Ringing sound

[dondiego]

I walked out of the back door just a few minutes ago and was preparing to shoot a few rounds of .30 cal carbine that I had just loaded with some cast boolets for my Ruger BH. I grabbed the ammo, revolver, ear muffs, and started to go. On second thought, I decided to change from my normal prescription glasses to my prescription safety glasses since this revolver spits stinging powder on my face with this load of Win #296 (another thread). So, I got out onto my deck with my glasses on, loaded 5 rounds, spun the cylinder, and leaned over the grill and aimed the BH at a juice can on my backstop some 60 yards out. I squeezed the trigger and BOOM! I thought that my gun had blown up. My ears were ringing and still are! I had forgotten to put on my ear muffs which I normally do religiously. Man, that little .30 cal carbine round cracks! I won't let that happen again.........at least not for a long time. I did hit the can!

[Tatume]

This is one of the reasons why I use plugs and muffs. If for some reason I take the muffs off and forget to put them back on, the plugs offer some protection.

[dragonrider]

Yea I have done that also. It's quite a surprise.

[snuffy]

Well, at least now you're wide awake. Do that enough, the ringing never goes away. Ask me how I know.

[Smoke4320]

"I squeezed the trigger and BOOM! I thought that my gun had blown up. My ears were ringing and still are! I had forgotten to put on my ear muffs which I normally do religiously. Man, that little .30 cal carbine round cracks! I won't let that happen again.........at least not for a long time. I did hit the can!"

sorry ..I could not hear you typing :) .. did you say shoot it again ?

[Mal Paso]

I left the left muff off for a weenie 44 Mag load (CCI Blazer). Won't do that again! Makes me even more worried about bear attacks. If I survive my ears will be ringing for days.[smilie=l:

[MarkP]

I did that with my 30 BH once. These are quite impressive to shoot at dusk. I rarely shoot at the local indoor range, last time I went I brought my 30 BH and AMT Automag III; had several ask what I was shooting due to the excessive muzzle blast. I usually use plugs and muffs when shooting these especially indoor shooting. Other than muzzle blast these are very pleasant to shoot with full loads.

[Calamity Jake]

Try it with a gun that has a muzzle break on it!!!!!!!! Or on second thought DON'T

[PS Paul]

I remember as a young man going to a gun club with a beloved Uncle and all the guys were yelling at each other. I asked Ubcle Larry WHY they were all angry with each other? He laughed and told me the old-timers from the war just didn't know about ear protection.

Since then, I've been RELIGIOUS about wearin' 'em.

[mpmarty]

Huh? Whatchasay?

[LynC2]

I did that with my 30 BH once. These are quite impressive to shoot at dusk. I rarely shoot at the local indoor range, last time I went I brought my 30 BH and AMT Automag III; had several ask what I was shooting due to the excessive muzzle blast. I usually use plugs and muffs when shooting these especially indoor shooting. Other than muzzle blast these are very pleasant to shoot with full loads.

My experience mirrors yours. Shooting one at dusk with a GI load looks like looking into a sunrise! Oh, and I'll never shoot one again without hearing protection. It just plain hurts! :shock:

[ukrifleman]

Try it with a gun that has a muzzle break on it!!!!!!!! Or on second thought DON'T

Or worse, be next to the guy with the muzzle break!
ukrifleman.

[Stonecrusher]

Tinitus, the companion that never leaves you!

[Pirate69]

Check the noise reduction factors on the muffs and ear plugs. If you are using the foam ear plugs, you may find the ear plugs have a higher rating than the muffs. I also use both at the same time.


This is one of the reasons why I use plugs and muffs. If for some reason I take the muffs off and forget to put them back on, the plugs offer some protection.

[TXGunNut]

Well, at least now you're wide awake. Do that enough, the ringing never goes away. Ask me how I know.

It gets tolerable after a few days. One too many times and it's permanent. Been hearing it for over 30 years now.

[dondiego]

My father has hearing issues due to WWII. They would send him out onto the back of his ship with a thousand rounds of .45 ACP or whatever caliber he was training new recruits with that day. He was told not to bring ANY of the ammo back. They would shoot up the thousand rounds in either Thompson SMG's or 1911's and none of them ever wore any ear protection. I know that did permanent damage to his ears but he swears that his tinnitus was caused by shooting .22 mags out of a Ruger Single Six convertible with no hearing protection. Those .22 magnum rounds crack at a high frequency.

[gray wolf]

I use the inexpensive red foam ear plugs, Wall Mart use to sell them--don't know if they still do--
ain't been in a Wall Mart for a year now. They are Rated at 32/33 Db. reduction and these things do work and they work well. Most muffs are about 22 to 26 Db. reduction, to me anything under 30 is in the trash can. I have two pair of muffs, useless, two pair given to us that shut off automatically, they are useless also.
Two much full auto with no protection and two much shooting pistol with no plugs.
Yes I have ringing in my ears ALL THE TIME, and I can't hear things in a certain frequency range.

