Protecting hearing, treatment, load selection and more...

[westernrover]

I'm all too aware of how precious hearing is and how loathesome tinitus can be. While noise-induced hearing loss can be a cumulative effect, a single gunshot incident can result in permanent loss and ringing in the ears for the rest of your life. Good hearing and the ability to enjoy peaceful silence can be taken away in an instant.

Wearing sufficient hearing protection is the simplest effective method, but it doesn't help if we forget to put it on. I've seen Greg Kinman (Hickok45) forget to "put his ears on" after taking them out between shots. I recall another Youtuber (I think it was Eric Blandford) forget to pull his muffs down from on his head. Just yesterday, I pulled a foam plug out of one ear to listen to the clicks adjusting a sight, then setup targets and forgot to put it back before I took the first shot.

One thing I learned recently is that there are treatments for acoustic trauma. The simplest treatment is oral corticosteroids (prednisolone). Some research has indicated steroid shots straight into the middle ear are more effective. Another member described receiving those recently and I looked into it:

link 1
link 2
link 3

The key takeaway here is that if you do suffer acoustic trauma, there is treatment for it. See an ear doctor and don't wait -- the earlier you get treatment, the more effective it is.

Besides ear protection, suppressors are another real solution. They involve trade-offs like extra weight, length, the expense, waiting period, and they won't fit a lot of guns practically. I hope to get one for a new hunting rifle, but I don't think I'm going to have my classic Winchester threaded and it won't be practical for my EDC handgun.

The sound at the shooter's ears can increase dramatically with:

• muzzle brakes, compensators, porting
• reflective backstops or terrain
• indoors or inside a vehicle

What else I learned is that sound pressure level is strongly correlated to muzzle pressure. These guys did the work to measure pressure at various points along a barrel:

EFFECTS OF BARREL LENGTH ON BORE PRESSURE, PROJECTILE VELOCITY and SOUND MEASUREMENT

They also measured the correlation between barrel length, muzzle pressure, and sound pressure level (loudness).

Quickload is an easy way to calculate muzzle pressure with various parameters like cartridge, bullet, seating depth, powder, charge mass, and barrel length.

Things that reduce muzzle pressure:

• Longer barrels
• Bigger bores
• Faster powders
• Shorter seating depth (45 ACP vs. 45 LC)

With faster powders or shorter seating depth, peak pressure happens earlier and pressure drops more before the bullet exits the muzzle*. Pressure drops more before bullet exit with a longer barrel and with a bigger bore.

*Another consequence of this is less area under the pressure/time curve and lower velocity.

We're all aware that some guns (and cartridges) are louder than others, but there is more to it than "357 is louder than 45 Colt." Some 357's are a LOT louder than others. If we understand what's causing the noise, we can use a particular gun or cartridge at much lower levels of noise and while wimpy guns and loads are likely to be quieter than macho ones, if we understand what causes loudness, we can use "enough" gun or load for a purpose without being louder than necessary. It's our own hearing that's most at stake.

 

[Will Munny]

Well I will take this as another advantage for one of my favorite cartridges, the 25 ACP.

 

[General Geoff]

Well I will take this as another advantage for one of my favorite cartridges, the 25 ACP.

.25ACP is a 155 dB muzzle report. Well into deafening/permanent hearing loss territory

 

[gunlaw]

The 357 mag is the most unpleasant. Like someone cracking a whip by your ear. Very high pitched and painful.
The others are no fun either. Fortunately quality hearing protection is very affordable and easy to use.

 

[wiscoaster]

Well I will take this as another advantage for one of my favorite cartridges, the 25 ACP.

Even .22 LR out of a handgun is pretty damn loud. I wouldn't shoot even that unless I had at least expanding-foam earplugs in.

 

[westernrover]

A cartridge does not make any noise at all, not by itself. We cannot say "357 is louder than 25 ACP." A 357 Magnum loaded to maximum pressure can easily be made to have a lower muzzle pressure and to result in lower sound pressure level (be quieter) than a typical 25 ACP.

A 25 ACP is typically loaded with a fast burning powder but shot out of a 2.4" barrel so that the bullet leaves the muzzle when pressure is still over 6000 psi. It's typically subsonic, so there is no resulting crack. A 155 dB A-weighted meter reading is typical -- and importantly, there's not much we can do with 25 ACP since the guns and components are pretty limited in variety.

