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Long Gun Home Defense

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
The AR-15 platform was born to protect—not to mention hunt, compete, plink and more. But consider this advice before you call on yours to defend your home and family.

Long Gun Home Defense

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Talyn said:
Yes, in all cases of home defense which includes being outdoors defending the home.
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I meant in the linked article....I tried to go again and nothing was mentioned on the topic of ear-pro. It was a 1-page article...maybe I'm unable to continue and go to page 2? Either way, I refuse to use my 5.56 rifle for HD, knowing that ear-pro is not a likely option. And I refuse to pay up front for a product for which I now have to wait a year to get...if and when it's approved, and I become first on the "list". Hell...posting here bumps me up on that list...
 
I kind of have them incorporated into my overall plan. I haven't done enough training with them to make it my primary, plus there are other platforms I think are better suited to HD, for me anyway. Bet ya can't guess what that is. :)

I don't worry that much about ear pro in HD weapons. A 30-06 is louder than an AR and I don't wear ear pro when I hunt. Auditory occlusion is a thing. The last thing I think anyone needs to be thinking about at 3 AM when they hear their front door shatter is putting a damn set of E muffs on.

Just my opinion and not intended to be advice for anyone other than me.
 
Bassbob said:
A 30-06 is louder than an AR and I don't wear ear pro when I hunt. Auditory occlusion is a thing.
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I'll bet you don't do a lot of your hunting indoors. ;)

And tinnitus is also a thing. So is permanent hearing damage. :eek:

My Dad wasn't a shooter, but he was a professional military and commercial pilot for decades before many people were paying very much attention to hearing damage. By the time he passed he was about 80 or 90 percent deaf. I don't want to go down that road. I want to keep on enjoying Tom Petty and Warren Zevon and Heart and many others my whole life. :cool:

My HD long gun is an M1 carbine. Yes that's an earsplitter out of a Ruger Blackhawk, but from a full-length M1 barrel it's much more bearable. It's not even close to 5.56 out of a 16" barrel. ;)
 
Snake45 said:
I'll bet you don't do a lot of your hunting indoors. ;)

And tinnitus is also a thing. So is permanent hearing damage. :eek:

My Dad wasn't a shooter, but he was a professional military and commercial pilot for decades before many people were paying very much attention to hearing damage. By the time he passed he was about 80 or 90 percent deaf. I don't want to go down that road. I want to keep on enjoying Tom Petty and Warren Zevon and Heart and many others my whole life. :cool:

My HD long gun is an M1 carbine. Yes that's an earsplitter out of a Ruger Blackhawk, but from a full-length M1 barrel it's much more bearable. It's not even close to 5.56 out of a 16" barrel. ;)
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I actually have mild tinnitus from years of standing in front of massive bass amps. I have also been indoors when a 5.56 was fired, multiple times. I also work daily in heavy equipment.

And I'm not saying protecting your hearing isn't important. I'm saying it isn't more important than addressing an immediate threat, immediately. If you have a way to don ear pro in a HD situation without compromising A) your ability to hear what's going on around you and B) your reaction time that's great. Are you training ( and training hard) to put on ear pro while simultaneously arming yourself from a state of sleep against a threat that could be less than 10 or 15 seconds from getting to you or your family ? I sure as hell hope you are if that's your plan.
 
I'm already damaged from years of Shipyard and Iron Working not to mention 50+years of shooting anything with a primer. Wifes' part is get the dog and dive for the bedroom tub. Not saying it won't happen, and not my first option, but I have a 7.62x39 AR hanging behind the bedroom door. If push comes to shove........ it's setup for home defense. Quality dot, bright light, sling with function I'd bet my life on and 20 round mags of 154gr soft points. It'll be loud but, I'd rather be deaf than dead.
 
Bassbob said:
I kind of have them incorporated into my overall plan. I haven't done enough training with them to make it my primary, plus there are other platforms I think are better suited to HD, for me anyway. Bet ya can't guess what that is. :)

I don't worry that much about ear pro in HD weapons. A 30-06 is louder than an AR and I don't wear ear pro when I hunt. Auditory occlusion is a thing. The last thing I think anyone needs to be thinking about at 3 AM when they hear their front door shatter is putting a damn set of E muffs on.

Just my opinion and not intended to be advice for anyone other than me.
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That's like saying a 44mag is louder than a 357mag? Sometimes it's not about the decibels, but the tone included. I can handle the boom of a 44mag, but the crack of a 357mag tears me up. A 308win isn't bad, but a 5.56's crack is horrible. If you have any questions about that just @10mmLife!:(
 
I've seen countless videos of thugs and police shootings where both used rifles and handguns without hearing protection in a shooting. I've watched live reality shows like The First 48 where criminals used rifles and AR/AK pistols with hearing protection. None seem to have gone deaf.

Perminate hearing loss and damage is usually cumulative and the result of long term exposure to loud nose over time.

In a life or death situation, I am not worried about ear pro or ear protection. I am worried about making it out alive. I plan on being successful and tipping the odds in my favor by prioritized having the most powerful and effective weapon possible over worrying about my hearing if and when my life is imminent jeopardy. That's just me personally and YMMV.
 
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TEXASforLIFE said:
That's like saying a 44mag is louder than a 357mag? Sometimes it's not about the decibels, but the tone included. I can handle the boom of a 44mag, but the crack of a 357mag tears me up. A 308win isn't bad, but a 5.56's crack is horrible. If you have any questions about that just @10mmLife!:(
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I know what 5.56 sounds like indoors.

Like I said, if someone has a plan that they train on that involves outfitting themselves with ear pro before encountering a home invader, more power to them. I think I'll have enough stuff to worry about.
 
