Ear protection......what type??

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"NRR 22"

They don't offer much noise reduction, even when compared to a $25 pair of non-electronic Peltors or Leights that are rated NRR of 30 or 31 or more.

It will never provide more than NRR 22 of protection. When the circuitry cuts off the sound you are left with NRR 22 of protection. Sure you can add plugs underneath, but you can do that with the better muffs too.

Just something to consider. It's your hearing.
 
I've used the Howard Leight muffs shown above for years. Seldom do I double up, much of my shooting is done indoors, yes I wear hearing aids, have also worn them for years, I get my hearing checked every 5 years.

Just had my hearing checked 2 weeks ago, no change since the last time 5 years ago.
Seems as if the NRR 22 works well. Its my understanding the military uses them also.
 
Everyone should double up with plugs and muffs. That's an absolute for me and those that shoot with me.

You should use the highest NRR for plugs and muffs that fit what you're doing. If you're shooting long gun it is difficult to get a good cheek weld with the bulkier muffs so low profile muffs may be what you need to use on top of plugs. If you're shooting pistols you can wear the bulkier muffs.

I have used the Peltors and Howard Leights and will purchase the HLs when my Peltors fail.
 
......I have used the Peltors and Howard Leights and will purchase the HLs when my Peltors fail.


In your opinion, of the ones now available for sale, which HL's are best? Most people here and elsewhere seem to like the HL's, but as noted up above, maybe some of them don't offer enough protection by themselves?
 
Depends upon what you shoot wearing them and if you want electronic muffs or not so you can hear range commands.

If you wear plugs and muffs you should be fine with the Impact Sports unless you're shooting a lot of high caliber firearms at a single session.

Remember that noise exposure is like drinking. A little requires less protection than a lot at once in one sitting.
 
Depends upon what you shoot wearing them and if you want electronic muffs or not so you can hear range commands. ...

Let me rephrase my question. Let's say the cost can be anything up to $100 or so, no more than $150 if possible, that electronic would be preferable, so I can clearly hear and understand range commands and other voices, and that they should be able to put up with other people (or myself) at an indoor range firing up to 44 Magnum or 45 ACP.

I found some comparisons, including this one:
http://www.howardleight.com/selector/compare

Let's say the goal is to purchase just one ear protector, of high enough quality that I don't need one inside another. Let's further assume that it's only for handguns, so it's irrelevant if they are suitable for use with rifles. Let's exclude any provision for listening to radios, or mobile phones, or other music players. The "electronic" feature, so it's possible to hear range commands is nice, but not a necessity. Protecting one's hearing is of the highest priority.

I guess those are the questions I expect to be asking when I make the phone call Monday, but I think I'd be at least as interested, if not more so, in your opinion here.
 
"NRR 22"

They don't offer much noise reduction, even when compared to a $25 pair of non-electronic Peltors or Leights that are rated NRR of 30 or 31 or more....


I found this chart, which explains the various levels of protection that are available. For target purposes, if NRR 22 is not adequate, should people only look into the earmuffs with the highest possible rating? If not, how much is adequate for our needs?

http://www.coopersafety.com/noisere...yFxc7Q.1&utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/
 
You can't add NRRs together to get the actual protection they provide. NRR 30 muffs and plugs don't provide 60dB of noise reduction. Instead they provide roughly 35dB of noise reduction (actually 30, but that's because you subtract 5dB to begin with for less than ideal use of the higher NRR protection). We don't add them directly together because muffs and plugs are efficient over different frequencies of the audible spectrum and one picks up after the other falls off in attenuation. Because of this we only add 5 to the NRR when combining plugs and muffs. Introduce anything that makes the fit less than perfect and you drop 5dB off of that.

The philosophy we need to follow is that we use the highest noise reduction we can for the application. That means we need to couple properly inserted plugs with properly worn muffs to get the most protection. If the muffs won't fit with a long gun because the stock hits the muffs and breaks the seal of the pad with the head we switch to muffs that prevent that so we get the best protection we can use. That may mean that an NRR 30 muff can't be worn effectively and we switch to a low profile muff rated at NRR 20 that will keep the seal intact. If the higher NRR muffs will fit properly then we should use them.

