ear defenders

[tallpauljcb1 5]

the problem with ear defenders are when ya out with the shotgun walking about or even sat in ya hide how can ya hear any one coming so i stopped using them and chucked mine in the bin, the bang does not bother me any more as i am used to it [bANNED TEXT] do other people think of ear defenders

[watchman 256]

i admit that when rough shooting,or in a hide i dont use them but really you should,i spent 5 years in the infantry mate and ear defenders were only compulsory on the ranges and i have to admit i sometimes though rare do get a bit of the old ringing in the ears,not so bad that it bothers me but someone that gets it bad i can only assume must be quite distressing.

Edited November 20, 2009 by watchman

[JohnGalway 1,043]

the bang does not bother me any more as i am used to it [bANNED TEXT] do other people think of ear defenders

 

You can get a free hearing test from some companies that make hearing aids. The reason I say that is the bang may not bother you anymore, but have you wondered why that may be?

 

Because I didn't use hearing protection I have lost 50% hearing clarity in my left ear, 20% hearing clarity in my right ear and suffer from tinnitus.

 

I'm not saying you're going deaf, or that your hearing is damaged but a word to the wise on this is to be smart and learn from other peoples dumb ass mistakes.

 

Hearing, once damaged, doesn't repair itself, so, when it's gone, it's gone. The thing a lot of people won't realise is that there's worse that can happen to you than the commonly referred to "just going deaf".

 

That almost sounds quite a benign condition. For me, I have severe difficulty in making out the spoken word in situations where there is wind or background noise, or other people having conversations nearby, or if people are talking and looking at the ground or away from me.

 

The tinnitus thing is a doozy though. Any shooting course should come with a half hour introduction to what that's like, stick a pair of earphones on with a loud buzzing, or screeching sound and play it continuously. Mine don't switch off though.

 

Anyway, it's not always possible or practical and I know none of this will change anyones views really, but, be smart and protect your hearing, it doesn't come back once damaged.

[dicehorn 38]

What John G says is completely right

 

When you are young is does not seem important to wear earing protection - if you are a regular shooter of shotguns or centrefire (even with a mod) by the time you reach middle age the damage has been done.

 

For those who may scoff at what John writes - eventually your favourite words to use in conversation will be EH? and PARDON? We use two senses in the countryside - eyesight and hearing, without your hearing, how is that going to affect your success rate?

[sauer 2]

completely agree

 

ive lost portion of high frequency range hearing in right hand ear ( fire off of left shoulder)

 

i now use electronic ear defenders....slimline ones from attelborough accessories i got em

 

good value and fantastic at the clays , use mine at the ducks, and at the pigeons

 

 

you can hear everything coming and they just blank out the shot

 

 

 

dinnae throw away yer hearing!!!

 

 

 

sauer

[HUnter_zero 58]

be smart and protect your hearing, it doesn't come back once damaged.

 

Spot on John!

 

Two of my mates have hearing issues due to shooting and not using ear protection. One of them started shooting shotguns around the same time as me and we were both "hard men" and never used ear protection, he now has constant ringing in his ear. My other mate is 3/4 deaf which makes for interesting conversations whilst stalking and he wonders why we never get any deer when stalking together

 

 

John

[stubby 175]

the problem with ear defenders are when ya out with the shotgun walking about or even sat in ya hide how can ya hear any one coming so i stopped using them and chucked mine in the bin, the bang does not bother me any more as i am used to it [bANNED TEXT] do other people think of ear defenders

 

how much is spend on a gun or carts, only for ear defenders to be looked down on, any protection is better than none, as john quotes, learn from someone else that has already made the mistakes, as a young man working on building sites, I laughed at blokes that told me to take breaks on the power tools, christ I was earning hundreds per day, why should I stop, well Im now left with a constant shaking/twitch in my left hand due to "knowing better" have had to teach myself to shoot righthanded, and am on medication for life to stop the shakes

so do yourself a favour and get some earplugs, and learn from those who do know better

[tallpauljcb1 5]

i think i should start using them i never thought of me hearing like that before wish a never chucked them away now thanks for all the replys, happy shooting everyone

[The one 8,408]

Same here Ive lost nearly all my hearing in my left ear and the hospital said do you shoot ? and your right handed ?? now my son will always wear ear protectors when we go out shooting

[ratattack 111]

Anyone who fails to wear ear defenders is a bloody fool!!

 

I have tinnitus and it is ok some days but others it's a bloody nightmare....all my own fault though

 

I can't hear a damned thing in a pub or when there is much background noise....yet when out stalking or ratting i can hear a blade of grass move...how the hell does that work??? lol

 

Do yourself a favour and get the ear plugs back in

[v-max 2]

Hi as said its the long term damage you do down the line years later so protect what you have. They say a shot from the 12g is the same as a jumbo jet taking off. I am the same as sauer & wear the electronic slim line ear defenders & they improve your hearing with the stereo sound if you at ducks in the evening or walked up you even hear woodcock getting up it like having dog hearing. On that point i have a 12yrs old yellow lab dog & he has been well shot over & is now very deff.

[JohnGalway 1,043]

Anyone who fails to wear ear defenders is a bloody fool!!

 

I have tinnitus and it is ok some days but others it's a bloody nightmare....all my own fault though

 

I can't hear a damned thing in a pub or when there is much background noise....yet when out stalking or ratting i can hear a blade of grass move...how the hell does that work??? lol

 

Do yourself a favour and get the ear plugs back in

 

Bet ya you're just like me, it's your hearing clarity that's been damaged, not your ability to hear the volume of things. They done a chart up for me, had a wave going through it and letters of the alphabet in different places, basically I could hear one side of the wave but not the other. So, that's why I get it hard to hear in situations with background noise, certain letters in words just drop out of my hearing range.

 

Then the tester said that my ability to hear noise, like you say the blade of grass isn't affected at all. As I said up above, there's much more to it than just "going deaf"

[ratattack 111]

Yep that sounds about right lol

[Deker 3,461]

I hate ear defenders in every respect but wear ear plugs when on the range or clay shooting, not in the field hunting.

 

There are electronic defenders available that simply cut back on sudden noise like the BANGS but let you talk "normally" check out the web....

 

Bisley Electronic Ear Defenders

 

Excellent ear defenders from Bisley, the quality name in shooting

 

Electronic circuitry amplifies noise so you can still hear voices as normal, in fact better than normal - then the intelligent electronics cuts out the noise passage sound as soon as a shot is detected.

 

This saves your ears from the large decibels, but still allows you to wear the muffs comfortably all day and hear as normal.

 

Complete with robust carry case, and batteries included

 

Features of these ear muffs

• Tested to EN 352-1

• Slim design - designed for shooting

• Strong, adjustable headband

• Wind noise reduction

 

Too late for me, but consider carefully!!

 

Tinitus and asking people what they said all the time isn't great!

[rjimmer 4]

the problem with ear defenders are when ya out with the shotgun walking about or even sat in ya hide how can ya hear any one coming so i stopped using them and chucked mine in the bin, the bang does not bother me any more as i am used to it [bANNED TEXT] do other people think of ear defenders

 

I am almost completely deaf in my left ear and the tinitus is so bad that I can't make out what a person is saying if there is anybody else talking at the same time.

The Hidden Hearing salesman, he was a shooter, said their hearing aids would not help me,

Wearing the cheapest Attleburgh electronic ones, I can hear normal noises better than I can without them.