I haven't. Growing up I shot .22lr on a regular basis outdoors, and we never wore ear protection. I am not a hunter, but I have hunted. In those cases I was not wearing ear protection, and I don't recall it being a big deal in the wide open spaces.

I shudder to think what it would be like to light off a .357 magnum (which had been my SD gun, but is not anymore) without ear protection, especially indoors. Even worse, seated in a car at night, or some other realistic if not unlikely self-defense scenario. The concussion and accompanying fireball would be overwhelming to say the least. Do those of you who carry big caliber handguns take that into consideration?

Dead or deaf seems to be the common choice. That said, I am belatedly scrupulously careful about noisy stuff, especially firearms. After a lot of unprotected shooting when I was young, followed by a lifetime of power tools, chainsaws, motorcycles, rock concerts and other sundry stuff I am feeling the effects. In fact, now I have to wear protection to use the lawn mower or even the vacuum cleaner, or else suffer ringing ears and sort of a dizzy disorientation for hours. As far as firing a gun when hunting, just because you don't suffer any discomfort amid the excitement, doesn't mean the damage hasn't occurred. Every loud noise causes a bit of cumulative damage. I do hunt big game and consider that one or two unprotected shots in a season to be part of the cost of the enjoyment of the activity. Its no joke folks, protect yourself when you can and live with it when you can't.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

I carry either a LC9s or G-19. I have shot both w/o wearing my "ears " and I can tolerate it. I mainly shoot .45 auto & 10 mm and would not fire either of those w/o protection.
Recently, my wife expressed an interest in obtaining a c/c license and I bought a lcr .22 lr . I shot it w/o protection and could not believe how loud it was, almost as loud as either of my 9 mm.

Ear protection is a must whenever you can and save those precious ear drums. Along side your defensive gun, in the home, you should have a set of ear protectors for you and your spouse. Back, in the late sixties and seventies, most of the shooters did not think about protecting the ears. We inserted expended brass casings in our ears and that was our protection. Well, that was a long time ago and I am now suffering from high frequency loss of hearing which I do wear hearing aids. Also, I wear ear protectors using outdoor equipment and working in the garage using speed drills, sanders or bench presses. I try to save whatever hearing remaining in those worn out drums. However, you ask what about if the need arises when you need to defend yourself and do not have the resources to protect your ears, well I would take the chance of hearing loss rather than succumb to death or the loss of life to my loved ones. What it boils down to is to protect your ears when you can and hopefully the day will never come when you may need to protect you or a loved one without the protection of those protectors.

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NRA Instructor\GCA Gunsmith

i can say that if you have to use your gun for protection, you will not hear the gun very much. i once shot an armed robber 7 times with a colt light weight commander from inside my police detective car as he was just outside my driver's side door with a 12ga sawed off pump. i never noticed the shots.

Interesting, thanks for the thoughts and experiences.

Of course now I always use ear protection when shooting, but I have never thought I'd have time to deal with it should a situation arise.

I play guitar and jam with friends infrequently. I always wear ear protection then. Most of the younger musicians I know now have always worn ear protection. They must have learned it from their hard of hearing elders.

Call me crazy, but if you put ear protection in/on it's a premeditated shooting.

Yes. It rings a bit and then goes away.

I have fired 9, 38, 357, 44mag, 7.62x39, 7.62x54, 50AE, 7.62x25, 12G .... all without hearing protection. It's laud and a little ringing. On the bigger calibers there is some dumbing down of sound (only way I can describe it). I didn't do it repeatedly or in the same day

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Once, a .45 Commander, outdoors, in ignorance. My ears rang for a week. I'm not concerned about a true SD event, but I'm never going to shoot even a .22 without ears for fun or practice. It's not worth it. I can't even imagine shooting a .357, which makes orange doughnuts in the air three feet from the muzzle, without hearing protection.

If you pick up your weapon.When you hear your door kicked in is that a premeditated shooting?

I've replaced the .357's with 9's for HD handgun duty. I do prefer the power of the .357, and keep a .357 lever action rifle loaded for HD along with a 12ga. The longer barrel of the rifle substantially quiets the round.

I make a point of getting in on every hearing protection thread I find because I made the mistake of not protecting my hearing and lost most of it.

I was an artilleryman in the Army for several years and afterwards worked as a sheet metal fabricator/ machinist. I started my manufacturing career operating a Strippit 1250 CNC Turret Press and made a point of using hearing protection then but it was too late.

I am 50 years old, I can’t use a telephone without head phones, I have to use the closed captions when I watch TV (or turn it up so loud the neighbors can hear it), my wife has given up on asking me “Did you hear that?”, I’ve lost a lot of the enjoyment of music (MP3 head phones will damage your hearing too BTW) and I have to lip read my grandkids

My point is, once your hearing is gone, it’s gone and by the time you realize I know exactly what I'm talking about it will be too late for you too.

