Practice with no hearing protection?


Do you eve purposefullyr practice without hearing protection?


  • Total voters
    79

Firefighterchen

OC for Tactical Advantage
Does anyone practice a few magazines of ammunition with no hearing protection before you don the ear muffs for the rest of the session? (Poll...because I like polls)

I have read on here and other sites, you will not hear the percussion of the shot, or get blinded by the muzzle flash. Having not had to fire my handgun in a room or in the dark, with the fight or flight onset, I wouldn't know first hand if this is true.

I have purposefully shot a few magazines during a session only a couple times to remind myself of how loud it really is. Should I plan on doing it more often? Or is it not worth the damage to my ears, and I will be able to handle the noise if the time ever curses me?
 

I don't know why the "r" from "ever" got cut to the end of purposefully in the poll title, guess I missed my mouse click...and I don't know how to edit the poll title...sorry
 
I wouldn't advise it, you can go deaf after the first shot without hearing protection. I shot for half an hour without any hearing protection and my ears rang for 3 days straight. Needless to say I will NEVER do that again lol.

I know that standard 9mm target ammo is roughly around 156dB more than enough to damage your hearing.

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
 
You have already suffered permanent hearing loss to some degree. One round is above the threshold for damage to your hearing. You should neverdeliberately fire your weapon w/out hearing protection
 
Do you believe like Keltyke says, that if the times comes, you won't be distracted by the sound? I just want to make sure I have trained sufficiently enough to minimize any points of failure.

Did you know, more people loose their hearing due to driving with their windows down? The sound that wind creates in our ear canal while driving causes more damage than loud systems in cars. This is what my medical director informed us at our last EMS meeting, and advised us to not drive around in our department vehicles with windows down.
 
I went to Walmart and bought some sponge type ear protection before firing 50 rounds through my new Glock 23C. I could not hear for a day after doing that. The ear plugs were not adequate protection from the noise. I also rran a hundred rounds through a Ruger 9 mm and several other weapons. I went back to Walmart and bought much better hearing protection. I would recommend that you NOT practice firing a weapon without some sort of hearing protection. I understand that you want to practice under realistic circumstances but damaging your hearing is just not worth it. :)
 
Do you believe like Keltyke says, that if the times comes, you won't be distracted by the sound?

If you are ever in a gun fight you will experience auditory exclusion. You will also suffer permanent hearing loss to some degree. I am 46 years old and I can't use a telephone and the most common thing my wife hears when we watch a movie is "What did he just say?".

Do. Not. Fire. Your. F----ing. Weapon. Without. F---ing. Hearing Protection. Ever.

By the time you realize I know exactly what I am talking about it will be too late
 
Does anyone practice a few magazines of ammunition with no hearing protection before you don the ear muffs for the rest of the session? (Poll...because I like polls)

I have read on here and other sites, you will not hear the percussion of the shot, or get blinded by the muzzle flash. Having not had to fire my handgun in a room or in the dark, with the fight or flight onset, I wouldn't know first hand if this is true.

I have purposefully shot a few magazines during a session only a couple times to remind myself of how loud it really is. Should I plan on doing it more often? Or is it not worth the damage to my ears, and I will be able to handle the noise if the time ever curses me?
Having suffered from Tinnitus (Vietnam Vet) for more than 40 years, I would STRONGLY recommend that you ALWAYS wear hearing protection. Not only when on the range, but when using ANY noisy equipment, lawn mowers, chain saws, etc. And do not forget your eye protection. It really is one of those "Better safe than sorry" areas.
 
If you are ever in a gun fight you will experience auditory exclusion. You will also suffer permanent hearing loss to some degree. I am 46 years old and I can't use a telephone and the most common thing my wife hears when we watch a movie is "What did he just say?".

Do. Not. Fire. Your. F----ing. Weapon. Without. F---ing. Hearing Protection. Ever.

By the time you realize I know exactly what I am talking about it will be too late
Well put, Treo!
 
In the excitement you will not hear the gun go off. I don't remember how many times I have shot my shotgun or rifle at game while hunting, and never remember the recoil or the sound of the gun going off
 
Wait 30 years and you will regret it. I speak from experience. Don't do it. Not even hunting. If the time comes the noise will not distract you. If its not necessary then the not being able to hear because of the constant ringing in your ears sucks. If your life depends on it then a little hearing loss is worth it, otherwise DON'T DO IT.
 
To push the question a little further, I'd be interested in hearing (no pun) from the military guys that have been in firefights. Do they wear hearing protection?
 
If you are ever in a gun fight you will experience auditory exclusion. You will also suffer permanent hearing loss to some degree. I am 46 years old and I can't use a telephone and the most common thing my wife hears when we watch a movie is "What did he just say?".

Do. Not. Fire. Your. F----ing. Weapon. Without. F---ing. Hearing Protection. Ever.

By the time you realize I know exactly what I am talking about it will be too late

Very emphatic +1000!
 
This is the worse idea I ever read on this forum. Wear hearing aids like I have all my life and you wouldn't chance it.
 
When I was younger we used to shoot without hearing protection. Plus I played in several loud bands. I can still hear car doors in the driveway from upstairs. I do notice that certain frequencies sound different to me. I certainly do not advise shooting without "eyes & ears".

Treo, is right about auditory exclusion. Keeping in mind that sound itself is often used as a weapon to create confusion and disorientation. This is also another good reason not to talk or try to answer any questions immediately after a defensive shooting.
 
According to NIOSH, (National Institute of Occupational Safety Hazards), the threshold of hearing loss is 85dB @ 8 hours with a 3dB interchange.

85 dB - 8 hours
88 dB - 4 hours
91 dB - 2 hours
94 dB - 1 hour
etc

If what RJ says is true having a 9mm being at 156 dB, that would collate to 0.0043236 seconds. (if my math is correct.) This would mean that that you have less than hundredth of a second before hearing loss. Without offical data, I would think the sound of a bullet going off at 3 feet takes longer than this. This would mean that with one shot you have hearing loss if you don't use ear plugs/muffs.

If you combine plugs and muffs (aka double plug), you can not sum up both NRR ratings. Using plugs and muffs rating at 30 dB NRR, will combine to give you around 36-40 dB NRR, as dB is logarithmic, and not linear. This is under ideal conditions, meaning that the plugs and muffs have a perfect seal, which is unlikely. Assuming a 40dB and the same data as above, hearing loss will come in 22.32282732 seconds. (All seconds are continuous sound with no breaks in noise.)

Being indoors will also make the noise louder and longer due to echoes.

Only shoot without hearing only when you have to (aka self defence or other rare circumstances), don't do it otherwise.
 
I have used foam plugs and rubber plugs without a problem. I have since changed to muffs for comfort. I have probably fired around 5 magazines without hearing protection since I got into firearms. According to my last hearing test I still have great hearing in all frequencies tested.

The last time I fired a round unprotected was about 2 years ago. This is not something I do, but something i'm interested in learning more about.

I want to learn more about auditory exclusion, especially from military . Do you guys wear hearing protection?
 

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