Is hearing protection needed with a suppressor?

[Safari Dave]

I got a set of Caldwell E-Max Shadows Pro recently.

I've had a set of Walkers.


Having no sense of direction of sound really bothers me when hunting.


Is there something much better?

If so, I'll try it!

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

I also have a set of walkers and tried other
U lose the direction of the sound and this is very important
I rely a lot on my ears while hunting with clients and the direction the sound came from is very important

I use protection at the range out in field not really (fingers in ear work well)

 

[112Savage]

One thing that nobody really talks about is bone conduction of sound. If you have a true hearing test, they place a speaker probe on your skull (mastoid process) behind your ear to test your ability to hear through conduction. Suppressors are the only hearing protection device that mitigates sound that can be conducted through bones. With a muzzle brake or a bare muzzle and even the best ear plugs the concussion is still conducted through bones to your ears.

Long story short, OP the suppressed 308 with no ear pro is still better than an unsuppressed rifle with ear plugs

 

[Challer]

I would say always now. Electronics have just gotten too good to ignore

 

[bowjijohn]

One thing that nobody really talks about is bone conduction of sound. If you have a true hearing test, they place a speaker probe on your skull (mastoid process) behind your ear to test your ability to hear through conduction. Suppressors are the only hearing protection device that mitigates sound that can be conducted through bones. With a muzzle brake or a bare muzzle and even the best ear plugs the concussion is still conducted through bones to your ears.

Long story short, OP the suppressed 308 with no ear pro is still better than an unsuppressed rifle with ear plugs

I had this very conversation with an ENT surgeon who happens to be a shooter and hunter

He is of the opinion that higher frequencies- those between 4 and 6 KHz and more harmful to hearing- are suppressed by the bone pathway when considering ‘bone conduction’

Interesting

I spent a life time shooting unsuppressed rifles without ear defenders so I endure a bit of noise induced hearing loss, which together with a bit of presbicusis (sp?) renders me a bit ‘mutton’

‘Mutton Jeff’ ?

Deaf

 

[Challer]

I have built 2 ENT medical device companies and exited them. I know hundreds of ENT surgeons. If you aren't using hearing protection today, you are losing your hearing and may induce tinnitus.

 

[bowjijohn]

I have built 2 ENT medical device companies and exited them. I know hundreds of ENT surgeons. If you aren't using hearing protection today, you are losing your hearing and may induce tinnitus.

He says the same thing

 

[Sourdough]

I tried Walkers (in ear), still have them somewhere. Didn't like them.

Settled on these which I really like and do allow me to know which direction the sound is coming from.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/peltor-tactical-earplugs.html

 

[Kalthoff]

I have never fired a rifle with a suppressor before. A few years ago I had an incident that left me with permanent ringing in one ear. When I go to RSA next June I will be using my PH's .308 with a suppressor on it. Will I need to use hearing protection while hunting? TIA.

YES

When can noise damage our hearing?​

Our ears are constantly exposed to sounds, some of which can be damaging.

Noise above 140 decibels, like a loud explosion, can lead to acute hearing loss. If the sound waves damage the eardrum, the middle ear and/or the inner ear, it is known as an acoustic trauma. This kind of damage is usually temporary, but some hearing loss may be permanent.

Chronic hearing loss can also be caused by less loud sounds (about 90 dB and above) if someone is regularly exposed to them. Examples include hearing impairments caused by listening to loud music a lot (for example, through headphones), or working with pneumatic drills without enough ear protection.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390300/

A centerfire rifle such as .308W generates around 155-165 dB depending on the type of ammunition etc.
https://earinc.com/gunfire-noise-level-reference-chart/

A good suppressor removes around 35 dB
https://www.blaser.de/en/produkte/blaser-schalldaempfer/blaser-over-barrel-schalldaempfer/

The largest high quality over-ear hearing protection removes 25-30 dB under ideal situations, less so when worn with glasses or a bad fit to your hear. The slimline models remove less.
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v000253789/