I’ve spent many years riding off road motorcycles, driving at highway speeds with the windows down and shooting handguns all without hearing protection. I’m now paying the price for my stupidity; I have a serious hearing loss. According to my audiologist I will be ready for hearing aids in the next year or so. Recently, even though I’ve used both ear plugs and muffs when shooting, I’ve noticed a ringing or high pitched tone in my ears for several days’ after.

As much as I enjoy my range time I’m much more concerned with protecting the level of hearing I have left. Before I’m make the drastic decision to stop shooting and dispose of most of my revolvers does anyone have and suggestions for hearing protection? I really could some help here.

Thanks all..

The damage is(was) done a long time ago, honestly it's a little late to now be worrying about hearing loss and increased ear protection.
Sorry, but it seems your already plugging and muffing and at this stage that's as good as it gets.
As for the ringing, it's called Tinitus, there are suppossed pills and eardrops that can relieve it, but I've never found any that work for me.
Sell your revos?
Come on man, that won't change a thing, I'd be much more concerned with my safety than my hearing.

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Hold my beer and watch this!

Gunslinger has it right. Spent many years shooting both military service & on the range & hunting. Now I have 50% hearing in both ears. Tinitus also. Now I wear ear protectors to save what hearing I have left.Don't worry about weather it's rifle, pistol or shotgun, wear 'em.

I too have severe hearing loss and ringing due to many years of shooting with no or inadequate hearing protection, and now I am desperately trying to preserve what little hearing I have left.

After doing a bit of research, I have found the best ear plugs out there which are made by Peltor, and on top of those I use the Peltor Ultimate 10 ear muffs. Between the two I now have good protection and I do not ever shoot without them, however they will never make up for the damage already done.

New shooters should take the advise from us older guys, and they should learn from our mistakes. Hearing is not something easily replaced!

Chief38

I know how you feel, oldbear, I have had hearing loss for a long time. Mine is from shooting, work, and very loud music. You don't have to give up what you love doing. There are several approaches, including electronic muffs, foam earplugs, custom molded hearing protection, and any combination of the above. If people can work around jet engines 8 hours a day without hearing loss, you can bet there are methods of protecting what you have left. Personally, I use a combination of foam plugs and earmuffs. You should talk to an audiologist for suggestions. Best of luck!

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Even older, even crankier....

WHAT, YOU SAY SOMETHING?
SPEAK UP!
darn kids and their mumbling...

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Hold my beer and watch this!

4 years working in a foundry (1 ton steel molds, poured 50 at a time, hot gas explosions at 60 second intervals every 2 hours) and lived a lifetime playing drums behind Marshall stacks. I guess that makes me an expert.

The tinnitus wil never go away. It will never change pitch, timbre, or volume. It is now your constant companion and inner voice. When it's really, really quiet you can almost see the Geico pig...

Congratulations and condolences.

I feel your pain. As was said, the damage is done but not all hearing loss can be attributed to loud noises.

Many have inherited hearing problems. Most will lose hearing with age. Others have worked at places where hearing was being effected without even noticing it.

Hearing aids are expensive, very expensive. They also work well and a person with hearing aids can do all they ever did so you can continue shooting and enjoying life. They are not noticible as they have been in the past.

Getting old is tough in many ways. Our knees wear out, our teeth need replacing and, face it, our bodies just wear out. Do not blame your hearing issues on shooting. That was only a small part of the total picture.

Like some of the others my ears ring 24/7. Same causes, gunfire, loud music, industrial noise and heredity. I worked as a safety professional for 32 years. Did tons of noise surveys in the work place. When you go to buy your hearing protection ask what the "R" factor is for that product. The higher the Reduction factor the less noise in your ear. Use to be you could get hearing protection with an R factor in the high twenties. EAR made a soft sponge like plug that had a R factor of 27-29. Whatever plug you get pair it up with the highest R rated muffs you can find. I have shot this way for the last 10-15 years, but the ears seem to ring more on the way home. Could be my imagination.

Actually -- I've had tinnitus for a LONG time now (at least 35 years). One of my first real jobs was in the generator room in a BIG steel mill - 24 BIG MG sets are what they call deafening.

The sound in my head was usually like a tea kettle - sometimes louder sometimes softer, sometimes up and down like waves (like right now) but almost always the same sound. Occasionally it will sound like a REALLY LOUD telephone (the kind that with an actual bell inside). In the last year or so the sound has changed to be more like glass wind chimes (the best description that I can come up with). The guy at Beltone did a bunch of tests and tried to sell me 2 hearing aids at about the price of a decent pick-up truck.
An actual Otologist (physician) also did a heard of tests and told me that hearing aids were pointless.

