How would a shot from an AR affect my hearing?
Posted by Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 68 comments
I was shooting my dad’s AR-15 because he had just sited in the scope to 50m. When I went to shoot it jammed and we had to figure it out. In the process i had taken my hearing protection off and forgot to put it back on. As a shot a round I thought hmm that was a really loud shot. Few second’s later my ears start to ring.
MosesHightower@reddit
Once? You’re fine, it will resolve. Multiple times on the other hand can and will cause permanent hearing damage.
I have permanent hearing loss from a former career in concert audio and a history of hunting without ear protection (hundreds of shotgun, 30+ rifle rounds) Your ability to hear high frequencies suffers the greatest. If someone has a lower register voice, it’s hard for me to understand them because I can’t hear the high frequency sibilance, it sounds muffled.
FearWont@reddit
Through military and law enforcement situations, I’ve experienced about 20-30 shots of various caliber without hearing protection. I have about a 5-20 DB hearing reduction in my left ear in the mid to high frequencies.
The damage is likely minimal. But hearing damage is accumulative. It doesn’t happen all at once. Keep your hearing protection close by. And also keep it on.
Since leaving both those fields. I now work in a very high noise environment. 100-110 DB sustained. I use double hearing protection and haven’t had a reduction in hearing since I started.
raz-0@reddit
Are you a lefty? If not a decent chunk of that hearing damage is likely related to driving with windows down. It's one of the more stealthy chronic exposures. Lots of rifle shooting can be chronic exposure even with good earpro due to bone conduction.
Deathcat101@reddit
Windows down? That's a problem?
EddyBuildIngus@reddit
I get tested regularly for work and the lady at the test place was saying left ear damage from driving with the window down is the most common form of hearing loss she sees
TacTurtle@reddit
It can exceed the safe threshold for long duration (3+ hours)
Deathcat101@reddit
Well that's good. I rarely drive that long. But I'll keep that in mind on my next road trip.
Segelboot13@reddit
When I was a kid, nobody even thought about hearing protection while mowing the grass. Now most people I see do it.
FearWont@reddit
Ambidextrous. But the majority of the unprotected exposure is right handed. I recently went to an ENT for my last hearing exam. And both the tech and the doctor looked at my results and asked if I was a right handed shooter. Stating the way the ear is designed and the direction of the blast affects the ear on the opposite side of the body. Unless they had told me, I would have just continued to assume the hearing loss was from other events I experienced in the military. My hearing loss in my right ear doesn’t exceed 5 DB except for one particular frequency.
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
I had my dad's ear protection on me I just completely forgot to remember. I was too distracted by the gun jamming.
FearWont@reddit
I don’t want to say you’ll be fine. Because you undoubtedly caused some damage. It’s probably minimal and you won’t even notice. But again, it is accumulative. The more it happens the more you lose. It sounds like you’re concerned enough and not disregarding this. Like so many of us who have edged closer to deafness. Chalk it up to a pricey learning experience.
valdetta223@reddit
According to the VA I have no hearing loss whatsoever. I have a permanent constant ringing in my left ear and took a belt of 5.56 from an M249 directly to it back in MCT
FearWont@reddit
If I were you. I’d definitely set up an appointment with an outside practice. I don’t go to the VA for anything unless I absolutely have to.
The_white_devil22@reddit
I get hearing tests yearly for my job.
I've been known to have short range days with no ears with ARs. Even handguns sometimes. (Don't)
The audiologist stated that my hearing hasn't changed within a 3 year period.
Now 30 years down the road? Not sure about that.
FantasticBed2688@reddit
What? What did you say? You got talk in my left ear…
Guardiancomplex@reddit
You need ear protection for all firearms. This goes doubly for any supersonic rifle caliber.
Sensitive_Box_@reddit
(Or 300blk, and .38 special)
Guardiancomplex@reddit
Subsonic .300blk through a can is still often loud enough to cause hearing damage, especially if you are indoors.
BurnoutEyes@reddit
The bolt of an ar15 going home from boltlock is roughly 140dB and can ring your ear by itself.
Guardiancomplex@reddit
120 will hurt your ears if you're unlucky. Especially at 6 to 900 rpm.
GamesFranco2819@reddit
140 dB is equivalent to a jet engine or actual gunfire. There's no way this is accurate.
CatShrink@reddit
It is not absurd. You're thinking about a prolonged sound such as jet engine which indeed is around 140 dB, the deafening effect is due to the length of exposure. A 5.56 round can produce 150-160 dB, but you have to think in milliseconds.
That's why a couple of shots will make your ears ring but doesn't mean significant hearing loss. Blast several mags on full auto without protection is a cumulative effect and will lead to hearing loss.
Extra_Drop_6081@reddit
it's close to 120, not 140
140 is absurd
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/ar15-v-ar10-bolt-drop-sound-test.6967589/
Dipper_Pines_Of_NY@reddit
There’s no way that’s right. If it is you’d have to have your ear practically chambered to experience it I feel like
QuinceDaPence@reddit
My right ear definitely rings if I drop the bolt on an empty chamber while shouldered.
Pure-Ad-5502@reddit
Insert weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee sound
Any-Case5451@reddit
If you get shot in one ear both ears would than be unusable.
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
I was afraid someone would think this
Several_Mousse_9485@reddit
You ever touch a hot stove eye? You did it, and it sucked, but most likely you're ok.
Same thing. Don't keep doing it. A single shot ain't good for you, but don't do it no more and you'll be alright.
meleemaker@reddit
What the fucks a stove eye?
