hearing protection?

[LongRange]

are any of you guys using the in ear or ear bud type electronic hearing protection? id like to hear what brand your using and what you think about them.

[wbm]

Me too. Already have a lot of hearing loss and have been reluctant to use that type of protection.

[m12lrs]

Me too. Already have a lot of hearing loss and have been reluctant to use that type of protection.

Yep. I can't hear $&!#! We never thought about hearing protection back in the day

Thought about getting a walkers game ear for hunting. It is supposed to protect your hearing too!

Any input would be appreciated

[LongRange]

WHAT?? J/K LOL!!

i seen several guys at our match yesterday using them but we had a couple of shoot offs and the guys using them were all gone before i got a chance to ask about them....we had 42 shooters yesterday...we got started about 10 after sighters and didnt finish until 3-330...at the end of the day my head felt like it was in a vise so its time for something different/new.

[wbm]

We never thought about hearing protection back in the day

Did try out a friends Walker Game Ear several years ago. He said they worked great but he was 87 at the time and his hearing was worse than mine is now so who knows.

[Steelhead]

I have some sure fire in ears.
Great for pistols but stuff like 357's, hot 38supers and big boomers they're not enough.
Would never consider any in ear for rifles unless was also planning on using muffs also.
Im deaf enough from years working with farm equipment and heavy equipment.

[m12lrs]

I use these at.the range. They work great for me. I just.can't get a proper.cheek weld with muffs

http://www.surefire.com/ep3-sonic-defenders.html

[bearcatrp]

I was in artillery for 8 years out of career in the army. Ear plugs didn't do squat around 155 mm guns. But have looked at different types of electronic ear buds bud get mixed reviews. Now is a good time to contact your legislature and push for supressors (hearing act). With trump in we have a good shot removing suppressors from NFA and hope to drop down prices.

[Rick_W]

Just remember that with anything you get what you pay for. The electronic circuitry in the less expensive stuff does not seem to shut down the circuitry quick enough from what I've read.

[LongRange]

Just remember that with anything you get what you pay for. The electronic circuitry in the less expensive stuff does not seem to shut down the circuitry quick enough from what I've read.

I've read the same thing...I see prices from about $150 or so up to $1500+ but before I spend more than $2-$300 I'll just use muffs.

I've also seen some that look like ear buds that come with the phones and you ware the electronic part around your neck anyone know anything about those type?


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[big honkin jeep]

Nothing electronic but the bulk pack -33db foam plugs I bought a couple of years ago seem to get the job done.

[m12lrs]

Yep

I keep.several pairs in my range.bag

The surefire.fits better for me though

Either is better than muffs

[DrThunder88]

Do new electronic ones have some sort of aperture that physically opens and shuts? I had a cheap pair a while back that just had a microphone on the outside and a speaker on the inside. The volume of the speaker could not exceed the level set by the knob irrespective of how loud the sound detected by the microphones was. Timing was absolutely immaterial. If there was some massive delay between a sound reaching the microphone and being reproduced by the speaker I could see it being at least annoying and at most disorienting.

[DenverDave]

I use sure fire EP8 plugs and Howard Leight Impact Sport Electronic muffs. With this combo I can hear impacts on steel, converse at normal volumes and shoot (and be around) loud guns with muzzle brakes. The muffs are low profile and don't get in the way. The concussion of a neighbors brake is what troubled me most in the past. Good muff plug combo takes care of that.


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[m12lrs]

Love my sure fires

Hate me a.muzzle brake. I have them and don't use them. I will just move or.leave when someone shows.up next to me with a large caliber muzzle.brake. the shock wave just destroys my concentration

[DenverDave]

Love my sure fires

Hate me a.muzzle brake. I have them and don't use them. I will just move or.leave when someone shows.up next to me with a large caliber muzzle.brake. the shock wave just destroys my concentration

Agreed they are annoying. I don't shoot at crowded places these days. Joined a rifle club in the middle of nowhere. %99 of the time it's just me and my buddy on the range.


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[rjtfroggy]

http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hea...on/eb15le.html

I have been using these for over a year and a half don't leave home with out them.
No more banging muffs on stock or screwing up head position when trying to shoot.
Yes they are expensive but how much do you spend on your gun or reloading or driving back and forth to matches. Remember once your hearing is lost there is no coming back, and I lost enough already between shooting and riding the side of a fire apparatus for over 20 years. HUH ? What did you say? Part of my daily vocabulary.

