The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Tactics and Training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 25, 2012, 04:36 PM   #26
Double Naught Spy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX
Posts: 12,714
Quote:
It's called auditory exclusion. In many cases you won't hear the gun because your body is shutting down functions that don't directly relate to your survival. The body does things to help you focus, time displacement, auditory exclusion, tunnel vision. It's all part of being human.
No, I don't believe humans are capable of time displacement. Some folks experience the persception of time dilation, but not diplacement. The notion of time dilation may be an actual memory effect and not and actual event effect.

Auditory exclusion does occur for some, but it is also mental, not physical. Damage to the auditory structures does still occur.
__________________
"If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011
My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
Double Naught Spy is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 04:54 PM   #27
SIGSHR
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 13, 2005
Posts: 4,700
Yes. NOT SMART! And only once.
SIGSHR is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 05:01 PM   #28
house
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 21, 1999
Location: AZ/CA
Posts: 369
Yes one time 5.56 never again...
house is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 05:06 PM   #29
Panfisher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 30, 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,337
Yep I've done it a lot, still do if outside with a .22 or the occasional .45 ACP rounds. A couple times in college on a rifle team I forgot to put in plugs, inside range concrete walls, didn't take long to get them in after that first shot. Hunting I don't and have no plans to wear hearing protections being able to hear is important to me whether bird hunting or deer hunting. Any other kind of organized shooting I will wear plugs and if possible muffs over them. Hearing once lost doesn't come back the damage is permanent. I wear plugs when mowing, weedeating, running a chainsaw, and generally if i know I am going to be on the tractor for long periods of time. Though all the while growing up I simply didn't know better and you didn't see foam ear plugs just everywhere. Hearing if and where possible is great, will even reduce the "apparent" recoil on rifles but certainly not something to worry about in a self defense situation. I'll trade some hearing loss, for not losing my life.
Panfisher is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 07:05 PM   #30
bbqbob51
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 6, 2005
Posts: 775
I used to, when I was young and stupid. Fortunately I don't seem to have any hearing loss and I am tested every year at work. I got lucky.
bbqbob51 is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 07:45 PM   #31
insomni
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 28, 2011
Posts: 342
.50BMG is a doozy when your earplug falls out.
insomni is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 08:00 PM   #32
Onward Allusion
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2009
Location: Back in a Non-Free State
Posts: 3,133
I use to do a lot of shooting indoors. By a lot, I mean 2 to 3 times a week. Nothing powerful, just 9mm and below. However, I did not double up on hearing protection - only ear plugs, although they were the good ones with high DB reduction rating. It never really bothered me the noise indoors, but since I shot a lot (by my standards), the little bits of damage added up. My ears started ringing a few months ago... It's not bad during the day, but at night when it is real quiet, it is a constant low sounding high pitch noise.

These days, I always double-up with hearing protection. I want to hear as much as I can for as long as I can.
__________________
Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying
Onward Allusion is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 09:46 PM   #33
Deaf Smith
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 31, 2000
Location: Texican!
Posts: 4,453
Quote:
Ever shot without ear protector?
.
.
Say what? Oh, ear protection.

Once, when I was 18 or so, I got a Hawes .44 magnum SA revolver. And of course a box of .44 Magnums. I fired one round without hearing protection. Ears were ringing for a week!

I wear muffs ALL the time when I shoot.

Deaf
__________________
“To you who call yourselves ‘men of peace,’ I say, you are not safe without men of action by your side” Thucydides
Deaf Smith is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 10:09 PM   #34
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,928
One shot from a 4" bbl .357Mag revolver. I'm partially deaf in my left ear as a result. I consider myself fortunate that it doesn't ring much.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 10:21 PM   #35
762x54
Junior Member
 
Join Date: July 24, 2012
Posts: 6
1 time, without protection 31 rounds through my PSL, My ears rang for a solid 12 hours. It's not a mistake I will make again.
762x54 is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 10:22 PM   #36
kraigwy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
I was stupid in my younger years, but not all my shooting without ear protections was avoidable.

Of course in SE Asia, we didn't use ear protection. The worse incident was when we were building Firebase Bastonge. We built positions and would switch out with other units in the field.

We were building our bunker and figured we had it heavy enough to withstand any mortar or B40 rockets.

We didn't count on the Leg Arty putting an 8 incher behind our bunker. When they started sighting it in, the first round cause it to shake, we de de'd the bunker as the muzzle blast from the second round caused it to cave in.

Screw it, we didn't need a bunker anyway, we just dug a hole. But the muzzle blast did a number on my ears. That wasn't the only one but it was my worse.

Fast forward a few years. I was the weapons Sgt in a NG SF unit. We were going to St Lawrence Island to teach the Native Guard Members about some older US and Forgien weapons.

