Back in the day, I'm 79 years old, we didn't know any better. Some like myself used cotton balls which helped some but in actuality were totally useless. I shot .22s at age 11 to learn to shoot and did my first deer hunt on Labor Day weekend that same year. (1949) Hearing protection? Never heard of it, no pun intended.
When older cotton balls at the range but it was not until 1974 that I got a pair of muffs as a birthday present from my kids. I'd been shooting a Remington 660 .308 with 20" barrel and stiff loads using H335. The muzzle blast was so bad that I was flinching badly and the gun kicked like a very PO'ed mule. I was surprised as hell that I didn't miss my deer that year due to the flinch.
Well I tried the muffs and wow, where did the kick go? Been using them ever since.
These days I use a set that I can turn on or off at the range plus plugs. I use them on my hunts as well as they act like hearing aids, not to mention they do a great job keeping my ears warm.
That's the good news. The bad is it's gone into Meniers disease (vertigo) and I'm almost totally deaf in my right ear,lost 90 percent in the high frequency range in both and only have maybe 50 percent left in the left ear.
Not all damage was from shooting though. Worked in an industry where I used an air hammer similar to those used in breaking up concrete and streets. Loud as hell and no protection. OSHA hadn't struck there yet. Probably didn't even exit in 1966. Loud live rock concerts probably didn't help matter either.
Not being able to hear ain't fun. I'm doing the best I can to keep what little I have left.
Paul B.
