Safety isn’t always cool and safety isn’t always very exciting. But safety must be at the core of everything we do with guns. The alternative is tragedy and expensive or painful reminders of why we’re talking safety all the time.
I teach the 4 safety rules like this:
The 4 safety rules are:
1 All guns are always loaded
2 Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy
3 Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until ready to shoot
4 Know your target and what’s beyond it
We keep number 3 because of why? Because of 1.
Number 1 is important because of why? So you will never have a negligent discharge because the gun was “unloaded”.
If we keep number 2 even if the gun goes off negligently all will be well.
2, 3, and 4 are in place because of 1.
Personal protection equipment (PPE) is often overlooked. Eye protection and hearing protection is sometimes not stressed because some think it’s an individual choice. I think that’s a cop-out. This just as important as the safety rules. We wear seat belts for our personal protection. We carry guns for personal protection. We should wear PPE every time we shoot for personal protection.
Ear protection is often misunderstood. The following calibers give a report at the following levels.
.25 ACP – 155.0 dB
.32 LONG – 152.4 dB
.32 ACP – 153.5 dB
.380 – 157.7 dB
9mm – 159.8 dB
.38 S&W – 153.5 dB
.38 Spl – 156.3 dB
.357 Magnum – 164.3 dB
.40 S&W – 156.5 dB
.41 Magnum – 163.2 dB
.44 S&W Magnum – 164.5 dB
.44 Spl – 155.9 dB
.45 ACP – 157.0 dB
.45 COLT – 154.7 dB
12 Gauge Shotgun – 155 dB
.22 Pistol or Rifle – 140 dB
M-16 – 160 dB
It’s important to note when sound levels are represented in decibels, the increase in sound intensity is expressed in a logarithmic scale. The softest audible sound—near total silence—is represented as 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB. This means a change in volume from 150 dB to 140 dB is a more significant reduction in noise intensity than reducing 50 dB to 40 dB.
For example: NRR 29 is figured with the following,
Subtract 7 dB from the NRR: 29 dB - 7 dB = 22 dB
Divide by 2: 22 ÷ 2 = 11 dB
Subtract 11 dB from the noise
exposure: 80dB - 11 dB = 82 dB
Types of Hearing Protection:
• Passive Ear Plugs – These are basically soft plugs that are usually made from plastic or some type of foam based substance. These plugs are placed into the ear opening and they serve to dampen any high volume sound that the ear is exposed to. They are called “passive” because these plugs don’t utilize any electronic devices that damper noises. Ear plugs are by far the least expensive form of ear protection, but do they actually work well? The sound is dampened a bit, but can still be quite loud. The plugs help some, but they really don’t protect your ears as well as they can be protected.
• Passive Hearing Protection – This model generally is comprised of ear muffs that have a cup which encompasses the entire ear. The muffs are usually attached by a headband or headpiece of some type. Like the passive ear plugs, this model won’t have the electronic sound dampening device. The ear muff style design is nice as the cup has a seal that protects the entire ear from the noise versus the ear plugs which only partially protect the ear canal itself. Most ear muff models have the ability to be adjusted, although some of the less expensive ear muff models may not have this feature. Unfortunately, ear muffs of this design dampen all or most sound, so the wearer can’t hear anyone speaking or any other important sounds.
• Electronic Noise-Cancelling Hearing Protection – This design incorporates an ear muff style and integrates it with electronic technology that reduces the noise down to a level that isn’t harmful to the human ear. The entire sound dampening process takes place faster than the blink of an eye as the suppressed sound is transmitted to the wearer almost instantly. The best feature of electronic hearing protection is the ability to hear everything that is going on around you while you are shooting. In many situations, such as on the range, during training, or while hunting; this can be a great benefit. Of course, due to the technology needed, electronic hearing protection tends to be the most expensive of all the hearing protection devices. A number of the higher end electronic models may have other enhancements such as a separate volume control for each side of the ear muffs, enhanced adjustability, a battery saver feature to conserve battery use, and ambient sound magnification. The ambient sound magnification is a great benefit for hunters as it amplifies noise to a degree that is far greater than the naked ear can hear. At the same time, the augmented sound is instantly dampened when a shot is fired.
Hearing protection isn’t sexy like shooting an M-60 like Rambo, but it is very important for your future. The older you get the more these problems arise and it’s no fun to not be able to hear. Being tough has nothing to do with it. Use PPE when shooting any gun, every time.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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