Ear Protection

[TriTone]

I am a music educator, perform in several orchestras and bands, and therefore depend on my ears greatly. Make an appointment with an audiologist and get yourself of custom *westone* earplugs, and top them off with muffs when you're shooting anything bigger than a .22 indoor, or .380 outdoor.

I was even able to bill them to insurance as preventative care. Out of insurance I believe they cost 60-100 dollars. But think of it this way, it will cost you a lot more when you cant work in the music industry anymore.

Take Care.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I have a set of Hearos High Fidelity ear plugs. I've used them in live sound situations. They have a NRR rating of 12 with a stated reduction of up to 20dbspl.

That is less than half of what the best ear muffs on the market can do. Also, the type of sound encountered while shooting - a sudden pressure spike - is different from constant high levels of ambient noise, e.g., a helicopter engine or factory machinery.

 

[Jumping Frog]

I'd also like to note that ear plugs alone are insufficient over the long haul. There is also sound conduction that occurs through the bony part of your head right behind the ear. Muffs cover that and protect you, while plugs to not. You can still get cumulative hearing loss from plugs alone.

My tinnitus actually bothers me a lot more than my hearing loss in my day to day life.

 

[Bentonville]

Minimum is not acceptable in any way if you value your hearing and sanity (tinnitus can affect your sanity). Double with muffs rated 33 NRR and foam plugs rated at 33NRR. ( Remember that the combined numbers do not actually protect up to 66. There is a mathematical reduction of protection somehow. I am not smart enough to understand the whys and wherefores but I do understand hearing loss and tinnitus.) Anything less, except for hunting then use the eletronic muffs from Peltor or ProEars with the highest NRR rating possible is asking for trouble down the road. Remember, hearing loss is cumulative with no way to regain the loss or to stop the terrible ringing which sound like a thousand crickets in your head 24/7. I personally use ProEars passive muffs and foam plugs at 33. There are other brands with high ratings also but the ProEars has thick cups made of leather and I get a good seal around my glasses. Check out the second site for more info on hearing loss.
http://www.proears.com/store/p/157--Pro-Ears-Ultra-33-.aspx
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200072

 

[schmeky]

Can't hear a word you guys are typin"

I completed 3 years of college as a Speech & Hearing major (I did graduate, but, with a different major). I had to do a lot of audiograms and was shocked at some of the students I tested. Loud music and shooting guns were the main culprits.

I just wanted to add a caveat. There are 2 ways to check hearing; the auditory canal, and bone conduction. Sound waves penetrate the bone around the ear and this is conducted to the silia (the nerves that receive the sound).

So, you really need to wear ear plugs AND a good ear muff, since the muff does block a percentage of sound transmitted via bone conduction.

 

[MikeNice]

I hadn't heard of hearing damage through conduction. I went to college, and graduated with a degree in sound recording and audio engineering. In all the time I was in school the never told us anything about that.

Thanks for the in depth information gentleman. I do appreciate all of your help.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

An additional benefit of muffs is that the cushioned earpieces reduce vibrations through your skull bones. This is a real consideration if you shoot in indoor ranges, where the adjacent shooters are in closer proximity to you.

 

[omegaflame]

Minimum is not acceptable in any way if you value your hearing and sanity (tinnitus can affect your sanity). Double with muffs rated 33 NRR and foam plugs rated at 33NRR. ( Remember that the combined numbers do not actually protect up to 66. There is a mathematical reduction of protection somehow. I am not smart enough to understand the whys and wherefores but I do understand hearing loss and tinnitus.) Anything less, except for hunting then use the eletronic muffs from Peltor or ProEars with the highest NRR rating possible is asking for trouble down the road. Remember, hearing loss is cumulative with no way to regain the loss or to stop the terrible ringing which sound like a thousand crickets in your head 24/7. I personally use ProEars passive muffs and foam plugs at 33. There are other brands with high ratings also but the ProEars has thick cups made of leather and I get a good seal around my glasses. Check out the second site for more info on hearing loss.
http://www.proears.com/store/p/157--...Ultra-33-.aspx
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200072

IIRC, it's half for each additional one.

So 30NRR+30NRR=30NRR+15NRR=45NRR

 

[Ky Larry]

You should use hearing protection even when shooting subsonic .22lr ammo. Hearing loss is cumulative and affects your hearing over time. In other high noise situations, a good rule of thumb is: If you have to raise your voice above normal conversation level to be heard, you need hearing protection.

