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I don't think any reasonable person would practice on a regular basis without hearing protection. I have inadvertantly been exposed to a close firearm discharge without hearing protection and while it probably did little damage on a one time basis it was NOT pleasant. At least I know what to expect if I ever have to discharge my weapon without protection. By the way, the inadvertant exposure was the result of a late discharge (VERY LATE) after a 'cease fire'. That person will not repeat that, at least not at that range.

Dave B.

The Marshal wrote:Frankie, I was trying to emphasize that in a high-stress, high-adrenaline moment, bang & recoil are not going to be noticed (by the brain).
So yes, I think it is senseless and foolish to practice without proper 'Eyes & Ears.'

And although the muzzle was about 4" outside the opening in the blind, let me be the first to tell you that there is no acceptable distance you can be from a 7Mag with no ear protection!
I'm sure the plywood wall transfered in some of the sound thru reverberation.

My ears were ringing after I calmed down.

I might have to rethink hunting without hearing protection this year...

~Bill

OTOH, I very clearly recall the sound my gun made a couple of different times when shooting at deer, or attempting to anyway. Once it was "PFFFFT" as the powder in the pan failed to ignite the main charge (flintlock with a plugged flash hole) and once it was "CLACK" as the hammer failed to even make contact with the percussion cap (caplock with a lock screw protruding) No buck fever hid those sounds from me, and it actually appeared, in each instance, that the sound could be heard and echoed for miles so that everyone in the county knew I messed up.

I have experienced the auditory exclusion not only hunting, but on the range during the heat of a match, not knowing whether I fired a shot or not.

I have also had my Garand knock my headphone off and heard every shot that I fired, thankful for double plugging.

I suppose, to REALLY practice "real-world shooting", he should not just leave off the hearing and eye protection, but also have someone shoot back at him with live ammo... and maybe even hit him, just to see if he can handle a real situation.

I only had to leave my mouth guard out once while doing martial arts training to get a taste of a real world punch to the jaw. I don't think I learned a thing, except that titanium implants are very expensive.

Of course there is realistic and effective training to be had, but compromising safety is just not worth it.

No, the question was specifically about hearing. And I've never heard or visual exclusion. Are you referring to tunnel vision?

Yes, my bad, I meant auditory exclusion and tunnel vision. The brain and fingers don't quite connect when typing.

Fosforos wrote:I suppose, to REALLY practice "real-world shooting", he should not just leave off the hearing and eye protection, but also have someone shoot back at him with live ammo... and maybe even hit him, just to see if he can handle a real situation.

As a Vietnam vet I was exposed to all types of small arms fire and even some artillary. Even before that I would shoot at home and never wore hearing protection.

It was for sissies.

I worked for a chemical plant for 25 years. If you've never been inside a chemical plant you have no idea the awful noise levels that exist there. And when I started there the policy was that if you wanted hearing protection you brought it with you.

It was for sissies.

Now my hearing is almost gone. I am on my third pair of hearing aids right now. I aticipate the next ones I'll have to wear on my back in a back pack or something. Still, I try to take care of what I have left. I Wear plugs and/or muffs on the range and plugs in the woods.

Protect your hearing people. Once it's gone it don't come back...and hearing aids are a poor substitute for being able to hear. I mean it

I grew up shooting without hearing protection. Luckily it was mostly .22s. Personally, I like to practice every scenario...shooting a shotgun out of the window while driving...shooting while running, etc. I do this out in the country and I always wear earplugs while practicing.

Without hearing protection, after the first shot you can't hear anything anyway. It deafens you and makes your ears ring. One time probably won't do a lot of damage, but at least you'll know what it's like. Personally, I'd rather know than be surprised by it. I will tell you that when it's quiet my ears ring all the time. It could be from gunshots or all of the rock concerts, dirt track and motocross races I've attended...

I was told the other day that plugs are not enough to stop hearing loss that the best pair of ear Muffs hearing protection was what we should be using.
The guy said that the bone right behind and just above mid level of your ear gets the noise and takes it right to the center to cause damage almost as much as no plugs at all!

The plugs and good muffs I guess would be the best.

I am not a Doctor nor do I play one on TV or movies so what do I know?

Dougmyers5 wrote:I was told the other day that plugs are not enough to stop hearing loss that the best pair of ear Muffs hearing protection was what we should be using.
The guy said that the bone right behind and just above mid level of your ear gets the noise and takes it right to the center to cause damage almost as much as no plugs at all!

The plugs and good muffs I guess would be the best.

I am not a Doctor nor do I play one on TV or movies so what do I know?

I think it depends on what you are shooting and and where you are. to me ear plugs might be OK for some smaller callibers outside in the the Open? Inside ranges with large calibers could require both muffs and plugs.

I Once fired an M14 without ear protection from inside a car (it was raining). Although I was young and not always the sharpest kid. It didn't take long to figure out it wasn't the smartest move .