BP shooting and Hearing Loss

[Dragoon 45]

Went to get a hearing test this morning at the VA. Results were I am almost deaf as a stump in my left ear and need a hearing aid. Audiologist asked if I was a shooter, to which I replied I shoot BPCRS and SASS using BP. Audiologist said he had seen more hearing loss in BP shooters than any other shooting discipline. I religiously wear hearing protection and didn't realize I had that much of a problem.

Anybody else run into this?

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I was introduced to black powder shooting in 1959 by a neighbor. He had been shooting for many years, both pistol and big bore when he took up black powder shooting. He was in his 40s and already hard of hearing. Some of those guys were under the impression that black powder shooting was not as hard on your hearing as smokeless. I didn't believe that then and I don't believe it now. I have for years worn both ear plugs as well as ear muffs. I hear very well. In fact many people as well as my wife hurt my ears when they talk talk.

[1874Sharps]

I have been a bit concerned about this very thing, as I often shoot BP loads in CAS matches. There definately is a difference in noise levels between smokeless and BP loads, especially when shooting a 35 grain 45 Colt load! Wearing a cowboy hat limits the type of hearing protection, too. I have been thinking about getting some of those fitted earplugs. Maybe I should do it sooner rather than later so that you boys do not have to type louder for me!

[wgr]

right hand shooter left ear damage. left hand right ear. i have about 75% loss in my left ear. i use foam plugs and over the ear muffs. cant afford to lose any more

[Mike Brooks]

Anybody else run into this?
HUH?:Fire:

[Ed in North Texas]

I already had hearing problems before I picked up BP shooting. In fact, these were a major factor (and other Artillery weapons), plus indoor range shooting .22 without hearing protection (duh). Now I wear custom plugs, plus electronic muffs - can't hear range commands without the muffs.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_174564e973384e9c36.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=2397)

Ed

[mold maker]

My wife and I both have selective hearing, although she mumbles so nobody else can understand her. When shooting, I always use electronic muffs, and under loud conditions I also use foam plugs.
I spent a lifetime around large saws, and I'm sure that had something to do with the fact,, that there are frequencies, that are worse than others.
At 70 I just tell folks that, I have heard enough, unless it's something I really need to hear more.

[bigted]

man i just barely heard this typing. ur makin me feel bad so i guess i should get on the ear muff bandwagon.

seriously tho...from the power saws in my youth and the mill machinery in midlife as well as drag pipes on various harleys and the constant shooting i been doing all my life and now the continuious diesl motor noise i do have to use ear plugs now to save whats left of my hearing...the best plugs ive run into are called "tripple flange" from 3M...these hummers work very well and seem to fit a variety of ear channels...might give em a try...another great part of these plugs is that i can use them for a mounth at a time with scrubbing them off every day after use.

[1874Sharps]

BigTed,

I will have to look into the 3M "triple flange" plugs. Maybe Midway or a local shop carries them. It is nice to get a report on what has worked well for others, so thanks!

[John Boy]

Shotgun blasts will deafen hearing IMO more severely than other firearms. I have been a shotgunner since the age of 10. Finally at the age of 66 my hearing went south - the right ear the worst

I wear hearing aids now with 3 volume channels. Had the hearing aid guy tune the 2nd channel to cut out at 85 decibels. The hearing aids work fine as ear protection when shooting

[Coffeecup]

John Boy, do you know if the volume of shooting plays a factor as well? I know I don't typically shoot as many rifle/pistol rounds per range trip as my shotgunner friends do.

[Old Coot]

I too have extensive hearing loss, and it has gotten worse over the years.

There is a congenital condition in about 15% of the population; these folks (like me) lack the musculature that which tenses the ear drum at the onset of a sonic accident-sound over 85 decibles- these people suffer a lot mre damage than those who are able to keep their ear drum from vibrating. I am told by Dr. Michael Straight that this is one reason for continuing damage despite hearing protection.
Brodie

[Simonpie]

I was once fiddling with a muzzleloader that had an ill fitting nipple. I figured firing a few caps with open ears was no big deal. Boy were those loud. I got through 3 before I went for plugs, and my ears rang for a day. I think the sharp crack is worse than the big boom.