Wear your hearing protection Wear your hearing protection Wear your hearing protection Wear your hearing protection Wear your hearing protection

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Retired Career Security Guard

I had a ND in my den with my SP 101 loaded with Corbon DPX +p 38s. I was surprised at how mild it was. The sound that is, not my wife when I told her...

Auditory exclusion does not mean that your hearing won't be irreparably damaged by the exposure. It's just means you won't notice it in the moment

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Retired Career Security Guard

I was about 8 years old when my dad first showed me how to shoot.

This was in the 50's when no one knew about ear protection.

I shot his 7.7 mm Japanese army rifle that he brought back from WWII. No problem.

I also shot his M-1 carbine many times. No problem.

And my 22lr bolt action Remington. No problem.

Then he let me shoot his 45 acp 1911 also brought back from the war. Problem.

One shot with that 45 was enough. I never shot another 1911 until I got my own when I was 46.

My ears rang for over a week.

Probably did some damage to my 8 year old ears, but still have about 80% or normal hearing and don't where hearing aids at age 66.

Dave

Hang on bro, let me put my ear protection in before I shoot you.

Two weeks ago I was at my gun club and the only one at the outdoor pistol range.
Twice I forgot to put my ear protection back on and fired my S&W 649 loaded with 357 mag loads.
That's a 2" barrel and it was quite load! Can not imagine shooting in the house or car.

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2B1ASK1

I have fired an M14, AR15, M60 machine gun, Colt 45, M79 grenade launcher, been under a 90mm cannon being fired, had several bombs go off in my vicinity without hearing protection while in Vietnam. I have some hearing loss and ringing in both ears 24/7. Sounds like an old dial tone on a telephone. I am used to it by now. I do draw a small disability from Uncle Sam for it. I use hearing protection when I fire a gun now.

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Endeavor To Persevere

yes but not in many years .. I do remember not being able to hear after shooting qualifying in the military many many years ago and not being able to hear for an hour or more afterwards !!

But shooting my guns I always wear hearing protection and most of the time I double up .. ear plugs and ear muffs ..

Having worked in a machine shop for 30+ years I tend to want to keep all the hearing ability I have left ..

I've never used ear protection and was carrying and shooting at the age of 14. My hearing is still really good. At or below the 38 Special/380 range, I still don't. When I shoot the "big" guns these days I tend to stick a cigarette filter in each ear. The only caliber I've ever had a great dislike for is the 45 Auto. My ears don't do 45 Auto so I quite simply don't shoot them.

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Dr. B

HUH? HAVE I EVER FRIED WHAT? SOMEBODY ANSWER THAT PHONE......

I started shooting regularly when I was 13 and used my first hearing protection in my 30s........now I am just trying to save what's left. I hear best with my Pro Ears on.

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Science plus Art

Deaf in one ear and can't hear with the other. Just ask my wife!

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Just a shooter

Back in 1984 my carry gun was a .357 magnum.Upon reading expert advise from Massad Ayoob,and Evan Marshall.I fired a cylinder full of Remington 125 gr JHP,followed by a reload without hearing protection.My ears were ringing for about a week.

I would never do it. I know how to use my firearm and if I have to sacrifice my earing to save my life then so be it.

That anecdote about not "hearing" your gun when firing it under stress is true to a certain extent. Your brain won't hear it, but your eardrums and audio nerves will still take a pounding. Go to a VFW post and you will see a bunch of hearing aids.

I used to never use protection when I was a young kid. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, didn't matter. I'm 65 now and paying for it with permanent ringing in the ears. About 2 years ago I was out shooting with my son and he was shooting behind me in the other direction, using my hearing protectors. I decided to shoot at a frog with my Ruger 22mag sans protection. Huge mistake. It was truly painful and that was the last shot I ever made without it. I couldn't believe how loud that 22mag pistol was.

I am surprised the Army didn't require artillerymen to wear hearing protection!

I am an advocate of keeping electronic hearing protection bedside. In the event of a break-in, in some situations, there may be time to put it on before addressing the intruder.

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Stay protected my friends.

I pressume you changed carry guns?

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Stay protected my friends.

I did the same with a .40S&W

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Stay protected my friends.