A 357 can be loaded with a fast-burning powder like Titegroup or Red Dot. For one thing, we could load it to much lower pressures than 25 ACP and it would still be substantially more effective. But even if we load it to SAAMI maximum peak pressure, if we use a fast burning powder and deep seated bullet (wadcutter), we can reach that 35,000 psi really early and afterwards the pressure just drops like a brick. Now give it a 7.5" barrel and the muzzle pressure when the bullet exits is just a fraction of what the 25 ACP produced (I calculated ~1900 psi). Depending on the bullet weight, the powder we used, and the barrel length, we might end up supersonic or not. Certainly given a stout bullet and a light load of fast powder we can stay subsonic, though I can't say for sure if it that recipe will certainly develop 35,000 psi peak pessure. Needless to say, that wadcutter is going to deliver a lot more energy and momentum all with less noise.

I'm not claiming that quieter loads would be "hearing safe." The difference between 149 dB and 165 dB is huge. Both can damage hearing and should only be shot with ear protection. But if I inadvertently neglect my ears for a shot or had to shoot without protection in self-defense, I'd rather have the quieter load, all relevant things else being equal.

 

[trackskippy]

One advantage to hearing aids is, they do a pretty good job of getting rid of the ringing from tinnitus.

 

[dcloco]

Sound Moderators/Suppressors/Mufflers.......mitigate the big woof at the muzzle, but the hypersonic crack of the bullet is still breaking your hearing. Need to use hearing protection....even when hushed.

 

[westernrover]

One advantage to hearing aids is, they do a pretty good job of getting rid of the ringing from tinnitus.

They don't get rid of it. They just mask it by amplifying background noise. Essentially, they just make more noise, not less.

 

[mcb]

Most subsonic 22 LR ammo will easily be over 110 DB in most suppressors. OSHA recommend hearing protection for any exposure over 85 Decibels. I frequently shoot 300 BO subsonic with out hearing protection when hunting but that is usually on a hand full of shots. I still usually use hear protection when doing extended range sessions. Suppressed subsonic does not physical hurt the way shooting, say a 357 mag, with unprotected ears does but it is still contributing a small amount of damage to long term hearing loss.

 

[trackskippy]

They don't get rid of it. They just mask it by amplifying background noise. Essentially, they just make more noise, not less.

Mine seem to work at it pretty good. They do actively deal with it when Im wearing them, but its also noticeably quieter when Im not. I mentioned that to the Dr last time I was there and she said that seems to vary from person to person.

Considering before I got them, it was just a constant scream in one ear, and all the crickets from all of John Wayne's movies in the other. Now, pretty much nothing. Im not complaining.

 

[hso]

One advantage to hearing aids is, they do a pretty good job of getting rid of the ringing from tinnitus.

They don't get rid of it.

Since tinnitus is from the damage to the inner ear or from chronic illness or the medications that treat it, a hearing aid may mask the ringing, does nothing to treat the cause. Of course you may mean "getting rid of it" as "hide it".

 

[trackskippy]

Most subsonic 22 LR ammo will easily be over 110 DB in most suppressors. OSHA recommend hearing protection for any exposure over 85 Decibels. I frequently shoot 300 BO subsonic with out hearing protection when hunting but that is usually on a hand full of shots. I still usually use hear protection when doing extended range sessions. Suppressed subsonic does not physical hurt the way shooting, say a 357 mag, with unprotected ears does but it is still contributing a small amount of damage to long term hearing loss.

I can shoot a number of 5.56 out of my suppressed AR in my carport without any plugs. I cant shoot a single 22 in the same spot unsuppressed.

If Im at the range and I shoot 50 rounds suppressed, its not uncomfortable, but it becomes noticeable after Im done shooting, and my ears ache and feel a good bit like Id been shooting without hearing protection. Not as bad, but you feel it.

Since tinnitus is from the damage to the inner ear or from chronic illness or the medications that treat it, a hearing aid may mask the ringing, does nothing to treat the cause. Of course you may mean "getting rid of it" as "hide it".

It definitely hides it with the aids in, and I dont notice it at all, but its also noticeably quieter (all around) now when I take them off, and the scream in my one ear is pretty much gone or at least appears to be. So something is going on.

