Serious questions about hearing damage from actual shootings?

[Porter Rockwell]

These may be dumb questions, but I seriously don't know these answers. Do combat troops where hearing protection? What about police officers when clearing a building or during an operation when shooting is a real possibility.

How likely is hearing damage from discharging a firearm multiple times inside a close space- hallway, kitchen or garage?

Are there certain firearms or rounds that present less of a risk from hearing damage inside buildings? For example I assume supersonic 357 magnum rounds from a short barreled revolvers pose a greater risk to hearing damage when discharged inside a building as compared to subsonic 9mm rounds fired from a carbine ?

I know suppressors will fix all of these concerns, but I am only concerned about non surprised weapons right now.

I always wonder about that when watching movies and someone fires full auto from an SBR in a concrete hallway... I'm thinking that would cause permanent damage righ

 

[baxterday]

Listen to life through my ears, constant ringing. Years of those little yellow things in the ears or none at all during practice.

 

[Bucket99]

I thought the same thing, in for answers

 

[Porter Rockwell]

What's the guietest non surpressed round and firearm combination, that is still an effective round? 9mm subsonics out of a carbine? 45 acp subsonic out of a 6imch barreled revolver? I have no idea?

 

[CostaRicaBound]

Here too. Not only constant ringing, but measurable hearing loss. Unless you're right in front of me, I have a hard time hearing conversation.
And yes, earpro is strongly encouraged whenever the boom sticks are shouldered.

 

[Grub Master]

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

I've worn hearing aids for years and have a constant ringing when I wear them.
I can't say it was just because of not wearing hearing protection when I was young.

 

[above_all]

Tinnitus and high frequency hearing loss from 16 years on the flightline. Despite hearing protection. Hearing aids help with the hearing loss, but nothing helps with the constant ringing.

Someone shot a 45 near my right ear before I had my protection on a few months ago. Much, much worse.

Always wear protection. You don't have any idea how miserable it can be.

 

[lisztomania7]

I don't think any of us are answering the op's question specifically lol - but at the very least it's clear that doing any serious amount of shooting without protection will cause lasting damage, especially in enclosed spaces and with rifle or magnum loads. From what I've heard, most military are offered ear protection of some sort but it's not always used; probably a similar story with LEO's if they're anticipating possibly using their firearm.

For home defense, I prefer a suppressed weapon. Believe it or not, they are still pretty loud indoors, but it takes off a huge amount of decibels to the point that it's not going to permanently damage your hearing. Think of a balloon popping right next to you - startling, but not going to make you go deaf.

When doing a lot of shooting, I firmly believe in doubling up in most cases, and especially if shooting a rifle. Maybe that means ear plugs plus muffs, suppressor plus plugs or muffs (all three is obviously very pleasant)....whatever suits you.

Suppressed .22 rifles are an exception. They can literally be quieter than a BB gun If we can get the HPA passed, hopefully suppressors can become normalized and much less uncommon.

 

[boxer90]

My grandfather was an artillery man in Vietnam. They never wore hearing protection. Think about the number of times artillery would be shot daily.

His hearing is functional but he has trouble hearing high pitched noises and hears low noises (like bass from cars) extremely well. Has hearing aids but he doesn't always use them. He's also 70 and worked as an electrician for several decades after the war, so take that into account too.

I've been exposed to some gunfire without proper hearing protection. I have some Tinnitus in the right ear a few times a week, but more of an annoyance than anything. Might have been from guns, might have been from something else. Can't say for sure. I don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[cmshoot]

Read up on "auditory exclusion".

For instance, in my first gunfight, my shotgun sounded like slammed door from across a room, and the 5.56 rounds sounded like popping popcorn. All of that was under high stress. Meanwhile, the 2 .45ACP rounds that started the fight sounded much louder, but I wasn't under the same stress......yet.