20 years of motorcycle racing hasn't helped.

[mdevlin53]

I was at the range two weeks ago and shot my 45-70 with ear plugs. at the end of the day i hade a couple of 30-30 rounds i wanted to shoot up so i could load a full box ith the new casts boolits i just bought. Put 5 in the magazine and shot of one round with out the plugs in. it has been 2 weeks and my right ear is still a little fuzzy. I did two things. i went and bought a pair of shooting muff type hearing protection and made an appointment with the audiologist. The sharp crack of the 30-30 is in my opinion much worse than the BP loads.

[oldred]

Every single post has made excellent points but no one has yet mentioned Tinnitus! I suffer from this horrible affliction and it is my own doing, like a lot of others when I was young I must have felt I was superman and now I am paying dearly for it. It is from a combination of shooting without ear protection and working around noisy equipment but no doubt the shooting is the main culprit. This came upon me slowly at first and for several years was just a very annoying ringing and/or hissing sound when in a quiet room, it was so bad it made sleeping difficult. I started using hearing protectors when shooting but not when hunting and about two years ago I fired my ported Marlin 45/70 with a heavy load and no protection, as expected this left my ears ringing terribly but this time it never got better! On the contrary, it has gotten worse and my audiologist tells me I will have to endure this for as long as I live since little can be done. I now wear hearing aids and with a "white noise" generator I have learned to endure this horrendous noise but it is just that, enduring and not becoming accustomed to it. Fellas think about it next time you are tempted to pull that trigger without hearing protection, just imagine shooting something like a 44 magnum pistol without protection then imagine that ringing multiplied at least two-fold and NEVER going away! It happened to me and it has happened to thousands of others, please DON'T let it happen to you!

[giz189]

Oldred, I have suffered this for the last 25 years. The ringing in my ears is louder than the ringer on my cell phone was for a long time. I finally got a phone with a loud ringer. It never goes away,day or night, it is always there. I also have hearing aids, but they don't really help this ringing I have. I am due for some new ones, so maybe this will help. Mine started as a young man. Shooting 357 mags and 30-06 carbines and playing drums for a band. No one knew about hearing protection in our neck of the woods. Now I can barely understand what my 4 little granddaughters say to me after repeating it 4 or 5 times. Wear your hearing protection. The best you can afford. I hate these dang hearing aids.

[bob208]

my hearing has been bad all my life. at first they said i was retarded. the first hearing test i ever had was when i tried to join the navy. it was so bad i was rejected classed 4f and never heard from them again. that was 69 it has not gotten any better over the years.

[TomBulls]

...the best plugs ive run into are called "tripple flange"...

I'm gonna second BigTed on this one. The only hearing protection I was ever issued while in the service was this type of ear plug. (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Marine/Home/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE20S4K7000000_nid=59QWKXQ 6QGgsLDL9MLP7QVgl1X6Y6BQFKZbl) Granted, we never knew who was manufacturing these earplugs, but the design was exactly the same. I managed to swipe a bag of 500 on the way out the door, and I should have enough extra sets of ear plugs to last me, ummm... quite a while. I use the triple flange for everything from firing small bore to big bore, yard maintenance equipment, and power tools. These ear plugs worked very well for me, even during the rapid fire phase of service rifle qualification-- on the line or in the pits.

-thomas

[drcook]

One of the ranges I shoot at is primarily for benchrest shooters. Their smokeless rounds are much more sharp and intense than blackpowder rounds. I have a good set of electronic earmuffs and even with those on the smokeless rounds come cracking through.

maybe the statement about seeing more people with hearing loss due to BP is because a lot of those folks don't think BP is that bad and don't wear ear protection ?

keep in mind that the people that search out and take part in forums (that is you all !) are more astute and knowledgeable about their chosen hobby than the regular Joe Citizen is (for the most part) So experiences and opinions tend not to reflect how the rest of the world goes about it........

