gun shot induced hearing loss

[welshwarrior]

 

 

i think that the in ear ones would be difficult to measure the level of ear protection as a lot will depend on the the seal and fit met to your ear. a well fitted one should be good at blocking out high pressure noises and if the volume of it is not turned up you should be good to go. However there is the risk of infection if you have then in your ears too long and a lot of moisture/abrasion occurs.

 

I wear my CENS for 12 plus periods with work and have no issues they are as comfortable if not more than my hearing aides. If you clean them with a cloth you should get no infections it's a bit of basic admin and hygiene.

[Muddy Funker]

I used to use the £15 in ear type defenders.

 

One day at Bisley I was lining up a shot and a guy with an AR15 fired beside me and damn near blew my eardrum out!

 

I'm not sure if the valve failed or they weren't pushed in farenough? No lasting damage I think but it wasn't pleasent.

 

I now use the Howard Leight electronic ear defenders and I'm more than happy. I don't trust the in ear valve ones after that experience.

[GHE]

I've been shooting for 50 years +. When I started, I didn't have any hearing protection and thought nothing of it. I found .22 to be of absolutely no consequence, 303, 308 and shotguns were noticeably loud but never bothered me in the slightest, although I have to say that although I now do a lot of clay shooting (with ear defenders) when I fired shotguns years ago it was just the occasional shot at vermin.

 

Every now and again I forget my ear defenders when shooting clays, I can't stand anything in my ears so don't bother with earplugs when this happens. The noise doesn't give me headaches and I don't find it particularly unpleasant, it just doesn't bother me - and no, I'm not deaf

 

I think it may be that some people are just more affected by noise than others.

[rwade545]

I shoot left handed (even though I'm right handed.. yep I'm strange) and notice that on those rare occasions where you fire without the ear plugs in it's always my right ear that goes 'numb' and rings, never my left which is nearer the gun.

 

i guess you are left eye dominent? it in normal for people who shoot right handed to get more damgage to their left ear or hearing test results as the the ear by the stock is behind the barrel and somewhat shielded form the shot pressure wave.

[HDAV]

If doing shotguns worth comparing OU to Semi/pump (mainly semi/pump used by military and police) to see if the action design has any impact. Interested in your measuring methodology.

 

NI has the advantage that you can also test some stuff you can't on the mainland.

Edited October 3, 2012 by HDAV

[utectok]

It would be interesting to know if shooting whilst wearing ear defenders damages the hearing at all.

Yep how effective are they ? Long term short term?

[subsonicnat]

Yep, started shooting 50 years ago, worked in afactory all my life, used mainly shotguns,, I am really hard of hearing now, did remember one day at a Clay shoot standing to the left of a guy, when he fired the pain was really bad in my right ear..Early years:

Shotgun blasts from th side are not recommended, as the blast comes out sideways;

In this Case wear Defenders, decent ones, it will pay in later life believe me..

[Kes]

I had a shotgun discharged within 2 feet of my right ear when I was 11 - long time ago.

I has tinitus quite badly and then the intensity and frequency reduced - I am no longer affected thankfully - so my question would be -

is there an age above which hearing becomes irreparably damaged by high intensity sound pressure waves as mine seems about right for my age.

Are there specific frequency ranges of damage - how might that impact in everyday life - general deafness or just high or low frequencies.

Also, what is the damaging effect of trans-sonic shot is it the same for all clibres or is it shotsize dependant.

Finally,shooting guns quite so small in calibre - how are service men affected by larger pieces like artillery calibres?

[Thunderbird]

I have always - as long as I can remember - had that thing where in a crowded space like a pub with lots of people talking, I can't make out what people are saying sitting right next to me.

 

It's odd, otherwise my hearing is very good. It's just that one set of circumstances and I might s well be deaf.

 

It had its advantages occasionally with having to ask girls to nestle in close..

[dougall]

I would welcome imput as the effectiveness of ear 'muffs' v in ear built ear protection.....I think this is a v relevant and overdue study so good luck!

I and I suspect the majority on this site are mainly shotgun users..at least it is shotguns which have much higher usage..ie when caly shooting typically 100 own shots plus all the others around.

[Hamster]

It would be interesting to know if shooting whilst wearing ear defenders damages the hearing at all.

 

Yes absolutely, there is no way you could cut out ALL the blast, only reduce it. I wore ear muffs from the first day I either shot or was near anyone shooting clays as I simply cannot bear the pain of noise. I did not unfortunately wear any protection when out pigeon shooting as the electronic types weren't available in the old days but compared to the frequency and rate of fire at a clay shoot, it's almost minuscule.

 

Anyway my left ear tinnitus started about 4-5 years ago and prior to that I had been aware of some temporary ringing when I got home from the clay grounds. My actual hearing is fine but I now wear the custom in ear variety and good ear muffs which I've stuffed a secondary lot of foam inside. Incidentally I find the muffs more effective than in ear types on their own.

[itchy trigger]

I went out for an afternoon at the pigeon a couple of months ago, set up against a large overgrown hawthorn hedge, fired 45 shots, forgot my ear plugs, got tinnitus in my right ear now, had my ears checked at the quacks yesterday, have had mild Tinnitus before, (not as bad as this) but it cleared up, hopefully this will clear up as well

[Sx3 clay breaker]

Can you say that again diffent hear you lol

 

I think I blew my left ear a couple of months ago due to firing a 300 win mag with a muzzle break without hearing protection

[Bloke]

As a deaf old gimmer I would love to see this answered, but also the issue of what used to be called "conductive deafness" - i.e. damage done by noise to the bone surrounding the ear. We used to be told that this made all the in-ear ones useless, even the moulds, because if the noise is loud enough, it could be transmitted via the bone and still damage the inner ear/auditory nerve. I must admit that if I wear in-ear moulded plugs, the noise doesn't seem loud, but I still get a headache after a long shooting session, which I don't if I use full muff-type defenders, so does 'conductive deafness really exist?

The other point is, how will the OP differentiate between damage done via shooting, and damage done by other causes. many people on here work in agricultural/industrial environments, where loud and heavy machinery is common, and most of us will have been brought up with loud rock music, in-ear headphones on full, ten million watt car stereos etc, surely these must contribute to any damage caused.