Home defense noise considerations

[hso]

http://net.unl.edu/artsFeat/deafening_sound/media/ds_video19.ram

http://www.hooah4health.com/environment/hearingnvision/hearingFAQs.htm

http://www.hooah4health.com/environment/hearingnvision/hearingFAQs.htm

http://net.unl.edu/artsFeat/deafening_sound/media/ds_video20.ram

 

[Hardtarget]

In the eighties I shot with a club at a range that was "open"...as in no roof. However it had walls and ballistic baffels to keep things safe. Any way, I showed up to shoot an stoped at the door...all quiet. In I go just as targets faced the line...and half dozen .45s go off! Better believe I jumped back through the door, put on my ears...and listened to the ringing for a long time! After that I put on the muffs as I approached the door. All that to say this. Shooting for fun, the muffs are on. Fighting for my life, muffs will be an after thought!
Mark.

 

[bcochran]

going off on tangents

Anyway, I wondered who had any knowledge of the relative noise levels of the typical home defense weapons such as:
-40/45 caliber handguns
-12 gauge shotgun
-223/7.62x39/308 rifles

Arent they all likely to cause hearing damage if fired unsuppressed?

That was the question.

The answer is a simple "yes".

I am not going to argue with people who want to:

1. say "no". I don't care about their hearing.
2. say "some vet from WWII shot a lot in the field and had ok hearing." I don't care about his hearing.

Why do you think that people wear hearing protection?

What is it like shooting in the field under real conditions? Good grief I wondered who was shooting at me - and I was the one doing the shooting!

The original question should have been "how do I conduct myself so that I have some hearing protection in the field?"

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I've fired all kinds of guns without hearing protection. Rifles, pistols, and shotguns, and even a friends ported pistol (Glock 21C). My ears always ring after shooting without hearing protection, and it's not something I do very often, but it happens. I have never considered the sound of gunfire to be painful, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with my hearing. I'm always the first one to hear an ambulance in traffic (even with music playing), or whatever the situation calls for. I would go as far as to say my hearing is excellent. And as mentioned previously, what about combat veterans? Why aren't they all deaf?

OTOH, most people I know who work with incredibly loud equipment on a daily basis, or those who constantly listen to loud music, have hearing problems. IANAD, but I would think constant exposure to loud noise would do considerably more damage than occasionally or rarely experiencing loud noises like gunfire.

There is a problem with that logic. Exposure to gunfire even once can equal the exposure to loud equipment for months. I'm glad your hearing is perfect. Or is it? I have hearing tests every year; it is required at work. My idiocy as a child of not using hearing protection has garnered me a hearing loss. I've fully protected what I have left for the last 30 years, and my hearing is not getting worse, except for what they call normal aging. Have hearing tests done, you may be surprised at the loss even at only one certain frequency. NEVER, I mean NEVER expose yourself to gunfire with unprotected hearing needlessly. (Non-defense capacity) Once lost, your hearing will never return. Please continue to hear what I am missing.

 

[Ryder]

You'd be surprised how much noise gets absorbed by carpet, heavy drapes, and the padded furniture found in living rooms and bedrooms. It's a muffled boom. Not the BANG you get in places like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements where noise gets reflected back to your ears unimpeded. My personal experience with this has been using low pressure cartridges however.

Military guys didn't have great options "back then". We did have and did use cigarette filters (paper removed). Not the optimal solution but better than nothing. Cottons balls wetted with saliva were at a premium but also used (and shared). If someone else was doing the shooting you used your fingers. I still use my fingers when someone else is shooting

Outdoors without anything to reflect the noise back to your ears most of the noise is directed away from you. They made rifle barrels longer way back when. Short barrels weren't in much demand with good reason. The shorter the barrel the more the pain but handgun cartridges were not particularly high pressure and you could take a certain amount without getting a ring in your ears. Again, the noise is directed away from you, your ear isn't sitting in front of the muzzle like a decibel sensor.

I found some years back that an empty 45acp case makes a perfect impromptu ear plug (for me). Inserted primer first and not so deep, just enough to get a seal. I don't get many Frankenstein jokes, hair covers my ears. Obviously not for everybody but I always try to remember to carry a few empties in my pocket these days. Some of you guys with tiny heads would probably require a 9mm Hehe.

 

[hso]

Ryder,

Thanks for the historical perspective. My dad was a Stewart tanker way back and he told me about stuffing cotton balls in their ears.

I'm glad you take measures to protect your hearing, but I'm not sure an empty .45 casing has much of an NRR (noise reduction rating). Now a loaded .45 round would provide better protection , but I think cheap foam plugs (NRR > 20) would do better.

 

[JohnKSa]

My ears always ring after shooting without hearing protection

I recall reading that ringing is an indication that permanent damage has taken place.

 

[Ryder]

I'm glad you take measures to protect your hearing, but I'm not sure an empty .45 casing has much of an NRR (noise reduction rating). Now a loaded .45 round would provide better protection , but I think cheap foam plugs (NRR > 20) would do better.

Thanks for the concern hso but loaded cases are too heavy and would require deep insertion to prevent them falling out. Empties block all sound perfectly fine for me and I barely know they are there. They don't need "insertion", just a seal. Play around with it in front of your TV if you would like to see what I am talking about. No need to fire a gun. If the size is a good match as it is for me then you may find yourself asking who hit the mute button

Anyhow, I've sworn off foam plugs. When they expand into the ear canal they force wax to compact deep within. This has given me serious medical problems in the past. Ear infections are only somewhat bothersome but if that infection spreads to the bone... Well let's just say you haven't felt pain until you experience a skull bone infection.

I have many types of hearing protection available to me. Been shooting for about 4 decades. Aside from the medical implications I don't believe foam is very effective without muffs to back them up. People use them because they're cheap, easy, and better than nothing but it's far from optimal. I like optimal, my ears are more sensitive now than when I was younger.

 

[hso]

I don't believe foam is very effective without muffs to back them up. People use them because they're cheap, easy, and better than nothing but it's far from optimal.

Ryder, not to be rude, but that just ain't the case. The noise reduction rating on foam plugs are established using a standardize test method. They get the higher rating because they reduce the sound getting to a test microphone in a human simulant ear canal measured against a similar microphone just outside the ear. In other words, foam plugs get an NRR of 30 because they absorb 30 dB of sound.

I'm can't tell you what the NRR of an empty .45 would be, but I'd be willing to bet that it's far below any of the foam ear plugs simply because the brass casing is more sound conductive than foam.

I'll ask my wife (occupation nurse practioner) about the wax issue. My experience has been when a guy has lots of wax buildup, so much so that an ear plug would compact the wax, is at risk of ear infections anyway. I've sent some of our guys to the doctor for that problem and they usually work out a convenient way to clear the wax out to keep it from being a problem.

 

[JohnKSa]

Ryder does have a point about using only ear plugs. There is some sound transmission that takes place through the mastoid bone. At very high sound levels, that transmission path could be a significant contributor. The safest method is to use plugs and muffs. Failing that, a pair of muffs THAT FITS PROPERLY is probably the best. The fit is critical.

 

[AStone]

My experience has been when a guy has lots of wax buildup, so much so that an ear plug would compact the wax, is at risk of ear infections anyway. I've sent some of our guys to the doctor for that problem and they usually work out a convenient way to clear the wax out to keep it from being a problem.

WHAT'S THAT? WAX BUILD UP?

I USE PLEDGE ON MY FURNITURE {stocks & fore ends} TO AVOID WAX BUILD UP.

EAR SLUG? IS THAT LIKE AN EARWIG?