hearing protection with 45 colt in rifle?

[superior]

Maybe it's the powder I'm using, but I'm not sure if I need hearing protection when I fire my Rossi 20" in 45colt. I mean it doesn't seem loud at all.
11 grains hs-6
Lee 300gr

I generally don't take more than 2 or 3 shots at a gong before I put it away.

[Jim]

Decades ago, I had this macho idea I didn't need no hearin' protection. Grunt, spit, scratch. Now I ain't got no high frequency hearin'.

PLUG 'EM!

[Dean D.]

What Jim said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[superior]

Decades ago, I had this macho idea I didn't need no hearin' protection. Grunt, spit, scratch. Now I ain't got no high frequency hearin'.

PLUG 'EM!

I must confess that I have high frequency ringing in my ears for years now. I forgot the medical term for it, but I hope it's not related to shooting. I generally plug up except for 22lr in my 24" 241 speedmaster.

[ReloaderFred]

It's called tinitus (sp?), and it's caused by not using hearing protection. Even the sound of a .22 is beyond the threshold that causes hearing loss. You should definately be wearing some kind of hearing protection anytime you're shooting anything, including the .22.

I sure wish I had over the years. I'm right at the point where I should be wearing hearing aids, and it's all caused by shooting (and sirens mounted on top of the car roof).

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Lonegun1894]

Another vote for using hearing protection. I am 32, and have hearing damage from gunfire also. Some of it is from being stupid when I was younger and not needing it, and some from gunfire overseas. Believe it or not, a .223 or .308 rifle fired indoors will get your attention, but we figured it was protect our hearing or be able to hear unfriendlies coming our way inside the same structure, so we didn't use plugs. I can't say I would do any different today if I was still over there, but for practice like you're suggesting, please use some kind of hearing protection. It may be annoying, but not nearlu as annoying as hearing loss will be later if you dont protect yourself now.

[alrighty]

I agree that whenever possible use either plugs or better yet electronic muffs with plugs.Having already suffered severe hearing loss.A friend convinced me to try the electronic muffs.They can be troublesome when shooting from a bench but they are worth it.I found some Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic muffs and am very pleased.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=howard%20leight%20impact&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahoward%20leight%20impact

[smokeywolf]

I had shot thousands of rounds of 22s by the time I was 8 years old. Parents didn't know spit about ear protection. Now, I hear very little above 2400Htz.

+1 on Jim's response!

[btroj]

I won't shoot anything without hearing protection unless I am in the field.

Eyes and ears are not replaceable, I prefer to protect both as much as I can.

[1Shirt]

It is more than foolish to shoot any powder driven ctg without hearing protection.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[bigted]

great thing about my job is the hearing conservation program they have. ive learned that the sounds that are sudden and dont hurt are very harmfull to the 'hairs' inside the ear drum...when the sudden sound above a certain decible level happens they get "blown" over and lay down...overnite they will stand back up and the hearing comes back BUT...over time the 'hairs' lay down and wont stand up completely...after a bIt further time they just lay down and the hearing in this sound range is lost forever when this happens.

just a small overview and an explanation as to why the power saws, large heavy equipment, loud harley pipes, shooting for years, and now the extra heavy equipment i run. these have ruined most of my hearing and ill tell you from a grandparents viewpoint...those little sounds that the grandbabys make are more preciouse then life and most of em are lost to this shooter.

SO PLUG EM PARTNER.......THOSE SOUNDS WILL HURT YOUR HEARING AND ID RECOMEND PROTECTION FROM ALL SOUNDS THAT MAY DO HARM OF ANY KIND!!

[I'll Make Mine]

Not only plug 'em, but pay attention to what you're plugging with. I have significant high frequency loss; partly from on the job exposure to nail guns (I'm a tool repair technician), but significantly, from a single afternoon's shooting when I was 21. I shot a hundred rounds of .357 Magnum, under a corrugated steel roof, while wearing Sonic Valve ear plugs.

Those things were great; you could hear most of what went on around you, and then they'd close to block out high pressure impulses like gunfire -- or so the manufacturer claimed, and maybe they did work that way for direct impulses, but under that tin roof, I got five hundred echoes of every gunshot, spread out just enough that the valve in the plugs couldn't possibly stay closed.

When I left the range that day, I could barely hear my car engine, despite a blown out muffler; my ears rang for two days and it took three days to get back to what seemed normal hearing -- but almost immediately I noticed a loss in high frequencies; before, I'd been able to hear clearly to about 22 kHz and faintly to 24 kHz, but afterward, I never again got as high as 20 kHz and most times 18 kHz was my upper limit.

That was from one afternoon of shooting with what I thought were good ear plugs. Now, I use either the foam insert plugs (which I don't like much, I have trouble getting them into my ears properly) or electronic muffs -- the $20 muffs, with the volume set right, are like natural hearing with hot ears until a gun goes off, then they're like good shooter's muffs I used back in the late '80s for a few seconds before the microphones to live again. I still don't wear protection when I hunt -- but if I can find an orange hat that will fit over the muffs, I plan to start wearing them; my Mosin Nagant can probably do my significant harm with the one or two shots I'd expect to fire on a successful hunt.

Bottom line, I'd like to finish my life still able to hear music, TV, and my lover's voice.

[bearcove]

What did you say? Couldn't find hear you.

[220swiftfn]

Decades ago, I had this macho idea I didn't need no hearin' protection. Grunt, spit, scratch. Now I ain't got no high frequency hearin'.

PLUG 'EM!

