Hearing protection

[Scotiapilot]

What are you guys using for hearing protection?
Its too dang hot to use the Honeywell impacts for 3 hours at a time. I am thinking of doing a custom set.

Possible the Walker Razor XV?

 

[elpac3]

Go with a pair of foam insert plugs. Custom fit when they expand, most have an NRR of around 33.

For added protection, you can add a set of muffs.

 

[Rpg]

Foam inserts are great.

I keep a bottle of them in my shooting bag, often to give to new shooters I'm teaching.

I also have a couple sets of custom molded ear plugs for me. These were formed by the tech filling my ear canals with a viscis sylicon substance that cured in about 15 minutes. The are thus custom formed to my ears. I bought them at a gunshow about 20 years ago. They cost about $35.00 per pair.

I haven't used muffs in many, many years.

 

[Scotiapilot]

Go with a pair of foam insert plugs. Custom fit when they expand, most have an NRR of around 33.

For added protection, you can add a set of muffs.

I need electronic to hear voice commands and reactive targets.

 

[MWC2068]

Try Sound Gear from House of Hearing, a lot of shooters around here use them and the owner of the store is a shooter also. A bit more expensive than what you may have been looking for but well worth the cost.

 

[Scotiapilot]

Try Sound Gear from House of Hearing, a lot of shooters around here use them and the owner of the store is a shooter also. A bit more expensive than what you may have been looking for but well worth the cost.

That is a great find thank you. I have trip to st George in two weeks.

You shoot here in AZ? BASF? Cactus league?

 

[Al W.]

I use a set of custom in ear plugs that cover the outside of the ear canal as well. They are solid audiologist fit . Then I have a set of 33 NRR over that .
I already have tinnitus from years of shooting with out hearing protection when I was a kid , so even the bone conduction with protection is enough to make the tinnitus worse , especially when firing large caliber pistols. Your better off doubling up on the hearing protection cause when the ringing starts it ain't gonna stop. I dislike the effect of the electronic head sets and in ears. I find them to be very annoying, thats just my opinion. I would rather block the ear canal than try to attenuate with a frequency modulation. With my tinnitus the electronic sets actually hurt my ears rather than help.

 

[Pizza Bob]

Sensgard - I use them indoors and out with no other protection. They will seem loud, at first, but "filters" out the damaging noise. They make an NRR 26 and an NRR31, I have the NRR31 model and have used them for years. Comfortable enough for all-day wear. Doesn't interfere with cheek weld or shooting glasses. Available on Amazon and many other places. Here's the manufacturer's website...

HomeSensGard LLC

Adios,

Bob

 

[MWC2068]

That is a great find thank you. I have trip to st George in two weeks.

You shoot here in AZ? BASF? Cactus league?

I shoot at St. George, Vegas and I manage the the range at Mesquite Nv./Littlefield,Az.for pistol matches.

 

[chief38]

33 dB Howard foam ear plugs under 29dB Headset. Unfortunately too little - too late!

 

[292]

Sensgard - I use them indoors and out with no other protection. They will seem loud, at first, but "filters" out the damaging noise. They make an NRR 26 and an NRR31, I have the NRR31 model and have used them for years. Comfortable enough for all-day wear. Doesn't interfere with cheek weld or shooting glasses. Available on Amazon and many other places. Here's the manufacturer's website...

HomeSensGard LLC

Adios,

Bob

I just ordered a set. Going to give them a try for hunting with a 44 mag.

 

[oneounceload]

As mentioned above, the mastoid bones around the ear area need protection from the sound wave/vibrations as well as the ear canal. Muffs provide for that. I shoot in Florida, so I understand about the heat, but I also want to keep what is left of my hearing. Whether you call it a constant snare drum, ear crickets or similar, tinnitus and hearing loss can never be reversed.

 

[292]

As mentioned above, the mastoid bones around the ear area need protection from the sound wave/vibrations as well as the ear canal. Muffs provide for that. I shoot in Florida, so I understand about the heat, but I also want to keep what is left of my hearing. Whether you call it a constant snare drum, ear crickets or similar, tinnitus and hearing loss can never be reversed.

I've tried electronic muffs and also putting in plugs while the deer is coming. Neither is ideal for me. When things go well 1 shot is all that is needed. My thinking is that something is better than nothing. For target shooting I use plugs or muffs, sometimes both depending on the situation. And, yes I already have some tinnitus, from not using them when I was younger and stupider.

 

[oneounceload]

Mine was more likely from listening to Jimi Hendrix at volume 9 with headphones on.........

 

[686-380]

Depending upon what you're shooting and why, I would also consider buying a suppressor.

I only have one, for my 5.7s and .22s. I can vouch that they make shooting even more fun!

 

[oneounceload]

Hastings used to import one from Verney-Carron for a shotgun; wasn't classified as a suppressor so no NFA. Now, IIRC, it is called a metro barrel extension. It made shooting a shotgun possible with zero hearing protection. Downside was it's almost 3 feet long!

Metro Barrel Extension

 

[LarryMNH]

Like many out there. Hearing is not so good. Early years of Jet Engines in the Air Force then 40 years of shooting and noisy machine shops has left me asking "What" regularly.

Many years ago I did machining work for Gentex in NH. They were very early in the electronic ear protection products. They made "Wolf Ears" for the military at around $500.00 each. The engineer I worked with gave me a set and I still use them. They have a normal and amplified setting for listening and the loud noise cutout is excellent.

NRR is great, in the 30's I am sure, but they get in the way when bench shooting a rifle. Plus they wear on you during long hot days at the range.

I just got a set of Walker Razor XV Bluetooth electronic plugs. The plugs are on wires feeding out of a collar around the neck. The listening mode has good adjustment and Bluetooth can pick up Music or news off my Cell phone. Which is wonderful on the days I spend a few hours alone at the range. I have only used them with a .22 indoors so far and they were great. And were comfortable for hours at the shop.

With nothing big sticking out of the ear plug they aren't in the way of a good cheek rest on a rifle.

So far so good and I will be trying them out with big handguns next week for suppression. And all day comfort.

Larry

 

[andy52]

33 dB Howard foam ear plugs under 29dB Headset. Unfortunately too little - too late!

I'm sorry I couldn't hear you I have ringing in my ears.......

 

[otasan56]

I wear the big ears.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

WRITE LOUDER,I CAN'T HEAR YOU!Yeah!I started shooting guns when a real man didn't need ear protection.Good for sissies.Nowadays I'm paying the price.And worse,the people I love around me also are...
I now wear plugs+muffs to preserve the little(less than 40%)I got left.God was I stupid....but I didn't know any better then!