A Hard Lesson

[buglum]

I got this fancy new long range .338 Lapua a few months ago, it has a 26" barrel and large muzzle brake. AKA-its loud as hell. I always shot it with double hearing protection ( foam plugs plus muffs) whether I was hunting or practicing.
I was driving down the road and saw a coyote trotting through the a field. Not sure if it was the boredom or the plain stupidity, but I jumped out and frantically touched a shot off, forgetting my ear muffs sitting on the console. It has now been 7 days and I still have a ringing and muffled sound in my ears. For only being 23 years old it has scared me pretty bad about the damage rifles can do to your ears. Has this ever happened to anyone? If nothing else, lets make this a reminder to everyone using firearms-dont be stupid and protect your hearing at all costs. I sure hope this ringing goes away because it is driving me crazy.

Anyone had a similar situation?

 

[Thatguy]

Did you get the coyote?

I would rather have a gun that hurts my shoulder rather then a gun that kills my hearing. Put a thread on cap on that thing and get rid of that break!

 

[idnative1948]

Your ears are going whoosh, whoosh??
Walking along a trail several years ago. Saw the head of a bear below me, pulled a 357 out of the holster and fired, before it cleared my ears. Not good times for awhile.

Long story short, bear took off down hill, stood up and was smaller than my oldest grandchild. The things we learn....

 

[buglum]

Did you get the coyote?

I will humbly answer that question with a big NO

 

[fishing4sanity]

All I can say, as someone who didn't protect their hearing, is hearing loss sucks! I grew up around loud equipment and shot a lot without hearing protection, then a little over two years ago the ringing started and wouldn't stop. I'd had ringing in the ears before, but this was non-stop. Short story is that I now have to wear hearing aids, they help reduce the tinnitus (ringing in the ears), but it's never gone for long. Protect those ears!

 

[BiggWimm]

^^^ WHAT?! I feel for ya fishing4sanity, I am 30 years old and already being told I need hearing aids. Sucks, wish I had been more careful.

 

[belly-deep]

If nothing else, lets make this a reminder to everyone using firearms-dont be stupid and protect your hearing at all costs.

Or don't buy a brake.

An elk hunting mentor of mine is from down in your country. He had trouble with recoil. Instead of getting a brake, he got a .243. His next 18 elk were consecutive one shot kills.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

what did you say....would you mind repeating that..... one sec....would someone answere the door!!!......

 

[rhomas]

My mom has hereditary hearing loss, and just before my dad died back in September, she started having musical ear syndrome. It's a form of tinnitus, but instead of a ringing, she hears music. It's fairly rare, but her local Doctor has another woman patient who has the same problem.
I know I got off the topic, but I was wondering if any of you had ever heard of this? I have some hearing loss, from working around loud noises and shooting a lot, but also have to keep having tubes placed in my ears because of constant ear infections and impacted ears. The ENT blames it on not wearing ear protection when I was shooting more, and from my days as a professional musician.

I'd also suggest getting rid of the brake, and installing a really good recoil pad!

 

[huntrfish]

I once did the same thing with a .357. Mine lasted a week or two, but finally went away. I know I have some sort of hearing loss (either due to this incident or a combination of shooting as a kid with no protection). I would suggest waiting a while, and then if you still have it, go get it checked out. Just my .02 cents.

 

[EasternMTHunter]

One of the ENTs here at work recommends Bioflavinoids for tinnitus and it is OTC, I believe. Something I use frequently to keep the Eustachian tubes open and keep out the ear pressure is OTC pseudoephedrine (the real Sudafed they keep behind the counter) the sudafed on the floor is phenylephrine and in my expreince doesn't work nearly as well.

 

[noharleyyet]

The thing I tend to use bad judgement on is firing my 40 or .45 in the field w/out ear protection. The muzzle is too darned close. As for brakes, wouldn't have one.

 

[DWarcher]

I sure hope this ringing goes away because it is driving me crazy.

Anyone had a similar situation?

Yep...24/7....

 

[woodsman]

My wife shot a deer out of a portable blind with her Ruger .243 Compact last month and it ruptured her ear. Been to see 2 doctors and 1 ENT specialist and it appears to now be slowly healing on its own. She now wears muffs while hunting.

 

[RobG]

It happened to my wife a few years ago but she thinks she got her hearing back. The ringing and other issues went away in a few days. Trouble is that you can't tell unless you go get tested...

I have been using earplugs for at least a decade now after learning I couldn't hear small rattlesnakes. I keep the plugs on a string and partially inserted in my ears when I walk around. It is first instinct to put them in at the sign of an animal. I can't think of a single animal I've lost because I use them and it is SO nice not to have your head ringing after a shot.

 

[sweetnectar]

We really should be able to use silencers when hunting and possess silencers with out all the paperwork and extra expense. Anything that can help reduce some of the noise would help. Although you will still need ear protection for a silenced 338...maybe your ears would have stopped ringing by now.

 

[schmalts]

Had it for a couple days last fall. Sat in a pop up blind with a kid and he shot his first turkey. If came in off the corner of the blind and I was not far enough behind the muzzel plane of his 20Ga and I was ringing for 2 days out of one ear. Not good, but it should go away with time but loss of hearing has probably happened.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I’m sure the neighbors think I’m a D-bag when they see me mowing the yard with earmuffs, weed eating with earmuffs, snow blowing with earmuffs, etc. But hey, I like to hear bulls bugle.

 

[track1]

my hearing is starting to go in my right ear. On the bright side, my hearing is beter than my hunting parters. If i want to go a certain direction when we're hunting i just tell him i heard a bugle and off we go.

 

[noharleyyet]

I’m sure the neighbors think I’m a D-bag when they see me mowing the yard with earmuffs, weed eating with earmuffs, snow blowing with earmuffs, etc. But hey, I like to hear bulls bugle.

Your neighbors are most likely more concerned with the spotter aimed out the window.