At the shop I work at, we wear 2-Way Radios and use ear pieces. This made apparent a problem was aware of, but didn’t know just how much of a problem.
If I put the earpiece in my right ear, I can turn up the volume and it’s just fine. If I put my earpiece in my left ear, I can’t hear anything unless it comes over the radio. I am dang near completely deaf in my right ear. I knew I had some hearing loss in it… but it’s a lot worse than I ever realized.
If I had to attribute this to any one thing… it’s 5.56mm NATO and me not wearing good earpro while shooting it.
This has caused me a lot of grief that last couple of years. Misunderstandings and such… Angry wife who was talking and I didn’t know… things like that.
Guys, you don’t want this.
Please… If you don’t keep a set of Earpro in your Range Bag, put a couple sets in there. Good Muffs and some plugs. If you are shooting with a young one, let them use the muffs and protect their hearing. Get some Earpro, mark them as yours, and throw that in with your gear and never shoot without it. Same with Eyepro. It’s not worth what you’ll lose if you don’t.
Don’t forget the plugs when on your moto or driving highway speeds with the T55 AC. Trust me on the highway speed and windows down. I have excellent hearing. I get it tested at work. I have a VERY hard time now with backround noise and understnding conversation.
Most excellent advice. Personally, having been an aircraft mechanic for 30 some odd years, plus shooting and motorcycles, I have some significant hearing loss too, and I DO wear protection. Please people, wear your eye and ear pro. Once you lose your sight or hearing, it does not return !!!
I keep a set of plugs with every set of muffs in my range bag. Outdoors with a handgun I usually only use the plugs but throw on the muffs with them if shooting the AR. The concussion from .556 out of a 16″ barrel is nothing to subject your ears to.
George I am 99% Deaf in both ears. Nerves dead since childhood.
Plus side is that does not affect my shooting ability.
Downside is the world of hurt you will be in regarding employment, etc.
Trust me. Wear protection for ears.
Hear, hear!
And eyepro too. Almost learned that one the hard way myself, when a guy 5 positions to my left dump a mag from a FA MP-5 into the rocky 15-yard berm. I had just arrived, and was loading mags at the time, and didn’t have my glasses on, just my ear muffs. All I good was a bloody knuckle, and a lesson, when the bullet splash came back at me.
I am missing hearing in a couple of different frequencies.
Unfortunately… one of them is the range in which Caryn speaks a lot of times.
Jim
I worked in a casino back running coin for years. There are MANY tones and frequencies I can’t hear. I notice it more and more since our kids voices have changed. I am nearly deaf when riding in our older vehicles. Seriously…ALWAYS wear ear protection..ALWAYS.
I can sympathize. I lost at least 50% (probably more) of the hearing in my left ear from a single incident many years ago. I always double up when shooting indoors.
Yup. With how cheap ear and eye protection can be, I keep a pair of each in my truck at all times. Obviously, it’s nice to have the good stuff, but something is better than nothing, so keeping some low-cost options stashed around can help avoid those “oops, I forgot” moments.
Luckily, despite the construction work I’ve done, I don’t appear to have any hearing deficiencies. Unluckily, because of the construction work I’ve done, I have a decent amount of tinnitus. It always starts out quiet, but by the end of each day, it’s quite aggravating.
Spot on George. I preach hearing safety to my hunter ed. students, once it’s gone, it’s gone. I am a testament to it after years of unprotected shooting, i.e. no muffs. I’ll never forget shooting at a jack out the passenger side pickup window with a .45, it raised the dust from the floorboards, I never thought the ringing would stop. Yeah, ol’ Forrest was not wrong, studpid is as stupid does…..
Texred