Buying a gun silencer just got a lot easier

[Eric Marleau]

I've been around shooting and hunting my whole life, and have been around heavy equipment since I was 19yrs old when I drilled on the Longyear core drilling rigs. Retired from Minntac as a heavy equipment operator, and have had ringing in my ears my entire adult life.
Noise is not an issue for me because I can't hear in the first place

I understand what you guys are talking about now.

As for harvesting deer year round, it's called "Finlander Deer Season"

Eric

[Randygmn]

If you know anyone who has Tinnitus, they will tell you why they want one. Mine came from being in artillery my 1st 8 years of my military career. Ear plugs or muffs didn't do crapola to protect anyone ears when those 155's lit off. Mine is progressively getting worst.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

Besides hearing loss capabilities, I've heard Tinnitus is painful, too, right?

I've been pretty fortunate. I've been shooting indoors primarily, for 20 years. I started at an indoor gun range in NYC, in 1994, believe it or not. All in all, I haven't suffered from it. My desire for a suppressor comes down to a home defense issue. Should I ever need to defend my home, I don't want to go deaf or cause my family to, either. No one has time to put on ear pro once the door gets kicked in.

[Eric Marleau]

I guess what really messed up my hearing was the drilling rigs, all of my duck and goose hunting, and snowmachines. The past 20 years have seen amazing advancements in hearing protection.




Eric

[linksep]

Noise is not an issue for me because I can't hear in the first place

Eric

The most dangerous attitude for your hearing... Just because it's no longer loud to you doesn't mean it's not further damaging what little hearing you have left.

Hearing loss is cumulative. Shooting 1,000 rounds without hearing protection will have roughly the same net effect on your hearing if you do it 1 round per day for 1,000 days or 1,000 rounds an hour in one day (think .22lr where a lot of people think they don't need hearing protection). The only difference there is how fast you loose your hearing (1 day vs almost 3 years).

Shooting a loud gun even with doubled up hearing protection is going to cause some degree of hearing loss. 30 dB ear plugs plus 30 dB ear muffs does not equal 60 dB of noise reduction because of bone conduction and sinus cavities, more like 40 dB. If your gun is 160 dB and you're doubled up you're still experiencing somewhere around 120 dB... far above the OSHA 15 minute limit of 115 dB.

[Eric Marleau]

I always use high quality hearing protection while at the range, which can be several times a week. Both of my hearing aids are Walker Game Ears, which do a great job for me when I'm not at the range.

I try to protect what I have left.

Eric

[grimbeaver]

Just noticed something in the MNGOPAC graphic. It says ownership doubled in 4 years and lists numbers for 2011 and 2014. Isn't that 3 years? Or did numbers come from different times during those years and are they trying to be more honest?

[LarryFlew]

Just noticed something in the MNGOPAC graphic. It says ownership doubled in 4 years and lists numbers for 2011 and 2014. Isn't that 3 years? Or did numbers come from different times during those years and are they trying to be more honest?

2011........... 2012............. 2013............ 2014.............math

[MaryB]

Not painful as much as disruptive. It can keep you awake, makes it hard to hear what is going on around you... mine was caused by 6 years of casino racket and an idiot who said he knew how to use his shotgun firing it 3 feet from my right ear when I was 19. Hearing loss that side, tinnitus both sides, non stop 6khz tone for me

If you know anyone who has Tinnitus, they will tell you why they want one. Mine came from being in artillery my 1st 8 years of my military career. Ear plugs or muffs didn't do crapola to protect anyone ears when those 155's lit off. Mine is progressively getting worst.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

Besides hearing loss capabilities, I've heard Tinnitus is painful, too, right?

I've been pretty fortunate. I've been shooting indoors primarily, for 20 years. I started at an indoor gun range in NYC, in 1994, believe it or not. All in all, I haven't suffered from it. My desire for a suppressor comes down to a home defense issue. Should I ever need to defend my home, I don't want to go deaf or cause my family to, either. No one has time to put on ear pro once the door gets kicked in.

[JJ]

Besides hearing loss capabilities, I've heard Tinnitus is painful, too, right?

It can be, for some people. I have tinnitus, cause by some pretty serious health issues as a kid (persistent ear infections), and the damage they cause, including an ear drum graft to repair an eat drum that would no longer heal on its own. I'm sure I've exasperated it by hunting without ear plugs.