[DenverDave]

http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hea...on/eb15le.html

I have been using these for over a year and a half don't leave home with out them.
No more banging muffs on stock or screwing up head position when trying to shoot.
Yes they are expensive but how much do you spend on your gun or reloading or driving back and forth to matches. Remember once your hearing is lost there is no coming back, and I lost enough already between shooting and riding the side of a fire apparatus for over 20 years. HUH ? What did you say? Part of my daily vocabulary.

Do you use those solo? No muffs at all? I have tried a handful of plugs, granted nothing as high end as those, and found that for shooting pistol only plugs are fine. With hi power rifles or any rifle with a brake I think the muff + plug combo to be essential.

My hearing is still good. But I have shot quite a lot and been to many loud concerts, not to mention the NYC subway and other noise hazards of big city living, so I am careful with my hearing these days now that I am in my 30's. That's why I advocate plugs with a nice slim, tight fitting, set of muffs (pun intended) as well.

[rjtfroggy]

I use them as stand alone protection. They have the same numbers as electronic muffs but in a micro size ie; plugs.
They are used for L E and the military over in the war zones (what I was told) hence the BLAST protection, very similar to what musicians use when playing during concerts.
Work for both rifle and hand gun.

Use mine during matches where there are 15 guns going off at a time so far so good.

[DenverDave]

I use them as stand alone protection. They have the same numbers as electronic muffs but in a micro size ie; plugs.
They are used for L E and the military over in the war zones (what I was told) hence the BLAST protection, very similar to what musicians use when playing during concerts.
Work for both rifle and hand gun.

Use mine during matches where there are 15 guns going off at a time so far so good.

That's good to know. The DB level protection offered in the electric muffs I use- Howard Leight Impact Sport (NRR 22) don't provide sufficient protection. But are slim and don't get in the way. I pair them with Surefire EP 7 plugs (NRR 27). Individually neither provide enough protection IMO. Combined, however, for a total of NRR 47 Protection, I fell very safely protected. Might sound overkill but with the electric muff I hear everything and never get a ringer from blast.

Those plugs do look sweet but I feel safe with my current set up and frankly can't afford to drop that kinda cash at the moment. It would be nice to run plugs only but I would be afraid of loosing them. Hopefully with a better financial future I will have the chance to give them a shot. I appreciate you pointing those out.


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[Rick_W]

I pair them with Surefire EP 7 plugs (NRR 27). Individually neither provide enough protection IMO. Combined, however, for a total of NRR 47 Protection, I fell very safely protected.

That's not the way double hearing protection is calculated. At best, you will have 32 dB NRR.

From the OSHA Technical Manual - Noise - Appendix E

APPENDIX E—NOISE REDUCTION RATING
[This appendix will be replaced when the new NRR scheme is promulgated]
Noise Reduction Ratings
When OSHA promulgated its Hearing Conservation Amendment in 1983, it incorporated the EPA labeling requirements for hearing protectors (40 CFR 211), which required manufacturers to identify the noise reduction capability of all hearing protectors on the hearing protector package. This measure is referred to as the noise reduction rating (NRR). It is a laboratory-derived numerical estimate of the attenuation achieved by the protector. It became evident that the amount of protection users were receiving in the workplace with the prescribed hearing protectors did not correlate with the attenuation indicated by the NRR. OSHA acknowledged that in most cases, this number overstated the protection afforded to workers and required the application for certain circumstances of a safety factor of 50% to the NRR, above and beyond the 7 dB subtraction called for when using A-weighted measurements. For example, consider a worker who is exposed to 98 dBA for 8 hours and whose hearing protectors have an NRR of 25 dB. We can estimate the worker’s resultant exposure using the 50% safety factor. The worker’s resultant exposure is 89 dBA in this case.
The 50% safety factor adjusts labeled NRR values for workplace conditions and is used when considering whether engineering controls are to be implemented.
Estimated dBA exposure = TWA(dBA) – [(25-7) x 50%] = 89 dBA
Though using the 50% safety factor produces the most reliable result, it is not used for enforcement purposes. For enforcement purposes, CSHOs should subtract 7 dB from the NRR without considering the 50% safety factor.
Single/Double Hearing Protection
Dual hearing protection involves wearing two forms of hearing protection simultaneously (e.g. earplugs and ear muffs). The noise exposure for workers wearing dual protection may be estimated by the following method: Determine the hearing protector with the higher rated NRR (NRRh) and subtract 7 dB if using A-weighted sound level data. Add 5 dB to this field-adjusted NRR to account for the use of the second hearing protector. Subtract the remainder from the TWA. It is important to note that using such double protection will add only 5 dB of attenuation. For an example of a calculation of dual hearing protection, see Appendix IV:C. Methods for Estimating HPD Attenuation of the OSHA Noise Safety and Health Topics Page.
For a more extensive discussion of how to use the NRR, see the NIOSH website. NIOSH has developed guidelines for calculating and using the NRR in various circumstances.
(http://www2a.cdc.gov/hp-devices/pdfs/calculation.pdf: Method for Calculating and Using Noise Reduction Rating-NRR)

