Paranoid about hearing protection.

[Hoplophile]

I have really good ears, and I'd like them to stay that way. What would you suggest for maximum hearing protection? I'm talking firing a .50BMG next to my head and not hearing it. No fancy electronics needed, just complete and artificial silence.

I basically don't want to hear anything at all while I shoot, I have someone to tap me during cold range.

Any advice?

 

[PTK]

Plugs, muffs, and a silencer.

 

[peck1234]

ummmmm, let me thinkkkkkkkkkk hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

EARPLUGS!!!!!!:banghead:

 

[JohnKSa]

Go here:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/

Buy the highest NRR rated foam earplugs and the highest NRR rated ear muffs and wear them both at the same time.

 

[rrflyer]

plugs, muffs, full face motorcycle helmet.

 

[PTK]

EARPLUGS!!!!!!

.50BMG, that's not going to do much. Plugs and muffs and .50BMG is still uncomfortable to fire.

 

[toivo]

I'm talking firing a .50BMG next to my head and not hearing it.

That's impossible. With high-rated plugs and muffs (worn at the same time), you can get it down to where it won't do your ears any harm, but you will still hear it.

 

[PTK]

That's impossible.

Not really - with plugs, muffs, AND a silencer, all you'd hear is the sound of the bullet.

 

[General Geoff]

Yeah, you're going to want to become good friends with your sheriff, so you can invest in a bunch of silencers. They're really THE BEST preventative measure you can take for your hearing if you shoot a lot.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I have really good ears, and I'd like them to stay that way.

Sadly, that's not going to happen regardless of what you do. Not to say you shouldn't try to protect as much as you can, but you are going to lose some of your hearing no matter what.

 

[rfurtkamp]

I'd argue that zero situational awareness at a public range is just as bad as having no hearing protection.

If I suddenly spot a child running downrange and call for a cease fire, you better damn well hear me. If you can't, that's a serious safety hazard.

Being able to be aware of range commands etc is part of gun safety, and what you're suggesting isn't conducive to it.

 

[toivo]

Not to say you shouldn't try to protect as much as you can, but you are going to lose some of your hearing no matter what.

I'm not so sure about that. Doubling up with high-quality plugs and muffs should keep you in the safety zone with most firearms. Or are we only talking about the .50 BMG here?

 

[hso]

I'm talking firing a .50BMG next to my head and not hearing it.

This isn't possible. The best hearing protection available, plugs under muffs, won't block enough of the noise so that you couldn't hear a .50. Even adding a sound suppressor won't accomplish this.

If you are concerned about protecting your hearing all you can do is combine hearing protection (plugs + muffs), limit the time shooting, shoot on outdoor ranges, and limit the "loudness" of what you're shooting, i.e. reduce the exposure and the exposure time.

 

[Pat-inCO]

I'm talking firing a .50BMG next to my head and not hearing it. No fancy electronics needed, just complete and artificial silence.

Cut off head, reattach after shooting.

Other than that you WILL hear a 50BMG.

Custom molded ear plugs are normally good for about 30-32db of attenuation. Add a pair of Peltor Ultimate-10 and you can add another 30db of attenuation. Plug your nose and add several more db of attenuation. Close your mouth as you shoot and add a few more db of attenuation. YOU WILL STILL HEAR IT. With the above precautions, it will probably not impair your hearing.

 

[CountGlockula]

My advice.

Stay away from .50BMG guns and shoot .22lr guns. Then you can just use cotton balls in your ears.

 

[Old Grump]

Even if you are completely deaf you do not want to stand next to a 50 BMG, you want to be behind it. I hate when my heart skips beats.

 

[ZeSpectre]

what? WHAT? WHATDIDHESAY?
Speak UP durnit, I hate it when everybody mumbles all the time!

 

[GrizzlyGraves]

I can tell ya what not to use: those rubbery, translucent red plugs on a string. They're about as useful as, well, nothing.

The old foam ones that form to your ear with some good muffs should do ya.

You don't want to end up like my grandfather who was asked by a doctor late in life, "Colonel Greenway, have you ever been exposed to gunfire?" . . .

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I'm not so sure about that. Doubling up with high-quality plugs and muffs should keep you in the safety zone with most firearms. Or are we only talking about the .50 BMG here?

I'm more talking about how someone who is 18-19 years old with "really good ears" is certain to lose those "really good ears" with age, particularly in regards to frequency range.

 

[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.

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.

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.

 

[brassdog]

Don't forget about bone conduction of concusive sound waves. The mastoid bone will transmit the sound vibrations directly to you inner ear where the cochela and the hearing nerves resides. Constant exposure to this kind of concusive sound waves, ie: 50 BMG, industrial heavey machinery, will result in the degradation of your hearing quality. Even with ear muffs, bone conduction is a big factor in hearing. Go ask any audiologist about this and they tell you all you really need to know.
So short of not firing the 50 BMG, I don't know what you really could do unless you want to wrap your head in bubble wrap.

 

[STW]

I bring an interesting perspective to this discussion. I've been stone deaf on one side for over 10 years because of a tumor. The physical structure of my hearing is fine on the deaf side but the connection to my brain has been cut (so to speak).

I've found that I'm still bothered by loud, sharp noises when shooting because I can feel the shock wave impact on my ear drum if unprotected and, I assume, on the little bones beyond that. I figure, "If it bothers me, who can't hear, just what kind of damage is it doing to someone who can hear?"

Needless to say I double up on the good side. I have never seen a pair of muffs with a higher dB rating than the pair I use. The plugs add to that.

I always hear the gun shots.

 

[Crazy Fingers]

I think what those dB numbers don't show is where the sound is that high. Not all guns act the same when you are behind the trigger vs. right near the muzzle.

I swear that I can shoot my shotgun all day without hearing protection and it doesn't bother me. Try that with the AR, and you're gonna have a headache!

 

[.38 Special]

I swear that I can shoot my shotgun all day without hearing protection and it doesn't bother me.

I sell hearing aids for a living, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your contribution. My taste in guns is rather expensive...

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

I can tell ya what not to use: those rubbery, translucent red plugs on a string. They're about as useful as, well, nothing.

You aren't kidding. 350 rounds out of my M44 with those and I couldn't hear right for almost a week. Nearly deaf in one ear with constant ringing. It sounded like I was underwater and what I was saying didn't sound right.

Needless to say, before going to the range again I got the best muffs I could find. Fortunately, my hearing has returned to normal, or at least that's what I tell myself.