Don’t Be Deaf, Dumb & Blind

Advice from an Old-Timer on The Best Ways to Protect Your Eyes and Hearing on the Shooting Range

by T. “Charlie” Allen

When I was just starting my career more than 35 years ago, most of us didn’t pay much attention to eye and ear protection on the firing range. Sure, we had eye and ear pro, but it was more optional than mandatory. Most of the time, I used ear pro more out of an abundance of caution than actually believing it was important. I even remember some old-timers on the range picking up spent 45 brass casings and using them for earplugs!

I think about that now, and can’t believe that I didn’t catch on to the fact that most of these guys couldn’t teach basic recruits in the classroom, simply because they couldn’t hear them. They were experts in their field and incredible marksmen, but their careless attitude towards eye and ear protection had taken its toll. 

Today, we know the damage that prolonged shooting without appropriate protection causes. Tinnitus (aka “ringing in the ears”) and hearing loss are permanent conditions. You can’t change either once they get started. Sure, you can get hearing-aids, but they can cost thousands of dollars. And they do help a lot for people with serious hearing loss, but no hearing aid will rid you of tinnitus. It’s permanent and irreversible.

Eye protection is equally important. We’re handling manmade devices that use an explosion to propel a projectile from your hands. True, the explosion is controlled and the projectile is guided by the use of a barrel, but these devices are all prone to malfunctions and error. Take a look at YouTube and you’ll see any number of weapon malfunctions. Dozens of videos show exploding barrels or other serious accidents, all of which can be extremely dangerous, if not catastrophic.    

I don’t have any spare eyeballs lying around in case I get a piece of brass casing in my eye. I know a guy who experienced firsthand a pistol malfunction that sent the barrel flying off the frame and into another firing lane. The resulting explosion caused significant injury to one of his hands. Fortunately, he recovered without surgery, but he still had to go through months of physical therapy.

One of the worst things about his accident was that, when the explosion occurred, a large chunk of metal was expelled straight back at his eyes. Absent his safety glasses, he almost certainly would’ve lost an eye. Not surprisingly, he’s now an outspoken advocate for hearing and eye protection.

Proper eye and ear pro isn’t complicated, either. The cost for both can be less than a box of quality pistol ammo. Electronic ear protection is great if you can afford it, but not a necessity. I’ve used plain old “passive” ear protection for years, i.e. just your average non-electronic earmuffs.

In recent times, most professional shooters, instructors, and people who are exposed to firearms or very loud environments on a regular basis have started “doubling up.” This is simply the practice of inserting an actual earplug, or what we call “softies”, into the ear canal. Softies are soft foam or sponge-like disposable earplugs.

When used in conjunction with passive or electronic earmuffs, they provide a greater level of protection than either the muffs or softies can provide, alone. I have personally found that passive earmuffs can, in many cases, provide a greater level of protection than the electronic earmuffs. So, if cost is the deciding factor in your selection, keep in mind that passive earmuffs can be both very cheap and highly effective.

If your budget allows for electronic earmuffs -- go for it! I like them because you can still hear conversations and range instructions clearly without removing them. But I still recommend doubling up with the disposable earplugs, as well.

Likewise, good eye protection doesn’t have to be expensive. Acrylic glasses provide protection from blast and brass. But let’s be honest here, eye pro isn’t meant to 100% protect against everything that’s expelled missile-like toward your eyes. It would be near impossible to guard against all projectiles. Eye pro at its most basic can redirect the object or slow it down enough that its impact to the eye is less than what it would have been absent some intervention.

Additionally, many people (myself included) wear eyeglasses. Glasses in and of themselves do offer some protection. But unless those glasses are made from polycarbonate, you’re still taking unnecessary chances. 

Polycarbonate is specifically designed to protect from shrapnel and eye injuries. It’s a very hard, clear material. But it does scratch easily, so be sure to carry them in some sort of protective case. A cheaper alternative to polycarbonate is acrylic. Acrylic also scratches easily, but it’s a lot cheaper, and still offers very good eye pro. 

You only have two eyes and two ears in this life, so you best take good care of them. It’s cheap and easy to protect yourself while shooting, so there’s simply no excuse not to do it. When you reach my age, you’ll be very glad you did.

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