[oldred]

During WW1 a lot of pilots where killed when they were thrown from their planes or just simply fell out during a roll because a lot of them considered it "unmanly" to wear seat belts! Until fairly recently too many people felt the same way about hearing protection and seemed to think it was somewhat "sissy" to be seen wearing the silly things, fortunately that seems to have changed in the last few years.

[RMulhern]

105MM got my hearing 50 years ago....and then I sat behind BIG RADIAL aircraft engines for 24,000 hrs!

Hearing aids may help you with volume but sorry to say....you're still gonna miss a lot of words spoken such as beginning with C or Z or T! But at 72...there's just a whole lot of BS I don't want to hear coming from our enlightened younger set!!:takinWiz::-x

[Mike Brooks]

I have had tinitus since I was 16. Running a planer in a saw mill did me in.

[nicholst55]

Guys, I can feel your pain - cause I sure can't hear it! I wear a hearing aid in my left ear, and should probably be wearing one in my right ear. That said, there are ear plugs available today that allow you to hear normal sounds but that protect your hearing from gunfire. They're less than $20, and every one of us should have a set! I wear mine even when I'm hunting; better late than never!

If anyone is interested and isn't familiar with them, shoot me a PM or e-mail and I'll send you a link.

[TXGunNut]

Every single post has made excellent points but no one has yet mentioned Tinnitus! I suffer from this horrible affliction and it is my own doing, like a lot of others when I was young I must have felt I was superman and now I am paying dearly for it. It is from a combination of shooting without ear protection and working around noisy equipment but no doubt the shooting is the main culprit. This came upon me slowly at first and for several years was just a very annoying ringing and/or hissing sound when in a quiet room, it was so bad it made sleeping difficult. I started using hearing protectors when shooting but not when hunting and about two years ago I fired my ported Marlin 45/70 with a heavy load and no protection, as expected this left my ears ringing terribly but this time it never got better! On the contrary, it has gotten worse and my audiologist tells me I will have to endure this for as long as I live since little can be done. I now wear hearing aids and with a "white noise" generator I have learned to endure this horrendous noise but it is just that, enduring and not becoming accustomed to it. Fellas think about it next time you are tempted to pull that trigger without hearing protection, just imagine shooting something like a 44 magnum pistol without protection then imagine that ringing multiplied at least two-fold and NEVER going away! It happened to me and it has happened to thousands of others, please DON'T let it happen to you!


Yep, tinnitus is bad news. Until you learn to tune it out it will keep you awake and make you doubt your sanity.

[rmark]

I did a lot of shotgun shooting with minimal hearing protection in my teens and early twenties, plus a family history of hearing loss anyway. At age 51 I have a hearing aid in my right ear and need to order one for my left ear.

[John Boy]

John Boy, do you know if the volume of shooting plays a factor as well? I know I don't typically shoot as many rifle/pistol rounds per range trip as my shotgunner friends do. Of course, the more one shoots without ear protection is going to reduce their hearing lose more quickly - irrespective of the powder type or the firearm that it is shot from

[freedomlives]

I'm just 26, but recently I've even started wearing hearing protection when I've been hammering something (metal poles for temporary fencing and tying out my goats each day)-- that sound of metal striking metal hurts my ears almost as bad as a gunshot.

Its a nuisance to remember to bring that headset with me. I'll have to look for some of these triple earplugs around here to keep in my pocket.

[white eagle]

Tinnitus oh what fun
I have had this special condition for longer than I care to
my journey into foreverness with this is not even close to ending
the best part is when new sounds get added to the medley
oh sure ringing,hissing and white noise are quite unnerving but now add in the sound of chains dragging it surely is a personal concert extraordinaire
be warned your senses are your own keep them and take care of them try not take them for granted

[mold maker]

The constant serenade of crickets are the results of a lifetime of neglect. now its the happy voices of my grandchildren that I miss.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

When the powers that be decided to come up with a unit to measure sound, [I don't know what year that was] they called the basic unit a Bell,after old Alexander. Since the basic unit was too big for everyday applications it was decided it would be more practicle to use a tenth of a Bell or as it is refered to, a decibel. I don't think it matters what produces the sound that can harm your hearing, it's the level of the sound that does the damage. Since sound dissapates with distance, it is well to remember that using an electric razor while shaving is more harmful to your hearing than a leaf blower being used by a gardner out in your yard.

