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Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection?

As someone who suffers from hearing loss, I'd like to pass on a few things I've learned along the way. A noise doesn't have to cause ringing in the ears to cause damage. Anything over a certain decible level causes loss and hearing loss is cumulative. That decible level can be as low as rumble of your lawnmower engine or the roar of your table saw. Many think that when the ringing in the ears goes away that they haven't done any damage. That's not the case, it keeps adding up and by the time you realize that you have hearing loss, you're very close to losing it permanently. I wear hearing protection frequently now. I wish I had started that practice 40 years ago. I keep ear plugs with all my firearms. Whether I have time to use them in an emergency situation is another story but at least I know where they are. I didn't mean this to turn into a sermon but given my current situation, I think it is something everyone should take seriously.
 
When did we transition from our WWI and WWII combat infantry veterans shooting thousands of rounds from .30-06 rifles and M1917 MGs, hand grenades in every conceivable location, right next to their buddy's ear, with no long-term hearing loss after the war.... to people having hearing loss with just a few gunshots inside a building?
 
As someone who suffers from hearing loss, I'd like to pass on a few things I've learned along the way. A noise doesn't have to cause ringing in the ears to cause damage. Anything over a certain decible level causes loss and hearing loss is cumulative. That decible level can be as low as rumble of your lawnmower engine or the roar of your table saw. Many think that when the ringing in the ears goes away that they haven't done any damage. That's not the case, it keeps adding up and by the time you realize that you have hearing loss, you're very close to losing it permanently. I wear hearing protection frequently now. I wish I had started that practice 40 years ago. I keep ear plugs with all my firearms. Whether I have time to use them in an emergency situation is another story but at least I know where they are. I didn't mean this to turn into a sermon but given my current situation, I think it is something everyone should take seriously.

Preach on brother!

I don't wear ear plugs when I mow, but I do when using the edger. That SOB is LOUD! I always wear hearing protection on the range as well. Never been near a 12ga being fired indoors, but I did have an incedent during my last shotgun match when the chord connecting my ear plugs got caught between my 930 stock and my shoulder during fire. It pulled my right ear plug out and the following shot rung my bell pretty good. I can't imagine how that would have been indoors.

@nitesite ,

Can't speak from personal experience, but my Pop was a shotgunner in the Army and he's stone deaf without his hearing aids. Probably other contributing factors involved, but I can't imagine the thousands of rounds fired during his time serving helped at all...
 
Think they were doing hearing tests regularly back then?

My hearing loss is not from just those shots. I operated an IED simulator for 9 months. Essentially it's a metal tube you fill with O2 and propane and light with a grill light switch at 15 feet. That's what caused the majority of it.

But since deploying, where I was exposed to gunfire at close range usually with ear pro, and a time where my ear pro wasn't in and we breached a door, among others, I have documented loss of hearing.

I'm not bitching about it, I'm just supporting that it's loud as hell. And why risk losing 5 db if you don't have to.
 
Not a shot gun but, an AR15 not good, ears rung like a bit%h for the rest of the day.It was a negligent discharge. I was on a business trip to CA. had some spare time and went to an indoor range to rent a gun and shoot. I witnessed a sales person pull it from the rack assume the weapon was empty and "dry fire" it and BOOM! The glass door shattered into little square pieces. He's lucky he didn't hit anybody. I hope he got fired Complacency Kills! all it takes is a second.
 
Been thinking more and more about this (not always a good idea for me). If an intruder gets into my house, and I'm fortunate enough to protect myself with one of my weapons, is my hearing going to be destroyed forever? I know the noise will at least be temporarily disorienting. My question is will it be forever? I can't imagine that I'd be thinking about it, while the actual invasion was taking place. I've fired outdoors, without protection, but that's a whole different ballgame. I agree, saving my life and my family's life is all that should matter, but it's in the back of my head now. Has anybody had experience with firing a 12 gauge and/or a heavy caliber handgun, in a hallway? Take care. Tom Worthington.

I think I can help you here. Now I'm not ashamed to admit I've had a ND, some people are, but to me it was just a learning experience. When I was thirteen I had a Mossberg 500(still have it), that I let a friend shoot, now I always made sure my guns were safe by making sure I shot everything I put in them(you'll see why I mention this later) Before I handed the gun over to my friend(he wanted to see how bad the recoil was) I went ahead and loaded a round into the mag tube, but when he was ready to shoot he didn't realize that so he loaded a round then fired it, handed it back then I went home. Two nights later I loaded some fired shells into the 500 and started going through them as fast as I could, eventually I hit that one round... Luckily I always made sure I was aiming in a safe direction(not so safe for the wall!) When the gun went off all that really happened was my ears rang all night, and instead of getting to go to the range I had to repair the wall over the next two days.
 
