How many of you have tinitus from shooting?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How many of you have tinitus from shooting? (Page 1 of 3)

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:21:06 AM EDT

All through my childhood I shot rifles, shotguns and handguns and never once wore ear protection. Probably never even knew it existed. I have terrible tinitus now and can't hear most high frequency noises. How many of you have the same problem? Did you wear hearing protection as a kid while shooting?

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:32:16 AM EDT

[#1]

I never wear or wore ears when I was shooting my .22 as a kid. Still don't. I also have tinnitus. I don't know if it was caused by the indoor gun shots when I was 16, or the rifles without very good ear pro, or what.

I never thought the .22 was loud enough to do damage because it didn't hurt to shoot, but apparently I am wrong.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:33:13 AM EDT

[#2]

I've had severe tinitus in my left ear since 1988 or so, thanks to a "friend" firing a .357mag right next to my head right when I took my hearing protection off. A constant ringing, gets worse when I'm tired, got to sleep with background noise like TV, fan, humidifier, etc.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:33:26 AM EDT

[#3]

Yes, I believe so, and hyperacusis (which was worse).

Get suppressors, ear plugs and muffs are not enough.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:37:37 AM EDT

[#4]

I got tinitus from shooting, working around loud equipment. Here anymore i wear hearing protection all the time and then it gets worse. I noticed it more when wearing hearing protection because its so quiet. Its a little unnerving.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:37:47 AM EDT

[#5]

Me.

My dad was an old school LEO, and made it clear that hearing protection was for sissies. I spent many, many range sessions as a kid shooting magnum revolvers with him, and remember feeling like my head was underwater for the rest of the day.

My hearing today sucks. Constant tinnitis, and I am right on the cusp of needing hearing aids just to help with normal conversation. Talkimg to someone where background noise exists is embarrassing, and I cannot hear wristwatch alarms or most high pitched sounds.

Thanks Pop.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:38:44 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
All through my childhood I shot rifles, shotguns and handguns and never once wore ear protection. Probably never even knew it existed. I have terrible tinitus now and can't hear most high frequency noises. How many of you have the same problem? Did you wear hearing protection as a kid while shooting?

Wore hearing protection while firing as a kid and still have tinitus. The doctor said that it had something to do with how the nerve was routed through my skull because I only have it on my right side.

It is weird though. I can hear capacitors whine with my left but not my right. My tinitus sits at right about 11000hz, so when things get really quiet, it never really is. I still get to hear "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Now that I'm thinking about it I can hear it really good.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:39:15 AM EDT

[#7]

between the ringing in my ears and the ants crawling on me I don't get any rest.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:39:31 AM EDT

[#8]

What?

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:39:36 AM EDT

[#9]

I've always been pretty anal about hearing protection. I even wear it when I'm using my lawn mower.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:40:19 AM EDT

[#10]

In 1987 I forgot my earplugs on the M60 machinegun range and decided to "tough it out". Couple of hundred rounds later my ears were ringing like a a bell being rung by 100 quasimodos.

We did set the range vegetation on fire with tracer rounds though.

Ears been ringing ever since.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:42:15 AM EDT

[#11]

I have tinnitus but it's not from shooting.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:42:16 AM EDT

[#12]

Forgot my hearing protection a few times when I was sighting in my Saiga quite a while ago, been ringing ever since.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:44:02 AM EDT

[#13]

Knock on wood, don't have the ringing, but I do have hearing loss. Although I wonder if it was as much due to my Walkman(Old guy here) as shooting without ear protection.

Strangely I had a dog that used to sit at my backyard range when I shot and she went deaf around 11 years old. She refused to wear hearing protection.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:44:41 AM EDT

[#14]

No, my dad loved me and insisted on ear pro.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:46:28 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Me.

My dad was an old school LEO, and made it clear that hearing protection was for sissies. I spent many, many range sessions as a kid shooting magnum revolvers with him, and remember feeling like my head was underwater for the rest of the day.

My hearing today sucks. Constant tinnitis, and I am right on the cusp of needing hearing aids just to help with normal conversation. Talkimg to someone where background noise exists is embarrassing, and I cannot hear wristwatch alarms or most high pitched sounds.

