• Mossberg Owners is in the process of upgrading the software. Please bear with us while we transition to the new look and new upgraded software.

Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection?

Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

I gotcha Five, my bad, I actually hadnt considered it before in the terms of my childrens hearing.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

I'd like to reply, but I couldn't hear anything that was said on the topic!

Hearing loss is cumulative. For the younger set -you may not notice it but keep shooting without some protection and when you join the grey haired generation you'll be hard of hearing like the rest of us! LOL.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

LADY!!! So good to see you! :D
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Rossignol said:
When hunting we dont wear ear protection. When a bird flushes its a couple of adrenaline filled seconds and we fire! I havent even noticed the shot in those moments. No ringing in our ears, not even temporary.

Auditory exclusion.

I think this is the answer.

I fired a 12 gauge inside a convenience store while on a special (LE) detail and never noticed it. The clerk and another officer were standing nearby and they later commented that the sound wasn't as loud as they'd expected. I fired a 4-inch .357 magnum revolver one time in a narrow upstairs hallway, also. I remember it being more a loud "pop' than the painful "crack" I'd heard at the practice range...in fact, it flashed through my mind, at that micro-instant, that it was a dud round or something because it didn't seem to recoil as much as it did during training.

Of course, this is all when I was pumped up and was behind the muzzle with the blast-noise going forward and away from me. The only time I can recall anyone sustaining debilitating damage instantly was a shooting that suddenly erupted between an officer and bad guy who were seated together in a vehicle. The officer involved fired his short-barreled magnum revolver across his own chest as he and the felon struggled in the closed-up car. He was later retired on a medical pension for hearing loss.

Longer barrels tend to quiet the crack. 18 and 20-inch barreled gauges are quieter than 14 and 16-inch barrels that are unfortunately now in vogue. I think, too, that carpeting, wall-board, the shelving and stacked-up display items in a store, acoustical tile in the ceiling above...all aid in diffusion of the blast. So it would depend a lot on the acoustics of the immediate vicinity. But mostly it's auditory exclusion. Though, like many of you, I have tinnitis and a hearing deficit, mostly women and children's voices are hard to hear well. I don't know...sometimes things happen in life that leave a mark on you somehow. Accidental or intentional, it's part of being a man, like childbirth leaving a woman with stretch marks. In the end, it was worth it.

For my part, I'd willingly run the risk of possible hearing damage to able to have the fight-stopping power of a shotgun or really powerful handgun. You gotta take the starch out of people ASAP in a homicidal assault at spitting distances. You're the defender, you didn't initiate it, and no one's getting out of it without losing something in the process. Better to lose your hearing than your pulse...but, as I said, I only know of one instance where the hearing loss was really bad.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Thanks, Snowman. That sounds pretty good to me (no pun intended). Take care. Tom Worthington.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

My pleasure. Glad to finally be able to help out a little with something around here. Lord knows you guys have sure been helpful to me.

Keith
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Good post Keith!

Thanks for the background and context!
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Thanks Snowman, nice to read from someone with the experience. I figured auditory exclusion from adrenanline would dampen the noise.
Nice to see a fellow Hoosier. I am from the far NE side of Indy in Hancock county.
The officer that fired his revolver across his chest is also lucky to have his eyes as the blast from the cylinder/ barrel gap can hurt you too.
Stay safe!
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Pleasure to hear from you, Br'er T. That incident was a drug rip at a motel out on Shadeland Avenue. The drug dealer climbed in the car with the one undercover officer. The doper ART'd right there in the front seat after the shooting was over. Almost any sort of serious handgun caliber would damage your hearing in a scenario like that. Nobody gets out of that sorta thing without losing something. That's why that spitting distance stuff has to be avoided at just about any cost.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Seems the east side has gotten better in the last few years. IMPD is doing good work there. Lawrence PD seems to have made good strides with aggressive patrolling in their area. They are always out in force it seems.
I had my kids count police cars one day on the way into Indy from Fortville. They counted around 30 marked and unmarked units while we tooled around Ft. Ben, Lawrence, then up 465N to Castleton. It made us feel good that you and your fellow officers were out in such numbers and as a parent, I thank you very much! :D
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Thanks for your kind words. I retired about 18 months ago after three and a half decades at it. Looking back I was always impressed with the level of practical training they gave our officers. When the politicians got out of the way and we had effective leadership, they always did great work that was well beyond the funding and manpower we had. I hope they manage to keep it up. Keep your Mossberg handy, though...never know when the cops might need a little help. ;)
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

New to the forum but I've had several hearing related experiences that might be worth something to someone. (Been shooting for 50+ years.)
My worst ever: sighting in an M4 under a metal shed. I didn't realize my ear protector on the right side had ridden up on the side nearest the receiver. The hearing protector "funneled" the sound like I had cupped my hands behind my ears. The sound was so intense, I almost passed out.