I had to shoot a hostage taker in a hotel lobby w/my issued Model 15 loaded with the FBI +P ammo. Fired three times, hit him all three from a distance of about three feet and never heard a thing. Believe it's called auditory occlusion, or something like that.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I think Smoke hit the nail right on the head. I have been in 3 officer involved shootings while seated in my patrol unit. I was shooting a 45ACP in two and a 44 Magnum in one. I didn't seem to notice it at the time. Now my ears ring constantly. I keep ear plugs and my electronic ear muffs up front with me. If I am headed towards something that might involve gunfire (like a robbery or pursuit). I put the electronic ear muffs on. I can hear better with them on. The plugs are the type that have a band over the head. I keep them on my sunvisor so they are readily accessible and they are quick to put on. I want to try those new Outers ear plugs that are supposed to let you hear conversation frequencies but provide 31 decible reduction for gunfire frequencies. You ought to see the look on a felons face when you pull up next to his vehicle with your window rolled down, your electonic muffs on, your shooting glasses on and you point an 8 shot 627 Pro Series right at their head. Priceless.

My shooting range is in the middle of my dad's woods. Once I forgot my earmuffs and shot my SD40VE. I won't do that again! Can't imagine how those guys on tv shoot their handguns dozens of times at someone with no ill effects. Maybe that's why so many of them have silencers.

Personally, I wear hearing protection whenever I can. However, I've fired my carry guns without hearing protection on purpose as part of being prepared as much as I can. I've also shot each one at night too. A few times wont hurt and it's a good thing to know exactly what to expect.

I had hearing protection when they were firing the 5"54's on my ship. Was scarfing up a couple of the brass casing to make ash trays out of. Up that close and personal well let me just say that is about all the noise a body can tolerate. And yes did get my two shell casings. Fast forward about 40 years, has an hearing exam done and basically all my high frequency hearing is non existent so now obligated to wearing the hearing aid. Even wear them while cutting grass either with the riding mower or the big Kubota with the bushog. Same thing when using a string trimmer and chain saw. Frank

Yes. I have, and I wont make a habit of it. Even a 22 LR fired from a rifle is load when discharged inside a structure. i.e. barn.

When I practice, the "protection" is always on/in.

HUH ?

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John

I come from the dark ages in which no one used hearing protectors. That's why I respond to every question with "huh?".

I started doing something & noticed Jerry M does the same before shooting.First he puts in ear plugs(custom I guess)THEN he puts on ear muffs ..
Jim

I never used hearing protection. I don't remember ever hearing the bang when hunting. Most of the shooting I've done has been .22 rifles. I never shot pistols much until recently and only centerfire rifles enough to check zero before hunting. I worked in a machine shop all my life, used chain saws, worked on race cars, etc. I have a permanent ringing in my ears. Most of the time my mind blocks it out if I'm not thinking about it. It's a very high frequency so it doesn't keep my from hearing normal conversation. It only blocks sounds at that same frequency. I now use hearing protection when shooting.

I killed my outside air condenser.. what I learned...

DPX penetrates... maybe a little too well...

You will be surprised by how the furniture, walls, etc. will muffle the sound of a round from a 9mm. It almost sounds as if a silencer is on the gun. I swear that this is true but, don't ask how I know this.

You are dead wrong

One time will cause permanent damage its just a question of how much

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Retired Career Security Guard

As Ronnie Gore said above, in a real shooting, auditory exclusion seems to take over and you don't experience the same level of noise or ringing ears afterward. Having said, that, when there is a choice you should always wear ear protection.

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Dave Frost

Once about 25 years ago. .45ACP outdoors, very loud, my ears rang for a while. I've also had a 12 ga. shotgun negligently discharged by another person right next to me indoors and my ears rang for about an hour after that one.
If I had to shoot to defend my life or my family, I wouldn't worry about the noise (deaf or dead, right?), but given a choice I'll always wear hearing protection.
I'm starting to lose hearing in one frequency, probably due to being around sirens and loud fire trucks for 23 years without hearing protection, so I want to save every bit of what's left and wear hearing protection while doing anything noisy, even mowing the lawn.

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Ban lunatics and criminals

I love it, the new tough guy image, Jimmy Cagney putting his ear plugs in as he enters the bank with a tommy gun.

Now try discharging the SP101 outside without hearing protection and I'll bet you it's a hell of a lot louder. (Due to your expecting the detonation.)

Ever notice that some "special weapons" team members put ear plugs in the ears before they go into a house to capture a suspect?

I came from the age of "stupidity" and figured it wouldn't happen to me. I wear "Pro Mag Gold" hearing protectors when I go to the range now.

But how much hearing loss did you suffer?

I shot unprotected 38spl,.45acp and 12guage slug/00 in small confined spaces on stake outs.

My ears would ring for hours afterwards.

Nowadays,when having conversations I often say what/huh.

I did/doing an awful lot of shooting over 55 years(from about 17) with pistols and rifles plus many many thousands of rounds competing in trap,skeet and sporting clays.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

This possibility concerns me. I have one of my firearms out for SBR/threading right now. I'm waiting on my ATF paperwork for it and my suppressor. Unfortunately, it won't help me with my EDC.