WellArmed said:
I've seen countless videos of thugs and police shootings where both used rifles and handguns without hearing protection in a shooting. I've watched live reality shows like The First 48 where criminals used rifles and AR/AK pistols with hearing protection. None seem to have gone deaf.

Perminate hearing loss and damage is usually cumulative and the result of long term exposure to loud nose over time.

In a life or death situation, I am not worried about ear pro or ear protection. I am worried about making it out alive. I plan on being successful and tipping the odds in my favor by prioritized having the most powerful and effective weapon possible over worrying about my hearing if and when my life is imminent jeopardy. That's just me personally and YMMV.
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Just because you seen people shoot in videos doesn't mean the damage wasn't done. Have you seen follow up interviews with these same people discussing hearing loss?

I was exposed to a single 5.56 shot indoors in a more confined space and I was completely deaf for roughly a month. I was put on a Prednisone steroid and received hyperbaric oxygen therapy for 20 plus treatments and luckily my hearing came back with time. I have have two friends that were exposed to a single .357 mag going off next to them and now both have permanent tinnitus and slightly reduced hearing in one ear. Each individual is different and each instance is different but a few factors can cause more damage as decibels are amplified by wall types, calibers and other things.

I was lucky to get my hearing back and if I didn't seek treatment the next day I would most likely have advanced hearing loss today.

The ENT Dr (ear, nose, throat) I saw said that he has seen some patients never get their hearing back after only a single acute acoustic trauma experience and there's no exact science as to treat it.

If you have the option to protect your hearing I highly recommend you do it. Our bedrooms are on an upper level so have electronic ear pro next to the bed for a potential HD situation can give you two main adventures such as not going deaf and amplified hearing with the built in microphones.

Degenerative hearing loss doesn't have a set limit as to how much damage you'll receive nor do you finally use up all your hearing and then it goes out. Degenerative hearing loss can be a minor or huge reduction in your hearing ability happening all at once or in different phases of time.

Until you experience true hearing loss you won't really understand how bad it actually is.
 
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I live in an upper middle class suburban town and I have owned a AR-15 HBAR at one time. Not sure it would be my go to if I still had it(I don't anticipate shooting over 25 yards). I've owned a 44 Mag Marlin lever and now a 444 Marlin. I wouldn't feel bad about using them and I would bet, based on hunting experience, no one will get up after a CoM hit with the 444. Same with a shotgun slug too. In reality though, my XDs 45 with HSTs are my first go to.
 
SaltyMonkey said:
I would rather be deaf and alive. I will Not be outgunned by a criminal in my home.
You do you.
This guy has pretty informative videos.
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Garand Thumb does put out some entertaining videos but what makes him an HD expert?

Honestly if you watch Active Self Protection you'll get a more real world idea of what HD actually looks like as every video on that channel is real life footage of whatever violent encounter can happen. Being concerned over a type of sight in an HD environment is useless as you'll be most likely pointing and shooting at the threat anyway.

Even renowned world class shooter Jerry Michalak once stated self defense is not something he's an expert in as he trains for other reasons.

If you have the option why not preserve your life and hearing at the same time.

My main HD tool is a .300blk loaded with 240gr Cor-Bon topped with a .30cal suppressor.
 
10mmLife said:
Garand Thumb does put out some entertaining videos but what makes him an HD expert?

Honestly if you watch Active Self Protection you'll get a more real world idea of what HD actually looks like as every video on that channel is real life footage of whatever violent encounter can happen. Being concerned over a type of sight in an HD environment is useless as you'll be most likely pointing and shooting at the threat anyway.

Even renowned world class shooter Jerry Michalak once stated self defense is not something he's an expert in as he trains for other reasons.

If you have the option why not preserve your life and hearing at the same time.
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I’m basing my decision on what I have learned from a retired LEO friend. A well respected firearms Trainer, instructor, armorer and firearms aficionado in my area.
For my home a rifle is the best tool I could use.
If you’re preaching “safety” you’re preaching to the choir. I’m a retired “safety “ guy, I hear( pun intended) your point. However, when I’m faced with home invasion; hearing loss takes a back seat. Especially if it means defending my home with more “quiet” handgun. I’ll add in the edit. Everyone’s situation is different, I am only speaking of my situation.
 
SaltyMonkey said:
I’m basing my decision on what I have learned from a retired LEO friend. A well respected firearms Trainer, instructor, armorer and firearms aficionado in my area.
For my home a rifle is the best tool I could use.
If you’re preaching “safety” you’re preaching to the choir. I’m a retired “safety “ guy, I hear( pun intended) your point. However, when I’m faced with home invasion; hearing loss takes a back seat. Especially if it means defending my home with more “quiet” handgun.
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Handguns don't always equate to quieter anyway. Like I mentioned in my quoted post I'm using a .300blk so pistol caliber isn't my go to primary either.
 
I’ve mentioned this a few times before, but a while back, I had the chance to try out a variety of weapons indoors in a soon to be demolished house.

The least offensive unsupressed long guns were a 16” 9mm carbine running subsonics and a .357 lever action running .38 Special—also subsonic, with the .38’s being the quieter of the two by a fair margin.

This was judged simply by experience…but those two were not unpleasant with a single layer of earpro…where a 7.5” 5.56 was almost unbearable even with double earpro (and literally blew plaster off the ceiling).
 
10mmLife said:
Being concerned over a type of sight in an HD environment is useless as you'll be most likely pointing and shooting at the threat anyway.
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This is EXACTLY why I've been getting so heavily into replica airguns in the last year. My CO2/BB Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec and M1 Carbine replicate my house guns exactly. I can practice my point-shooting in my basement anytime I want regardless of weather--and for just pennies! ;) :cool:
 
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