Hearing protection....

[Rsadams]

In today's bulletin we have some great deals like normal on hearing protection and a good article on the subject...
I had my hearing checked a few years ago for the first time since school , I am 51 so it's been awhile.... My ears that day were ringing and I was there ( specialist ) for vertigo...

After the test I was shocked to hear I had excellent to above average hearing still... The doctor told me , you must have never been in the military or around loud things in your life... I told him well nothing but 1000+HP alky cars , guns , chainsaws and I am ex leo and worked at plants....

I guess I was lucky because growing up we never wore ear plugs shooting small caliber guns like .22 or chainsaws or when moving or working on race cars or at race tracks... Of course we did when shooting large caliber rifles or pistols because that hurts... But because of this I started wearing plugs for everything even when mowing and WOW that's alot better... It even seems like you don't get as tired because your not listening to that noise all day... It takes about 5 hours to mow my lawn on a rider....

If you don't , try it , you have nothing to lose and everything to gain... Of course our hearing is not as good when we get older but when I was a kid nobody wore plugs for things like mowing , your friends would probably had made fun of you... The one thing I am glad to see is people wearing plugs at my local range without being told... Once your hearing is gone it's gone for good...

Now I know there's not a lot of people here that are not wearing hearing protection at the gun range , but give it a try for any other activities that are loud it really makes life easier... I carry a pair in my truck for karaoke night at the local pub I go to , it's really nice for that...lol

 

[DirtySteve]

I went two months ago for a hearing test. I was not as fortunate as you. I was stupid about it in my youth. Now the darn ringing never quits and I have hearing loss...

 

[Texas10]

Like you, I didn't seem suffer hearing loss until about 55 y/o and suddenly I find I'm asking people to repeat themselves. The tinnitus got worse, loud whistling in the ears most of the time, worse when blood sugar gets low.

Hearing loss comes on suddenly, and it's irreversible. Today I have hearing aids in both ears. Without them I don't hear crickets, birds chirping, etc. and my wife seems to be mumbling all the time.

I guess I shouldn't have built those six foot stereo speakers back in the 70's....that i still have.

 

[T-shooter]

I've wore ear plugs for decades. I used to be a truck driver and the constant roar got to me so I started wearing the foam plugs. I also have been wearing those for the last 25 years mowing. People look at me like I'm crazy but I'm 67 and still have perfect hearing.

 

[garandman]

I shoot most everything suppressed AND with quality hearing pro (except for subsonic 22rf)


PLEASE ppl....take care of your hearing.

 

[antelopedundee]

I've wore ear plugs for decades. I used to be a truck driver and the constant roar got to me so I started wearing the foam plugs. I also have been wearing those for the last 25 years mowing. People look at me like I'm crazy but I'm 67 and still have perfect hearing.

I wear muffs when mowing. Got to save what I have left.

 

[ToddKS]

My issues are related to operating equipment without hearing protection while I was younger. Now I were hearing protection anytime I am operating something with a gas motor (weed eater, mower, blower, chainsaw, etc.)

 

[Rsadams]

Glad to see all this and people taking it seriously because really it's a serious issue.... I can hear pretty good , but I to have the ringing in my ears that seemed to get worse when I ended up out of the blue with vertigo.... I to get low blood sugar , maybe that's why mine rings louder sometimes... Wearing plugs has made mowing on the rider alot better , it's old , loud and needs to be replaced but I won't as long as it keeps going... Those things are expensive... Plus here in central Texas during the summer most of the grass or weeds die off so plugs help to keep the flying dust and dirt out of my ears....

After reading so much here and seeing some pictures of bad things happening... I started wearing some sort of safety glasses when shooting even .22 rifles.... I hate them so last year or so I bought a nice pair of Oakley with the prizm , non polar lenses which act as safety and sun glasses... I have been a believer since a piece of brass a few years ago ejected out of my Glock and hit them right in the middle , BONK.... It probably wouldn't have put my eye out but I bet it would have hurt real bad and ruined a day at the range and made driving that 37 miles home suck... I still feel I shoot alot better without them but I need to get a clear pair , they are cheap enough for shooting in the shade....I really like the Oakley prizm lenses , there very clear.... Plus the optical clarity makes them worth the money to me....

 

[CT10ring]

I wear earplugs or muffs even when using a palm sander, or a belt sander. Always with a table saw. Had 2 AD's with rifles, over years - muffs off, barrels pointed down, away. Done shooting & unloading.
One was "that" rem trigger, safety on/off-boom.
My ears rang like crazy, now have slighting buzzing all the time. it only takes one time to hurt your hearing.
I wear MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X, with soft earplugs, as well. I keep a 12 ga shotgun ready to go by my door, for rattlers. My MSA muffs are on the action

 

[D Coots]

What the original poster says. I flunked my first hearing test in kindergarten. Scar tissue from lots if earaches, hole in eardrum. Started wearing ear protection around heavy equipment when I was 17. He's right on about not being so tired and the end of the day after wearing plugs all day. I always wear fitted plugs and muffs when shooting. If my ears would ever quit ringing, I would know the end is near.