 

[hso]

Muffs + Plugs + Suppressor = happier hearing

I love electronic muffs because they allow me to hear what is going on around me, but electronic muffs are simply hearing protection muffs with a mic, some electronics, and speakers in the ear cups. They are just standard hearing protection ear muffs that insulate against noise with added electronics. All they do is shut the speakers off in the ear cup when the electronics detects the rapid rise in sound pressure level. They do nothing to the sound itself that isn't happening with passive muffs. A wonderful tool when hearing your surroundings is important, but no more protective than standard muffs without the electronics.

There are no active hearing protection devices that actively protects from gunfire. Active noise suppression (canceling) works with continuous noise by analyzing the waveform of the sound and applying an inverted counter waveform so they cancel each other out. Great for shop/equipment noise, but they do nothing for high volume fast rise times of gunshots. To my knowledge there is nothing out there (or nothing affordable) that can actively suppress gunshot noise with the rapid rise times on the sound pressure level. The rise times are just too fast.


Cheap yellow foam plugs seem to work better than any other plugs at blocking sound. This is the case when the foam plugs are properly inserted. While cool, custom molded plugs allow for ease of insertion, but fundamentally lack the ability to expand into the ear canal as well as the foam plugs when they're properly used. It is a tradeoff between convenience and NRR.

High NRR foam plugs under muffs are the most effective personal protective equipment you can use to reduce exposure to noise from gunfire. You only gain 5db in equivalent hearing protection because plugs and muffs are effective over different sound frequencies, but remember that an additional 5dB is a halving of the sound pressure level. Their ranges overlap, but not across the entire hearing range. That's why you only credit 5 more dB on top of your plugs.

Another point - I've been a Health & Safety Professional for 30 years and the only hearing protection that I put my trust in comes from one of the major manufacturers of industrial hearing protection equipment. Other brands do not get my trust because unless I know that they're using the same testing and quality control required of the PPE manufacturers like 3M/Peltor, Howard Leight, Moldex, Sordin I don't know what standards they're producing to.

Lastly, I've bought hearing protection over the years just to test them. I've never found the major hearing PPE companies to overstate the performance of their muffs or plugs. I have almost always been disappointed about the test results of other manufactures.

Rant- If our government cared about our hearing they'd make suppressors readily and inexpensively available like Europe instead of causing the price to be artificially inflated and adding a $200 burden on top of it (along with months of delays). If you can, file an E-Form 1 and pay your $200 good guy tax and build your own suppressor when you get the permission back from the Fed. THIS with plugs and muffs will provide the best protection reducing hearing damage.

 

[hso]

So something is going on.

Have you had any medication or health changes since you got your hearing aids (no need to answer, but something to consider).

 

[trackskippy]

Have you had any medication or health changes since you got your hearing aids (no need to answer, but something to consider).

No, no changes, other than the hearing aids, which I wear all the time now.

I was told when I got them, that they adjust them to try and neutralize the sound of the tinnitus. And as I said, she said that some do notice a difference even without them, which seems to be what Im experencing.

 

[hso]

notice a difference even without them

That's very interesting!

 

[Will Munny]

.25ACP is a 155 dB muzzle report. Well into deafening/permanent hearing loss territory

I would not condone shooting ANY firearm without hearing protection under range conditions, but as firearms go 25 ACP with off the shelf ammo is probabally my quietest. Certainly not the report of the 30-06 or 357. I also suspect there is more to the measurement of this than dB, dB alone is not sufficient for audio production work due to the complexity of how the human ear reacts to sound.

 

[hso]

I also suspect there is more to the measurement of this than dB

Not really. Remember that it is related to injurious sound pressure levels in the audible range as opposed to the more refined and subtle sound quality aspect of audio production.

 

[Will Munny]

Not really. Remember that it is related to injurious sound pressure levels in the audible range as opposed to the more refined and subtle sound quality aspect of audio production.

Pressure however can come in various frequencies, which is why audio production is based on more than dB, you can make something sound louder or quieter without modifying the dB level (and the advertising industry is quite good at it).