Thanks Pop.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:46:55 AM EDT

[#16]

30yo, between what I'm told was a butcher job (by Army doc) for the tubes in my ears, a small amount of shooting (mostly hunting) without earpro, including some that resulted in total loss in one ear for a while (days), and many heavy doses of pnuematic tools, metal working equip, woodworking equip, chainsaws and other outdoor power equip, heavy diesels, sound systems and powersports I can't say what the hell caused it, but when its going its bad, however it all started long before the noise exposure, so I'm leaning toward the tubes. However the actual perceivable full time loss of hearing, that's a bit more recent and my money is on the noise exposure for that. I'm pretty bent on saving what's left, and that of those around me, to the point that if we can't come up with some (keep spare plugs in the truck most times) for everyone, we ain't shooting, or atleast I won't be shooting with them.

In any case, if I ever have kids, they'll be in earpro for everything loud that can be predicted.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:47:51 AM EDT

[#17]

huh?

yes i do.

Worked at a gun club in high school. shot several times a week.. yeah they ring.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:50:03 AM EDT

[#18]

yup. Farm equiptment as a kid and shooting has worsened it. Even with earpro. I double up now.

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Posted: 11/20/2012 8:50:43 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

All through my childhood I shot rifles, shotguns and handguns and never once wore ear protection. Probably never even knew it existed. I have terrible tinitus now and can't hear most high frequency noises. How many of you have the same problem? Did you wear hearing protection as a kid while shooting?

That's the price you pay fer shootin' penguins partner!

Seriously how old are you? Hearing protection has been pretty common and mainstream as long as I can remember (ie early 70s). That really sucks, sorry to hear that. I have a little tinitus but I think it is from the wind roar over motorcycle helmets and heavy metal concerts. I have hunted without ear muffs but have not fired thousands of rounds that way.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:52:22 AM EDT

[#20]

my ears are ringing as i write this. right ear is worse then the left .

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:52:41 AM EDT

[#21]

I've got it. Can't say it's all a result of shooting but it sure didn't help.

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Posted: 11/20/2012 8:52:50 AM EDT

[#22]

Yes. 14 yrs of shooting. 50s will do it. Ear pro included. Putting your face on a metal reciever will transfer the vibration.

Posted: 11/20/2012 8:53:21 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
I've always been pretty anal about hearing protection. I even wear it when I'm using my lawn mower.

same here except that i shot a lot of 22 from rifles as a kid with no hearing protection

fortunately my hearing is awesome. woot

I think a long rifle barrel like was popular in the past really throws more noise downrange istead of into the shooter's face

I'd love to test that theory out with a sound meter, because the perception is definitely there

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:01:59 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Me.

My dad was an old school LEO, and made it clear that hearing protection was for sissies. I spent many, many range sessions as a kid shooting magnum revolvers with him, and remember feeling like my head was underwater for the rest of the day.

My hearing today sucks. Constant tinnitis, and I am right on the cusp of needing hearing aids just to help with normal conversation. Talkimg to someone where background noise exists is embarrassing, and I cannot hear wristwatch alarms or most high pitched sounds.

Thanks Pop.

Why are you making crazy eyes at this comment?

Dude tells a real story.

I don't have tinnitis, but I may develop it. Have to wait and see. I do already have that "conversation with background noise" problem. You have to experience it to believe it. It's like your ears and brains lose "depth of field". Instead of being able to distinguish the voise of a nearby person from the voices or other noise sources in the background, they all get jumbled together. It's frustrating. Hearing aids will fix this problem, but you have to become accustomed to the new type of sound that you get from the hearing aid. It's like the planetary treble knob is cranked too high. I know, I've tried my friends hearing aids. I assume someday I'll need them, partly due to ocassional exposure to gunfire w/o hearing pro, and partly due to years of life on vessels where a huge range of background frequencies came from engines, generators, desalinizers, etc.

