How loud is shooting inside your house?

[Centurion_D]

I read somewhere a LEO used a 5.56 indoors to take down a BG. Took down the BG but ended up loosing hearing in right ear.

[marlin357]

I fear years ago I tried to dispose of some primed .357 magnum cases. No bullet, no powder, just brass and primer. I was planning on dropping off some old brass at the recycling center to make a few bucks and didn't want to bring live primers.

So, I thought the best idea was going to be to close myself in the bathroom, point the muzzle into the tub in case of sparks, and squeeze them off. I did one and that was enough. Both of my ears rang for the rest of the day, and one of them continued to ring the following day. After that, my hearing returned to normal.

Police officers don't use hearing protection, so I would imagine that a one time, quick exchange wouldn't do too much damage.

[Rider1k]

If it is during a home invasion chances are your adrenaline will be pumping and you most likely wont even notice the noise as more than just a pop. When I shoot a deer or a hog with my 7mm Rem mag I barely even notice the report.

[Untamed1972]

I've heard adrenaline kicking in helps. Hope I never have to find out

The auditory exclusion effect of stress will cause you to notice the sound less in the heat of the moment......but it will do nothing to prevent actual permnant hearing loss.

[INCINR8]

My 9MM made my ears ring for a couple mins. Also the smell and a haze of smoke will hang for a bit.

[AAShooter]

This thread is an interesting discussion of a man and his challenge with hearing loss from a rifle shot. It is interesting reading his (synergy_man's) posts with his updates throughout the thread.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hearing-Loss/Acoustic-damage-from-gunshot/show/727244

[TheExiled]

Please don't shoot without some form of ears, it is true that it never comes back fully, even if you dont feel it. My right ear is still messed up from teaching a new shooter in the desert with one too few pairs of ears. I gave her my muffs and covered my ears with my hands which worked. But when she had an issue with my AR with PWS FSC556, I uncovered my right ear to help with my right hand, trying to keep my shoulder up to my ear like in the above video, but it didnt help. I had severe ringing for at least a week, and to this day have issues with sensitivity in that ear, and problems with excessive earwax.

[SB1964]

Indoors is loud. Try shooting from a vehicle sometime! Talk about loud!!

[castgold]

Keep electronic ears with your firearm.

This is what I do. One pair for me, one for the woman I tricked into marrying me.

[john67elco]

Better to be deaf than dead

[NorCalAthlete]

Some military combat vets should chime in. They're in these environments constantly. Most of my vet friends have good hearing still

Believe it or not military combat vets aren't popping off rounds constantly or having rounds shot at them constantly. Yes, we probably have more experience shooting firearms than the average citizen, but it's definitely far from constant.

That being said, in the few firefights I've been in as posted above the adrenaline kicked in and the noise of my rifle and those around me didn't really bother me - till the shooting stopped. Then there was a definitive ringing in my ears and I kept trying to "pop" my ears. Went away after a while but not particularly pleasant. While in vehicles we DO wear headsets that double as electronic hearing protection, and we do have "combat" ear plugs designed to be able to hear conversations while muffling loud shots. They're uncomfortable to wear for 8+ hours on the road/patrol, so most people I knew didn't bother with them. A couple guys got ear infections from wearing them, getting irritated, scratching/rubbing at their ears with dirty/dry fingers, etc. Mostly, we simply made our peace with "f* it, roll without em".

Then again, we just had standard birdcages on our M4s - the PWS brake as described above is notably louder than a "stock" birdcage, and same with many other compensators out there on the market. Suppressors of course are the ideal solution, but aren't often found outside of special units.

[John Joseph]

Ehhhhhhh???

[jerhyn]

I have considered the same thing. Electronic ear muffs could give you an advantage in hearing more, but that could also throw you off by the exaggeration of the noises you hear.

[jumphowhigh]

It will be louder than you can imagine.

Discussing the events with the police while your ears are ringing will not be pleasant.

This^^^^

You will feel rocked like you got sucker punched.

[jeremyy]

My friend decided to take down a wall with a 12ga, I was dizzy after.