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Old June 13, 2013, 03:49 PM   #1
Doublea A
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Pros & Cons Of HD Shooting Using Ear Protection

So I did a testing today using my Field & Stream Sportsman Ear Muffs in which the goal was detect whether I could hear i.e. an intruder footstep when they are walking around the house. Using my wife who weighs approximately 120lbs and me 200lb as rotation we put this scenario into action. My house is over 55yrs old and we have the original hardwood floor therefore even when you are upstairs you can easily hear somebody walking on the main floor. This is a benefit because you can hear somebody coming up the stairs as well because of the squeaky noise. Anyway, here is our conclusion.

Pros of wearing ear protection:
Preventing hearing loss when discharging a firearm in a closed area like a house, room etc.

Cons of wearing ear protection
It was very difficult to almost impossible to hear the footsteps of the i.e. intruder even for a 200lb person walking on a squeaky flooring. I had to really concentrate to hear a little bit.

My question is that have others done this testing? If yes, what were the results?

Obviously I am not saying this is an empirical study but I wanted to share my results and see if others have tried this testing with different ear protection devices.
The best solution is to be able to hear the footsteps and at the same time offering ear protection during the discharging of the firearm.
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Old June 13, 2013, 04:01 PM   #2
Glenn E. Meyer
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Try again with the various electronic ear muffs that are around. You muffle the shots and enhance other sounds.
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Old June 13, 2013, 04:07 PM   #3
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I second the electronic ear muffs.
I have been known to refer to mine (inexpensive Howard Leights) as my "super ears". The only downside with them would be that it would be one more thing to remember.
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Old June 13, 2013, 04:11 PM   #4
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The best option would probably be to use a silencer, but I feel like that might open up legal problems if you were to use it for home defense.
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Old June 13, 2013, 05:04 PM   #5
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Cons: it might be difficult to talk to the 911 operator while wearing muffs. Even electronic ones!

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Old June 13, 2013, 06:42 PM   #6
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If you ever find your self in a real shots fired situation, most likely you'll not be wearing hearing or eye protection.
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Old June 13, 2013, 06:46 PM   #7
foxytwo
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I do have electronic muffs but I would not wear them as the wife does not have or would not wear a pair. Putting on the muffs is one thing extra to do and in an emergency my only thought would be to grab my pistol and stop the threat.
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Old June 13, 2013, 06:46 PM   #8
Glenn E. Meyer
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That's an interesting question for home defense. You should have enough layers to avoid someone materializing above your bed.

Alarms, dogs, good locks, bedroom locks (hmmm!). You would have eough time to grab the glasses and muffs (next to the bed, next to the gun, next to the light).

I'm going to try to use the phone with mine to see if Pax is correct. Empirical question.
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Old June 13, 2013, 06:56 PM   #9
Glenn E. Meyer
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Dr. Science report:

I put on my Peltor electronic muffs. I then called my voice mail systems at work and could clearly hear the conversational level computer lady voice.

Science report over.
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Old June 13, 2013, 06:58 PM   #10
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Pros & Cons Of HD Shooting Using Ear Protection

If someone broke in my house asleep or not the LAST thing would be doing would be looking for would be safety glasses and ear muffs or plugs!
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Old June 13, 2013, 07:00 PM   #11
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Gary, it does not take much time to throw on a pair of electronic muffs... And the fact that they increase my hearing makes it worthwhile.
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Old June 13, 2013, 07:04 PM   #12
Glenn E. Meyer
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If you stage your materials well - then if we are talking about the bedroom defensive position - it probably takes as much time to rack your shotgun to scare away the BG.

Since I have crappy vision - going to the glasses is a must. BTW, a wife shot her hubby coming out of the can and claimed it was her vision. He looked like a monster. A colleague of mine used modulation transfer function testing of her vision to demonstrate that she could see the guy. Ooops!
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Old June 13, 2013, 08:04 PM   #13
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Could there be a legal problem? Like hot ammo lawyer tricks?
"You put on earmuffs! That means you wanted to shoot!" Type thing ?

