RGVshooter
Member
I mostly shoot outdoors so I use my pair of Howard Leight Impact. For indoor ranges I use a pair of cheap Walkers. They actually work very well for being under 15 bux.
Hearing protection
- Thread starter Scotiapilot
- Start date
Foam ear plugs and Peltor electronic muffs, with the audio gain adjusted so I can hear what is going on around me. Been using the Peltors since 1990, have several pair of them.
mrmike7189
Member
Peltors since its still cold and snowy here in MA, they keep my ears warm and dry, and save my hearing at the same time. I have disposable earplugs in my range bag for extra protection if needed.
I'm sorry I couldn't hear you I have ringing in my ears.......
Then answer it
I have hearing loss from a misspent youth with loud music, loud machinery and lots of field shooting without hearing protection. As a result I have tinnitus.
But I swear that as I have gotten older my hearing has actually improved. Under conditions where I used to say "What"? whenever I was spoken to I can now hear people speak. Lyrics in recorded songs are much less muffled (without resorting to Google to find out what they actually are) and generally I hear things in a whole lot clearer. (Except when my wife asks me to do something of course).
I vote for muffs also. However, there are muffs and then there are things that look like muffs. Get the highest db rating you can find, whatever you pay, it's cheaper than hearing aids.
The same goes for electronic hearing protection. My Wolf Ears died last year and I started a search for a reasonable replacement. The things you have to be aware of is that industrial hearing protection drives the supply side at our end and the instructions are going to suck. Blue Tooth/MP3/whatever interface is more important than protection from impulse noise in many/most cases. After a number of false starts I ended up with the Peltor Tactical Pro. One button on/off and it holds your volume settings when off. I'm not thrilled with the foam bags over the mikes, but the part number is in the instructions and they're cheap.
Now if you can afford the stuff made for the Spec Ops crowd, please remain silent and don't brag.
The same goes for electronic hearing protection. My Wolf Ears died last year and I started a search for a reasonable replacement. The things you have to be aware of is that industrial hearing protection drives the supply side at our end and the instructions are going to suck. Blue Tooth/MP3/whatever interface is more important than protection from impulse noise in many/most cases. After a number of false starts I ended up with the Peltor Tactical Pro. One button on/off and it holds your volume settings when off. I'm not thrilled with the foam bags over the mikes, but the part number is in the instructions and they're cheap.
Now if you can afford the stuff made for the Spec Ops crowd, please remain silent and don't brag.
Al W.
Member
I've tried a bunch of stuff , including custom molded plugs.
The best thing so far are a set of Titanium Flare plugs.
I saw an add on FB and followed up. They are English.
Ordered a pair, pricy 80 bucks , but cheaper than molded , at least in my area.
They work better than anything I have used , and I have used everything.
I use these and 3M industrial muffs so anything I hear is bone conduction.
The audiologist tells me that the concussion and consequent bone conduction is enough to aggravate a tinnitus condition.
I have no stock in the Flare company and derive no benefit from the recommendation .
I've had tinnitus since my teenage years most likely due to shooting with out ear protection when I was a kid , and some really loud music.
Now that I'm at retirement age I try to not worsen the condition, but its pretty bad.
I still am around plenty of loud music, because I am a professional musician , (apart from my trade in instrument repair) and guns are plenty loud too ain't they, I shoot several times a week !
So do what you can , when you can.
Foam plugs don't get the job done. They are not dense enough , the plug needs to seal perfectly, which the foam plugs do very well but their effectiveness is limited by their lack of density.
When you step up to the custom molded plugs you get a good fit and increased density but the seal is not as good because the material is rather hard, so if you use muffs as well as the custom plugs you actually disturb the fit of the plugs with the muffs.
The Flare plugs have a core of metal, and a seal which is made of a high density foam, so even with the muffs the seal is complete and core density is high .
This is the best I have found so far.
The best thing so far are a set of Titanium Flare plugs.
I saw an add on FB and followed up. They are English.
Ordered a pair, pricy 80 bucks , but cheaper than molded , at least in my area.
They work better than anything I have used , and I have used everything.
I use these and 3M industrial muffs so anything I hear is bone conduction.
The audiologist tells me that the concussion and consequent bone conduction is enough to aggravate a tinnitus condition.
I have no stock in the Flare company and derive no benefit from the recommendation .
I've had tinnitus since my teenage years most likely due to shooting with out ear protection when I was a kid , and some really loud music.
Now that I'm at retirement age I try to not worsen the condition, but its pretty bad.
I still am around plenty of loud music, because I am a professional musician , (apart from my trade in instrument repair) and guns are plenty loud too ain't they, I shoot several times a week !
So do what you can , when you can.
Foam plugs don't get the job done. They are not dense enough , the plug needs to seal perfectly, which the foam plugs do very well but their effectiveness is limited by their lack of density.
When you step up to the custom molded plugs you get a good fit and increased density but the seal is not as good because the material is rather hard, so if you use muffs as well as the custom plugs you actually disturb the fit of the plugs with the muffs.
The Flare plugs have a core of metal, and a seal which is made of a high density foam, so even with the muffs the seal is complete and core density is high .
This is the best I have found so far.