We couldn't get any military '06 ammo so I rounded up every piece of brass I could find to load '06 for some BARs and 'A6 MGs. Since the brass was hard to come by (in those numbers) I wanted to save it. We were shooting on the ice of the Bering Sea.

So there I set, next to an 'A6 machine gun catching brass as it came out without any ear protection what so ever. But I saved most of the brass which would have sunk in the snow and ice.

Of course my years in EOD with the police department or nearly 40 years shooting competition didn't help my hearing very much either.

Even with electronic hearing protection I have to get a tap when shooting because I can't hear the shot timer.

Don't count on hearing aids, they are "aids" not fixes for lost hearing.

Nothing will bring my wrath like seeing my kids or grandkids shooting without eye and ear protection.

Even with double ear protection, I recommend no one get near anyone shooting a brake on their rifle.

I'm a firm believer in legalizing suppressors for rifles. I think they should be mandatory on organized rifle matches. They would go a long ways keeping people ears from being like mine.
__________________
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
kraigwy is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 10:50 PM   #37
B. Lahey
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 17, 2008
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,857
Yes, I grew up hunting without ear protection. I had some 18-20 kHz hearing loss earlier in life than most (pretty much everyone gets high audible-range hearing loss at some point). It stunk when I worked in audio. I was always secondguessing myself when recording highhats, flutes, and stuff.

I wish I could toss some electronic 'muffs into a time machine for my younger self.
__________________
"A human being is primarily a bag for putting food into; the other functions and faculties may be more godlike, but in point of time they come afterwards."
-George Orwell
B. Lahey is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 11:16 PM   #38
m_liebst
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 2, 2011
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 301
When i was young at camp we got to shoot .22lr bolt action rifles. I was 9 years old. My camp allowed certain visitors at a seperate range not too far from ours and I managed to venture there to get the first blast report from a .357 mag revolver. I covered my ears after that,- and I'll remember that moment. The camp only used subsonic ammo out of the the old bolt actions. Must've been atleast 21 inch length barrels. We weren't advised to use protection, and there wasn't much of a pop.

Only time I don't wear any hearing protec. is when shooting my 10/22 with the CCI Quiets- very low velocity 710 fps... Made one mistake with a friend shooting out doors when I purchased my first .22lr ruger 22/45 pistol, thinking.... ahhh it'll probably sound close to a rifle,- can't be anything like a 9mm..... but atlast again, the first shot suprised me- even it being a .22lr- it made a high pitch crack that didn't feel good to my ears. I've been lucky for still having most of my hearing.

I get sad seeing all the dogs hiding and scurrying on the youtube videos with the owners shooting off their high powered rifles an such

Last edited by m_liebst; July 25, 2012 at 11:33 PM.
m_liebst is offline  
Old July 25, 2012, 11:46 PM   #39
Bentonville
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 11, 2002
Location: NC
Posts: 345
It wasn't until the early 1980s that I learned about ear protection availability. I inherited from my grandfather a 38 spl. S&W snubbie with a six shot cylinder. I shot that gun a lot for about two years. I should have figured it out for myself but I didn't and no one taught me. Then I played in rock bands in the 70s without hearing protection. I suffer from tinnitus every minute of my life. When I use plugs and muffs at the range or even when using a weed eater, I hear the ringing so loud that it seems louder than the noise that I am blocking, almost. At night I usually have to run some kind of fan to mask the ringing. I just didn't know. To make it all worse, I am a musician and rely on my hearing for my living. Double up if you value your hearing. It worsens with age anyway. Why make it unbearable for yourself?
Bentonville is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 10:36 AM   #40
sumguy
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 19, 2012
Posts: 7
I double up when shooting. Our work is borderline being mandatory HP per OSHA and we get tested 2x year. I wear the foam ones at work even though not mandatory. Its a good reminder how fragile hearing is when the muffs go quiet during a test.
sumguy is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 10:55 AM   #41
aarondhgraham
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 1, 2009
Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma
Posts: 8,638
Never used it as a kid,,,

Never used it as a kid,,,
Even on the rifle team at high school,,,
(Oklahoma 1966) we never used hearing protection,,,
In Basic training for the Air Force we used muffs for our one day of live fire.

Didn't use anything in southeast asia either.

Plinking through the 80's & 90's none of us ever used muffs or plugs,,,
I do have some hearing loss at the ripe old age of 60,,,
Maybe from guns but probably from power tools,,,
Or Led Zeppelin through a 100 watt stereo.

Nowadays I always use muffs,,,
When I take a new shooter to the range,,,
I gift them a set of shooting glasses and ear plugs,,,
I also loan them a pair of ear muffs to use while we are shooting.