In a sd situation I consider that the least of your worries. I fired once from a door way and never remembered the noise.
 
My solution:

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Are you worried about loss of situational awareness with those ear pro on? They will definitely muffle the noise around you.
 
I have that same set of Caldwell muffs. They work great outdoors. Indoors they do not offer enough db protection, I find I have to wear ear plugs as well when I try to wear them at the local indoor range, which pretty much negates their design.
 
Are you worried about loss of situational awareness with those ear pro on? They will definitely muffle the noise around you.

Take a closer look. Those are electronic muffs.

I wear hearing aids, but obviously don't sleep with them on. By turning up the volume on the muffs, my hearing is greatly improved and I gain some level of protection from further hearing damage.
 
Thank god I've never had to discharge anything in an indoor situation. If your able to take a defensive position and have time to insert some by all means do it but worst case scenario I'd rather be deaf than possibly six feet under.
 
There was a study about war vets and hearing loss. Apparently, they should be more war fighters with bad hearing due to firefights, but they're not. Ur brain is smarter than you think (hehe). It sends a signal to suppress that portion of ur hearing without you even knowing it. It's true. Ever shot a slug gun at a deer? You're hearing is not affect cuz ur focusing on the deer. But try sighting in a gun range. Different story. I dove and duck hunt a lot without hearing protection. Maybe I should but nevertheless. My ear never rings.


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Hearing loss from shooting indoors in a home defense situation is a concern of mine as well.

As others have said, when your life or the lives of your loved ones are at risk, the cost-benefit analysis of suffering lifelong hearing loss versus being killed is a no-brainer: everyone would rather live the rest of their life with hearing loss than not live at all. That said, I still think it's prudent to consider ways you might reduce the damage.

I keep a set of ear plugs close to my home defense shotgun. I'm not sure I would have the presence of mind to put them on, especially in the heat of the moment when I'm relying on my hearing to detect where the intruders are and what they're doing, but at least having them nearby gives me the option of using them if I can.

I also selected my home defense firearm, a Mossberg HS410, with the thought of minimizing hearing loss and flash/bang disorientation to the greatest extent possible while still packing enough power to put down an intruder. For that reason, and others, I chose the Mossberg HS410 shotgun as my primary home defense firearm.

A 410 shotgun with an 18" barrel fired indoors is by no means quiet, but at 156.30db it's undeniably less loud than most any other firearm:

http://keepandbeararms.com/information/XcIBViewItem.asp?ID=2052

Table 2. SHOTGUN NOISE DATA (DECIBEL AVERAGES)
.410 Bore 28" barrel 150dB
26" barrel 150.25dB
18 " barrel 156.30dB
20 Gauge 28" barrel 152.50dB
22" barrel 154.75dB
12 Gauge 28" barrel 151.50dB
26" barrel 156.10dB
18 " barrel 161.50dB

CENTERFIRE RIFLE DATA
.223, 55GR. Commercial load 18 " barrel 155.5dB
.243 in 22" barrel 155.9dB
.30-30 in 20" barrel 156.0dB
7mm Magnum in 20" barrel 157.5dB
.308 in 24" barrel 156.2dB
.30-06 in 24" barrel 158.5dB
.30-06 in 18 " barrel 163.2dB
.375 18" barrel with muzzle brake 170 dB

CENTERFIRE PISTOL DATA
.25 ACP 155.0 dB
.32 LONG 152.4 dB
.32 ACP 153.5 dB
.380 157.7 dB
9mm 159.8 dB
.38 S&W 153.5 dB
.38 Spl 156.3 dB
.357 Magnum 164.3 dB
.41 Magnum 163.2 dB
.44 Spl 155.9 dB
.45 ACP 157.0 dB
.45 COLT 154.7 dB

I hope I never have to use my HS410 in a home defense situation. But if I do have to use it, I hope that the reduced recoil and lesser flash/bang will result in a less disorienting first shot that will allow me to fire off effective 2nd and 3rd shots, if necessary.

Just my two-cents.
 
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