[Four-Sixty]

My Wife makes fun of me cause I'll wear hearing protection when I mow the lawn, or run the shop vac.

She fails to notice that I relay conversations for her between her and the kids because she can not understand what they say from another room in the house.

When I shoot, I oftun put in plugs and put on muffs. I like the very muffled sound. I think it helps me to concentrate. I do this because I've seen my dead go near deaf for the last 20 years. He'll shoot with me and I have to make him put in his hearing protection.

I probably shoot about 200-300 rounds a month on average. I think my hearing is pretty good because of my precautions. When I'm in my yard I can hear the squirrels chewing apart the pine cones up in the trees overhead. I can hardly see them because I got poor eyes though!

I know for a fact that I can hear better than my 18 year old and 20 year old step daughters. I bet this is because they use headphones and have listened to music at louder volumes. I did not have an iPod when I was a kid and I never used headphones. I had a boom box, but was never big into music. I know my hearing has benefited as a result.

[Texantothecore]

Loud lawn care engines are a major culprit and if you talk with sound engineers they will tell you to never listen to music through ear buds. It may compromise your hearing.

The earbuds to do not use the ear as it was designed to work and the hearing loss can be immediate.

[Kermit1945]

Safety equipment generally. When young you think you're invincible and will live forever. Injury and illness happen to someone else. Our 10-year-old neighbor boy was skateboarding without a helmet. He's been in a coma in intensive care for almost 2 months. No medical insurance. He'll likely be handicapped for life--if he wakes up. in any event, his family is financially ruined already. Naw, we don't need no stinkin' health care. We're young and healthy. The hospital will likely write off most of it, and your insurance and my Medicare will make up the difference.

Be a good model for young folks. Wear the goggles, face shield, hearing protection, bike/motorcycle helmet... It's the FINANCIALLY responsible thing to do.

I was once at the end of a day of shooting with my ML club when someone asked me about my flinter. Went back to the line to show the newbie about it. Loaded up and fired off a ball. After the shot my companion noticed blood running down the bridge of my nose. I reached up to see what he was talking about and felt something sticking out of the bridge of my nose. It was a flint flake about a quarter inch or so square. I had NOT put my shooting glasses back on. If that chip had been a little to one side or another, I'd be known as "One Eye."

Be safe. Please.

[Kermit1945]

For those of us with sad stories to tell about hearing loss, you need to carry the invoice showing what a decent pair of hearing aids cost. Just ask if they'd rather have those several thousand to spend on a few really nice guns. Makes the price of specialized custom earplugs fade to insignificance. Money talks, and loudly enough to be heard, I'll wager.

[358wcf]

Gents-
As stated so well above and before- protect what you were given by God, as he will give you no more! You cannot get back what you waste or lose, so protect it even if others think you look silly-
Years of using chainsaws and farm machinery without mufflers, and no hearing protection started the downward slide. Years of shooting added to it, with never a thought of the ringing in my ears after a day shooting revolvers for fun- a few years later the ringing became painful, and never stopped.
Tinnitus the Docs said- and a terrible thing it is- avoid it at all costs-
I'm only 60 today, but I've been wearing 2 $3000 hearing aides for the past 24 years just so I could hear speech well enough to work. No, insurance doesn't pay for that, I have to. I would rather use those funds to pad my retirement fund, but I can't.
Pay attention here, fellas- wear those earplugs- the good ones. And wear the good muffs over them as well.
Learn from the old guys. We paid for your freedom in so many ways. Let you be free from the pain of hearing loss- protect what you have, PLEASE!

Chuck 358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1: