Most people who are new to the use of firearms aren’t aware of the noise that they are capable of producing. When practicing with your firearms at a shooting range or indoors, the noise levels can be damaging to your hearing without the proper safety gear. Noise levels can also be excessive and beyond tolerable limits even when shooting outdoors. Your hearing can be damaged by most any noise level above the 80 to 90 decibel range depending upon the length of exposure to excessively loud sounds. Your hearing is one of your most important senses and you should always take the necessary steps to protect your hearing.
Firearms when discharged can produce sound levels in the 125 to a 150 decibel range. This depends largely on the type of firearm and the caliber of ammunition being used and as a result hearing protection becomes a critical issue when using firearms. It is also important to note that certain types of other equipment, such as chainsaws, generators and mowers, can also produce sound levels in excess of 90 decibels subjecting you to possible hearing loss and hearing damage as well.
There are basically two main types of hearing protection you can use to avoid possible damage to your hearing. The cheapest and simplest form of hearing protection you can use is ear plugs. These will work to reduce your risk of exposure to sound levels that could damage your hearing. They are extremely portable and can be easily carried most anywhere or at anytime. The other type of hearing protection is the headset type which looks similar to stereo headphones (see picture above). Proper hearing protection gear can usually be purchased at drug stores or sporting goods outlets.
Prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels will almost assuredly result in some hearing loss or damage. Don’t risk the loss of one your vital senses by failing to use the proper safety equipment.
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7 comments:
I never shoot without earplugs. Hearing protection is a must when discharging a firearm. Great post RW.
matthiasj
Kentucky Preppers Network
To: matthiasj
I like to use the headsets. The one in the picture is my personal set of gun mufflers.Thanks.
RW
Get some, and use 'em! My Dad is half deaf (wears hearing aids)from being on the flight deck in the Navy, and from a career working on helicopters. I've got tinitis (ringing in the ears) myself from years of hot rodding, drag races, outboard motors, and working in industrial environments. And that's WITH wearing hearing protection (at work). I suspect my tinitis came from thousands of hours of outboard motors droning in my ears while fishing...
If you are shooting, I'd recommend both the plugs and headsets; you should be wearing safety glasses, and the supports on the glasses break the seal on the headsets, rendering them less effective.
To: Mayberry
I have a friend that was assigned to an armored tank division who lost the majority of his hearing even with protective gear. He suffers from tinitis also as a result. There is no substitute for good hearing protection. Thanks.
RW
To: Joseph
Thanks for the tip about glasses which might interfere with the effectiveness of the headset hearing protection. I've experienced no major problems with my headsets, as my wire frames fit close and the foam seal on my headset works well with them. I plan to cover safety eyewear in a later post. Thanks.
RW
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