing line, my mistake even though you should wear at all times , especially around artillery.
gunny

 

[Sooty Scot]

"Say Again?" has become my litany when I'm visiting my son and trying to understand what his youngest son is telling me. Even with aids, his high pitch (and blurry diction) is effectively white noise to me. I get to watch silent movies when watching a movie on TV w/ the parents - turned low after the kids are in bed.

I wear plugs when shooting, but plugs and muffs at a range or around unmentionables or the "a proper load 'cracks' crowd. I want to keep what little hearing I have left.
Started shooting young - no protection- then loud power tools on crews (where wearing ear protection got strong derision) I've gotten so accustomed to tennitis, I don't notice it unless I'm somewhere quiet. I keep a radio on, in the background, the way some leave their TV on, to mask it.

 

[vibraphonusrex]

I always do now. Never did when reenacting with a rather “hardcore” unit. I have tinnitus, thanks to years of drum corps, Army, and other stuff. Had an instructor in PLDC that had us not use hearing protection for our four day tactical event. I was on the 60, and fired a lot, not to mention all the grenade simulators.

 

[59sharps]

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.

Yes I have both plugs and muffs. Wear the plus hunting and shooting. At the range the muffs. The rest of the time. Only sorry O didn’t get the Bluetooth ones

 

[Rawhide67]

I did alot of shooting in my younger years, teens, without ear protection. I have used earmuffs and plugs for years now but have damaged hering from my stupid days.

 

[Packrat]

I was a machine gunner in Viet Nam, Tank killer before that, "Recoilless rifle" (185 Dcbs) In the early days all we had were cotton balls and some of us used cigarettes' filters. Nothing in Viet Nam so my hearing is almost gone.. My hearing aids shut off when noise is to loud.
To soon stupid, to late smart

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I did not wear hearing protection until my thirties. I have permanent damage now. I do not go anywhere without hearing protection in my pocket. I do not shoot anything without hearing protection, except that one shot I take each year while deer hunting.
ADK Bigfoot

 

[DixieTexian]

I wear plugs or muffs when just shooting, and I carry plugs with me while hunting, sometimes muffs if I am in a blind. I don't wear them while I am hunting, but put them on or in if I have time before making a shot.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Yep...I wear those little foam ear buds.
I keep plenty on hand for others around me to use also.
I always offer, whether they take me on that offer or not is up to them.

 

[vintovka]

Sitting here with ears ringing as usual. Lost big part of my hearing in Thailand circa 1972 when an F111A crashed and burned on takeoff and most 500 pounders went off real close. Had they gone off high order i would not be here. Sadly i did not realize the damage done till decades later and it really impacted my life in a negative way. VA gave me hearing aids which help but cannot eliminate ringing. I now use electronic muffs with loud noise canceling which help. Now that noise dosimeters are under $20 its interesting and slightly scary to see levels at the range. Clearly indoor ranges are the worst.

 

[mushka]

In the early 60's when I went into the army hearing protection wasn't issued or used, neither were glasses unless perscription. In an airborne division plane engines and other noisy vehicles didn't help. 20 years of more gunfire and sirens working as a police officer was detrimental except they wanted us to wear glasses and plugs on a range. Hearing was pretty much shot by this time. I shot high power for about 20 years also and hearing protection or glasses weren't required a lot of times but comfort was not possible without them. Now I have permanent steam pipe noise 24 hrs a day and diminished hearing. Nowadays I wear some sort of hearing protection on the range but not while on a hunt. We offer a dis service to our youth when we don't require glasses and hearing protection while on a range.

 

[Billy Boy]

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!

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.

Most modern multi program hearing aids can have one program set up for protection, low output for protection but still hear folks around you, mine work ok that way. Talk to your audiologist ( leave your iron at home).

 

[docmel]

I wear them even when hunting. One shot can pemanatley affect your hearing. I use the ear plugs that come in when the noise hits them, about 99 bucks for the ones I use. Ears and eyes you cant just replace. I also always use shooting glasses. ESPECIALLY with black powder guns

 

[mmb617]

My story's the same as many others. Never wore ear pro while shooting in my younger years and worked many years in a noisy environment without any type of protection. So now my hearing is pretty bad and I always wear muffs when shooting whether it's muzzleloaders or modern guns in an attempt to preserve what I have left.

 

[Salvavita]

Thirty plus years and counting riding an ambulance, between the siren and the diesel, and I have acquired what I refer to as my constant companion. Not ringing, more like the crickets on a late summer evening. I have always worn eye and hearing protection when shooting, and have used the Walker Razor series, both versions, for about 6 years now. I was stunned by how well they worked while shooting skeet.

 

[Snydly]

As a young boy in the 50s I can not remember anyone using hearing protection. I certainly did not. But on my 10th birthday my dad started taking me with him to work operating a cable mounted D8 Cat. Again... no hearing protection. Then combine that with all the shooting we did, especially my dad and me. Both of us developed a severe hearing deficiency . Dad lived with it till way after retirement before he got hearing aids. In my 40s I was able to afford my first hearing aids. I now wear the foam buds in my ears and shooting muffs over those. Can't afford to lose any of my hearing that I have left. Still read lips to match the sound and lip movement. WEAR HEARING PROTECTION PEOPLE

 

[Josephg]

I've always used ear protection when shooting. Didn't when at work. I have some hearing loss.

 

[Belleville]

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.

I was a farm boy who liked to shoot. There was little concern for ear protection on the farm or for shooting when I was young. A Massey-Harris tractor with a piece of straight pipe serving as a muffler did some damage to my hearing also. As a result I now have poor hearing and wear hearing aids. I now use hearing protection when shooting or mowing the lawn. I served as commander for a re-enactment military group for 20 years. With hearing protection I could not hear what was happening so went without. Blanks are normally not quite as loud as live loads but should not have gone w/o hearing protection

My Dad also became very hard of hearing having gone thru Army training incl. Ranger school and helping to shoot up lots of surplus WW2 ammo in Korea and the straight pipe on the tractor. Ask him once about the Army and hearing protection. He said they were more interested in keeping you alive than hearing protection.

I also went thru ringing in the ears. Read somewhere that you can tune it out. I worked on it and no longer have the ringing, except when thinking about it. You might try it, but it does not happen over night.

 

[biliff]

Yes for sure. I use Walker earplugs while hunting and struggle with direction of noises. Before I got the Walkers a couple of years ago, I didn’t use anything while hunting. What got me to buy them was a shot (modern firearm) that definitely harmed my left ear. Hopefully with my dog, direction of the flush will be somewhat irrelevant. My Walkers were about 150ish and there is downside to them, wind as mentioned, you can kind of hear your breath and heart beat, batteries are a cost, and they cut out a little which is annoying. All considered though, I’ll wear them every time.

At least I’m not the only one. Thanks.

 

[oldwood]

All ya gotta do is go to a busy shooting range with a mix of modern high power rifles ,or big bore m/l guns. It is absolutely painful . at a minimum I carry a handful of "stuff in the ear kind" of protectors ,to handout to the unsuspecting folks that show up w/o anything. Growing up , I didn't use ear protection until age 14 , when we started competition trap shooting. I finally retired after 41 years of company car highway noise , continent to continent , jet plain travel , my wife of now 55 yrs. ,said , "we're going to the audiologist , and see if you are ignoring what I tell you , or are you just deaf. " I quietly said , "this is going to be good." Told the Doc. I had crickets chirping full time between my ears. He said , no hearing aids yet. Then he said to my wife ,she had to make sure we were eye to eye and enunciate and not mumble. (I'm still laughing inside). Love it! , Now it's all her fault , If we can't communicate . ....oldwood