[La Pistoletta]

Yesterday I went to the handgun range for the first time. I was given a .22 and 25 rounds. There were 5 people shooting at once, including myself. We shot 5 series of 5 rounds each and went out to check the groupings after each series. I had a few complete misses but it got better after a while. We used a one handed grip/stance and the target was 25m away, which should be about 82 feet.

Now, to the problem. I suffer from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis. I'm interested in firearms and I'd like to start shooting but obviously this is an obstacle. But I wanted to try it once to see how loud it would be for me. And even with earplugs + earmuffs, it was still too loud with myself and the others shooting side by side, each in their own "booth" in a building on the outdoor range.

Don't know what to do about it. I suppose if there are some extra powerful earmuffs meant for the most noisy environments of work, more powerful than the already beefy ones I was issued, it might work.

Simply getting my own gun and shooting without any indoor booths and other shooters nearby would of course work if I lived in the US. But I don't so, that's illegal. Members of the range can basically come and go as they want, which would help a lot, but for that you also need your own gun which takes a minimum of 6 months of practicing the "regular" way, by attending the weekly group beginners' event. So that's a catch 22.

[Cliff47]

Sounds like you need a set of custom-fitted ear plugs.

I know that at my local gun show there is a member of the club that will cast them for you while you wait. These are used primarily by the members of the SASS (Single Action Shooting Society), primarily due to the period clothing that they wear (regular hearing protection would clash with the costumes).

Due to some ringing that I have been experiencing of late, I think that I need to make a visit to Elder Katie (her SASS character name, taken from the John Wayne movie "The Sons of Katie Elder") for a set to wear under my regular headgear.

I have seen some noise-cancelling hearing protection muffs. You might check out the Dillon Precision web site (http://dillonprecision.com/).

Welcome to the shooting sports.

[MrBorland]

Maybe look into some electronic ear muffs, which actively filter out sounds above 80db or so. Never used them myself, but I know others who swear by them. Maybe some here can offer their opinions on them.

1st time to the range and you were shooting 25m? And 1-handed? Did you end up buying that dedicated target pistol? A Benelli, I recall. At any rate, that's quite a high bar you set.

[La Pistoletta]

Thanks. Yeah, if there's some muffs that can perform above and beyond the ones I used (apparently they're already good but I need something special) and most people use, that would be great.

It'd be a bummer if I have to hold off shooting until I can move to the US, which will take a good number of years.

MrBorland: I didn't get to choose the distance and stance. That's just the way they do it here. Well, I guess they wouldn't throw you out for shooting 2-handed but it won't count in the score. Nope, I haven't bought anything yet. Buying a .22 requires a license, which in turn requires a minimum of 6 months of regular practice at an approved pistol shooting club and performing a tripple series qualification round.

Hyperacusis means I need the most highly sound-dampening earmuffs concievable, to lower sound levels as much as technically possible. No holds barred, the only thing I need to hear is the instructor yelling "load" and then "fire", and when he does that everyone is quiet. I had no problems hearing him yesterday, using plugs + muffs, so it would probably be OK even with "deafmaker" muffs. If something like that exists, that is...

[Ol` Joe]

Here is a old post from another forum that addresses some of this...
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=34&Number=1749824&Searchpage=4&Main=144946&Words=clark98ut&topic=0&Search=true#Post1749824

[MaterDei]

You should double up on your hearing protection. Ear muffs over in-the-ear protection will give you about the best protection available.

Cheers

[Cougfan2]

La Pistoletta Found the following link. I have no personal experience with this company, but this at least might be a good site to research.

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/jbcuearpl.html

[La Pistoletta]

You should double up on your hearing protection. Ear muffs over in-the-ear protection will give you about the best protection available.

I wore both muffs and plugs. Wasn't enough.

[Cougfan2]

LaPistoletta You might want to try some custom molded plugs with internal sound baffling valves in conjunction with the Bose noise cancelling earphones. My best friend has sever tintinitus and the Bose earphones give him significant relief in noisy environments. Of course you will want to discuss this with you Doctor.

[La Pistoletta]

I got some of those a couple of years ago for school (so you'll know how severe my hyperacusis is...) but I don't think they were designed for maximum sound reduction, but more like a musician's plugs that permit more sounds. And obviously, for shooting what I need is maximum reduction.

I could take a look around and see where I can get a version that does that.

[3KillerBs]

I'm glad to hear that having gotten to shoot you are still interested despite the intimidating distance and stance requirements and despite your noise issues. :)

[La Pistoletta]

I will shoot if I can do it without putting my health in jeopardy. And if I can't do that due to local laws, I will do it my own way once I move to the US, even if that's 10+ years away. But it's gonna happen one way or the other. I've been deprived of enough things as it is by that "person" whose act got me injured in the first place.

Thanks for your encouragement and support.

[The Lone Haranguer]

I am not sure what more you can do besides getting the highest NRR (noise reduction rating, expressed as a number, the higher the better) ear muffs available and combining them with ear plugs. I have also seen active noise canceling headphones of the kind used by pilots, but am not sure if the power source is self contained or how high the actual NRR is.

