I Can't Hear You, I've Got A .45 In My Ear...

[SuperNaut]

The guy next to me at the range yesterday had .45 ACP's in his ears instead of earplugs, IMO .380's would've probably fit better.

 

[TMM]

depends on ear size. 9mm fits me well.

 

[Impala]

now that's a strange choice for hearing protection, i'm hesitant to put live ammunition in my ears however

 

[freedom and guns]

That's funny! HAHAHA

 

[Justin]

I'm told that people used to do this in the days of yore before foam ear plugs were readily available.

Doing that today, however, is just stupid.

 

[Erebus]

Ar first I though you meant he had the gun in his ear like that photo that turns up from time to time.

 

[SuperNaut]

What would he have done if he had been shooting a 30-06 over in the rifle pits I wonder?

 

[carterbeauford]

Wonder what the chances are of a richochet hitting the primer? Probably pretty slim, but I don't like anything weighing 230 grains with gunpowder behind it pointing at my skull.

Danger aside, that had to be uncomfortable

 

[SuperNaut]

I must admit, when I got home and nobody was looking, I stuck .45's in my ears to see if they would fit.

They did.

 

[shermacman]

Yup, those silicone plugs are just soooo expensive. Any your eardrums will always grow back.

Sheesh.

 

[Justin]

Danger aside, that had to be uncomfortable

And of dubious utility.

 

[Zundfolge]

I'm told that people used to do this in the days of yore before foam ear plugs were readily available.

Days of yore? You mean back when most ammo was unjacketed lead?

 

[Justin]

I should have done a better description.

They would use empty shell casings. Not loaded rounds.

Unless the old gummer was just pullin' my leg.

 

[SuperNaut]

Y'know I did just ass-u-me that they were full rounds, but they very well could have been just casing. If I had been closer I could have spied if the primers were intact. The guy would probably have gotten nervous if I got close enough for that.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Y'know I did just ass-u-me that they were full rounds, but they very well could have been just casing. If I had been closer I could have spied if the primers were intact. The guy would probably have gotten nervous if I got close enough for that.

Especially if you had a hammer and a spare firing pin in your hands
I've heard of that, never tried it. It makes me nervous too even though the odds of anything setting it off are almost nill.

 

[lawson]

when i was a kid we would put spent .38 shells in our ears as earplugs. we never suffered any hearing damage. it took years of playing rock and roll in smoky bars to do that :banghead:

now i use proper ear protection, both when shooting and rocking out.

 

[Cliff47]

Wonder what that fellow wears when he shoots his mouth off?? Just asking, inquiring minds are running amok with options.

 

[10-Ring]

huh? 45 acp in the ears? Okay...

 

[dm1333]

Not enough to work with for Myth Busters but I wonder how much shell casings reduce the db level. A WWII era uncle was about stone deaf from being in the Coast Artillery before the war, then field artillery in Africa and Europe. My grandfather was a WWI Navy vet and a hunter but he wore home made wax ear plugs and he had great hearing.

 

[Jackal]

Well, at least he wasnt shooting a .50cal. He may have had his ears stretched like some of those african tribes.

 

[Biker]

Back in the day, I used cigarette butts.

Biker

 

[Exposure]

True story.

My very first handgun was an Auto-Ordnance 1911 clone that I still own.

When I picked it up the first thing I did was buy a box of ammo and headed for the local sand pit.

I loaded the magazine, racked the slide, took aim, and fired.

OOOOOOUUUUUUCCCCCHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Who would have known a pistol was so loud without hearing protection!

Well I was all the way out there, had my very own pistol, and no hearing protection.

What to do? Yep, I stuffed a couple of live rounds in my ears and proceded to burn through the rest of that box of ammo, save for 2 rounds that kepts my ears safe!

These days I use slightly better hearing protection, but on that day I used what was at hand!

 

[jman74]

I did this once when I was working on a .45 of mine. I walked to the wood line to fire off a few rounds and noticed I didn't have any plugs with me. Would I recommend it, no, but for a few rounds that day it worked just fine.

 

['Card]

"...with .45 casings in your ears, you hear only in vowels."

 

[hso]

had .45 ACP's in his ears instead of earplugs

He probably can't hear anyway and thinks that's doing some good.