Recommendations, experiences, and opinions appreciated. Need em' for the big boomers aka 454 Casull+500 mag, while hunting.

__________________
Sure you did

As in most things, get the best you can afford, but something is better than nothing. I bought a pair earlier this year from Academys for about $30.00 on sale. They worked okay, but were horrible as far as fit and comfort. Also, the on/off switch worked a bit too easily, and many times the battery had expired because the cans got rattled in the range bag. I just bought a pair on sale at Cabelas for $14.00. I haven't had a chance to try them at the range, but they are much more comfortable, lighter, and better designed than the previous ones. I'm thinking about going back for another set for my son.

Best of luck,

Dave

Our department bought 2 dozen pairs of these about a year ago for everyday range use by LEO's and we have been very pleased with them. The price is right at $20.00 and they've held up well, got 'em from Sportsmansguide



Here's the link directly to them:

Shooting Accessories, Ear Protection, Stereo Hearing Protection, By Guide Gear at Sportsman's Guide

__________________
- Change it back -

Sorry, where the !@#$%^&* are my manners? Try this:

Caldwell E-MAX Low Profile Electronic Earmuffs (NRR 23dB) Green - MidwayUSA

Regards,

Dave

Howdy,
I am on my third pair of e-muffs. The pair I have now are a little more expensive than the last two and are worth the extra money. They are Howard Leight brand and run in the $50.00 area but are far better than the cheaper ones I have owned. They have out lasted and out preformed the others also.
A person can spend a lot more and not get as much muff as the Howard Leight muffs. You can also spend a little less and not get near as much.
I use mine at least ten to twelve times a month and they just dont have the issues I had with the cheaper muffs.
Hope this helps
Mike

Howard Leight Sport tecs, $48 free shipping on amazon.

For range use they are great, you can hear people talk and the high DB cutout isn't noticable. Slimline, so they don't interfere with a cheekweld on long arms. The batteries that came with them lasted us through rifle deer season. 4 hr auto shutoff in case you forget to turn them off. Could hear leaves crunching underfoot and no wind distortion. If you are under overhead powerlines, you'll hear a buzz, don't know about electrical interference in an indoor range setup. I got two pair for the wife and I to hunt/shoot with and I'm not disappointed. They held up to the rigors of the hunt and even if they had not, they were still great for a range session. They also have an audio input jack so you can listen to a radio. Directional sense is very good with these. I knew which direction shots were coming from or where deer were running.

__________________
NRA Life Member

CJ are these the ones you are talking about?

Amazon.com: Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff: Sports & Outdoors

__________________
Garage Logician

Those are the ones Sam. Well worth the money.

__________________
NRA Life Member

I'm a bit surprised that a lot of these only have a NRR of 22 or so. I was told that you want to be in the 27 to 30db NRR area to avoid hearing loss if you are shooting a lot.

A friend and I each bought a set of Caldwell cheapies back when Harbor Freight was selling them for a song. They worked, but the electronics cut out for far too long and you cannot follow conversations. They also picked up a lot of interference, constantly chirping what I call chipmunk noise.

I replaced mine with a pair of Peltor 6S muffs after a year of that. Superior electronics. No chipmunk noise and the cut out is very fast making conversation easy. Shortly after I replaced my Caldwells, my buddy replaced his with the same Peltor 6S that I got. After 11.5 months the electronics in his left ear died. He had them repaired under warranty. After 13 months, my right ear died. I took them apart and found a bad connection in a micro plug that I repaired myself.

The Peltor muffs are low profile and condensate from sweat builds up in them quickly. I store them shell back to shell back so that they can dry between uses. If I have been out on a hot day and sweated a lot, I remove the pads, dry them out with a towel and let them sit with the pads off until they dry. If you don't dry them, the electronics will corrode.

Peltor SportTrac here - works nicely and no troubles with quality

I have purchased two sets of Redians Electronic ear protectors within the last 14 months. Both sets had the left ear piece stop working, after the warranty expired. (90 day warranty).

These were purchased from Sportman Warehouse in Tuson Az and they only referred me to the manufacture warranty.

Redians stands with their 90 day warranty PERIOD.

When they were working they worked great, but now only one side works.

I figured wrongly that when the first set failed it would be a fluke but when the second set failed in the same ear piece ( left)???????????

I will not purchased anything else from Redians.

__________________
Semper FI

If you can afford to go first clas, then PRO EARS is it. I use them for officiating and competing in IDPA and USPSA. I hear better with them on than without, and the switching circuits are extremely fast.

Peltor is another brand often seen on competitors.

Many of the cheap brands wind up in the trash after a match or two.

Peltor, but the thinner ones only have a NRR of 22, so I also wear the custom ear plugs as well. You can still hear pretty well because the electronic muffs amplify the sound.

As mentioned earlier, the higher the NRR number, the better off you are fo damage.

Take it from an old shooter, if I had it to do over again, I would buy the absolute best that I could and still wear plugs. I have suffered a lot of loss through being in construction and shooting. Once it's gone, there ain't no bringing it back.......what? "Huh?" "I'm sorry I didn't hear that."

I've used the original issue Remington R2000 stereo "thinmuff" electronic earmuffs since they came out . . . probably about seven years ago. They cost $99.97 back then, at Wally World, and used one "N" battery per muff. The new ones use "AAA" batteries, have longer battery life, and are a lighter green vs. the olive green of mine (pictured below). I wear 'em over my head mask/hunting ball cap.



They still work great. As a matter of fact, I used 'em twice today while in my deer stands.

Nothing was moving this morning, then finally I heard something working its way out of a bottom about 90 yards away. It turned out to be four fox squirrels romping around . . . no deer today. But still . . . NINETY YARDS. They give me the ears of a young boy again!

Yes, they render a great stereo sound image and I've found that image to be quite accurate, in relation to my natural hearing, in precisely triangulating where game is coming from. Basically, it sounds as "normal" . . . only the game is much further away than without the ear muffs.

I once had just gotten in a stand on morning when I heard a deer running towards me, probably 40 yards away and closing fast! Wow, I'd JUST sat down. I whipped up the .44 Magnum, knowing I might have a really fast shot . . . or no chance at all . . .

It turns out I'd forgotten I was wearing the R2000 muffs . . . and the deer closing fast was still about 90 yards out. Yep, my fast motions got his attention FAST, and he spun and bolted before I could get a shot!

Other than this one time, I've truly enjoyed them a lot . . . and that one error was MY fault, not the muffs.

BEST OF ALL . . . they protect your ears against muzzle blast when I'm hunting with my 6" barreled M29 (or shotgun, or .270, etc.).

I feel like they've given me back my six year old ears again!!!

Tom

+1 regarding Pro Ears. have used mine for four years for Sporting Clays, general target shooting and hunting without any problems. Great product.