avoiding ear damage with powerful rifles

[trekker73]

Fact is for the noisiest guns( short barrel magnum handguns and braked high powered rifles) its likely you may absorb hearing damage over time regardless what you wear. The ratings for hearing protection are geared more for industrial noise, not the impulse of gun fire -hearing experts cant even agree whether we can measure gun noise correctly yet.

You also dont add the rating of both items when doubled protected( phones and plugs), you only get a 5db reduction or so from the rating of the top rated item.

The reason being even if totally occluding the auditory canal, noise vibration still enters the skull through the eyes, front of the face, teeth and particularly bones around the ear via bone conduction.

The best bet for preserving hearing are as follows

1. Longer barrels. The convenience of carbines or looking 'operator' with that short barrel braked gun will increase risk of hearing loss
2. Double protection and the earphones should have high 'clamping force' as this reduces some vibration to the bones around the ear.
3. Limit time at ranges as well. You can experience more gunshots at a range in one day, than an entire lifetime of hunting in the field...just something to think about

 

[Hunter 08]

Fact is for the noisiest guns( short barrel magnum handguns and braked high powered rifles) its likely you may absorb hearing damage over time regardless what you wear. The ratings for hearing protection are geared more for industrial noise, not the impulse of gun fire -hearing experts cant even agree whether we can measure gun noise correctly yet.

You also dont add the rating of both items when doubled protected( phones and plugs), you only get a 5db reduction or so from the rating of the top rated item.

The reason being even if totally occluding the auditory canal, noise vibration still enters the skull through the eyes, front of the face, teeth and particularly bones around the ear via bone conduction.

The best bet for preserving hearing are as follows

1. Longer barrels. The convenience of carbines or looking 'operator' with that short barrel braked gun will increase risk of hearing loss
2. Double protection and the earphones should have high 'clamping force' as this reduces some vibration to the bones around the ear.
3. Limit time at ranges as well. You can experience more gunshots at a range in one day, than an entire lifetime of hunting in the field...just something to think about

4. Look at getting a suppressor.

 

[trekker73]

If you dont mind that level of government involvement, sure

 

[Hunter 08]

If I get the opportunity I may get one just to see how it is. If it goes well I'll get 1 or 2 more

 

[hey smepl this]

4. Look at getting a suppressor.

I don’t even view suppressors as a real option thanks to our frickin government. I paid for a .22 suppressor last September that the ATF still hasn’t let me have. It’s ridiculous.

 

[hey smepl this]

The best bet for preserving hearing are as follows

1. Longer barrels. The convenience of carbines or looking 'operator' with that short barrel braked gun will increase risk of hearing loss
2. Double protection and the earphones should have high 'clamping force' as this reduces some vibration to the bones around the ear.
3. Limit time at ranges as well. You can experience more gunshots at a range in one day, than an entire lifetime of hunting in the field...just something to think about

Truth. And an outdoor range is probably best esp for rifle shooting.

 

[hey smepl this]

I quit bringing my rifles to the indoor range I like to go to. Which is fine since it’s inly 25 yds anyway.

the outdoor range near me is not a pleasant place. I really need to buy some property and set up a private range.

 

[flexible]

I use plugs and muffs when shooting pistol, i use EAR digital plugs when shooting shotgun.
BUT, i would love to use plugs and muffs while rifle shooting but the muffs always bang into the stock.
Are there any manufactures who make muffs that are minimalist on the right side? Maybe just a big blob of noise blocking material?
thanks
flexible

 

[hso]

 

[HowieG]

I have spent most of my adult life around jet aircraft and cannons of various sizes as well as all manner of small arms. I took what I considered to be reasonble precautions most of the time although there were slip ups. Reasonable to me was some type of earplug for the fire arms and either David Clark headsets or a flight helmet for aircraft. I also preferred some type of muffs whenever artillery was involved, but beggars can't be choosers. I am 68 and my hearing is fine. Perhaps there is a genetic component.

 

[fjblair]

My ears ring 24/7 thanks to 300 Win Mag and a 270 with a brake. No ear protection. Loud guitar played a big role too, but loud rifles and no hearing protection are the primary culprit.

 

[USNvet]

My ears still work pretty good considering what they've been subjected to.

Many years ago I crewed on the world's largest machine gun (of that era), and when twin barrels are pushing out 3" rounds, it really starts to hurt after just the first one. Most of the gun crew used cigarette filters in their ears, which was better than nothing, but I didn't smoke. I did eventually acquire ear plugs, but in the middle of the night when the general quarters alarm was usually sounded (man your battle stations), there was no time to open my locker, and I wasn't smart enough to leave the plugs in my pocket.

I have had tinnitus ever since, but my only hearing loss is at higher frequencies the VA says I can live without. So now I use ear muffs or the foam squishies, but haven't been near a .50BMG in many years or would do the double up thing!

 

[Old Hobo]

As much as one tries, earplugs and earmuffs used, still, damage happens. Right now, my left ear is ringing away. Tens of thousands of rounds (who knows how many rounds?!) ... . Our bodies take a whole lot of abuse, thank goodness ... yet, there are limits. So it goes. I wore my body out. I'm old. Got lots of mileage out of it. Not going to blame my Creator.