I occasionally get painful tinnitus, it causes migraine like symptoms for me, though they then to be much shorter in duration. Usually I will feel my balance going first and then roaring that turns into straight pain. I also hear my tinnitus a lot when my blood pressure is up (when I am pissed, all I hear is a roaring crowd).

I want to be able to hear normal conversation when I'm hunting. Even with single plugs, I generally can't hear a thing people say, and rely mostly on lip reading.

The fact that some consider using a suppressor for the illegal harvest of game, speaks volumes about their character, and shouldn't be a reflection on the community as a whole. If I wanted a suppressor to take deer, I damn sure wouldn't do it with a tax stamped item, when a 2-liter bottle filled with great stuff foam cost me about $5.

[2in2out]

The fact that some consider using a suppressor for the illegal harvest of game, speaks volumes about their character, and shouldn't be a reflection on the community as a whole. If I wanted a suppressor to take deer, I damn sure wouldn't do it with a tax stamped item, when a 2-liter bottle filled with great stuff foam cost me about $5.

+1000

I have tinnitus, but not nearly as bad as you, JJ. Mine just rings 24-7. It gets worse at certain times, like when I get sick. But, it never gets to the point of being painful. Still pretty annoying and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

For those who don't have a constant, relentless, ruthless noise in your head, please take care of your hearing. You will most definitely regret it if you don't. Suppressors not only help us to be better neighbors and conservationists, but it's a safety issue, without a doubt.

[Eric Marleau]

I recomend the Walker Game Ear for hunting. I have used them for many years. Hearing is great with them, and they are designed to cut off at moderate decibels. Very well made and last for many years. Perfect for my duck hunting.
I also use them for my every day hearing aid. The first things I do in the morning is turn on the coffee, and put on my Game Ear.

Can't say enough good about them.


Eric

[jshuberg]

The CDC recommends double hearing protection, both plugs and muffs when shooting a firearm. Wearing only single protection will result in permanent hearing damage over time with repeated use.


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[cgrant26]

Here is another interesting tidbit to toss in the suppressor argument:

http://iweb.tntech.edu/cpardue/pregnant.html

Pregnant women, many of them who have to shoot weapons professionally, may be at risk for high frequency hearing loss for their unborn fetuses. This article from Tennessee Technological University and in cooperation from Perdue University recommends pregnant women use silencers to protect the hearing of their unborn fetus. Looking at this from the angle of "denying pregnant women the right to protect their unborn child's hearing" may be a way to get more traction. Could be turned into a "war on women" issue. If a pregnant woman were to make the argument in front of a crowded room of state legislators, it could have a powerful effect.

[MaryB]

Never thought my tinnitus might be part of the source of my headaches... doc never mentioned it could be linked. Guess I need to go read up on it more. Right now it is a nice constant tone that is like an ice pick in the brain...

Besides hearing loss capabilities, I've heard Tinnitus is painful, too, right?

It can be, for some people. I have tinnitus, cause by some pretty serious health issues as a kid (persistent ear infections), and the damage they cause, including an ear drum graft to repair an eat drum that would no longer heal on its own. I'm sure I've exasperated it by hunting without ear plugs.

I occasionally get painful tinnitus, it causes migraine like symptoms for me, though they then to be much shorter in duration. Usually I will feel my balance going first and then roaring that turns into straight pain. I also hear my tinnitus a lot when my blood pressure is up (when I am pissed, all I hear is a roaring crowd).

I want to be able to hear normal conversation when I'm hunting. Even with single plugs, I generally can't hear a thing people say, and rely mostly on lip reading.

The fact that some consider using a suppressor for the illegal harvest of game, speaks volumes about their character, and shouldn't be a reflection on the community as a whole. If I wanted a suppressor to take deer, I damn sure wouldn't do it with a tax stamped item, when a 2-liter bottle filled with great stuff foam cost me about $5.

[grimbeaver]

Just noticed something in the MNGOPAC graphic. It says ownership doubled in 4 years and lists numbers for 2011 and 2014. Isn't that 3 years? Or did numbers come from different times during those years and are they trying to be more honest?

2011........... 2012............. 2013............ 2014.............math

I can do math but your math does not answer the question. If you state that in 2011 ownership was 285,087, then you are implying that stat was collected at the end of the year. Similarly if you state a number for 2014 presumably that number is from the end of the year as well. Or at least you are implying that the stats were collected at a similar time in both years. So Dec 2011 -> Dec 2014 = 3 YEARS. So if it was in fact 4 years then the numbers should be labeled from 2010 -> 2014.