Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
Some years back I got pelted with small shot on a dove shoot.An idiot took a low shot after being told at least three times that we could shoot only if we saw sky beyond the bird. He got excited and forgot. I doubt he forgot the world class cussin' out I gave him.
The shot itself was no big thing, hardly left a mark. But, one pellet pinged off my prescription sunglasses, which had safety lenses. A lesson there, and cheap at the price.
I was probably suffering from a bit of hearing loss by the first grade. We didn't know then that extremely loud noises damaged the ears, and I had been exposed to 22s and shotguns with heavy loads well before all my baby teeth were in.
Since then, there's been many more shots, some explosions, chainsaws,lots of great rock and roll, etc. I have trouble following conversations in bars and restaurants, and there's crickets, whistles and hums I hear that do not exist outside of my aural nerves.
Tintinnis is a real SOB.And there's no cure.
But there is prevention. Good protection is neither scarce nor expensive. A working set of shooting glasses in one of the many shades available is only $12 at my local range.
Silencio's effective ear plugs are around $7 for the base model, and the valve jobs that shut down the sound of gunfire but allow normal sounds to be heard are but a little more.
I had a set of basic plugs and used same for a decade and more. Lost one, bought another set and kept the old one for a spare. Cost per use is picayune.
Muffs are a little more expensive, but the best of them provide not only superior sound mitigation
in the ear canal but muffle any sounds that might come through bone conduction in the area surrounding the ear.
Plugs work better for me than muffs for clays. The muffs knock against the stock and sometimes come off seal enough to leak sound inside. YMMV.
I do use muffs for bench work and handguns.
Those of us with glasses can do as I did and have a set of "Shatterproof"sunglasses made in our prescriptions. Side shields (AKA Blinders) are mandatory on non wraparound styles. These also work well for hunting, and a set of those little Silencios weigh less than an oz and fit into a pocket.
At this point, I use safety glasses all the time when shooting or hunting, and plugs when doing anything other than deer hunting. That involves very few shots but I need all the hearing I can get there.
Hope this helps, sing out if there's questions...
The shot itself was no big thing, hardly left a mark. But, one pellet pinged off my prescription sunglasses, which had safety lenses. A lesson there, and cheap at the price.
I was probably suffering from a bit of hearing loss by the first grade. We didn't know then that extremely loud noises damaged the ears, and I had been exposed to 22s and shotguns with heavy loads well before all my baby teeth were in.
Since then, there's been many more shots, some explosions, chainsaws,lots of great rock and roll, etc. I have trouble following conversations in bars and restaurants, and there's crickets, whistles and hums I hear that do not exist outside of my aural nerves.
Tintinnis is a real SOB.And there's no cure.
But there is prevention. Good protection is neither scarce nor expensive. A working set of shooting glasses in one of the many shades available is only $12 at my local range.
Silencio's effective ear plugs are around $7 for the base model, and the valve jobs that shut down the sound of gunfire but allow normal sounds to be heard are but a little more.
I had a set of basic plugs and used same for a decade and more. Lost one, bought another set and kept the old one for a spare. Cost per use is picayune.
Muffs are a little more expensive, but the best of them provide not only superior sound mitigation
in the ear canal but muffle any sounds that might come through bone conduction in the area surrounding the ear.
Plugs work better for me than muffs for clays. The muffs knock against the stock and sometimes come off seal enough to leak sound inside. YMMV.
I do use muffs for bench work and handguns.
Those of us with glasses can do as I did and have a set of "Shatterproof"sunglasses made in our prescriptions. Side shields (AKA Blinders) are mandatory on non wraparound styles. These also work well for hunting, and a set of those little Silencios weigh less than an oz and fit into a pocket.
At this point, I use safety glasses all the time when shooting or hunting, and plugs when doing anything other than deer hunting. That involves very few shots but I need all the hearing I can get there.
Hope this helps, sing out if there's questions...
