Forgot ear pro once

Thought I'd shoot just a few rounds and I didn't bother with hearing protection. The ringing lasted almost a week!

One time, I shot a short-barreled gun indoors, and I'll never forget it. That ringing in your ears is a warning! I always keep extra foam earplugs in every bag and even in my truck.

DO NOT just stuff some cleaning patches or cigarette filters in your ears, even for a couple of rounds - ASK ME HOW I KNOW! Years ago, I was out shooting with a friend down in Texas, in a caliche pit on his land. About the time we were packing things up to leave, he said, "Oh, almost forgot to shoot my new .357!" My headset was zipped up inside one of the range bags, so like an idiot, I just stuffed some cleaning patches in my ears, like I did when I was a kid shooting .22s. After all, he was just going to pop off six rounds, so no big deal, right? BIG MISTAKE. That was in the fall of one year, and the ringing in my ears didn't stop 'til the next spring.

My uncle did the same thing with cigarette filters before firing a .44 Magnum once. He still sleeps with a white noise machine because of the ringing in his ears

I did that exact thing with a .357 indoors. The ringing stuck around for days and now I keep backup ear pro in every bag, every vehicle, every jacket pocket..