Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Clanger;

Tinnitis, huh—well, now I know how you got your site name!
(BANG! Clang! Ringy-dingy-dingy-ding-ding-ding...whishhhhhh.)

.

Good one!

It kinda more or less came from the fact I slammed into the same metal lamp post on my sting-ray, twice in two weeks, in this park we used to chase eash other around in as kids. ...*CLANG!*
And- I was good at horseshoes.

Shootin' aint helped either.

Originally Posted by The Goat

damn I never thought of this until this thread. I know its going to be loud, the ringing will last for hours.

Sorry, guys, it's something that has been on my mind. I've tried (without protection) a 12GA. shotgun, 12GA. Magnum shotgun, .380, 9mm, .38 special, .357, .357 magnum, .45 ACP, Mosin Nagant, and a .308 rifle. I tried it once with each different caliber in a course of a year. I can't imagine the loudness of the BANG in my HD situation. How about the flash? I'm sure it will cause some flash blindness in the dark. Thanks for all the info on this subject.

My bro-in-law tried to commit suicide 4 years ago.

He had a .38 revolver; pulled the trigger under his chin pointing toward his brain. He lived, although he blew out his left eyeball and the bullet traveled to his forehead and lodged there.

I recently asked him if he remembers the loud sound of the BANG. He says no and that his hearing is fine-no ringing, no loss of hearing...

Glad he's alive...he's not the same though...brain damage.

Strange that the BANG didn;t leave him impaired.

im no stranger to loud noises, im in the car audio industry and ive sat in vehicles that can produce 170db with no hearing protection and didnt really have a problem and witnessed 180db, and i must say that bass is nothing compared to a 45 or 357, obviously different sine waves and such , but ill say like other when the adrenaline is present you wont know anything but stay alive,kick some names and take some ass, if ya know what i mean ...lol

Originally Posted by ka-chow

My bro-in-law tried to commit suicide 4 years ago.

He had a .38 revolver; pulled the trigger under his chin pointing toward his brain. He lived, although he blew out his left eyeball and the bullet traveled to his forehead and lodged there.

I recently asked him if he remembers the loud sound of the BANG. He says no and that his hearing is fine-no ringing, no loss of hearing...

Glad he's alive...he's not the same though...brain damage.

Strange that the BANG didn;t leave him impaired.

Man thats crazy!!! My best friends bro Shot himself in the head with a 9mm a month ago and killed himself. Left a wife (who we think caused it) and 2 kids behind. Sad Sad phone call to get when you are at work.

On topic. I have fired pistols and rifles a lot when I was younger with my dad. I just recently Bought a Beretta PX4 in .40 for home defense and some range time. I have been wondering the same thing as the OP. I just can't imagine how loud it will be when the situation comes.

I mean I know for the most part the Adrenaline will take over but still......it will be VERY loud.

I pulled an idiot move one very bad day at the range. RO called the line hot, there weren't many people there. But my muffs were riding just behind my ears, exposing my ear canal. Mind you the range is outdoors, but is covered. I pulled off the first shot, and I've got to tell you. It's probably one of the more painful experiences I have had momentarily. But the ring continued thoughout the day. Always keep your head out of your rear, I consider myself a very safe shooter and aware of my surroundings.

Anyways the basis of my little saga is... I could only imagine the pain in the aftermath. I did read on another forums where a guy fired his weapon in a barn and his ear immediately started to bleed. Result in some if not all his hearing iirc.

All very good reasons why this is my primary home defense pistol

I can't find the reference right now, but I remember reading somewhere that there have been some scientific studies regarding hearing loss from gun shots fired in actual self-defense situations. There were some cases where the the shooter sustained no discernable hearing damage. The theory was that the intense surge of adrenaline you experience during a scary life and death situation somehow works to protect your ears from damage. I hope I never have to find out for myself.

Short of high power rifles and magnum hand guns I can deal with range fire without protection BUT I always wear them. You are nuts not to. If you ever have to use your pistol at home in self defense I don't think you are gonna notice it. After you've changed your shorts and calmed your nerves a bit you might think on it but I doubt it.

First time I shot a 1911 without ear protection outdoors. All it took was a couple shots, and I was looking for those earplugs.

...

Damn thats a crazy story bro.....Glad you're alive!

I hope I never have to experience anything like this in my lifetime.

Originally Posted by gmaske

Short of high power rifles and magnum hand guns I can deal with range fire without protection...

I'm glad that you wear hearing protection anyway. Here's why:

Impulse-noise damage to your hearing happens suddenly and without warning. It is the result of a cumulative effect, but one that will affect you at a completely unpredictable moment.
You can tolerate lots of shooting noise, as you have observed in your post, but you need to know that this is true only until your hearing mechanisms reach their inherent level of tolerance.
At that moment, you will suddenly find that you have suffered irreversible hearing damage and loss.

How do I know?
I forgot my hearing protectors one day. Instead of borrowing someone else's, I decided to "tough it out." After all, we were only doing a little sighting-in. And it was only with pistols. I had shot without protection before, and it wasn't all that bad.
I fired my fourth shot, and, all of a sudden, everything went quiet. No birds. No conversation. Other people's shots were muffled and seemed far, far away.
My hearing never came back completely. I've lost almost all of my high-frequency, and a lot of my mid-frequency hearing. I can't enjoy music, or conversation in crowded environments.
Hearing aids help, but not much.

And all it took was that one, fourth shot.

Always wear hearing protection, even if you "don't have to."

Originally Posted by Todd

This thread makes me think of the movies where there are shootouts with people firing from their cars and carrying on conversations between shots.

BTW, I have no plan to prepare for the loud boom in my house. It is what it is. If I blow out an ear drum or go deaf in the course of saving my wife or kids, it's a good trade in my book.

I don't worry too much about *my* hearing should I need to defend my family, I would sacrifice it gladly in their defense. I have a 3 month old son though that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Mainly I have been concerned about how to ensure that if I do have to fire in my house, that I am not sending bullets through the baby's room. But lately(before I saw this thread oddly enough) I have also been trying to figure out ways to minimize the risk to his hearing should I have to fire in the house. I have considered telling my wife if anything happens where I may have to fire on an intruder to hide in the closet with the baby and cover his ears, since I am not sure how much interior doors will reduce the noise of a gunshot. I am guessing not by much though.

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

I'm glad that you wear hearing protection anyway. Here's why:

Impulse-noise damage to your hearing happens suddenly and without warning. It is the result of a cumulative effect, but one that will affect you at a completely unpredictable moment.
You can tolerate lots of shooting noise, as you have observed in your post, but you need to know that this is true only until your hearing mechanisms reach their inherent level of tolerance.
At that moment, you will suddenly find that you have suffered irreversible hearing damage and loss.

How do I know?
I forgot my hearing protectors one day. Instead of borrowing someone else's, I decided to "tough it out." After all, we were only doing a little sighting-in. And it was only with pistols. I had shot without protection before, and it wasn't all that bad.
I fired my fourth shot, and, all of a sudden, everything went quiet. No birds. No conversation. Other people's shots were muffled and seemed far, far away.
My hearing never came back completely. I've lost almost all of my high-frequency, and a lot of my mid-frequency hearing. I can't enjoy music, or conversation in crowded environments.
Hearing aids help, but not much.

And all it took was that one, fourth shot.

Always wear hearing protection, even if you "don't have to."

Wow, THAT really makes an impression. So sorry to hear that. No pun intended.