If you don't need electronic muffs the passive muffs provide a higher NRR, but are bulkier and may not fit with a long gun in use.

That help?
 
.......If you don't need electronic muffs the passive muffs provide a higher NRR, but are bulkier and may not fit with a long gun in use.

Thanks!!

Following your advice, I found the following earmuffs with a protection rating of 30:

Leightning® L3
http://www.coopersafety.com/product...eadband-earmuffs-1010924-1615.aspx?sid=102209

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight...UTF8&qid=1401647104&sr=1-1&keywords=Leight+L3

http://www.amazon.com/Bilsom-1010924-Leightning-Headband-Earmuffs/dp/B003MOVQ0Y/ref=dp_ob_title_hi



Thunder® T3
http://www.coopersafety.com/product/howard-leight-thunder-t3-earmuffs-1010970-1580.aspx?sid=102130

http://www.amazon.com/Bilsom-101097...232&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Leight+thunder+t3

Leightning® Hi-V...
??????



I tried to find all three of these on Amazon, but the numbering system seems to be different. Unless someone else was better able to track this down, I am giving up, and will call HL directly on Monday morning. I think I've narrowed it down to two or three choices for me (handgun only, no rifle, and no necessity for the electronic speaker).
 
If it's for your son in particular (i.e. young ears who will be accumulating many years of gunfire noise) I would recommend:
Peltor electronic muffs. I've worn many brands and the Peltor seems to perform best and have the most comfort. But look for the 'flatter' versus 'rounder' shell design. The round ones are tough to use with an AR stock;
Also (!) wear a pair of foam plugs under the electronic earphones. A couple of reasons. The muffs don't provide enough reduction - especially for young ears; since he/she will be wearing eye protection, the foam muff seal will not be complete and so they will not perform as rated. Only using both muff and plug will be adequate. Indoor or out, you will need both. Trust me.
Also, there is a thread out there where I and many others discuss this issue and cite the best way to put on a pair of foam plugs. Check it out.
B
 
This page supposedly shows a comparison of all their hearing protectors:

http://www.howardleight.com/selector/compare

The ones you posted about must be new - when I bought my Howard Leight L3 earmuffs half a year ago, what you bought is what I wanted, but I was told that I couldn't get that much protection in "electronic" ear muffs.

Please post how well they work out - but then I'll need to consider if I want to spend so much more money just to get the electronics, as the NRR number for both is still 30.....
 
This page supposedly shows a comparison of all their hearing protectors:

http://www.howardleight.com/selector/compare

The ones you posted about must be new - when I bought my Howard Leight L3 earmuffs half a year ago, what you bought is what I wanted, but I was told that I couldn't get that much protection in "electronic" ear muffs.

Please post how well they work out - but then I'll need to consider if I want to spend so much more money just to get the electronics, as the NRR number for both is still 30.....
Its one of the highest numbers I have seen on electronics that I can afford anyway. I'll keep you advised. Your link doesnt show the impact pros...not sure what the description on Amazon of "Honeywell" Howard Leight Impact pro means, but there you have it.

Russellc
 
As you move around on the HL site, the web link doesn't change. You need to bring up the comparison chart, and then specify which ones you want to compare - or maybe compare everything.

At the time I bought mine, I wasn't concerned with price - I just wanted the best protection I could find. The ones you pointed out have the same noise protection rating, but include electronics, and therefore a much higher price.

I like the ones that I got, but when/if someone is standing next to me, talking to me, I usually can't understand much of it. That's where the electronics might be real handy.
 
The value for electronic muffs is in conversation and range commands, but you sacrifice some protection for that.

Since muffs are efficient over a different range of frequencies than plugs I always use both.

If shooting pistol without having to hear range commands I'd have selected the L-3.
 
Howard Leight Impact Sports are the best bang for the buck.
+1, and the thin/low profile makes these better than other muffs for long gun use.

I don't recall the name of the body part but muffs protect an ear related thing which plugs do not. When shooting indoors I double up (plugs + muffs) as some others have mentioned.
 
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