 

[Black Knight]

When I attended an instructors course last year at FLETC those who were not using electronic muffs had to use both ear plugs and regular muffs. If you are in doubt always double up. It is better to double up and protect your hearing instead of being deaf or hard of hearing at say 45 years old.

 

[hso]

IRC, it's half for each additional one.

So 30NRR+30NRR=30NRR+15NRR=45NRR

No, the "sum" for NRR 30 plugs and 20 muffs is 30dB + [strike]20[/strike] 5dB = 35 db reduction for stacking plugs and muffs because the efficiency of each depends on the frequencies they absorb more efficiently. Muffs attenuate low frequencies better than plugs so the overall protection provided by combining them is considered to only be 5 dB "better" than one or the other alone because the attenuation curves average out to only an approximate 5dB reduction. Of course, a 5 dB increase in attenuation is equivalent of halving the power of the sound so even though you can't add them directly combining plugs and muffs is important in protecting your hearing.

 

[Dulvarian]

In the time I have been in the military, I have actually gone up in my hearing tests. And I only ever wear plugs, including time spent in the engine room. The only thing that hasn't changed is the 4-6k Hz range, and that was bad before I joined. Guns and very loud music with no hearing protection. But I wear plugs all the time. Cutting the grass, power tools, etc. Shooting guns is only one of the things that can cause hearing loss, or vision loss for that matter. Wear your ppe.

 

[Tinpig]

Military-type plugs and NRR 30 muffs, always.
Trying to keep what hearing I have left after 50 years of shooting, 40 years of construction and cutting firewood, and 12 months in Vietnam.

 

[Shadow 7D]

look up tinnitus and ask a construction worker or a Arty man who is over 50 how he's doing, if he isn't wearing his hearing aid, it may take a while.

 

[Dulvarian]

I've had tinnitus since I was 8. It sucks. My kids will learn from my mistakes, even if no one else does.

 

[jimmy0622]

The good thing is if you don't like using hearing protection, after awhile, you won't need it anyway!

+1

I had a 107mm rocket go off near my head in Iraq back in 2004 and thanks to that I have permanent hearing loss and a constant ringing in my ears -- Since then I always use electronic ear pro when shooting, but if that weren't an option, I would use anything that would help to protect what hearing I have left. Just pick something that fits and works for you.

 

[flor1]

As someone who is on full disability from hearing loss wear everything that you can get. Hearing aids $5000.00 a set and insurance won't pick up a penny of it and they don't do much good.

 

[hso]

That's a cost/benefit example if I ever "heard" one! $5,000 for hearing aids you need to wear every day vs. $50 for NRR 30 muffs and plugs you only wear when things are a little noisy. Anyone that can make a $50 investment into a $5,000 savings is getting a 100X return on that investment.

 

[harmonic]

Facts on noise levels:

Decibels measure sound pressure and are logarithmic. That means that only a 3db increase almost doubles sound pressure, a 6db increase quadruples sound pressure, etc.

Gradual hearing loss may occur after prolonged exposure to 90 decibels or above.

Exposure to 100 decibels for more than 15 minutes can cause hearing loss.

Exposure to 110 decibels for more than a minute can cause permanent hearing loss.

At 140 dBA noise causes immediate injury to almost any unprotected ear.

There is also the more extreme ‘acoustic trauma’, which is an immediate loss of hearing after a sudden, exceptionally loud noise such as an explosion.

From: http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu...aring-loss.cfm

“When someone goes to a concert, cuts grass or runs a power saw, they can suffer from NIHL,” said Dr. George Hashisaki, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Virginia Health System. “Afterwards, if their hearing is muffled or their ears are ringing, they have suffered NIHL. Even if their hearing comes back to what they perceive as normal, a small part of that hearing loss is permanent."

"People who are most in jeopardy of losing their hearing are those who use firearms regularly without ear protection or who are in the military and unable to wear hearing protection, such as those on the frontlines, Hashisaki said. The noise level of gunshots can reach 170 dB and is capable of immediate damage. Hashisaki recommends wearing both earplugs and earmuffs to protect hearing while target shooting."