Hmmm..... want to trade??? (I hear high frequency all the time!!! {Tinnitus, dammit......})



Dan

[GL49]

At work they test your hearing at seven different frequencies. My scores: 25, 30, 35, 99, 99, 99, 99. That's the percentage of hearing loss, not the amount you have left. Mostly the job, but I'm sure firearms were a factor. No plugs....No shoot. Not even a 22 rifle without plugs and muffs. And the hearing aids don't get rid of the constant ringing. My sons are being raised to be a whole lot smarter.

[TCFAN]

My hearing is almost completely gone. I wear hearing aids in both ears and my wife says I still can't hear a thing. To hear the TV I use RCA cordless head phones turned all the way up on the volume.
This is because I have been shooting since the early 50's and never wore hearing protection until some time in the 80's except for the Lee Sonic Valve ear plugs talked about above.I don't think they helped much. Now I won't let any one shoot on my little home range unless they have ear and eye protection.
So to the OP don't fire that rifle with out hearing protection unless you want to end up saying WHAT DID YOU SAY all the time. It ain't no fun............Terry

[Bullet Caster]

Huh? I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. Have tremendous loss of hearing due to jet aircraft engine noise. U.S. Marine Corps did not issue you hearing protection in the 70's. Now I can't hear squat even with hearing aids provided by the VA.

I say, PLUG 'EM. That is if you like hearing. Otherwise do what you will. BC

[CGT80]

The sounds that seem a little loud, are actually too loud. Also, moderately loud sound over a long period of time is just as bad as very loud sound for a short period. I also have tinnitus and am only 31 years old. I got it when I was 17 or 18 from earwax build up and possible infection. It got a little worse in one ear, from another infection, this year. I wish I had seen an EMT sooner and knew that they could clear an ear canal easily and quickly compared to a general doctor. I had an infection in the other ear a month later, but it was treated quickly and didn't seem to get any worse. My mom got it from the same thing when she was a kid. My dad has it from guns and tools. I spent 17 years in the construction industry and have been careful but not as much as I should have been.

Do whatever you can to protect your hearing. I use custom plugs with baffles and wear Pro Ears electronic over the top. This blocks more sound than just 33db foam plugs, but allows me to hear conversations fairly well. I use foam plugs and electronic muffs when I use my shotgun (12 ga Benelli Super Sport-ported=pretty loud), and usually do the same for rifles. For my 460 mag medium and hot loads it is foam plugs and 33db passive muffs that seal better than the pro ears. 45 grains of Win 296 from a compensated 8 3/8" barrel is brutal.

I was pretty used to my tinnitus, but now I am trying to habituate to the new level. It is an everyday battle right now.

[smoked turkey]

Believe me its not macho when you spend most of your time saying "huh?" to everyone. My poor wife uses at least twice the number of words she needs to each day because she has to repeat everything she says to me. ++1 on always wear hearing protection. In that way their most common used word each day won't be "huh?"

[1bluehorse]

Same as a lot of you "older" fellas. 35 years runnin Locomotives on the rails. Hearing protection wasn't thought to be a good idea from the company because they were afraid we wouldn't be able to hear the radios. After so many lawsuits from guys that were retiring ( some weren't even making retirement age but were being "bad ordered") with almost total hearing loss they started sporadically "issuing" hearing protection (them little foam thingies) sometime in the late 80's. By the 90's they were issuing good protection in the form of "headphone" type, some you could even hook into the radio. To late for me though (I started in 73) but did wear them as they became available so I do have some hearing left...but even at that It's not that I can't hear someone talking, but about half the time I can't understand what they're saying ..sometimes that's a good thing... WEAR YOUR HEARING PROTECTION...gettin old ain't for sissies..

[45-70 Chevroner]

I was an aircraft mechanic in the air force, in the 60's hearing protection was both hands one over each ear. Then there is all the shooting I did for the first 5 or so years after getting out of the service, with out hearing protection. It's too late to look back. I always use protection, ie ear plugs or muffs. The VA made me some new ones that allow you to hear but when you pull the trigger they close up, they are great. Main thing is to just us something.

[Baja_Traveler]

I had to laugh reading this thread - every single weekend at the various silhouette matches I shoot I'm constantly reminded of the importance of hearing protection when I hear 2 dozen timers beeping incessently after each bank because their owners cant hear them going off!
I literally have to walk down the line pushing buttons. ALWAYS use hearing protection.

[KirkD]

Even the sound of a .22 is beyond the threshold that causes hearing loss. You should definately be wearing some kind of hearing protection anytime you're shooting anything, including the .22.
I was thinking of this with respect to breaking when playing pool. Consistently, when I break, the 'crack' is definitely louder and more painful than a 22. Now you got me thinking of putting on hearing protection when I break.

[ReloaderFred]

I sincerely wish that I had known what I know now about hearing loss back when I first started shooting about 1960. If I had, I'd be able to understand what they're saying on television, and wouldn't always be asking my wife to repeat herself. I also wouldn't have to live with the constant ringing in my ears.

I hadn't thought about the crack of breaking when playing pool, but it makes sense. I wish I could make the youngsters understand what they're doing to their hearing by wearing those plugs in their ears with the music blasting away. It can't be good for them. My wife dragged me to a concert a couple of years ago, and even after stuffing Kleenex in my ears, they still hurt from the "music" being so loud, and I left the place with a headache. Between the band and the screaming people around me, I thought my head was going to burst. Never again!

The bottom line is protect your hearing, because they won't issue you new eardrums when yours are used up.......

Hope this helps.

Fred