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allisji wrote:

crazy2medic wrote:Years of exposure to gun fire, sirens, air horns has damaged my hearing, I have been tested and found to be deaf to certain frequencies of sound, weird to be talking to a cashier or other person and I can see their mouth move but not understand everything they say, for those in the younger crowd PROTECT YOUR HEARING!

My dad is the same way. He served in the air-force in his 20s and was a career full-time firefighter and is now retired and definitely has suffered permanent hearing loss.

A couple months ago he was visiting from Kansas and I took him shooting. I gave him a pair of ear plugs and he was wearing them through our first firing session. After the range went cold he took the plugs out and let me know that he doesn't like ear plugs because he can never get them to seal in his canal. I said, "Well I wish that you would have said so, because I have ear muffs in my range bag." He said, "It's probably too late now because my ears are already ringing" but he did end up using the ear muffs and saying that it was much better that way. I know that my dad was willing to "tough it out" while further damaging his hearing. I am not willing to do that, which is why I always take my muffs with me in my range bag just in case.

I don't need the ear muffs when I am shooting pistols because I get a good seal with ear plugs, however often there is someone nearby shooting 5.56 or 7.62 rounds and I may choose to wear double hearing protection (muffs over plugs).

Also, some people like my dad (and my wife) can't get plugs to seal. At work they brought in a company that does custom molded ear plugs, and everyone at work loved them, they even had an opening so that you can attach your radio in to it and always be able to hear the radio chatter. I got mine and I could get them to fit into one of my ears, but the other one I couldn't never get them to fit right, even after I had them do a second set and adjust the fit... so I just wear the regular soft ear plugs.