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Thread: Trouble hearing steel hits

  1. #1

    Trouble hearing steel hits

    I shot my second Steel Challenge match yesterday. I missed way too often but my problem is most of the time I can't hear the steel ring. So I don't know that I missed. I am 69 and I know my ears are lacking in the higher frequencies. I am using the common dark green Howard Leight light electronic muffs. I can adjust the volume but that seems to bring the backround and the shot volume up or down more or less equally. Are there better electronic muffs? I wonder if they cancel the shot noise and then there is a delay going back to normal so it also cancels the steel ring. Ideas guys please.

  2. #2
    What caliber were you shooting?
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter Jay585's Avatar
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    As someone who was born hearing impaired (as in, learned sign language and was mainstreamed with a sign language interpreter) this subject is of great interest to me.

    I can hear hits on steel, if I am pretty close and not shooting so fast that the gunfire muddles the sound of hit steel. Visual results work far better than auditory for me. If I’m shooting at something more than 7 yards away (the furthest out I can hear steel hits) I have to ask a range buddy for confirmation of hits.

    I wear two hearing aids, which I leave on if wearing my old-school foam hearing protectors, or I turn off and go without muffs if I have to shoot rifles (or loan the muffs to a friend who has hearing). The custom molds act like custom made hearing plugs when turned off.
    "Well you know, it's a toolbox. You put the tools in for the job." Sam

  4. #4
    Member Zincwarrior's Avatar
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    Are you hitting the targets? If so, trust your shooting, not the sound.

  5. #5
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    I don't know if this is allowed in every match, but I have seen a spotter calling out hits to the shooter. Depending on how fast you are going, that may or may not be helpful.

    As said above, if you are getting the hits, it doesn't really matter if you hear them all.

  6. #6
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    Call you shots with you eyes, not your ears. Tune in to your eyes and where you are on target as the sights lift. If they were on target, you hit, move on.

    Or you can go to a doctor and see about hearing aids and that kind of stuff....
    A71593

  7. #7
    Member Zincwarrior's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nwhpfan View Post
    Call you shots with you eyes, not your ears. Tune in to your eyes and where you are on target as the sights lift. If they were on target, you hit, move on.

    Or you can go to a doctor and see about hearing aids and that kind of stuff....
    Exactly. Fast shooters I have seen call their shots because they are moving too fast and waiting to hear would slow them down.

  8. #8
    Shooting 9mm. I agree seeing the hits would be nice but unless I am one of the first 2-3 shooters at a stage, there are so many hits on the steel already, that is hard to do. But I think you are saying look at the sights as the shot breaks, not to actually see the mark on the steel right? I sure would like to think I can trust my shooting and actually that is mostly what I do. But, hey, I miss some times. And unfortunately I usually only find out about the misses when the scores are published. I would like to be able to better realize I missed so I can go back rather than just getting the penalty. I am pretty sure, even at my skill level, going back for a second shot will be better than the 3 second penalty. Are more expensive electronic muffs likely to be better, maybe quicker reacting?

  9. #9
    Site Supporter taadski's Avatar
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    The short of the matter is if you're looking for hits on the steel itself or listening for a 'ding', you're training yourself to do it wrong. Like nwhpfan mentioned, focus on learning to see the front sight lift the instant the shot breaks. The location it lifts from is where the shot will go. This is different than guaranteeing a hit, but it will allow you to SEE a miss as soon as it happens (and allow you to make it up) without having to wait for the noise on the steel. This is the end game.

    FWIW, shooting steel extensively can actually hinder people's shot calling development when new to the concept b/c it reinforces relying on the noise instead of what they see. Not being able to hear the steel ring could be considered an advantage in this respect. Don't worry too much about the noise but TURN UP the volume of your vision.

  10. #10
    Member Zincwarrior's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taadski View Post
    The short of the matter is if you're looking for hits on the steel itself or listening for a 'ding', you're training yourself to do it wrong. Like nwhpfan mentioned, focus on learning to see the front sight lift the instant the shot breaks. The location it lifts from is where the shot will go. This is different than guaranteeing a hit, but it will allow you to SEE a miss as soon as it happens (and allow you to make it up) without having to wait for the noise on the steel. This is the end game.

    FWIW, shooting steel extensively can actually hinder people's shot calling development when new to the concept b/c it reinforces relying on the noise instead of what they see. Not being able to hear the steel ring could be considered an advantage in this respect. Don't worry too much about the noise but TURN UP the volume of your vision.
    I have my first fixed steel (vs. falling steel) coming up and this is helpful.

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