Also, I had an incedent many years back. My attackers were canines of the pit bull persasion. Luckly, dogs are a bit more sensitive to warning shots then humans, so I didn't have to kill a dog.
However, two shots out of my model 19 and I will say that I would not have been capable of holding a conversation on a phone (actually, I wasn't capable of holding much of one in person for about 20 minutes) had I needed, too.

I think electric ear muffs by the bed are a GOOD idea.
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Old June 13, 2013, 08:32 PM   #14
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Pros & Cons Of HD Shooting Using Ear Protection

They may be a good idea in theory. And getting them turned on. Glasses on the other hand if needed are a Must I do keep a ultra fire flashlight next to the .45 though on nightstand. Behind the door is a HD shotty with pressure pad activated light. In a perfect world or scenario you'd have eye and amplified ear protection, shooting gloves Kevlar , etc If waking up from a dead sleep, you're doing good to become alert as to what is going on.
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Old June 13, 2013, 08:41 PM   #15
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I keep a set of electronic ear protection next to my bed and my nightstand gun. I already have tinnitus in my left ear (constant ringing) from firing a single .357 magnum round indoors with no ear protection, so I would like to minimize the chances of further damage. My bedside gun is also Beretta M9 loaded with standard pressure 9mm, I actually find the Beretta and it's long barrel to be a soft shooting gun noise wise compared to say a 357/38, or even my Sig .380 for that matter.

Quote:
Could there be a legal problem? Like hot ammo lawyer tricks?
"You put on earmuffs! That means you wanted to shoot!" Type thing ?
If the jury or judge has a problem with it, ill suggest sticking them in a room for an hour with a simulation of what tinnitus sounds like and see how much they enjoy it. I guarantee one hour of it and they will agree that hearing protection is a damn good thing.
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Old June 13, 2013, 08:57 PM   #16
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I'll pass, seconds count. My ears are FUBAR anyway, I've already reconciled myself to the likelihood of having to have hearing aids by age 30. There's a freight train slamming on its brakes inside my head as I type this.
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Old June 13, 2013, 09:14 PM   #17
TennJed
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Pros & Cons Of HD Shooting Using Ear Protection

Quote:
Originally Posted by pax View Post
Cons: it might be difficult to talk to the 911 operator while wearing muffs. Even electronic ones!

pax
Not really, most people only use cellphones now anyway. Speaker phone is available on virtually all of them
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Old June 14, 2013, 07:02 AM   #18
dayman
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I trust my ability to decide in the moment whether I have time to put them on. Truthfully, I've never kept them by my bed to this point, but I'm beginning to think it's a good idea.
Since every time I've ever had to go check out a noise it's been a critter, having super hearing, and not being deafened by my shotgun seems like it would be a good thing. If I was woken up by my front door getting kicked down, I could always just grab the gun and go.
I also keep a vest tucked behind the night stand. Not that I put it on every time I check out a noise, but it does no harm sitting behind the night stand, and if I ever did think I needed it and have time to put it on it's nice to know it's there.
Better to have more than you need than less right?
Plus, I have to keep my ear muffs somewhere - why not there?
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Old June 14, 2013, 07:37 AM   #19
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Electronic ear muffs, which may amplify and enhance sounds, are going to impede your ear's often times very subtle aural direction finding ability. I will pass on the electronic ear muffs.
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Old June 14, 2013, 09:50 AM   #20
deepcreek
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Ear muffs would be very last on my list. I couldn't imagine hearing a noise then putting on ear muffs.

A bad situation happens shooting someone should be last resort. Before that point lots can go on, when it is dark you need your ears, you also need your ears because you cannot see through walls. Can you hear others talking or noise signals, cars outside, door latches, windows, A fight for life or death ringing ears afterwards would not be much of a worry to me.

I have read new stories of people mistakenly shooting drunk college girls who are lost and kids playing pranks. having all your senses could really help avoid a horrible mistake also.
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Old June 14, 2013, 10:03 AM   #21
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What?