Worst handgun experience: Glock 20SF (10mm) firing hot loads under a metal shed. Let a friend shoot it. He touched it off before I could get my protection on. Horrible!

Worst experience with someone else's gun: Barret 50. I was twenty feet back and to the right. I thought I had been punched. My ears were ringing with only 1 set of ear protectors on. I added a second set and got out of the path of the muzzle break. (I was never bothered much by M2's.)

For me, the thought of wearing hearing protection in a home defense situation is not good. I already have little hearing in my right ear, and I think my need to hear as best I can is vital to avoiding a tragedy or getting shot myself. My wife (heavy duty medical type) explained that the best current understanding of auditory exclusion is that the ears still hear and are subject to all the same losses in acuity, but that the brain simply turns off the interpretation of extraneous data from the ears (as it does the eyes-tunnel vision). Will you lose your hearing from a home defense encounter? Probably not. If the firing is prolonged? Maybe.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

PeteCamp, Welcome to Mossberg Owners!

I really appreciate the insight of your first post!
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Yup...I have, it was back in 91 -92 fist S.G I ever got...it was a 5 round pistol grip mossberg 500. And I remember I was getting ready to clean it, sat down on the bed, I kept it loaded...I put the barrel up against the wall and my wife's comforter was all around the bed between the wall and the gun... I went to unload it and then....................












It happened, it went off.......didn't hear much at all, the wall had a hole the size of the muzzle, but on the other side was the bathroom....and that room was covered in Sheetrock and I remember the counter had holes in it the from 00 buck.

Oh yeah...her blanket was tore up and had power burns.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

CML said:
Yup...I have, it was back in 91 -92 fist S.G I ever got...it was a 5 round pistol grip mossberg 500. And I remember I was getting ready to clean it, sat down on the bed, I kept it loaded...I put the barrel up against the wall and my wife's comforter was all around the bed between the wall and the gun... I went to unload it and then....................














It happened, it went off.......didn't hear much at all, the wall had a hole the size of the muzzle, but on the other side was the bathroom....and that room was covered in Sheetrock and I remember the counter had holes in it the from 00 buck.

Oh yeah...her blanket was tore up and had power burns.

I bet your wife was mad as hell I know my wife would have kick my butt for that but as long as no one got hurt in you learn from it you can laugh it.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

five821 said:
CML said:
Yup...I have, it was back in 91 -92 fist S.G I ever got...it was a 5 round pistol grip mossberg 500. And I remember I was getting ready to clean it, sat down on the bed, I kept it loaded...I put the barrel up against the wall and my wife's comforter was all around the bed between the wall and the gun... I went to unload it and then....................














It happened, it went off.......didn't hear much at all, the wall had a hole the size of the muzzle, but on the other side was the bathroom....and that room was covered in Sheetrock and I remember the counter had holes in it the from 00 buck.

Oh yeah...her blanket was tore up and had power burns.

I bet your wife was mad as hell I know my wife would have kick my butt for that but as long as no one got hurt in you learn from it you can laugh it.


Yeah she still talks about it......and yes, I've learned.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

Yes and its loud as heck.Although with all the excitement of the situation I didnt hear a thing.
 
Re: Ever fire a 12 gauge indoors, without hearing protection

This is a very interesting question of which I had never thought about. Im curious to research this further.
 
I've been in a room, in close proximity to a 500a firing 00 buck without ear pro.

I have permanent hearing loss in both ears and am 5 db from a hearing aid.

There's more to the hearing loss story than the shots that day but they certainly played a role.
 
Huh? Someone say something...speak up, please. Hearing loss sucks big time...
 
Back
Top