 

[Shooter13]

I went two months ago for a hearing test. I was not as fortunate as you. I was stupid about it in my youth. Now the darn ringing never quits and I have hearing loss...

Me too, same as him (shooting, race cars, motocross, loud music and on and on). 80% loss in the left ear and about 60% in the right, hearing aids are a blessing but not as much as still having your hearing.

 

[rwk]

In today's bulletin we have some great deals like normal on hearing protection and a good article on the subject...
I had my hearing checked a few years ago for the first time since school , I am 51 so it's been awhile.... My ears that day were ringing and I was there ( specialist ) for vertigo...

After the test I was shocked to hear I had excellent to above average hearing still... The doctor told me , you must have never been in the military or around loud things in your life... I told him well nothing but 1000+HP alky cars , guns , chainsaws and I am ex leo and worked at plants....

I guess I was lucky because growing up we never wore ear plugs shooting small caliber guns like .22 or chainsaws or when moving or working on race cars or at race tracks... Of course we did when shooting large caliber rifles or pistols because that hurts... But because of this I started wearing plugs for everything even when mowing and WOW that's alot better... It even seems like you don't get as tired because your not listening to that noise all day... It takes about 5 hours to mow my lawn on a rider....

If you don't , try it , you have nothing to lose and everything to gain... Of course our hearing is not as good when we get older but when I was a kid nobody wore plugs for things like mowing , your friends would probably had made fun of you... The one thing I am glad to see is people wearing plugs at my local range without being told... Once your hearing is gone it's gone for good...

Now I know there's not a lot of people here that are not wearing hearing protection at the gun range , but give it a try for any other activities that are loud it really makes life easier... I carry a pair in my truck for karaoke night at the local pub I go to , it's really nice for that...lol

I've been around blown cars since 1966 so I feel your pain. What finished m y left ear off my 270wsm ear plug was not in, and that's that

 

[Rsadams]

The worst pain and dumb thing I ever did was we were out shooting and I didn't have any hearing protection so I picked up two brass and stuffed them in my ears , worked great till I pulled the right one out to talk and when I put it back in it didn't go in enough and created an echo chamber , that hurt... After that although it sounds stupid and might be I stuck in two live rounds and they worked great... Couldn't stop thinking, man I hope one doesn't go off for some reason...lol

Every since that day I carry plugs in both range bags , pistol cases etc.... A friend got me a whole case of the corded ones and I like the Howard Max so I always have plenty of those and seem to order 50 more pairs when they pop up in the bulletin here....
Maybe it's because of an almost 20 year war but I am always shocked to see how many people actually wear protection when I work RO duties at my range , people have learned even when shooting .22... I had a guy apologize because he fired a .22 two benches down with CCI standered velocity and I didn't have both plugs in yet... It not loud at all but it's nice people care.... Anymore for me it's the ARs/M4 that seems killer loud even mine when I am behind it... And of course the guys with brakes...

 

[Phil3]

The most worrisome thing for me is "bone conduction". Even if NO sound traveled down your ear canal, vibrations of the skull bones, in particular, the mastoid bone behind the ear, can conduct enough vibration to still cause hearing loss. This is one reason I have not picked up a 338 Lapua or 339 AI (w/10% more powder). Plugs and muffs combined are not enough in my opinion, to shoot such rounds safely, while firing with a muzzle brake under a typical overhang.

 

[cw308]

My ringing is all the time to the point I'm use to it , it is worse when your in a quiet setting , then for sure you can tell how loud it is , does interfere with hearing . Also have positional vertigo , all service related.

 

[Shooter13]

A friend got me a whole case of the corded ones

LOL we had a guy this weekend that the cord broke while he was wearing them and they had to get pliers to get them out!! I looked over and thought "what the heck!"

 

[Rsadams]

LOL we had a guy this weekend that the cord broke while he was wearing them and they had to get pliers to get them out!! I looked over and thought "what the heck!"

ROFL... That's great.... I will definitely start carrying a pair of needle nose pliers.....

 

[antelopedundee]

LOL we had a guy this weekend that the cord broke while he was wearing them and they had to get pliers to get them out!! I looked over and thought "what the heck!"

I've had the silicone earpiece/domes come off and stay in my left ear. The first time it was for maybe 8 days while I went hunting. Happened at least 3 times. Something about my inner left ear where if you get the dome in a bit too far it it gets forced in farther. When removing the HA the dome stays. Bought some extra long tweezers to help get it out.

Looks sorta like this.