Longest Yours Ears Have Rung after shooting?

[Tawaliga]

43 years old....shot a bunch without hearing protection when I was younger. Ever since I was about 15 years old, anytime it is really quiet my ears might start ringing but it usually goes away after a couple of hours. So my ears have been ringing off and on for 28 years from shooting, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I was hunting last week and shot my 7 mag with a muzzle brake twice on 10/29, and once on 10/30..had earplugs but I guess they weren't all the way in on the 3rd shot, my left ear has been ringing ever since. 8 days later.....whats the longest you have had continuous ringing after shooting? I can't remember it ever lasting this long

 

[stagpanther]

Hmmm, mine have been ringing continuously for about 20 years now.

 

[TJB101]

4 and 1/2 years and still ringing.

 

[JohnKSa]

So my ears have been ringing off and on for 28 years from shooting, but that's not what I'm talking about.

Whether you realize it or not, that's exactly what you're talking about.

Ringing in the ears after a loud noise is indicative that damage to the fine hairs in the ears that are responsible for hearing. In general, the hairs do not heal but the brain can compensate to some extent.

The damage is cumulative and eventually reaches the point where the brain can no longer compensate--at that point the loss becomes noticeable and the ringing may become permanent.

 

[Rob228]

I completely ruptured an eardrum shooting a 10" AR with no ear pro (there was a squirrel, no time to put in ear pro) but that didn't result in ringing.

Ears are still ringing from standing on a rooftop when an M1 Abrams on the street right below me sent a main gun round downrange, that was 2005.

Like JohnKSa said, it is cumulative. For me the ringing isn't quite as bad as trying to focus on a conversation with someone while there is background noise.

 

[Hawg]

Over 50 years non stop.

 

[Pahoo]

Too Long !!

Longest Yours Ears Have Rung after shooting?

Longer than they should have if I had been wearing eye protection but that ws a long time ago .....

Be Safe !!!

 

[langenc]

Get some good quality muffs and put over those plugs..

Mine rang for several days after I shot some handloaded shotshells many yrs ago AND after I shot a moose multiple times w/out plugs/muffs.

Have a constant buzz now-chain saw, lawnmowr. snowblower etc etc.. Use muffs w/ all those and make sure kids/grandkids do EVERYtime they help you.

 

[AzShooter]

About 45 years and I remember what caused it. Forgot my hearing protection at one of my pistol matches. I was shooting a 686 with full magnum loads. By the end of the match my ears were ringing.

I also worked on the flight line at Luke AFB. Jet Noise, The Sound Of Freedom took what hearing I had left.

I've been wearing hearing aids for about 40 years. Fortunately Uncle Sam pays for them.

 

[natman]

I was hunting last week and shot my 7 mag with a muzzle brake twice on 10/29, and once on 10/30..had earplugs but I guess they weren't all the way in on the 3rd shot, my left ear has been ringing ever since. 8 days later.....whats the longest you have had continuous ringing after shooting? I can't remember it ever lasting this long

If you discharge a firearm without adequate hearing protection your ears will ring. Usually the ringing will go away after a few hours. Until one time it doesn't. Then it will keep ringing for the rest of your life.

Mine has been going on now for 26 years.

You can't change the past, but you can change the future. Wear hearing protection for EVERY shot. For hunting, get electronic earmuffs, like the Peltor 6. Don't make the damage worse than it is now.

And get rid of that #$%@#$%# muzzle brake.

 

[FrankenMauser]

About 30 years.
It turns out that having someone discharge an AR "out the window" of their truck with no warning, and with the muzzle just inside the A-pillar, is not good for your hearing.

 

[Pathfinder45]

The best earplugs are inadequate in the presence of a muzzle brake. Another vote here to lose the brake. Then your plugs will work again.

 

[Tawaliga]

Yeah as soon as I got home I ordered a Bergara B-14 SP .308 with an 18 inch barrel and also ordered an 11 oz Gemtech tracker. Will put my Sig 762 QD can on it in the meantime. Scoped up with suppressor it will be close to 9#, but will still be light enough to lug up into my climbing stand. Also decided I am done with breaks....when I got a Browning .270 A-Bolt with BOSS back in 1996 I remember that was first time I was like DAMN these things are loud.....switched to the CR a few years ago, now I remember why! This got my attention like never before....

 

[Shadow9mm]

Maybe 2 minutes after letting off a 45acp without hearing protection

 

[Mike38]

Four years ago I was at an indoor range that I went to every Saturday morning. I was always the first person there. Big sign on the range door, hearing and eye protection required before entering. Being the first there, I never put on my ear muffs until I started shooting. Well, there was a guy just minutes behind me. I over heard him telling the counter guy he just got a new .44 Mag revolver and wanted to run a box off ammo through it. He got set up before me, and blasted the .44 Mag, me without ear protection. It almost put me to my knees, the pain in my left ear was that bad. To this day, my left ear rings. I had a hard time trying to sleep with the ringing for the first few weeks, but now I'm used to it.

 

[FunGramps]

Might never stop.
My first ringing began after attending concerts in the early 70's, shooting without protection as a kid, riding motorcycles with loud pipes without plugs, and exposure in the military.
Mine is worse than ringing, I have hearing loss, but the noise seems extra loud, even when I talk, but noises are garbled.

 

[KyJim]

My left ear has been ringing for at least 10 years. Range was cold, so I removed my ear muffs so I could talk a moment to a range officer. Didn't pay attention when the range went hot and a guy close to me shot some sort of magnum rifle. It was outside, but shooters were covered by a roof.

On the bright side, I can ignore the wife with plausible deniability when it suits my needs.

 

[Moonglum]

Since April of 1988. The very first time I ever shot an M109 Howitzer. Instead of giving me a gold watch when I retired Uncle Sugar gave me a set of PhoneAk hearing aids

 

[Bentonville]

Ringing has changed to loud hissing !

I , like many of you , went to concerts in 60s and 79s, played Hammond B3 in bands, shot guns with no hearing protection all until my 30s. Then ringing started . It’s gradually increased and at 71, I have significant hearing loss, especially in left ear. The Hissing is what drives me insane .
Question for those with Hearing AIDS: does the ringing/hissing continue even with hearing aids ?

 

[Rockrivr1]

I have tinnitus so I hear it ringing every damn day due to working many years on Naval aircraft. Though it got immediately worse when I let a 44 magnum off in a very small indoor range and had forgotten to put on my hearing protection. Lets just say I had a higher level of ringing then normal for a week or two.