What about our modern military,,,
Do the soldiers out on patrol wear ear plugs or muffs?

Aarond

.
__________________
Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat.
Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once.
Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it?
Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)
aarondhgraham is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 05:07 PM   #42
Mello2u
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,424
Quote:
tommyd78

Ever shot without ear protector?
As a general rule you would never shoot your firearm without hearing protection. . . . .
Just wanted to know if anyone has tried it or had reason to and how it felt to them.
Many times I have fires firearms without hearing protection.
Duck hunting, deer hunting, target shooting when a kid at camp, dove hunting; and I have hearing loss to prove it.
I try to carry hearing protection when I think I will be shooting, but sometimes I fail.

Recently, I was at my sister's property and came upon about 20 feral pigs. I pulled my 10mm and shot one and the others ran off. No time for hearing protection.
__________________
NRA Life Member - Orange Gunsite Member - NRA Certified Pistol Instructor
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society,
they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it.
" Frederic Bastiat
Mello2u is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 07:26 PM   #43
Nine the Ranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 22, 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 248
My first experiance with firearms was firing my by Brother's 870 12ga without any hearing protection. He wonders why I don't like 12 gauges.

It is a miracle that I like the shooting sport.
__________________
'A Vote is like a Rifle; It's usefulness depends upon the character of the User.'-Theodore Roosevelt
Nine the Ranger is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 07:43 PM   #44
Scorch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
Wow! And I thought I was the only stup . . . ummmm, careless one on here. 357s, 45s, 22s, you name it. My wife says my favorite word is "Huh?"
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs.
But what do I know?
Summit Arms Services
Scorch is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 07:55 PM   #45
spacecoast
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2009
Location: Sunshine and Keystone States
Posts: 4,461
With all the above hearing loss stories, I wonder why anyone would use a high-strung magnum as a SD load when a relatively sedate .45 ACP or .44 special would likely do just as well. No point doing excess damage to your ears in a situation where you have a gun prepared for such an event.

http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml

The only gun I shoot regularly (outdoors) without protection is my Marlin .22LR rifle with run of the mill Federal ammo. The sound seems to be well directed away from the shooter and is more like a loud squirt than a bang. My Ruger Mark II .22LR, however, is quite unpleasant and requires ear plugs. I once accidentally let a round of .38 special go (4" barrel I think) and it was quite unpleasant as well.
spacecoast is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 08:03 PM   #46
Deja vu
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 14, 2010
Location: Border of Idaho & Montana
Posts: 2,584
I shot my 357 magnum J-frame at an indoor range with out hearing on. I was the only one there and I did not even know that I did not have them on until the first shot I then realized they where around my neck. Concrete and mettle kind of just bounce the sound around...
__________________
Shot placement is everything! I would rather take a round of 50BMG to the foot than a 22short to the base of the skull.

all 26 of my guns are 45/70 govt, 357 mag, 22 or 12 ga... I believe in keeping it simple. Wish my wife did as well...
Deja vu is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 08:12 PM   #47
carprivershooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2008
Location: Michigan, Upper Pennsula
Posts: 396
I have lost much of my hearing do to military service. Small fire, claymore mines, shotgun blasts. rocket blasts. and turbo prop aircraft. I wear hearing aids not the same. I still miss a lot of what is said. I wear ear plug and muffs now. I use to get after my son about load music and ear phones, that can damage hearing pretty quick too. Protect what you have cause it don't grow back.
__________________
CarpriverShOOter
Finch, I don't like guns. Reese, Me either but if someone has to have guns I'd rather it be me. (Person of Interest).
No trees were destroyed in the posting of the this message
carprivershooter is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 09:05 PM   #48
Dragline45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 30, 2010
Posts: 3,513
Hot .357 round from a snub indoors with no hearing protection. My left ear rang for a almost a year, and that's no joke. Still rings a bit to this day.

Quote:
With all the above hearing loss stories, I wonder why anyone would use a high-strung magnum as a SD load
Couple weeks down the road after the incident I sold my model 60 in .357 and got an older 640 in .38. Never looked back.
Dragline45 is offline  
Old July 26, 2012, 10:30 PM   #49
Likeapuma
Junior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2012
Posts: 8
I used to get pretty ticked when my gunner would test fire his M2 50 Cal before I could get my headset on.... Daily echoing inside the mrap is never fun!
Likeapuma is offline  
Old July 27, 2012, 12:09 AM   #50
Catfishman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 10, 2009
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 727
I once fired a new 30-06 with a muzzle brake with no protection. I dropped the rifle...
I made the dealer take the gun back. I will never own a gun with a muzzle brake.
Catfishman is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.12294 seconds with 8 queries