Originally Posted by
Howler
Fact of the matter is that ANY rifle being fired without hearing protection is going to damage your hearing. Some worse than others, but they all damage your hearing when you don't wear hearing protection.
You are correct, I wear protection with a .22 when I'm target shooting. But if you've ever been behind both a bolt gun and a brake-equipped rifle, you would understand my point. Most people don't try to get plugs in when hunting with a normal rifle, 1-3 shots/yr without protection won't do much to you. A single shot from an AR will have your ears ringing for ten minutes.