Gun Trade World - April 2023

cochlea with the auditory
and balance nerves attached
to it. The cochlea is the
organ responsible for sound
perception. This is where the
conversion of mechanical
vibrations into nerve impulses
takes place. Wave movements
occur in the cochlea, causing
the hair cells in the inner
ear to move. When the hair
cells are stimulated, they
transmit nerve impulses via
the auditory nerve to the
part of the brain responsible
for sound processing, also
known as the hearing centre.
When the ear is exposed to
excessively loud sounds – such
as a gunshot - the hair cells
in the inner ear are overstimulated,
causing them to
die at worst. Once the hair
cells are damaged, or dead, the
damage is irreversible. After
all, they are not replaced.
This is why it is so important
to protect those hair cells as
much as possible.
SOUND
A sound, perhaps even
better as sound pressure, is
measured in decibels (dB). The
sound pressure of a normal
conversation at a distance of
one metre is 40 to 60 dB. So
far, no problem. In addition,
the ear can be exposed to
brief moments of sound
pressure above 120 dB without
permanent damage. However,
this kind of sound level can
already feel uncomfortable and
even hurt. It is the long-term
exposure to sound pressure
above 80 dB that can cause
permanent hearing damage.
Regular shooting without
hearing protection can
gradually damage the hair cells
in our inner ear, shot after
shot, and cause hearing loss.
Specifically, let us consider
the sound pressure of a shot
from a firearm. A single
shot from a rifle in calibre
.30-06 Springfield creates
sound pressure peaking at
up to 170 dB at a distance of
one metre. Even a .22 Long
Rifle rimfire cartridge still
produces more than 130 dB
of sound pressure. A 12ga
buckshot cartridge produces
150 dB of sound pressure, as
do most handgun calibres.
A morning on the geese or a
round of clay pigeon shooting
without hearing protection is
therefore already pernicious
for your ears. Let alone doing
this every week, year in, year
out. Exactly, hearing damage
occurs. And there is no way to
reverse this. Only to prevent it.
TYPES OF HEARING
PROTECTION
By now, the reason for
hearing protection is clear.
It is a must when handling
firearms, in the field or on
the shooting range. However,
there are lots of options for
protecting your hearing,
from simple and efficient
to high-tech custom-made
ones. Hearing protection
can be roughly divided into
two groups, earplugs, and
earmuffs. Both types ensure
that harmful sound pressure
is kept out of your inner ear.
Earplugs
Foam earplugs are the most
common and cheapest way to
protect your hearing. You roll
these between your thumb
and forefinger until they form
a thin rod that you insert
into your ear canal. Once in
place, the foam expands back,
completely sealing off the ear
canal. Silicone earplugs offer
an equivalent alternative.
These earplugs made of both
foam and silicone have a
limited number of uses. Solid
earplugs are also available and
much more durable. These
block the ear canal rather by
their conical shape than by
expansion as with the flexible
plugs. The biggest advantage
of earplugs is their very
small size and the fact that
they therefore do not get in
the way when shooting. On
the other hand, the feeling
of constantly having two
plugs in your ear canal is
not the most comfortable
when wearing them for
hours. Besides, it is difficult
to communicate with your
colleagues when wearing such
plugs.
Earmuffs
Earmuffs consist of two
caps, usually made of plastic,
lined with sound-absorbing
material, and connected to
a headband. Because you
wear these muffs over your
ears – there is nothing in
your ear canal like with
earplugs – these muffs are
much more comfortable
to wear. However, they are
much bulkier than plugs and
can therefore interfere with
shooting.
Active hearing
protection
The types of hearing
protection we have discussed
so far are passive protectors.
They mainly serve to block
out noise. Any sound. This
means that soft, non-harmful
sounds, such as animal noises,
but also the words of your
hunting buddy, are blocked
off. Not really useful when
you are out hunting together
with friends or want to hear
game approaching through
the thicket on a driven hunt.
This is precisely why advanced,
active types of hearing
protection were developed
earlier. This type of active,
electronic hearing protection,
available in both earplugs and
muffs, lets ‘normal’ sounds
through but filters and blocks
out harmful sounds. The next
step is hearing protection
that will even amplify
certain sounds. Think of it as
binoculars for your ears. Also
Hearing protection is like a good
pocket knife. It is best to have it on hand
constantly and it always comes in handy.
possible is hearing protection
that connects via bluetooth to
your mobile phone or a walkie
talkie. Totally luxurious are
active, electronic earplugs that
are completely custom-made
for your ear canal.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
The question is not ‘do you
want hearing protection?’,
but what type do you want?
The need to protect your
hearing as a hunter is obvious.
Everyone has an uncle,
grandfather or elderly hunting
friend who hears very badly, or
no longer. You don’t want this
for yourself, do you? Passive
hearing protection is the
bare minimum, while active
hearing protection offers so
many possibilities. Hearing
protection is like a good
pocket knife. It is best to have
it on hand constantly and it
always comes in handy. GTW
hearing protection
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