I lost most of the hearing in my left ear while sighting in a .338-06 Ackley Improved at my local range. I believe it was either a Barrett .338 Lapua or a .50 cal bolt action rifle that was fired next to me. I tried to ignore the blast but my ear really hurt. I was using foam ear inserts and I only wish I would have gotten a heads-up from the Barrett shooter that I may want to opt for Mickey Mouse ears.
Big thunderboomers combined with big muzzlebreaks are a recipe for hearing loss. In my early 20's I shot a lot of 50 BMG, and have tinnitus now. Muffs aren't enough, especially if you are spotting for a 50 BMG rifle with a muzzle break.
Anyone who shoots 50 BMG needs to be considerate and conscious of bystanders, and the state of their hearing protection.
When I pull RSO duty at competitions, even though the rules of the shooting range I shoot at say "eye and hearing protection is highly recommended", I set up the rules on competitions so it is *not* optional when I'm running the line. I have removed people (even paying members of the range who were spectating) from the immediate vicinity before when they refuse to put on hearing protection.
I don't let people who are participating remove hearing or eye protection until the range is cold and all firearms are cleared and hands-off. I also visually confirm every competitor has eyes and ears before giving the command to commence fire. People are forgetful creatures, and I have
yet to run a match where
someone hasn't had to be reminded to put on ears or eyes. I don't want 10 or 12 high powered rifles going off all around someone without ears or eyes!
I do the opposite sometimes; forget to remove them during cease fire. Last month one of the competitors nudged me and said "range is cold, take off your ears, you are yelling at people."
I said "Damn right I'm yelling. These ears help me keep my voice volume up where it should be so people pay attention and hear me give commands."