 

[Hangingrock]

Each month there is a deposit to our bank account from the Federal Government (Veteran Administration) for hearing disability and Agent Orange exposure. Pardon me what did you say along with lip reading is what it is. So, with what little hearing we have we take protective measures.

 

[WheelGunMan]

I'm all too aware of how precious hearing is and how loathesome tinitus can be. While noise-induced hearing loss can be a cumulative effect, a single gunshot incident can result in permanent loss and ringing in the ears for the rest of your life. Good hearing and the ability to enjoy peaceful silence can be taken away in an instant.

Wearing sufficient hearing protection is the simplest effective method, but it doesn't help if we forget to put it on. I've seen Greg Kinman (Hickok45) forget to "put his ears on" after taking them out between shots. I recall another Youtuber (I think it was Eric Blandford) forget to pull his muffs down from on his head. Just yesterday, I pulled a foam plug out of one ear to listen to the clicks adjusting a sight, then setup targets and forgot to put it back before I took the first shot.

One thing I learned recently is that there are treatments for acoustic trauma. The simplest treatment is oral corticosteroids (prednisolone). Some research has indicated steroid shots straight into the middle ear are more effective. Another member described receiving those recently and I looked into it:

link 1
link 2
link 3

The key takeaway here is that if you do suffer acoustic trauma, there is treatment for it. See an ear doctor and don't wait -- the earlier you get treatment, the more effective it is.

Besides ear protection, suppressors are another real solution. They involve trade-offs like extra weight, length, the expense, waiting period, and they won't fit a lot of guns practically. I hope to get one for a new hunting rifle, but I don't think I'm going to have my classic Winchester threaded and it won't be practical for my EDC handgun.

The sound at the shooter's ears can increase dramatically with:

• muzzle brakes, compensators, porting
• reflective backstops or terrain
• indoors or inside a vehicle

What else I learned is that sound pressure level is strongly correlated to muzzle pressure. These guys did the work to measure pressure at various points along a barrel:

EFFECTS OF BARREL LENGTH ON BORE PRESSURE, PROJECTILE VELOCITY and SOUND MEASUREMENT

They also measured the correlation between barrel length, muzzle pressure, and sound pressure level (loudness).

Quickload is an easy way to calculate muzzle pressure with various parameters like cartridge, bullet, seating depth, powder, charge mass, and barrel length.

Things that reduce muzzle pressure:

• Longer barrels
• Bigger bores
• Faster powders
• Shorter seating depth (45 ACP vs. 45 LC)

With faster powders or shorter seating depth, peak pressure happens earlier and pressure drops more before the bullet exits the muzzle*. Pressure drops more before bullet exit with a longer barrel and with a bigger bore.

*Another consequence of this is less area under the pressure/time curve and lower velocity.

We're all aware that some guns (and cartridges) are louder than others, but there is more to it than "357 is louder than 45 Colt." Some 357's are a LOT louder than others. If we understand what's causing the noise, we can use a particular gun or cartridge at much lower levels of noise and while wimpy guns and loads are likely to be quieter than macho ones, if we understand what causes loudness, we can use "enough" gun or load for a purpose without being louder than necessary. It's our own hearing that's most at stake.

Thanks for the heads up on the treatments available.

I'm one of those that suffers with permanent hearing damage from shooting my first Ruger Security Six 357 magnum without hearing protection many years ago. My right ear immediately sealed off and I knew right then I had done some irreversible damage. That incident combined with many years as a carpenter running saws without hearing protection has taken its toll.

I do a lot of shooting and am also a CPL instructor. I have found the sound suppressing Walker Razor earmuffs to be ideal for the shooting range. The volume control allows me to communicate and hear others while never having to take them off. It has saved me from additional hearing loss. Recommend them highly.

 

[Insignificant bill]

My hearing is slowly deteriorating. I keep earmuffs on the nightstand in case of a home shootout and always at the range. Hope to never have to fire my firearms without hearing protection.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

A 22LR out of a rifle is plenty loud. Plugs and muffs for me, as the foam wears out in my ear muffs I have been experimenting with various replacements. I have found flanged plugs do a much better job of cleaning out earwax than cotton swabs.

 

[Mike J]

Thank you for your post. I was unaware treatment is available for Tinnitus. I've been a Sheet Metal Worker since 1989. I would like to be able to hear the sound of silence.