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Dragline45 · January 22, 2014, 04:01 PM

I fired a single round, a Federal 357B, 3 years ago out of a S&W 60 without hearing protection and my left ear still rings to this day as well as having slight high frequency hearing loss. Permanent ringing of the ears is called tinnitus, and is a major problem for our troops who come home after serving.

The first couple months after it happened my ear was so sensitive to every little sound I had to wear earplugs when showering or driving with the window down or it was agony. It took a good 6 months before the ringing settled down enough that I could regain my sanity. That first year after it happened was easily the worst year of my life. It took a good 2 years to become accustomed to the ringing where it no longer bothers me, but I still have to sleep with a fan in my bedroom or some sort of white noise. Because of it I wont use .357 for home defense or carry.

January 22, 2014, 04:01 PM	#4
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	I fired a single round, a Federal 357B, 3 years ago out of a S&W 60 without hearing protection and my left ear still rings to this day as well as having slight high frequency hearing loss. Permanent ringing of the ears is called tinnitus, and is a major problem for our troops who come home after serving. The first couple months after it happened my ear was so sensitive to every little sound I had to wear earplugs when showering or driving with the window down or it was agony. It took a good 6 months before the ringing settled down enough that I could regain my sanity. That first year after it happened was easily the worst year of my life. It took a good 2 years to become accustomed to the ringing where it no longer bothers me, but I still have to sleep with a fan in my bedroom or some sort of white noise. Because of it I wont use .357 for home defense or carry. Last edited by Dragline45; January 22, 2014 at 07:23 PM.