Just curious..... did the soldiers in Vietnam War use hearing protection when using the M16?  If not, what was the extent of hearing damage suffered by the soldiers ?

G35 are you a soldier or have you ever been a soldier?  Most likely the did not due to having to hear movement, artillery & mortar rounds, etc..   I am a soldier and I have no time to put in hearing protection during field training exercises. So the most likely answer is no unless the were in a garrison area doing a range.
Hope that helps answer your question.

Hey Victor Charlie, hold this while I put in my earplugs, -- Just funnin ya!! -- lots of hearing damage from rifle fire and big booms.  10 to 30 percent hearing loss not uncommon in my troop.-- ALLONS11

We never wore hearing protection in the field, but this wasn't during Vietnam.  While on the range, everybody was required to wear ear plugs.  As a marksmanship instructor, I was required to wear plugs AND mickey mouse ears.  I'm guessing the possible damage from exposed contact could be extensive because of that.

Nope, I never been a soldier... don't even know any soldiers.  You guys here at AR15.COM are the closest thing I got.  Therefore, thanks for providing feedback.

I am a newbie to rifles in general.  Have several years experience in handguns, but new to rifles.  I keep hearing (pun ??) about how loud the AR is... so, this got me wondering about what do soldiers do when firing those M16's.  THANKS for educating the newbies !!!!

I was thinking about this same thing(after I shot off 3 rounds out of my FL. room DAMN![BD]

Anyhow,I could gess that GIs would not but what about Sec. Ops. or even SWAT?
They shoot inside and would not take them long to go totaly def.

Don't compare a 20 inch barrel to a 16 inch (or less) barrel with a brake!  

It has to do with barrel length.  A 20 inch barreled AR will be just as loud as a 20 inch barreled Remington 700 in .223.  An AR is the most likely place you will see a 14.5 inch barrel with an AK 74 brake though (Bushmaster "Shorty AK").  Those things are just plain punishing even with protection on!

This model alone gives the AR a noisy rep!

Hi G35:

Army starting a new program to encourage use of hearing protection.  Nice double sided plugs (one for steady noise like the rumble of the C-17 getting you there and one for impulse noise like rifle shots).  Problem:  you can't hear the bad guys (or the incoming) as well.

Some of the special forces type units have the amplifying headsets that allow you to hear a whisper but also cut off loud noises.  See the MICH helmet that USMC Force Recon is getting.  

If you're just starting in shooting, do yourself a BIG favor and wear your hearing protection EVERY time.  Invest in a nice set of electronic muffs.  You can hear the range commands (or the game coming up or your buddy with the 15th time he's retelling the same story) clearly but your hearing is still intact at the end of the day.  I wear electronic muffs over plugs.  

If you need to wear a helmet for your job (SWAT for instance) either get the MICH helmet or the Pro-Ear that looks like an old fashioned hearing aid.  The forums at Lightfighter.com have a discussion of this point from guys that have been there, done that.

Frances, do you have more info on this new hearing protection the army is going to use?

And please everyone use hearing protection any time you fire, these rifles are loud and it will do a lot of damage.

Some of the film clips i've seen of SEALS training have them all using earplugs.  Of course they were clearing jungle area with an SAW and probably burnt 1200rds of .223. (keep that in mind next time someone b*tches at the range for you shooting too fast.)

I know the soldiers in WWII didn't wear any hearing protection at all. My grandfather (ex-Marine in the South Pacific at the time) told me that that was the last thing on their mind. I think the adrenline rush helps buffer the noise, but i still can't imagine the guys with .50 BMG's being able to hear much now.[50]
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[marines]

The actual noise is only a small part of what does the damage. Pressure is the real hearing killer. The repetitive pressure spikes cause more damage than the actual DB. Frequency also plays a big part.

Shooting almost daily for the last 13 years (beaucoup 1000s of rounds) both 7.62 and .223, even with "Mouse ears" has left me with some loss, 15 to 20% in my right ear, and 20%+ loss in the left. However, the loss is at specific frequencies.

I still try to use hearing protection, each time I shoot. And, the people that I do most of my shooting with are all very concious of each others hearing.

Foam hearing protection is better than none. But, consider the long term damage. Get the best protection that you can get.

Lew