Recommend hearing protection please

[gfmun]

I prefer the molded earplugs. These are made with the Insta-mold process so they are molded to your ear. They are very comfortable and can be worn for hours without any problems. I had mine made at a match in Shreveport and got so excited about them that my partner and I have become providers. They have a NRR rating of 28.9 without filters.

I have worn several of the electronic muffs, with Peltors being my favorite. What I don't like about them is they press against my eyeglass frames and make my ears sore. Also when it is hot, they are very uncomfortable to wear. I could wear them shooting rifle but not shotgun as they banged on the stock.

thanks,
George

[OldCannon]

Sordin MSA if you got the $$$$

Nope, still the Howard Leights. Let me write (more than) a few words here and say why:

This thread it timely for me. At last weekend's 3-gun match in Liberty Hill, I was on the last stage (which was rifle-only ). I was wearing foam plugs and over-the-ear covers, as I normally do, but this time things were different. We had to engage 5 targets (2 shots each) at 10 yards, then lie prone and engage 3 targets at 200 yards, then 3 more at _500_ yards. Because it was timed and I wanted to make sure I hit the targets at 200 so I might get a small chance of hitting the ones at 500, I took off my outer ear protectors. My rifle was a Steyr AUG A3 with a 1-4x GRSC scope. With a 10mph crosswind and shooting 5.56mm, I knew hitting the 500 yard targets would require time and patience.

Anybody that has shot in matches knows that you should mentally work out a "battle plan" for each stage -- you mentally go through the process of how fast you engage each target and how to transition between (reloads, positioning, etc.). I knew I had to operate as fast as possible so that I had time for the 500 yard targets (max engagement time was 120 seconds). I got into the ready position and the timer buzzed. I _very rapidly_ started pouring 10 rounds into the near targets.

I didn't know my left foam plug had fallen out, somehow in the process of raising my rifle to firing position.

You'd think I'd have stopped after the first shot, but I was firing rapidly, and the full physical feedback didn't "arrive" until about shots 5 or 6. By this time, my left ear had endured hearing the muzzle blast from about 18" away (maybe a little less -- for those of you that don't know, the Steyr AUG is an amazingly accurate bullpup rifle). The amount of pain I was in was unimaginable...I was seeing blurry, double vision and lost all sensation in the left side of my face except for the massive pain in my inner ear. I got the plug reinserted, but I had no significant feedback that I had inserted it correctly due to the numbness. I knew I could stop the timer and re-run the stage for safety reasons, but this wasn't the kind of thing that you just pick back up on. I managed to finish the near target engagements and hit one 200yd target, but I think that was on blind, instinctive luck.

The pain and numbness lasted for several days. To prevent more pain from external sounds, I was wearing a passive ear protector on my left ear until 2 days ago. Doctor said there was no visible exterior damage and that my eardrum was very healthy, but we both agreed my inner ear took a nasty beating. All he could recommend was quiet and some anti-inflammatories, and he wanted me to check back in about a month the see if I needed additional care.

Even now, some sounds cause pain. Like my wife talking (just kidding, sweetie ), but I'm definitely mending.

So why such a long story to all this? Because I've spent a solid 4 days researching this. Lots of brands/models went on the list (Pro Ears, Sordin[now "MSA"], Peltor, Howard Leight, etc.). None of them got BAD reviews, but I started tracking which ones were getting more good reviews (and weighting reviews this year higher than reviews in previous years, since this specific technology has changed a LOT in the last 5 years), then comparing _why_. The Howard Leight's won hands down.

I'm not saying the MSA's are worse. I've never owned a pair, so it's unfair to say they're bad. What I _am_ saying is you can go through 4 Howard Leight's before you come even close to the price of comparable MSAs, and there are no features that the MSAs possess that would justify the difference.

[Pawpaw]

If you want to, you can hook them up & listen to your MP3 player while you shoot.

You mean I can listen to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns and Roses while I shoot!?

I prefer "Beer For My Horses" by Toby Keith & Willie Nelson.

[lrb111]

I wear earplugs at least 8 hours a day, for sleep. Then add being around machinery, shooting, and being on the range, for quite a bit more.

The Hearos can be purchased at WalMart. I buy the Winchester branded Hearos @ a published rating of 32db nrr.

A few tips, take them out of the package and put them in something airtight like a pill bottle. They will last much longer, and retain their elasticity much better.

When putting them in, roll them down in size. Then pull on the plug from both ends to make it skinnier.
As you pull your ear for insertion, put the plug in your mouth and slightly wet it. It will go in much more smoothly, and as the plug returns to it's original shape any wrinkles will come out. In a short period the moisture drys and serves to aid the latex in sealing.
Wetting it like that improves the sound protection dramatically.

You can test this for yourself. Put in both ear plugs normally. Listen to a constant audio source, like music, tv, etc. Then remove one plug, re-roll it, wet it and reinsert. Give it a minute or two.

An added benefit is the plug retains some of it's tackiness as well as the wet sealing. Plugs are way less prone to falling out. I probably have one fall out during sleep, about once a year. To me that is an indicator that I have gotten the maximum use out it.

fwiw, this method works with the conical Hearos, but will not work near as well with the "open cell" type straight cylinder plugs.
hth..

[RHenriksen]

Something that's not getting as much currency here is a good set of non-electronic muffs. I recently upgraded my low-tech muffs to these and have been happy w. both the comfort and noise reduction:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009 ... ss_product" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only $20. I mostly shoot indoors, and double up w. foam plugs as well.

