Anybody fired off a round w/o hearing protection?

[paching]

I think most of us have done it at one time or another with nothing more than some discomfort for a short period of time, would I purposly do it? Not unless our (me or my loved ones) live's depended on it.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[oldrwizr]

I fired a round with my Glock 23 sans ear protection just because I wanted to see what it sounded like. The results? Let's just say if I ever fire it indoors all of the room's occupants will suffer temporary percussion deafness. It's loud. The one shot didn't cause me any grief outdoors though.

[Thunder71]

Yep, gets your attention really quick.

What's worse is when you're firing your .22 and some guy next to you has a 44 magnum or something and catches you by surprise before you get your ears on.

Yowch.

[Stetson]

I use to do it when I was young and dumb,Nothing like taking my uncle m1 carbine out and turn the knob on that m-2 and let 4or 5 short burst.
It's long gone now but you have to be rich to shoot that thing. Back to subject I fired 22 -7mm rifles.I worked in a mill fo r 3 years don't have the hearing I use too! I didn't shoot my rifles much when I was young as I was too busy chasing a young women.I think my hearing on my right ear was damaged by my wife (now former) as she had a loud voice if I did something she didn't agree with!

[zxd9]

Shot a Mosin-Nagant rifle w/o ears once. I forgot to put in my ear plugs. It wasn't on purpose. My ears rang for hours. Don't recommend it.

[zonker1986]

.357 Magnum....158 gr....under a metal roof at an outdoor range....forgot I had my muffs up. Still have ringing in my left ear. Felt like someone shoved an ice pick into my ear drum.

[babarock]

I've done it once or twice. For those who have done it more frequently, I wonder if they have every had their hearing professionally tested?

[Mattmann]

Shot my s&w 469 9mm this weekend at a farm with no hearing protection. I think 75 rounds? I was selling it and the buyer wanted to test fire so we had fun. Didn't bother me to much but I always try to keep ear plugs on me when I shoot. Now an ar or amd65 no way!

Sent from my DROID RAZR

[bmcgilvray]

I shot without hearing protection a lot in the 70's and early 80's, with no damage to my hearing.Reminds me of a former friend that traveled the club circuit for years playing heavy metal.His hearing is still fantastic,go figure. I would not shoot without protection now,why take the risk.

This would describe me during the same time period. The notion of hearing protection wasn't the same then as it is now. I'd shoot large quantities of .38 Special ammunition through my first handgun on weekends with no protection at all. This wasn't as bothersome to me as firing the .30-06 was before I used hearing protection. Unlike Mr. Stuart though I've sustained a a distinct measure of hearing loss from the gunfire, augmented by music turned up too loud. I'm unconcerned with hunting or emergency use of firearms but will not recreationally shoot even a standard velocity .22 Long Rifle cartridge through a rifle without protection.

Cigarette butts were mentioned but did anyone use "field expedient" empty .45 ACP cases? They do fit tightly in the ear. They do next to nothing to block the sound of loud reports.

[archer51]

I have while hunting, and have had people shoot near me before I had hearing protection on, but don't make a habit of it. Of course after 24 years of aircraft maintenance and being around jet engines screaming, my hearing isn't the best any way.

[mprp]

Yes, lots of hunting where no protection is normally worn. Whether it be rifles or shotguns, long guns in general don't seem to pierce the eardrums quite like say a .357 though. Although I sometimes carry a .44 mag. as a backup, (in case I have to ditch a rifle and climb a tree while hog hunting) it's the rifle that only gets a round or two put through it if I shoot. Like someone else has mentioned though, in the heat of the hunt or whatever situation you're in that's not just plinking, you don't really notice or care. Hard to explain I guess. As for practicing or plinking with handguns, the ears go on.

But there has been a time or two that I've stood back a bit from my wife at the outdoor range and took them off as she's shot her 357 mag. and thought, MAN, can you imagine if that baby went off in the house! Thinking of a SD situation. Geeze, I guarantee the person on the other end of that thing will notice and care.

[retsupt99]

If there were an intruder in one's home, and you jump up to defend the castle, it's going to get loud.
I have wondered...would it not make sense to have a silencer? can you imagine the reaction of LE if they come to your residence after a SD/HD shooting to see you come to the door with shooting glasses, electronic muffs, and your .45 with a silencer attached?
Mmmmmm...

[txron]

Only when I hunt. Shot both 12 gauge and 20 gauge bird guns and my 30/30. Multiple shot gun shots (quail and pheasant) and in the open space, no issues. 30/30 only 1 or 2 shots for hogs, still no issues. However, my wife thinks I am deaf, but I do not have the heart to tell her there is a difference between not hearing and not listening.

[kev350]

Yea with my m-4 was rabbit hunting didn't have my muffs on when one hopped out. One shot only rang my ears for a few but all good.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[RevolvingMag]

Other than .22s?

Let's see...

12ga: 2 3/4" Bird Shot
2 3/4" Buck Shot
2 3/4" "Centurion" Multi-Defense 'Law Enforcement' Shot

.38Spls- Various weights (2"bbl)

.357Mag- Various weights (2"bbl)

.45ACP- Various weights (4"-5"bbls)

I've done it a few times, and I haven't had any noticeable loss of hearing. While it did hurt (those .357s are hell on the eardrums) and ring for quite a while, I did return to normal after about 45 minutes.

While I think it's good to know what to expect if you ever have to fire in SD, I wouldn't recommend doing so very often, or for very many rounds; you will regret it later.