[grampster]

I posted this question on accessories, but figger it will get more attention here. What I would like is some suggestion for ear/hearing protection. What would be the best set of muffs money can buy? Price no object. Where could they be found easiest?

Standing buy to be inundated with replies.

:D grampster

[The Reaper]

Brownells sells active hearing protection. They require batteries, but being active will limit the amount of sound to a specific db level. I use ProEars rated at 85 db. Very nice muff and they come in two styles one for pistol shooting and one for shotgun rifle shooting. They taper the rifle shotgun muffs and put a pad on them as to not scratch up your stock.

[P95Carry]

I was looking at some active ones on line the other day ........ and it seems that for anything useful the prices seem to go from $160 or so and up to maybe $250 and more. I would like the luxury of their function but to spend so much I find a prob ... seeing as this could almost be another gun!

So - I keep stickin to my usual passives, with added sponge ''thingies'' added under them if needed.:p

[Telperion]

As a nitpick, Peltors, ProEars, etc. aren't truly (what I would call) active protection. The muffs are the same as others, but they have amplifiers for conversation that shut off after a certain threshold. It's different from adaptive noise reduction for use around machinery -- I don't think any signal processor available today can handle the high frequencies present in gunfire.

[P95Carry]

I don't think any signal processor available today can handle the high frequencies present in gunfire. Not ''high frequencies'' surely?! High amplitutudes .... yeah. I'd reckon that the frequency spectrum from gun shots is concentrated down the low end pretty much ..... and I'd reckon the most important thing for protection is a fast acting attenuator circuit that curtails those low freqencies. Electronically . this is well possible .. at a price it seems.

In fact .... it is the concussive effect of the shock wave .. the energy thereof that is so damaging ....... bit like the guys who have their 400W bass units in their cars ... the speaker cone travels back and forth over a huge range of movement .. translate that parallel into the sudden distortion of the ear drum from the shock wave of gun shot ... and the shock thru the ossicles .... then it is possible to see the damage potential.

It is true tho that after damage it does seem to be the higher frequency hearing that is impaired.

[ACP230]

Sportsman's Guide has some electronic muffs made by North on sale for $59. I have been thinking about buying a pair.

I have a pair of stereo Silencio electronics. They had a problem at first, but work fine after going back to the manufacturer for repair. The were around $100.

Wolf Ears and other electronic sets cost quite a bit more. Not having tried them, I can't say if they are worth the extra dough.

There are also electronic ear protectors that are worn like a hearing aid, and are about as small as some hearing aids. A friend uses that type when shooting hunting rifles and pistols but doubles up with muffs when .50 BMG rifles are on the line.

[hipeflip]

I am pretty well trained in sound engineering as well as the biological effects of sound and I think all these systems that involve electronics are really only suited for hunting. The reason I say this is because the frequency of the sound does not determine the negative effects it has on the ear, its really the db's that matter. I shot a .454 with a ported barrel the other night and the hearing protection I used was a $12 pair of muffs with a $3 set of foam earplugs in them. Now this was in a small range that had metal baffles which made even a twenty two sound loud. If your hunting I could see the use of a pair of (stereo) muffs that amplified specific frequencies and went back to muffling when the db's hit a certain threshold but I think they are really only a luxury because you can usually get your muffs on before you take a shot.

[Standing Wolf]

Take it from a guy with a major hearing loss: the best hearing protection you can find isn't too expensive.

My hearing loss is largely genetic, and I'd greatly prefer to lose my hearing than sight, but my original low budget shooting muffs weren't a kindness to myself. I don't know what to recommend, but hope you'll shop around and not skimp.

[P95Carry]

is because the frequency of the sound does not determine the negative effects it has on the ear, its really the db's that matter. My point exactly hipeflip .. it's the energy/amplitude ....... or the db's therefore.

Leaving aside your point on hunting ... and yeah .. usually time to ''rig up'' with the cheapies and.... they sure do work.

But .. probs arise when, at the range you have say, a covered over firing point ... let alone a booth with side baffles! Then, the drawback of cheapies is that when sometimes speaks you can barely hear them .... the actives are attractive cos of being able to converse freely ..... it is a drag constantly removing the ordinary ones.

Mind you, what ever the protection used .. it always seems a relief at the end of a day's shooting, to get the damn things off!