I've put a set of the Howard Leight electronic muffs on my christmas list, though. Thank for the recommendation, Charles. I'm definitely going to wind up doing some IDPA soon, so I know they'll come in handy.

[74novaman]

My cheap, low grade solution is to double up. I wear ear plugs, and put some cheap academy bought ear muffs over them. I've used this combo in indoor and outdoor with both pistol and rifle and never had a problem.

[Pawpaw]

The only problem with using plugs + passive muffs is that you can't hear when someone is speaking to you. This would make taking instruction difficult and could compromise your safety on the range.

If you double up with plugs and electronic muffs, you may be able to turn the volume up enough to, at least partially, overcome the plugs enough to hear some things.

Don't get me wrong. I believe everyone should stick with what works for them. I just prefer the electronic muffs. I will sometimes also use plugs on an indoor range, but don't find it necessary outdoors.

[Dave2]

The only problem with using plugs + passive muffs is that you can't hear when someone is speaking to you. This would make taking instruction difficult and could compromise your safety on the range.

Am I the only one who doesn't have this problem? Yeah, sure, their voice is super quiet, but so is everything else. The only time I have trouble is when I'm with a certain friend of mine who's normal talking voice is a borderline whisper. Maybe it's just because I work in a loud environment and have to talk to people while I'm wearing earplugs all the time.

[10Shooter]

The only time I have had an issue with Howard Leights was when I was running a Boy Scout Shotgun shoot as the range master.
I wanted to make sure to be able to hear the boys or adults if there was a problem, so I had the volume turned way up almost max. But, that in turned caused the manual pigeon throwers to sound extremely loud almost painful!!
Solution, double up on protection. I used some double flanged rubber ear plugs I have when I worked on jets on the flight line from my days in the Air Force. Worked like a champ.
I'm sure foam plugs would have worked as well.

The plugs muffled the thrower, but I could still hear the boys when they asked questions.

Also to respond to another reply. I wear glasses, I have no problem wearing the Howard Leights for hours on time.

But, my ears do get hot in our "mild" Texas summers.

[yerasimos]

I use an earlier version of these electronic muffs together with Howard Leight corded polyurethane plugs. The electronic muffs are necessary for hearing range commands in instructional and competition settings and maintaining situational awareness when shooting by oneself in isolated areas.

In my experience, using plugs and muffs together is especially helpful when doing retention shooting at targets only a few inches away from the face. Shooting at a cardboard target under these circumstances (paper targets quickly become unusable) produces a lot of uncomfortable backblast, and blocking out as much of the sound as possible makes such practice much more tolerable.

For eye protection, I always use eyewear with a flexible fabric headband; glasses with hard earstems interfere with a good seal between head and muffs. A ballcap will prevent brass from getting behind the eyewear.

[74novaman]

The only problem with using plugs + passive muffs is that you can't hear when someone is speaking to you. This would make taking instruction difficult and could compromise your safety on the range.

Am I the only one who doesn't have this problem? Yeah, sure, their voice is super quiet, but so is everything else. The only time I have trouble is when I'm with a certain friend of mine who's normal talking voice is a borderline whisper. Maybe it's just because I work in a loud environment and have to talk to people while I'm wearing earplugs all the time.

I don't seem to have trouble with it either. If anything, it increases my awareness. I may not be able to hear as well, so I'm far more inclined to be hyper observant of everything and everyone else on the firing line. But I've talked to people with both on. Worse case scenario, you pull the muffs off to converse and still have a little hearing protection.

[RHenriksen]

The only problem with using plugs + passive muffs is that you can't hear when someone is speaking to you. This would make taking instruction difficult and could compromise your safety on the range.

Am I the only one who doesn't have this problem? Yeah, sure, their voice is super quiet, but so is everything else. The only time I have trouble is when I'm with a certain friend of mine who's normal talking voice is a borderline whisper. Maybe it's just because I work in a loud environment and have to talk to people while I'm wearing earplugs all the time.

Me, neither. Sometimes I have to pull a muff off my ear so I can hear, but that's only occasionally.

[Excaliber]

The most important thing about ear protection is the level of protection for the ear. This is expressed as a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) number. The higher the number, the better the protection.

The Howard Leight brand is my favorite as well. As Charles said, they're extremely comfortable. I like the concept of the electronic muffs too, but all the ones I've looked at have a significantly lower NRR rating than the passive ones I use, which carry an NRR rating of 33. This is the highest I've found.

Unless I need to be doing a lot of conversing with folks around me, I wear a gel filled reusable in the ear set under the outer muffs too. This greatly reduces discomfort in indoor ranges and when firing high powered rifles.

[RECIT]

I double up with in the ear foam plugs and inexpensive over the ear muffs where ever I go. But indoor ranges still have a sharp crack, so I am going to looking to the Howard Leights everyone has spoke so highly of.

On a side note I wish there was an indoor range in Houston that let rifles come out to play.

[Blinking Dog]

Sordin MSA if you got the $$$$

+1

I tried a version of the Peltor, don't recall which model, but it was ~$99 and didn't work well. Sent those back and got MSA/Sordins. Yes, they are expensive, but I think my hearing is worth it. They work great. I wanted an electronic version because I attend training from time to time and when you are on a firing line, and your instructor is behind you cracking wise, you want to hear what is going on. The electronic muffs help in that regard.

I am interested in an in-ear canal version as well, which would be better for rifle shooting I think. But those are very expensive if you want good electronic versions.