[captaint]

dondiego - Believe your Dad about the 22 mags in a pistol. They are absolutely the worst. Mean crack. Mike

[plainsman456]

Makes it worse when shooting out the passenger side window at a coyote with a 357 mag.

My wife's uncle did that and soon sold/traded it off,said it was to loud for him.

The window was down a the time and he missed the coyote.

[Nickle]

22-250 used to be pretty bad too. No longer legal to shoot from the car, and that's one thing I don't miss.

Not many woodchucks and few crows around these days. And the crows have a season on them.

[felix]

I miss it terribly. I missed to many times using Kotex over the window for not hurting my holding hand. Eventually, I found out the reason for missing was my lack of judgement of the ambient conditions. I spent the money and became a bench rester. I quickly found out the difference between shooters was their ability to read conditions and that it was difficult to master by those with the improper ratio of physical, emotional, and intellectual attributes acting in unison for the job. ... felix

[Nickle]

Shooting benchrest, to competition standards (whether you compete or not), sure trains you to read conditions well, doesn't it?

I used to compete, bunch of years ago. I learned to read conditions in my teens. Started out shooting Heavy Varmint class in a winter league in my early teens. Dropped off when I went into the Regular Army, took it up again when I got out (stayed in the Guard though). Dropped off after a while. Life changed, still got some equipment around.

[jcameron996]

I got a Ruger single six convertible for my 13th birthday. About the same time I got one fifty round box of .22 mag to use with that convertible cylinder. Twenty five years later the .22 mag cylinder is in the top of the safe in the originial bubble wrap package and 44 rounds of .22 mag ammo is in the ammo cabinet. At thirteen I didn't think you needed hearing protection with a .22.

[felix]

Yep, the New England winter league! I usually shot at the Lyman range, called Blue Trails southeast of Hartford where I lived. The east coast ranges are easy compared to those around the mid west (usually). ... felix

[Nickle]

Actually, it was at Millerton, NY, at the corner of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. But, it was also the late 60's. I do remember Dave Brennan just getting out of the Army and starting to shoot there.

Shot a lot at Dunham's Bay (Lake George) and a little at Johnstown. But, the hardest range I've ever seen to dope is the KD Range (Range 4-1) at Jericho. I've seen the wind blow one direction at one distance, and totally opposite 200-300 yards further out. But, it is pretty and fun there.

[gray wolf]

Yep, the New England winter league! I usually shot at the Lyman range, called Blue Trails southeast of Hartford where I lived. The east coast ranges are easy compared to those around the mid west (usually). ... felix
WOW--that brings back memories the Old Lyman gun sight range ( now blue trail ) is in Wallingford Ct. I shot silly wet there for quite some time, we set up on the left hand side of the range, we had a nice 200 yard line there also. A nice gun shop and a great little home made food snack bar. Could say a lot more but I will just say thank you Felix for the memory.

[prs]

CAUTION! Dondiego. Greatly limit further exposure to excess sound until this initial ringing subsides. It may take a while. Sometimes the tinnitus continues even after the inner ear insult has healed. If that happens, learn to bear it and not to fret over it. Fretting or worry makes it seem worse.

Generally speaking, foam plugs are better than muffs; especially when eyeglass temples are coursing under the muffs. Muffs and plugs are a very good solution that adds a few dB to the NRR of the plugs, but those few dB represent a great deal of the energy present in the sound.

prs

[dondiego]

prs - I religiously wear ear protection and have done so since an early age. That one shot was a mistake, and one I hope not to repeat! I am going to be shooting some belt fed stuff, including a Ma Deuce, at the Southern Ohio Machinegun Shoot this upcoming weekend and will be using foam plugs and ear muffs for sure! Those 50's sure bark.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I also use foam plugs with muffs. I still have very good hearing dispite my age. I once touched off a round without ear protection while firing a Colt single action chambered for the 32-20. It only took one to convince me not to do that again.

[Harter66]

I popped off an 06' about 2 yr ago. It's been plugs and muffs for the fulltilt loads since .

I agree that plugs are generally better . W/the Lieght muffs even w/ glasses you still get about 12 db reduction added to the 22-24 of the available plugs gets to 32+ range . I don't know how the stacking actually works but its tones the 120+ db bark way down,now if I'd worn them those 5yr running chain saws circa 82-86.........

[tg32-20]

I have always worn ear plugs and muffs when shooting. But the problem is 30 yrs. of a Skillsaw and a cup-off saw.
My ears ring all the time, I have got used to it but it is pretty creepy when you get out somewhere where it is really quite.
It gets really loud if you think about it and is almost impossible to make it go away. Out in the woods hunting, sometimes it gets very annoying.

Protect your hearing the best you, it really never gets better, you only learn to live with it.
Tom

[303Guy]

I have tinitus and some hearing loss but I suspect mine is from congestion in the middle ear. Mine varies in intensity and sometimes I have several frequencies. It does make load noise very uncomfortable and no-way will I fire a gun without muffs. I mainly don't fire a gun without a suppressor either not all mine have them yet.