Anyway:
IF you can still hear - TURN IT DOWN and wear hearing protection when you shoot!

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In dog years I'm dead.

I'm sorry to hear of your hearing loss. I can hear pretty well unless I'm in a crowded room, then I can't hear a darn thing anyone is saying, even if they're right next to me.

When I go shooting, I wear foam ear plugs and either Howard Leight or Peltor Ultimate 10 ear muffs. The plugs are supposedly NRR 29 and the muffs are reportedly NRR 31 and 30 respectively. I really want to preserve what I have left.

I can hear ringing in my ears (tinnitus) when it's very quiet. I don't notice it often, as I work in front of a computer all day long and I have two young daughters. With two girls, it's rarely silent in the house, though I'm not complaining.

I wonder if noise-cancellation headphones would help you? My reasoning is that they would provide a bit of a low-level static hum that might be more tolerable than the tinnitus.

I wish you the very best of luck with your condition.


David

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NRA Life Member

Random thoughts...

Hair, glasses and different shaped skulls can interfere with the effectiveness of muffs.

The noise and pressures at an indoor range are significantly greater than outdoors. So if you are shooting indoors you can reduce exposure by shooting outdoors if that's available. I recently dropped my membership at the indoor club. The older I get the more that noise and pressures have become fatiguing. It just ain't that much fun anymore to be around magnums blasting away on either side of my shooting station rattling my fillings out.

I still practice with all my centerfire guns, but for recreational shooting I'm primary using suppressed .22 pistols and rifles at the outdoor club. It's an absolute pleasure to shoot without plugs jammed into my ears and muffs wrapped around my skull. I'm fortunate that I live across the street from the Chattanooga Rifle Club and can go shooting anytime during the week when there aren't other folks around. However, if someone shows up I have plugs and muffs at the ready. Even with plugs and muffs, the noise of a centerfire pistol feels significantly louder than shooting my suppressed .22s with no hearing protection. I've become more interested in shooting at the 200-500yd range with my .308. I have put off buying a suppressor due to cost but have decided to go ahead and get one.

I have a blown eardrum from Scuba diving. I wear foam ear plugs (from Wal Mart bulk pack) plus Pro Ears passive ear muffs. I can actually still hear range commands but no caliber bothers me.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I've found I am loosing my hearing as well. I think it's from playing football and riding motorcycles. I've always worn hearing protection while shooting because of my previous hearing loss. I wear the foam plugs and muffs that are rated to reduce noises by 30 db. I wear the foam plugs while I ride, mow, use power tools.

Don't sell your revolvers, invest in a good pair of muffs and keep enjoying the sport! Put your plugs in when you're doing anything that is loud (powertools, outdoor equipment, riding with windows down).

At minimum use high quality, high NRR rated ear plugs when around ANY loud noise. Save what you have left.

Invest in the best muffs you can find. They may be high dollar but they will be worth it in the long run.

I sustained hearing loss back in the late 50's to early 60's as a jet engine mechanic in the USAF. A B66 Bomber at full throttle does make a lot of noise when you are standing just next to the engine to do adjustments. I finally got hearing aids at age 69, and it actually lessened the apparent noise of the Tinnitus I have had 27/7 for many years. The audiologist explained that since I can now hear in all the ranges, I hear things I previously had been missing and the "ringing" was in those ranges. While I still have the Tinnitus, it is much less noticeable. I do however, still have difficulties in a noisy room, like a restaurant.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I suffered from tinnitus for a few years as a result of a head injury courtesy of a rear-end car accident (I was the hit-ee, not the hitter). Eventually, and luckily, the tinnitus eventually went away. I think the suggestion about a suppressor was a good one - as was the one to shoot outdoors, rather than indoors. I seem to recall a magazine article about a professional shooter (Rob Leathan?) who wore a full coverage motorcyle helmet along with soft ear plugs when practising as a way of protecting his hearing. Might be something to consider to protect your remaining hearing, especially when shooting your revolvers.

Best of luck, Old Bear, I can feel your pain.

Dave

I have nothing to add, except that I've found this vendor to be awesome:

Ear Plugs

They have just about every style of earplug imaginable and sell sample packs that will allow you to identify what works best for you.

Andrew

Can't really add much here either except it appears you and I are in good company, seems most all of us older codgers did a lot of big game hunting without any ear protection and even more range shooting. I gave my son a set of shooting muffs for christmas this year, wish I would have had them when I was his age. Good luck with your hearing (and don't you dare sell all your guns!)

Everyone thanks for the stories and the suggestions I will look into custom fitted plugs to be used with my muffs. Andrew I've booked marked your link, and will follow up with custom pugs.