Comparative noise levels and corresponding damage

12 gauge shotgun 165 dB Instant damage
Jet engine taking off 140 dB Instant damage
Thunder/Ambulance siren 119 dB 3 minutes
Hammer drill 113 dB 15 minutes
Chain saw/Earphones/Concert 110 dB 30 minutes
Bull Dozer 105 dB 1 hour
Tractor/Power tools 96 dB 4 hour
Hairdryer/lawnmower 90 dB 8 hours





Here are noise levels of firearms:
.22 caliber rifle 130dB
.223, 55GR. Commercial load 18" barrel 155.5dB
.243 in 22" barrel 155.9dB
.30-30 in 20" barrel 156.0dB.
7mm Magnum in 20" barrel 157.5dB.
.308 in 24" barrel 156.2dB.
.30-06 in 24" barrel 158.5dB. In 18" barrel 163.2dB.
.375 18" barrel with muzzle brake 170 dB.
.410 Bore 28" barrel 150dB. 26" barrel 150.25dB. 18" barrel 156.30dB.
20 Gauge 28" barrel 152.50dB. 22" barrel 154.75dB.
12 Gauge 28" barrel 151.50dB. 26" barrel 156.10dB. 18" barrel 161.50dB.
.25 ACP 155.0 dB.
.32 LONG 152.4 dB.
.32 ACP 153.5 dB.
.380 157.7 dB.
9mm 159.8 dB.
.38 S&W 153.5 dB.
.38 Spl 156.3 dB.
.357 Magnum 164.3 dB.
.41 Magnum 163.2 dB.
.44 Spl 155.9 dB.
.45 ACP 157.0 dB.
.45 COLT 154.7 dB.

Factoid

Properly fitted earplugs or muffs reduce noise 15 to 30 dB. The better earplugs and muffs are approximately equal in sound reductions, although earplugs are better for low frequency noise and earmuffs for high frequency noise.

Using muffs and plugs together: Take the higher of the two and add 5 dB. 30 plug with 20 muff gives an effective NRR of 35.

If you are shooting by yourself, roughly 100 rounds of 140 dB instantaneous noise in a day should not produce hearing damage. Put your plugs and muffs on and you get to shoot up to a thousand rounds without damage (louder ammo/gun and the allowable drops by a factor of 5). Shoot with other people and you have to add all the rounds shot cumulatively (10 people shoot 100 rounds and everybody's done for the day; toss a handcannon or 30 cal rifle in and you're back down to 200 rounds cumulative). If you shoot on an indoor range then all the rounds fired while you are on the range go into your total. So you can see that it doesn't take very long on a range to have a thousand rounds popped off around you.

If you want to know what the noise level you are exposed to is you can rent noise dosimeters that you can wear. They will record the total noise exposure and present the information to you as dB. You can then subtract the adjusted combined NRR of your hearing protection to determine if you're getting too much exposure.

LINKS

http://www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/N...+loss+1640.twl
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu...aring-loss.cfm
http://www.audiologyawareness.com/library.asp

 

[Jaybird78]

Had a ruptured ear drum a few winters back and now have low ringing in my left ear. I'm also in constrution and try my hardest to wear plugs when needed. I even wear plugs while I mow the grass.

I'm 31 years old, TAKE THIS AS A WARNING, wear ear protection.

 

[oldbear]

I use plugs that have a DBA rating reduction of 20, I also use muffs that have a DBA rating reduction of 30 for a total DBA reduction of 50. I wish I had done this years ago, as I am now faced with having to spend $4,000.00 for hearing aids, instead of 2 or 3 S&W M 27's.

For those of you who don't like to use hearing protection ask yourself, would you rather spend your hard earned money on guns or hearing aids?

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Plugs and muffs, save your hearing as much as possible. Lawn mowing, wood splitter, chain sawing, etc.
I'm with Russ69

 

[harmonic]

for a total DBA reduction of 50

It doesn't work like that. See my post above.

 

[mack]

Well, get fitted ear plugs, get slim ear muffs, then get a full face motorcycle helmet and remove just enough of the lining so that it will fit over your muffs and then put a sound suppressor on you gun and shoot subsonic ammo.

For eye protection - wear shooting glasses - and have the facesheild on your motorcycle helmet installed/on.

For hands - kevlar gloves

For body - bullet resistant vest with level III chest and back plates, worn under a heavy leather jacket

For legs - heavy leather pants or chaps - and/or kevlar pants

For feet - heavy leather boots with steel toes and kevlar socks.

Then you will be ready to shoot safely. As a side benefit you may also ride a motorcycle and engage in safe sex with the addition of sanitizer and two condoms to double up.

edit to add - if you are shooting indoors you will need to add a quality gas mask for protection from lead particles.

 

[thorazine]

What is the minimum amount of hearing protection a person should use?

For me it's suppressor only when the range is empty -- no ears or plugs.

When there are other shooters then I will put on a frowny face and insert a set of ear plugs.