When I first read this question I was totally confused. In an emergency home defense situation someone is going to worry about ear protection?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............

..bug
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Old June 14, 2013, 11:58 AM   #22
Evan Thomas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TennJed
Quote:
Originally Posted by pax
Cons: it might be difficult to talk to the 911 operator while wearing muffs. Even electronic ones!
Not really, most people only use cellphones now anyway. Speaker phone is available on virtually all of them
And mine goes to speaker mode automatically when I call 911.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skadoosh
Electronic ear muffs, which may amplify and enhance sounds, are going to impede your ear's often times very subtle aural direction finding ability. I will pass on the electronic ear muffs.
Good ones won't do this; with a microphone in each muff, they're "stereophonic," and will reproduce time differences between the two ears very faithfully; they may even enhance them, depending on the location of the microphones. The effect of the muffs on intensity differences is a bit trickier to judge, as it will depend on things like the directionality of the microphones, but good quality muffs (such as these, for example, which have four directional microphones) are designed with this in mind. For the $100, you get better quality filtering of loud sounds, as well. You get what you pay for. (You can, of course, spend a lot more than this and get even more bells and whistles, but I wouldn't rely on the $20 e-muffs from Harbor Fright.)

And unattenuated gunshots will impair more than just your ability to locate the sources of sounds.
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Old June 14, 2013, 12:54 PM   #23
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Let me say first that I will decide to wear muffs when and if the situation of HD actually arises. I do have a set of proear 33's on the night stand as an option. All that being said, if I think someone is in my house I am not going skulking around trying to find them. If they find me behind the closed door to my bedroom (or any other room), they are going to have some big problems. If they don't find me, then great. I do not need to hear at all in order to realize that someone is coming through my bedroom door. They will or they wont and I don't really care or am inclined to worry about hearing their foot falls.
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Old June 14, 2013, 03:04 PM   #24
Doublea A
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for improper use of language

Quote:
When I first read this question I was totally confused. In an emergency home defense situation someone is going to worry about ear protection?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............

..bug
Yes! it doesn't take that much time, planning is what is important. Unless the person has the firearm drawn on you while you are still in bed, then you wouldn't have this option and others as well. If this happens then it meant you poorly planned or you are a very good sleeper.


Quote:
Ear muffs would be very last on my list. I couldn't imagine hearing a noise then putting on ear muffs.
It shouldn't be if you care about your hearing from repeated 12GA blast. It is doable and I do not plan to go downstairs looking for the intruder. I will be laying low and have the turkey come to me.

Quote:
besafe2 If you ever find your self in a real shots fired situation, most likely you'll not be wearing hearing or eye protection.
In the home defense situation, I have plenty of time to wear ear protection because it only takes 2-3 seconds. If I don't have 2-3 seconds then the chances are I am in deep trouble.
But outside the house i.e. on the street, neither options will be available.


I wrote this write-up because planning is very important. Finding out somebody is in your house is not the time to try and remember where all your things are. My setups are Firearm (with laser and flash light combo attached), ear muff, flash light, and bulletproof vest are all in arms reach. Always firearm first, ear muff second and when time permits vest is put on. All these gear will take me about 20-25 seconds at the most. I have practice this repeatedly because when the adrenaline kicks in, your training should guide you to increase your survival rate. Now in my case if I don't have 20-25 seconds then either I live in a terrible neighborhood or my current living arrangement or setup is very inadequate. Like others have previously stated, It is about having multiple layers to buy you time.
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Old June 14, 2013, 04:09 PM   #25
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A shotgun blast in a bedroom will disorient a person who is not wearing muffs. Stereo direction impediment with amplified muffs is a concern --- but most bedroom attacks come from the bedroom door or window. But with sounds amplified 120 percent from electronic muffs is a plus --- saying that electronic muffs --- are a better HD piece of tactical equipment than no muffs at all.
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