Typethreefun@reddit
The part of a stove that gets hot. There are usually 4-6 of them on the stovetop.
meleemaker@reddit
Yeah thats the burner. Let me guess probably Tennessee. Yall scramble your meat too instead of browning it.
Several_Mousse_9485@reddit
I do brown my meat but yeah. Tennessee. You got me.
meleemaker@reddit
My buddy's from tenessee and we got into it over browning vs scrambling and I think he was legitimately upset that I was criticizing it
dragonslayer137@reddit
Won't be a problem.
bobroberts1954@reddit
You're fine. It will ring for a while but it will go away. Try not to make it a habit and you'll be ok, it takes more than one shot to do permanent damage and that is incremental.
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
I had them around my neck I was just distracted by the gun jamming
5thPlaceAtBest@reddit
Get active earpro so you wont feel the need to take them off to hear people.
smokeyser@reddit
When I was growing up, nobody wore hearing protection while shooting. I've got a bit of tinnitus today, but it's not too bad. One shot is nothing, and you really shouldn't worry about it. Just don't keep doing it and you'll be fine.
moebiusgrip@reddit
I forgot to put ears on, and shot my 6.5 Creedmoor. The world went silent for a second or two, then Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
But it came back and there hasn’t been anything since.
I have not however, forgotten my ears since.
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
Just today while I was eating breakfast a massive ringing in my left ear appeared then went away
moebiusgrip@reddit
thats an ear cell dying in your conchlea.
Low-Landscape-4609@reddit
It could. Here's the thing though, if one shot were to do that then you would probably feel the effects immediately.
I'm in early Iraq war veteran and I've got major hearing loss in my left ear. I hit three IDs though. Here's what happened to me.
My neck started hurting right below my ear and I heard loud ringing. After that, my hearing started going in and out and I knew right away that I had lost hearing.
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
I pretty young (In my mid teens) and I really don't want to have hearing loss the rest of my life
Low-Landscape-4609@reddit
I understand that but most people especially in their 40s and over have some level of hearing loss. Even just through normal exposure, you're probably going to get some my friend.
The threshold for hearing loss is extremely low. Especially if you work in a factory or you work around heavy machinery.
Nobody WANTS hearing loss but sometimes you can't help it.
otullyo@reddit
What? Can you speak up please?
Affectionate-Arm5922@reddit (OP)
Lol
n1cplz@reddit
I left the military with 70% loss in my left ear, and 30% in my right. I had many experiences in my time which contributed to that, but probably none more severely than my time working on the camp horno rifle range.
mkosmo@reddit
2 things:
n1cplz@reddit
I'm cross dominate and shoot right handed. I'm not an ear scientist so I can't really answer your question in a meaningful way other than to say you should always wear hearing protection.
Camp Homo, lmao
FearWont@reddit
My ENT tried to explain how hearing damage will occur more in the opposite ear of your primary shooting side.
ImCaffeinated_Chris@reddit
Apparently your head on the rifle protects your right ear a bit more. Your left is completely exposed to the sound wave.
FearWont@reddit
That makes a lot more sense than the way they explained it.
gunsforevery1@reddit
Right handed, left ear hearing loss.
sHoRtBuSseR@reddit
Had a guy once who wanted to shoot my 22-250 with 4000 fps loads and radial brake. I told him you absolutely need ear pro for this rifle. He judged it based on the size of the cartridge. "it can't be that bad"
I insisted, he insisted, I caved and let him go for it.
He touched one off, nodded, and left.
This rifle is like a slap in the chest if you're standing next to it. Incredibly loud.
It only takes once to ruin your hearing. Be careful in the future.
_Zero_Fux_@reddit
No one can answer this question. The only right answer is “prolly not a huge deal but don’t make a habit of it”
JustADudeOnce@reddit
Lol
Outrageous_Lion8966@reddit
It’s obviously too late to go back. So at this point it doesn’t matter. You’ll find out pretty quick if it did any permanent damage, but likely it didn’t as it’s only 1 shot.
Probably a good reminder though to not do that again.
civilized_starfish@reddit
1 shot won’t do too much harm. It’s multiple sessions with just 1 shot without ears on that add up. When your ears start ringing out of no where when you’re in a quiet place, then you know you’ve done some damage.
SnowDin556@reddit
When I got my first it was at an indoor range and we didn’t have ear pro. This is almost 3 decades ago. You don’t hear a bang just a BOOOOOOP of not being able to hear.
aggie113@reddit
Effects are cumulative.
MetalMedley@reddit
One shot probably won't have a noticeable long term effect.
Dont do it again. The effect of every single shot adds up.
Successful_Link4541@reddit
imo 5.56/223 is worse than 50bmg
DanSWE@reddit
Can you get in to see an ENT doctor quickly (like today or tomorrow)?
Reportedly, there is some post-exposure treatment that can reduce the permanent damage, but it has to be administered soon. (I don't recall how soon; my impression is within several days.)
GrimHoly@reddit
You’ll be alright. Just remember hearing damage accumulates. You should wear some form of earpro even at concerts and loud parties. But I will say if not, welcome to the ringing party. Enjoy never hearing silence again
alkatori@reddit
Here's the truth.
It can damage your hearing. Always wear ear protection.
Now... Don't worry about the past. What's done is done. :-(
Plenty_Pack_556@reddit
You'll be alright.
fenuxjde@reddit
I mean if it hits you in the ear it would definitely ruin your day. I think you'd have bigger problems than your hearing.