Dude tells a real story about American males. Think bacl on all the stupid shit we have done on a generational basis due to stupid macho attitude to otherwise common sense safety measures. I met a shitload of one-eyed people who were too macho for eye-pro. I met a bunch of Dudes who were part deaf b/c their pop said hearing pro was gay. I have kids in high-school, and therefore have been to a few football games recently. The whole macho superstar bullshit jock hero thing is worse now than when I was in school, despite the mountain of irrefutable evidence that if you bang-your-head-on-shit-now-you-will-be-way-dumb-later. Hell, my kids are so smart, they put on their own pro before shooting 3-gun, b/c they don't want to be half-deaf like dad, and they have no desire to play football b/c even they can see the mountain of evidence.

Dude has every right to say "Thx Pop!" It was dumb to do that to a kid. Just like its dumb to tell your kid it's okay to cell-phone while driving, or get a good hit in football, or smoke weed, or hammer nails with no glasses. Who here has ever knocked a spark off a nail?

Rant over.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:03:46 AM EDT

[#25]

I didn't get tinnitus by shooting. I got it from frequent ear infections growing up. I have no doubt that shooting and loud music made it worse though...

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:13:41 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Me.

My dad was an old school LEO, and made it clear that hearing protection was for sissies. I spent many, many range sessions as a kid shooting magnum revolvers with him, and remember feeling like my head was underwater for the rest of the day.

My hearing today sucks. Constant tinnitis, and I am right on the cusp of needing hearing aids just to help with normal conversation. Talkimg to someone where background noise exists is embarrassing, and I cannot hear wristwatch alarms or most high pitched sounds.

Thanks Pop.

Why are you making crazy eyes at this comment?

Dude tells a real story.

I don't have tinnitis, but I may develop it. Have to wait and see. I do already have that "conversation with background noise" problem. You have to experience it to believe it. It's like your ears and brains lose "depth of field". Instead of being able to distinguish the voise of a nearby person from the voices or other noise sources in the background, they all get jumbled together. It's frustrating. Hearing aids will fix this problem, but you have to become accustomed to the new type of sound that you get from the hearing aid. It's like the planetary treble knob is cranked too high. I know, I've tried my friends hearing aids. I assume someday I'll need them, partly due to ocassional exposure to gunfire w/o hearing pro, and partly due to years of life on vessels where a huge range of background frequencies came from engines, generators, desalinizers, etc.

Dude tells a real story about American males. Think bacl on all the stupid shit we have done on a generational basis due to stupid macho attitude to otherwise common sense safety measures. I met a shitload of one-eyed people who were too macho for eye-pro. I met a bunch of Dudes who were part deaf b/c their pop said hearing pro was gay. I have kids in high-school, and therefore have been to a few football games recently. The whole macho superstar bullshit jock hero thing is worse now than when I was in school, despite the mountain of irrefutable evidence that if you bang-your-head-on-shit-now-you-will-be-way-dumb-later. Hell, my kids are so smart, they put on their own pro before shooting 3-gun, b/c they don't want to be half-deaf like dad, and they have no desire to play football b/c even they can see the mountain of evidence.

Dude has every right to say "Thx Pop!" It was dumb to do that to a kid. Just like its dumb to tell your kid it's okay to cell-phone while driving, or get a good hit in football, or smoke weed, or hammer nails with no glasses. Who here has ever knocked a spark off a nail?

Rant over.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:18:13 AM EDT

[#27]

I dont have it...YET.

When I first shot a firearm (11 years old) it was a 12 gauge without heaing protection. Second time I shot a gun I was 13 and it was a 9mm...again, no ear protection. Fast forward to 21 years old and I got a .22-250...I put about 100 rounds through that gun without hearing protection. About then is when I got wise and started wearing it. Yeah, the ringing went away, but I didnt know that hearing ringing meant hearing loss. As such, I always wear hearing protection now. Very seldom have I doubled up (plugs and muffs), but it depends on who is shooting what.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:18:49 AM EDT

[#28]

I've shot without earpro before, but honestly, I think most of my hearing loss is from helicopters.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:28:15 AM EDT

[#29]

I'm listening to the ring right now, and I always wore hearing protection.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:31:40 AM EDT

[#30]

Yes.