[DenverDave]

That's not the way double hearing protection is calculated. At best, you will have 32 dB NRR.

From the OSHA Technical Manual - Noise - Appendix E

Ok. Well, that is good to know. I must concede that I am clearly out of my depth here...
I can only say what has seemed to work for me to this point. I guess I am not as protected as I thought.

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[RC20]

Cruising through and saw this. Thought I would add my 2 cents in (and experience)

Whne I was a kid (mid 50s) there were no hearing protection (nor bicycle helmets)

I won't say we shot a lot but certainly some, more 22 than anything, a bit of 38 Revolvers. Never a rifle (too young)

Latter a fair amount of revolver for a few years, again not much rifle.

4 years of construction, on and off around chain saws.

I was maybe 22 when I got my lesson. I was driving Rock Buggies (Euclid R35) with a Detroit 2 cycle. When the bed lifted up the exhaust was exposes (it was spring indexed into the bed, used as a muffler and a source of heat to keep stuff from freezing)

That was great, dump you load, pull away, 12 cyclers just screaming. What not to like at 22, noise, that's cool .

Then one day our buss back to the camp was late, so we were standing around talking, about 20 minutes and I could hear metal start to tink on the engines cooling down.

Hmm, birds singing now to, did that all happen just now or ???????????

When I got back to camp, I went right to the Supply Building and signed for a set of muffs.

I thought I was ok, that was until 5 years ago when I realized I could not hear. Right ear worse than left.

I suspect a the right ear is noise, the left and right seems to have been getting sick (drops came after a couple of sessions with crud)

Upshot is I have a hard time hearing conversations. I am ok with it, I did what I could but I am trying to save what I have.

Medical does not cover hearing aids, Medicaire does not and its about 3k for a decent set, not great, decent.
They are not super robust and if you loose one........
My Older brother with a similar work profile has the same issue, worse, he got the aids, he is good with them, lost one but found it latter under his cabin. Phew.


Once they came out with the plugs I wear muffs and plugs.

So I am looking at electronic aids. A cousin commented that his allowed him to hear TV and Radio (and his wife of course)

I appreciate the information.

I agree on the brakes, I think they should be segregated off to one side.

I don't see cans being a help unless they are mandatory for all. Or you can't shoot there if you don't have one.

I don't see a bunch or gun guys letting anyone tell them they have to use them.

[LongRange]

thanks Froggy this is the kinda info ive been looking for.

[rjtfroggy]

LomgRange read this http://forum.accurateshooter.com/thr...ction.3848890/.
There are probably over a dozen post over there on this subject, pay particular attention to Norman he knows all about this companies products (worked there). If you need to PM him, nice guy and he will take the time to explain how they work and why they work as stand alones.

As a side note Denver Dave how much did you spend on your optics or your guns or ammo add it up you will have a surprise. I did, and I needed to do something for my hearing the buzzing after a range trip drove me crazy. IMO $300 was a cheap price for the extra protection. Like LR and a few others here I shoot some where north of 7000 rounds a year ( 2-3 times a week) I needed the best I could find, if something better comes around I will be looking at them.