[Waitone]

I've looked at active hearing protection and am not convinced it is better protection than mechanical methods, just more convenient.

I use the highest NRR rated plugs I can find (currently 29NNR) place well into the ear canal. I follow with the highest rated hard shell muffs I can find (currently 31NRR). Using the combo I am never without some protection on the range. I can not hear conversation using both, but can hear normal conversation ok with just the plugs. Hard shell muffs tend to reflect sound as well as attenuate.

I also prefer to shoot out of doors, no shed. Second preference is to shoot under a shed. Reason being sound is reflected back to me. Third and final choice which I avoid if at all possible is to shoot indoors. Reason is the sound is most intense.

Protect your hearing.

[Telperion]

Yup, it's the high amplitude that causes the damage, but the frequency spectrum of gunfire is is full of high frequency components, caused by the uncontrolled expansion of gases at the muzzle. Adaptive NR can't operate very well under these conditions.

[grampster]

Good info people. Waitone, thanks for the specs (29nnr/31nnr) that is helpful info. I'm also going to use muffs and or plugs when shooting or I am using my riding mower which pull a trailer that has another motor that suck up and grinds up leaves. 14hp motor on tractor, 5hp motor on leaf vac. Lots of noise.

Is there a web site you know of that would save me traveling around to gun shops? Temptation to spend money on new gun rather than ear protection sometimes gets overwhelming.

:what:

[P95Carry]

Temptation to spend money on new gun rather than ear protection sometimes gets overwhelming My problem Grampster .. exactly!!

When I was lookin on line other evening I looked various places .. and forget most of em ..... but I think IIRC I kicked off by using a search on ''hearing protection'' .... and took it from there.

I know i went to Midway ... possibly Natchez ........ plenty to look at.

[grampster]

Thanks Chris.

[Waitone]

Grampster, I first found about hearing damage when I went for a pre-employment physical which featured a hearing test. Doc looked at the results and asked if I had a riding lawnmower. Seems my hearing loss (which was slight) was characteristic. Since that day I don't fire up any engine other than a car without plugs.

Home depot and building supply houses don't have top notch hearing protection. I go to industrial supply houses where they supply devices used to mute heavy duty noise. My muffs are the kind that wrap over a hard hat. A heap more comfortable that shooting muffs which hurt my head.

Plugs are acquired from the same locations.

I also keep a pair of muffs and handfull of plugs in my car in case I have a guest at the range.

Just make a game of continually looking for higher protection.

[JohnBT]

I like the Peltor Ultimate 10 for $19.99.

Good points: high rating(although I've read that the ratings on muffs don't apply to gunfire/impulse noise), exceptionally comfortable, seals tightly around glasses, and is large enough to cover a good part of the bone behind your ear(it conducts sound straight to the inner ear.)

Downside: a little large for rifles shotguns and a couple of ounces heavier than the muffs most people are looking to replace.

I've had a few people go out and buy them after trying mine. My father tried mine one day and took out his billfold and bought them. The other muffs he'd ever tried mashed his ears unless he took his hearing aids out, so I got stuck using my old cheap muffs that day.

www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0012828220681a&navAction=jump&navCount=0&indexId=&podId=0012828&catalogCode=XD&parentId=&parentType=&rid=&cmCat=search&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.2_A&_DAV=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcontent%2FPod%2F01%2F28%2F28%2Fp012828ii01.jpg&hasJS=true

I wear them over the soft, green foam Remington plugs and can't hear anything at the range. Of course, I can't hear so good anyway since I didn't learn about hearing protection until I'd been shooting for 20 or 30 years.

John

[Stevie-Ray]

I also suffer from genetic nerve deafness, but have helped it along shooting the heavy boomers in indoor ranges. I protect the hearing I do have left with Silenzio Magnums with an attenuation rating of 29db. These are worn over plugs that are rated at 26. Much better protection than either one alone. I've found this out while shooting a .44 Mag indoors. Muffs or plugs alone actually hurts! I purchased the better muffs and started using them in conjunction with the plugs no matter what I'm shooting. The combination even tames the roar of a Magnaported .45-70. Now if only it would tame the recoil as well.:D

BTW. MAX earplugs, I believe, are the best out there with an attenuation rating of 33db.