Dumbest Gun Advice You've Ever Heard

Saw a guy shooting probably a whole box of ammo through a .45 this weekend... without hearing protection. Sometimes stupid actions speak louder than stupid words.

Maybe not the most stupid, but probably the most common I hear, at least associated with home or personal defense, is the bit about the shotgun: "man all yuh gotta do is rack that slide....you don't even need to have a shell in it. If somebody's around they won't be there for long. Duh huh huh."
I hate hearing that crap.
Also heard a customer at the LGS last week make reference to some particular ammo that could "kill someone over and over"......as the gun shop owner said...."Well, wouldn't you just be wasting ammo? You only need to kill them once."

Yep. I had a guy walk up to the John's Mountain WMA Range when I was the only one out there shooting. I stopped shooting because he didn't have any hearing protection on and offered him a pair of disposable foam earplugs. He kindly declined and proceeded to collect brass people had left on the range. I helped him pick up brass because I didn't want to keep shooting while he didn't have hearing protection on and wanted to get back to my range time. Some people are crazy!

I've actually made it a habit to, when I go to the range, fire at lest one or two rounds without hearing protection, to get used to it. Why? Well, in the event I have to use my home defense gun, I won't have time to put on HP, so I'd like to be prepared for the effect, rather than feel like I got hid with a flashbang.

In the event you need to use your weapon in a HD situation, the seriousness of the situation and the accompanying adrenaline rush will overwhelm/overcome any noise-induced issues. You will be in a life & death situation.

In my opinion (note: opinion), you are risking premature and permanent hearing loss by continuing to expose yourself needlessly to gun shot noise. You already know what a gun shot sounds like without hearing protection; it is loud and it hurts, and it happens every time you pull the trigger. Tinnitus is not a joke... I know, I have it. At the very least, if you insist on doing this, do yourself a favor and get an annual hearing loss test.

A fair assessment. I gues I probably HAVE had enough experience with it that it shouldn't be an issue any more.

This. Ultimately wearing hearing protection is a personal decision, but considering a single gun shot without hearing protection could cause permanent ear drum damage, I'm not too inclined to try shooting without it.

That's about where I was at, but then I realized: I know how a gun works, and I know what happens when I pull the trigger, but I wasn't personally prepared for the aural assault of a gun shot without protection. I wanted to be sure that sound wouldn't surprise or disorient me.

I haven't done research myself... but a guy I know (that knows A LOT about guns) told me that Glock C models are MUCH louder than regular models... and in enclosed places (such as hallways during home protection) there could be significant physical affects associated with the increased decibels. Disorientation being one of them... Not something you want to have in a home defense life or death situation. Even though I haven't done the research on this particular subject, I think it makes sense... why else would people use flash bang grenades?

Granted I don't have the personal experience, but those I have spoken to who have actually fired a gun in self-defense usually don't even remember really hearing the shots. As the adrenaline ramps, up, your body will tend to filter out sensory input it does not view as relevant to your immediate survival.

Perhaps to an extent... ask the BG if his body filtered out the flash bang I may take some time this weekend and do some research on this subject, it's peaked my interest!

It's a slightly different principle. Yes, a gunshot is loud, but it's missing the "flash" component that a stun grenade produces. The actual flash produced by a stun grenade is somewhere along the magnitude of a million candela. The flash blindness, coupled with the auditory disruption of the "bang" is what leads to the disorienting effect of a stun grenade. Incidentally, a gunshot typically ranges from about 140db to about 165db depending on caliber. A flash bang can easily hit 180db.

Like I said, I haven't experienced gunfire in close quarters while under heavy adrenaline, but I've spoken to people who have, and I'm just reporting their experience. :shrug:

Let me know what you find! As pointed out earlier, prolonged exposure is bad for you, so I don't think I'll be doing that much anymore, seeing as I already have experience with it.

Agreed. Thank you for your inputs. I look forward to learning more about this subject. Once I do some research, maybe I'll start another thread on the subject.

Woo! Thank you for validating my vague recollection of decibel levels! I guess I'll remember never to rely on a .357 with a muzzle brake on an 18" barrel for home defense.

On a serious note though, this quote from the bottom is exactly why I wear ear protection.