 

[entropy]

Something about sliding in to heaven battered and torn, exclaiming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!"

 

[DanK3Pos]

I don’t even view suppressors as a real option thanks to our frickin government. I paid for a .22 suppressor last September that the ATF still hasn’t let me have. It’s ridiculous.

This situation just got way, way worse with the ban on AR pistol braces. It is hard to say how many owners will decide to go the now 'legal' route of registering their device as an SBR, but the workload for that Form approval department at the ATF just increased, perhaps by a huge percentage.

 

[Idahou]

Well, i kinda "didnt notice" and for quite a long time i was just grumping about noisy neighbour and strange electricity sounds before i realize that i actually damaged my ears.
Right ear "pops" even when i just rack the slide on handgun and left one keeps hearing low noise and i actually cant sleep with that ear covered because it gets louder.
So leasson here:

Dont do passive earmuffs kids!

I got active ones quite a soon, but not soon enough.
To be clear, i had some damage to ear in my youth (dont remeber witch) so it can be connected

 

[Picher]

I wonder how our GIs had to feel who had to shoot one of those Garands all day ????? Never saw one of them with a plug or muffs on the ears. Wonder how they felt about that ?

WHAT DID YOU SAY??? TYPE BIGGER, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! LOL!

 

[Atavar]

Having spent years building and firing cannons I can say that muffs + plugs will still get ear damage.
Another component nobody seems to talk about is to keep your mouth shut when firing. The concussion pressure wave can enter through your mouth and attack your ear drums from the other side through the Eustachian tube.
This is why the Valsalva maneuver can clear your ears after an air pressure change, like when flying.
The same pressure wave can attack your ears through your nose.
This is why infantry troops (who don’t wear ear plugs) are told to open their mouth before an explosion, so the pressure wave hits the eardrums from both sides, equalizing the pressure on the eardrum. If you are wearing ear plugs opening your mouth makes things worse because you are allowing the pressure wave in from only one side of the eardrum.

 

[Almor]

Interesting post! I’m from Spain, and here is not common use of earplugs for hunting , yes for shooting.. maybe last years you can to see few hunters with peltor sport tac.

I’m 38 years old and have problems in the 4000-6000 hz in my left ear, so I use ever my peltor sport tac for hunting. Because one day hunting with 22 years I was hunting “(batida”, typical of Spanish) with my 7mmRM shooted a lot of shoots and I was 3 days with tinnitus. From this day ears are very important for me because I can’t hear little noises…

I’m trapshooter and use peltor optime III and 3M earplugs it’s good for me.

it’s important say to the people about if you lose hearing, you’ll never get it back.

 

[Landgroove]

My club USED TO ask the brakesters to fire through the concrete culvert sections on the tables.
Then they stopped enforcing that.
I can pinpoint the day I lost a HUGE amount of hearing to the day some bozo was firing a Lazzeroni-Lapua-90 cal necked down to 30 cal with a brake that (of course) vented sideways.
AND I was wearing muffs and audiologist fitted neoprene plugs that work everywhere else.
I asked the club to return to requiring brakes to be fired through the tubes and was met with indifference.
It is no longer my club.

 

[dobedo]

I shoot a few big bore guns, 45/70 henry, .500 S&W BFR revolver, and .500 S&W BHA carbine. When target shooting, I use double hearing protection. When hunting I use Walker's Silencers 2.0. Since the early 70s into the early 90s I have worked around hazardous noise environments and have some tinnitus. Very cautious about loud noise environments. Recently, purchased battery operated lawn equipment and the only time I wear hearing protection is with the leaf blower. The zero turn is quiet as a mouse and it is a pleasure to operate.

 

[Oldelkhunter]

I use foam earplugs and muffs when target shooting. I have used Pro Ears muffs alone and also Pro Ears behind the ears plugs and they were ok when hunting. I am going to try MSA Sordins this year.

 

[Atavar]

..

 

[PWC]

As stated waaaaay back in the beginning, foam earplugs work well if inserted correctly. I didn't watch the video but I was shown by an audiologist how to insert them, and in 2 different Jr. shooter programs, I've taught this procedure.

Roll the yellow foam plug into a tight long cylinder; use your left arm to reach over your head and grab the right ear at the top back (remember Dumbo flapping) and pull back and slightly up to straighten the ear canal, then insert the earplug cylinder and hold it in place with your finger. You will feel the plug expand and reduce the sound.

Do the same for the other ear, then put on your muffs. About as good as it gets.

 

[.38 Special]

The body is an amazing thing. When you're in a fight or flight situation, adrenaline rushes, and your body shuts down non-essential things that are not related to the situation at hand. Sometimes hearing damage does not occur, sometimes it does, just one of those weird things.

Without meaning to pick on anyone, I always try to address this when I see it.

It is sound pressure - energy, essentially - that causes damage to the inner ear. The body doesn't have any really effective way of protecting the inner ear from that energy. In "emergency" situations, the brain can indeed prioritize life-threatening things, so that less-important stimuli - "Boy, that's a loud noise!" - don't interfere with survival. The energy still makes it into the ear, though, and still causes the same damage. I liken it to running through a thorn bush while being chased by a bear: you're too busy to notice the scratches at the time, but that doesn't mean you aren't being scratched.