I have it.

It was aggravated this weekend by AR shooters on either side of me at the outdoor range.
I only had earplugs. Failed to prepare for godawful-loud barky carbines with that muzzle device with the gigantic side ports.
What is up with that?
To me it serves NO PURPOSE on a .223 but to deafen/distract the person on either side of you.
If it is a suppressor attachment-point, why does it need to have those godawful side ports, other than to make the gun insanely loud on both sides when the suppressor is not used?
Why would anybody want that?

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:32:54 AM EDT

[#31]

I have it but blame my years on a flight deck and inside the nuclear power plant.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:34:48 AM EDT

[#32]

I have a mild case of it that I ignore for the most part.

Some days are worse than others.

I've always used hearing protection on the ranges. Other times.....not so much.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:39:19 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

Quoted:
All through my childhood I shot rifles, shotguns and handguns and never once wore ear protection. Probably never even knew it existed. I have terrible tinitus now and can't hear most high frequency noises. How many of you have the same problem? Did you wear hearing protection as a kid while shooting?

That's the price you pay fer shootin' penguins partner!

Seriously how old are you? Hearing protection has been pretty common and mainstream as long as I can remember (ie early 70s). That really sucks, sorry to hear that. I have a little tinitus but I think it is from the wind roar over motorcycle helmets and heavy metal concerts. I have hunted without ear muffs but have not fired thousands of rounds that way.

You can blame me for the extinction of the mountain penguin in West Virginia!

I'm in my 40's. No one I knew ever had earpro when I was growing up and never had the sense I guess to figure out wearing it would be good for me. Old man certainly didn't encourage it or use it himself. This was the deep woods of West Virginia by the way.

I know what you mean about the wind roar over the motorcycle helmets. Been riding since I was a youngster also and always thought that that may have been a contributing factor.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:43:31 AM EDT

[#34]

I have tinnitus from being an Artilleryman.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:43:50 AM EDT

[#35]

I've told this story before - until the first time I went to an indoor range in my late teens, I'd never seen anyone use hearing protection. That was about the same time I started going to concerts regularly, which couldn't have helped at all.
Grandparents house in Pagosa backed onto a good sized chunk of pasture and I spent many a vacation using up all the .22, .30-30, and .38 I could find. From the time I was 8 to 18 when Granddad died, shooting the morning away without any of the things we now consider necessary was normal. For quite a while after that I only wore earpro at ranges, where it's required (except around anything with a brake, that hurts like hell to be near). Afraid I still don't bother if we're just plinking with .22 outdoors, but of course I make the kids wear theirs.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:47:55 AM EDT

[#36]

I was around farm equipment my whole life, I was in a metal band, was in drum corps, and for some reason decided to wear ear protection when shooting.

I have horrible tinnitus.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:53:04 AM EDT

[#37]

I don't have tinnitus, but I have significant hearing loss in my left ear.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:54:52 AM EDT

[#38]

Between shooting for years without ear pro and the gazillion or so loud concerts I've been to my hearing sucks now.
I'm 39 and giving real consideration to hearing aides.
I haven't stopped shooting or concerts but i wear electronic protection while shooting and plugs at concerts.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:56:39 AM EDT

[#39]

From shooting, no.

From Pratt & Whitney F100s, yes.

Posted: 11/20/2012 9:58:08 AM EDT

[#40]

I have it and also a huge hearing loss in my left ear. It feels like there is a big hole in the air on my left side and I really can't hear well in a crowded room. The only thing I think it could have come from was shooting 22s, pheasant hunting with a 12 gauge growing up.

It stinks but I have mostly adjusted. No hearing aid yet but its coming.

Patrick

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:00:35 AM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:
I've had severe tinitus in my left ear since 1988 or so, thanks to a "friend" firing a .357mag right next to my head right when I took my hearing protection off. A constant ringing, gets worse when I'm tired, got to sleep with background noise like TV, fan, humidifier, etc.