[Rapidfire_85]

I might have missed the post if someone mentioned it already, but are silencers legal in Sweden? Another idea is if you do purchase a .22 for yourself. Get a revolver with the longest barrel possible, and shoot .22 shorts or subsonic ammunition through it. :)

[Pat-inCO]

Try the custom molded in ear plugs (30db of attenuation) and a Peltor air-craft type "active" headset (quite expensive [~$300 US], but excellent).

Take a look at the Peltor web site for more information.

OH, one other thing. Funny as it may sound, keep your mouth shut, at the range. The inner ear canal comes from the inside of the throat and that is a way for those with less problems to "get by" without hearing protection (that's what they taught waist gunners in Vietnam - shoot with your mouth open). You have the opposite problem so keeping your mouth closed while shooting is going on, will help at least a little.

[La Pistoletta]

It appears the muff model I used was Peltor BullsEye III. Does the aircraft version reduce more? The plugs I used were regular foam ones.

Rapidfire: suppressors are for the most part legal only for hunting. For target practice, they're an definately an exception and are approved on a case-by-base basis. Besides, I'd need a gun of my own and that takes at least 6 months of regular practice.

Pat-inCO: I'll keep that in mind. :)

[La Pistoletta]

I've been recommended to try 25m and 50m shooting with a .22 rifle instead, since those are supposed to be quieter. The local club is closed for July but next month I'll call them and see if it'll work out. It's not handgun shooting, which would've been my primary choice, but at least it's still shooting and if it works out it might be fun.

[MrBorland]

What are the laws in Sweden regarding air pistols? Would you have to go to a range? Can you shoot them in your backyard? If so, and if your interest is mainly bullseye-style marksmanship, maybe consider a 10m olympic air pistol. An IZH-46M is a good and relatively inexpensive example. The big advantage here is that they are quiet. Just a pfffft when you pull the trigger, and, if shooting in your backyard, you wouldn't have to listen to other guns being fired, either. Just like at your range, you shoot them one-handed.


http://www.pyramydair.com/p/izh-46M-match-air-pistol.shtml

[La Pistoletta]

No license requirements for air pistols and rifles. If I had a backyard that might've worked with a proper backstop. There is an air rifle range here that permits air pistol shooting to those who own them, though. At least I saw an instructor use his own a couple of years back.

It's not the same thing as firearms, though...but it might be worth considering. I'm mostly interested in learning how to handle firearms well. Safety, good accuracy + good speed and to automatize those things. I guess you could say I want to emulate practicality whilst being limited to paper targets on the range.

If I'm lucky - I'm not sure yet - rifle licenses are permanent. I'll have to look that up, because handgun licenses have to be renewed every 5 years.

[MrBorland]

It's not the same thing as firearms, though...but it might be worth considering. I'm mostly interested in learning how to handle firearms well. Safety, good accuracy + good speed and to automatize those things. I guess you could say I want to emulate practicality whilst being limited to paper targets on the range.

Reasonable enough, but I'm a bit confused about something: Earlier you mentioned that your range dictated a 1-handed 25m stance. If you want to buy a firearm to "emulate practicality", how would you do that if you're only allowed to shoot bullseye style?

Also, keep in mind that the fundamentals of shooting are universal - they apply to air pistols as much as they apply to .44magnums. What many shooters have "discovered" is that of the skills necessary for safe, accurate, and practical shooting, the great majority can be practiced at home without the gun going "boom". This includes dry-fire practice, practice drawing from a holster and obtaining a sight picture and reloads (check out the links below, for example). There are air pistol clones of many popular guns available, so if one had one of these, they can even practice shooting as well.

And don't forget about Airsoft guns - they're available as clones as well and shoot plastic pellets, so they can be shot indoors if you set up some kind of bb trap. Check out the laws pertaining to Airsoft guns. They may be a bit more relaxed than air (i.e. CO2) guns.

At any rate, my point is that whatever route you choose, there's plenty of practice to be done at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leAvwpy7hnw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVoc5uJ2e4

[3KillerBs]

The fundamentals of shooting are the fundamentals of shooting whether the projectile is propelled by powder, by air, or even by a compressed spring.

I learned marksmanship shooting plastic pellets out of a Crossman SoftAir pistol long before I ever fired a real handgun.

Using an airgun will teach you sight alignment, trigger squeeze, breath control, stance, grip, ... everything except how to get the sights back on target after the recoil pushes them off. So you'd have an excellent head start on things when you got to the real guns. :)

[La Pistoletta]

The pistol range won't kick you out if you shoot 2-handed, but the 5x5 series won't count toward getting a license or keeping official score. But once you get your own pistol, as a member you can visit the range any day you want and shoot how you like (whilst keeping safety rules in mind).

Yep, air guns teach safety too. But the ammo loading procedure is different, and there's no fast shooting, long range practice etc. Still it could be something to look into if there's no alternative. I'll ask the air rifle range if they still allow air pistols there.

Edit: hmm, there might be some kind of problem with the latest version of FireFox. Can't view the YouTube videos properly. They'll probably patch it soon.

[crebralfix]

Shoot outdoors (and not under a metal roof)
Double up hearing protection (should do this anyways)
Buy good stuff and follow the manufacturer's recommendations for replacement.

[La Pistoletta]

Shoot outdoors (and not under a metal roof)

I'd like to but that's not an option for handguns.