Hearing impairment
 

While looking through the site I remember another question I've been wondering about, and decided to ask before I forget it again ^.^;

Does anyone know the extent of damage a gunshot can have on one's hearing? Would a single gunshot cause instant ringing in the ears, or would it take several? And how quickly can gunshots cause temporary deafness?

I hope noone has a habit of firing guns unprotected, but has anyone ever been exposed to gunshots at close range, without wearing hearing protection?

This depends on the size of the gun and the area in which it was fired. When I first started shooting it was with a 22 rifle outdoors and no ear protection was used. No problem. Then I got a 9mm pistol, again outdoors, and had my ears ringing after the session. Next time I had ear plugs.:rolleyes:

I fired six rounds from my .38 at the lake just last weekend with no ear protection (I left my plugs in my friend's truck and he made a quick run for some bait worms). My ears were ringing a bit after the first shot, and I still had a little trouble with my left ear the next day. I wouldn't say there was any temporary deafness; I could still hear better after firing a few rounds than I can with earplugs in. You should always wear hearing protection, but I'm not sure how quickly permanent damage would result.

I'm sure there's someone here with more experience than I who can give a more thorough answer... :)

Hunters are exposed to shots without hearing protection all the time. Yes, 1 shot can cause ringing that can last a few days depending on the load. Not so much with a .22, but a 3" mag 12ga will. When range shooting I always wear protection, but in the woods, never.

I'm sure someone can come up the the db levels of gunfire for you.

From what I have read, a typical rifle sound pressure level is around 150~160 dB, some even higher. If I remember correctly, an M1 Garand is supposed to dish out a whooping 167 dB! Not so sure about pistols, maybe a little lower?

Each and every shot you take with your ears unprotected damages your hearing for LIFE. in side your inner ear is an area that is full of microscopic hair fibers that transmit sound. When you are exposed to loud noises what happens is the hair get sheared off. The hair is not really hair but nerve endings. When this happens it causes the ringing.

I should know I have 30% hearing loss in my right ear and 45% loss in my left.

With the technology today there is no reason for anyone to be shooting without earing protection on. Why would you hunt without hearing protection? I know I don't I use electronic ear muffs and I want a set of walker game ears.

I'm working on various models/simulations for a game, to provide a very realistic and interesting atmosphere when using firearms. I'm sick and tired of the piss-poor, oversimplified systems used in most games. Thus I have studied many things related to firearms, however, the more I study/research, the more interested I become ^o^

The physics is just so damn interesting!

EDIT: I probably have 400+ MiB of reference material, from wounding physiology, to cartridge dimensions, to ballistics, to material science, to fluid dynamics ^____^ Add 1.7 GiB if you want to count the ASTM standards I downloaded. Plus a whole lot of links, and even more pages I just read without bookmarking. Been almost a year, going from knowing absolutely nothing, to knowing a little bit ^^ Although I've never fired a gun in my life, only theoretical work.

So true! I was actually a little surprised/anguished to hear that maybe not everyone use hearing protection. I don't think it's such a wise choice, skullcrusher T_T

EDIT: whoops, sorry! Didn't mean to post two separate replies.

My thought is there has been more than a few saying they are developing a game and need info. For the most part the information is easy to get from the manufactures. So why ask the question here? Maybe to get some nice quotes for another use?

Thanks, and how else should I live my life? I suppose I shoulda worn headgear for every rock and metal concert I've been to, eh mom? If anyone can find me a 'game ear' that can actually distinguish the game I'm hunting from every other critter, let me know. If you've ever spent as much time in the woods as I have just listening...

As I stated, Mother rika, I use protection when plinkning and sighting in, dorika. Isn't there a breather of city air you could be watching?