Me too, but it was an asshole with an AOW 12 gauge. A few years watching dirt track cars with no hearing protection didn't help either.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:09:55 AM EDT

[#42]

I have mild tinnitus.
I didn't have a gun loud enough to damage my hearing until recently.
So up until then it's from tractors with straight pipes, fender-mount tractor radios turned up loud enough to hear over the tractor, and Ted Nugent in the car.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:18:09 AM EDT

[#43]

Yep. I wasn't careful as a child. More in right ear than left.

I have to run a fan at night to sleep.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:23:05 AM EDT

[#44]

WHAT'S THAT. I CANT HEAR YA?

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:24:45 AM EDT

[#45]

I have tinnitus but not from shooting. Mine is from too many rock concerts sans hearing protection as a foolish youth.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:25:23 AM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Me.

My dad was an old school LEO, and made it clear that hearing protection was for sissies. I spent many, many range sessions as a kid shooting magnum revolvers with him, and remember feeling like my head was underwater for the rest of the day.

My hearing today sucks. Constant tinnitis, and I am right on the cusp of needing hearing aids just to help with normal conversation. Talkimg to someone where background noise exists is embarrassing, and I cannot hear wristwatch alarms or most high pitched sounds.

Thanks Pop.

Why are you making crazy eyes at this comment?

Dude tells a real story.

I don't have tinnitis, but I may develop it. Have to wait and see. I do already have that "conversation with background noise" problem. You have to experience it to believe it. It's like your ears and brains lose "depth of field". Instead of being able to distinguish the voise of a nearby person from the voices or other noise sources in the background, they all get jumbled together. It's frustrating. Hearing aids will fix this problem, but you have to become accustomed to the new type of sound that you get from the hearing aid. It's like the planetary treble knob is cranked too high. I know, I've tried my friends hearing aids. I assume someday I'll need them, partly due to ocassional exposure to gunfire w/o hearing pro, and partly due to years of life on vessels where a huge range of background frequencies came from engines, generators, desalinizers, etc.

Dude tells a real story about American males. Think bacl on all the stupid shit we have done on a generational basis due to stupid macho attitude to otherwise common sense safety measures. I met a shitload of one-eyed people who were too macho for eye-pro. I met a bunch of Dudes who were part deaf b/c their pop said hearing pro was gay. I have kids in high-school, and therefore have been to a few football games recently. The whole macho superstar bullshit jock hero thing is worse now than when I was in school, despite the mountain of irrefutable evidence that if you bang-your-head-on-shit-now-you-will-be-way-dumb-later. Hell, my kids are so smart, they put on their own pro before shooting 3-gun, b/c they don't want to be half-deaf like dad, and they have no desire to play football b/c even they can see the mountain of evidence.

Dude has every right to say "Thx Pop!" It was dumb to do that to a kid. Just like its dumb to tell your kid it's okay to cell-phone while driving, or get a good hit in football, or smoke weed, or hammer nails with no glasses. Who here has ever knocked a spark off a nail?

Rant over.

holy shit lighten up francis

The

eyes were because it boggles my mind someone's dad would let them shoot something like that without earpro.

god damn

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:26:14 AM EDT

[#47]

I have quite a good case of it, but it is not the result of shooting.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:26:24 AM EDT

[#48]

Even with earpro, tens-of-thousands of rounds indoors takes a toll over time.

*shrug*

Nothing I can do about it now.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:27:50 AM EDT

[#49]

No ringing in the ears, but I do have diminished hearing. Not so much from shooting as from working out loud, heavy farm equipment a lot as a kid. Oh well.

Normally I try to double up and wear both ear plugs and muffs, unless I'm shooting .22lr just to protect the hearing I still have.

Posted: 11/20/2012 10:28:05 AM EDT

[#50]

I am lucky, and young. I don have any and religiously use ear-pro. However one day at work I left my muffs in the truck and didn't have anything but my iPod so I put it in and cranked up my music. The engine (2 stroke) on my trimmer was so loud on the right side of me that at the end of the day I couldn't even hear out of my right ear. My mom was mad when i got home and said if she wanted me to do what she said she had to talk to my good ear

. She chewed me out and ever since then I always have a pair of earplugs close by if not on me.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How many of you have tinitus from shooting? (Page 1 of 3)

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