Indoor Noise Level

[netw0rkpenguin]

A lot of people recommend a shotgun for self defense in this thread. How many here have actually shot 1 indoors, without hearing protection?
Do you actually expect to keep your hearing or is that the price you're willing to pay?

Just curious. I keep an AR and sometimes AR pistol nearby usually so it won't be any quieter but just wanted some info from people who actually shot a shotgun inside. gong in on a raid doesn't count because you may have at least had the foam ear plugs.

thanks

[righteousbarbarian]

I don't even shoot guns outdoors without hearing protection if i can help it, and so far i've been able to help it. i've heard people discussing the muzzle flash and loud sound of shotguns and .357 mags as being reasons enough to not use one for home defense at all. I really feel like my .357 mag would make me go deaf or at least severely impair my hearing if i shot it indoors without hearing protection. I apologize for not answering your question properly, but though i don't own one, I wonder if a .45 acp with a threaded barrel such as an HK USP 45 tactical or SIG P220 Combat, and a silencer would be a pretty good choice for indoor defense? it makes sense to me.

[Frenchy]

There are times in the news when you see some thing that is twisted out of context so it looks to be real. this is almost like that.

1: Self defence is not the average shooters daily chore here. Its not like having a 12 gauge sit in the corner of the room will make you deaf.
2: under stress, you wour probably not hear the report, or feel the recoil.
3: a shotgun shot, is much softer in noise levels then many pistols.

Although one could damage his ears fairly easely even with just one shot, the average person who lives in a large city has a higher risk to noise levels then an occasional shooter.
You can distinguish a gun shot easyer, but there are so many noises you hear out there every day that are just as damaging, and you would never think twice about putting on ear plugs to protect yourself from those.

So your question should be: Could a single blast from a firearm damage your ears? Yes definately. But some times you just dont have time to get the ears on.

[ChamberedRound]

There are times in the news when you see some thing that is twisted out of context so it looks to be real. this is almost like that.

1: Self defence is not the average shooters daily chore here. Its not like having a 12 gauge sit in the corner of the room will make you deaf.
2: under stress, you wour probably not hear the report, or feel the recoil.
3: a shotgun shot, is much softer in noise levels then many pistols.

Although one could damage his ears fairly easely even with just one shot, the average person who lives in a large city has a higher risk to noise levels then an occasional shooter.
You can distinguish a gun shot easyer, but there are so many noises you hear out there every day that are just as damaging, and you would never think twice about putting on ear plugs to protect yourself from those.

So your question should be: Could a single blast from a firearm damage your ears? Yes definately. But some times you just dont have time to get the ears on.

Bravo, Frenchy, bravo.

The first concern for home defense is selecting a weapon that one thinks will most effectively defend their home, regardless of the noise it will make. For the number of times that one will actually have to fire a weapon, noise shouldn't be a factor. Just about any unsuppressed weapon (even a .22) will likely be louder than anyone would like when fired indoors.

[netw0rkpenguin]

Bravo, Frenchy, bravo.

The first concern for home defense is selecting a weapon that one thinks will most effectively defend their home, regardless of the noise it will make. For the number of times that one will actually have to fire a weapon, noise shouldn't be a factor. Just about any unsuppressed weapon (even a .22) will likely be louder than anyone would like when fired indoors.

I tried firing a 22lr pistol with regular ammo and with calibri ammo, without earmuffs. The ammount of noise it produced is why I was wondering about the shotgun. I didn't even want to try my 45 without earmuffs.

[bloomautomatic]

2: under stress, you wour probably not hear the report, or feel the recoil.

If it ever came down to actually using it, you'd be pumping so much adrenaline I doubt you'd hear anything.

There's a name for it, but I can't recall what it is. In the personal protection class they told us that under stress you can get tunnel vision and basically 'tunnel hearing.' this is why it's important to yell all commands as loud as possible if you're in a situation like that.

Vince

[netw0rkpenguin]

If it ever came down to actually using it, you'd be pumping so much adrenaline I doubt you'd hear anything.

Not hearing the report and not feeling the recoil is one thing, but if your hearing is actually damaged you may not hear others in the house or other important things such as police officer arriving at the scene. Also even after the encounter is over your hearing won't be the same.

There's a name for it, but I can't recall what it is. In the personal protection class they told us that under stress you can get tunnel vision and basically 'tunnel hearing.' this is why it's important to yell all commands as loud as possible if you're in a situation like that.

Vince

Body alarm response is what I have heard it called by some instructors


I am not telling anyone to not use the shotgun, just curious about peoples experiences if any.

[phillyd2]

Years ago it was suggested to me that all should shoot inside without protection at least once so you know what to expect.

Any of our training gurus have a comment about this? Tony?

[TonyF]

Years ago it was suggested to me that all should shoot inside without protection at least once so you know what to expect.

Any of our training gurus have a comment about this? Tony?

I wouldn't do it.

The OP mentioned "body alarm response". This has been reported in many real life incidents.

There does seem to be some kind of physiological phenomenon that in some cases "shuts down" some of our sensory receptors. Gunshots only sound like "pops" and time slows down, etc.

However, without these physiological "unknowns" present, I wouldn't shoot without ear-pro. IMHO you'll never "desensitize" yourself to shooting w/o hearing protection just by doing it "once".

[netw0rkpenguin]

There are times in the news when you see some thing that is twisted out of context so it looks to be real. this is almost like that.

1: Self defence is not the average shooters daily chore here. Its not like having a 12 gauge sit in the corner of the room will make you deaf.
2: under stress, you wour probably not hear the report, or feel the recoil.
3: a shotgun shot, is much softer in noise levels then many pistols.

Although one could damage his ears fairly easely even with just one shot, the average person who lives in a large city has a higher risk to noise levels then an occasional shooter.
You can distinguish a gun shot easyer, but there are so many noises you hear out there every day that are just as damaging, and you would never think twice about putting on ear plugs to protect yourself from those.

So your question should be: Could a single blast from a firearm damage your ears? Yes definitely. But some times you just dont have time to get the ears on.

1) I never suggested that having it sit in a corner will make you go deaf. The presumption is its in a corner not because you may have the urge to go hunting int he middle of the night.
2) I don't care about hearing the report, I care about hearing something AFTER the report
3) don't know first hand but might be true, a lot of noise is generated by the round going supersonic,t hat's why 22lr subsonics rock.

Even if you had time to get your ears on do you want to loose that much situational awareness when there is someone or something(ever hear how load a possom is when it gets trapped in your garage?) potentially in your house?

Actually NYC noise does get to me. I usually have my noise canceling headphones on when I'm about during rush hours even if the ipod is off.