UrbanHermit
member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
- Messages
- 242
Just a curiosity poll to see which type of ear protection is the most popular.
I've always had a strong preference for flanged silicone plugs, because I can wear them unobtrusively around my neck, wet them on my tongue, and slip them in my ears properly with just one hand without having to set a rifle down. This makes it possible to take opportunistic offhand shots at game while walking to and from a stand, hiking, or just woods loafing, without the complication and expense of a suppressor. Without the ability to quickly and smoothly apply ear protection while holding a rifle, without taking my eyes off the target or creating a large visual disturbance with excessive fumbling around, I would end up squandering or passing up over 50% of the shot opportunities I get at any game animal.
One time, as a teenager, I fired a .270 Winchester from a 22" bolt action using Winchester White Box 130 grain without ear protection, and while it didn't seem to cause any permanent damage, the experience was so disturbing to me that I vowed to never shoot a firearm without ear protection of some kind ever again. I consider it to be utterly astonishing, almost unbelievable, that it was routine practice for decades for people to shoot modern, high pressure, bottleneck rifle cartridges without ear protection, whether hunting or in any other circumstances. I would almost rather be confined to a wheelchair than lose one of my primary senses.
Foam plugs usually advertise higher NRR, but they've never worked for me. My ear canals are shaped strangely or something, and it takes too much time and frustration to get foam plugs in correctly. I can't use earbud headphones for the same reason. They have no practical application other than at the range, at which it's simpler to just throw some muffs over silicone plugs I always carry.
I have some nice electronic muffs too. They "work", in that you can hear your surroundings and be protected from impulse noise simultaneously, but they have so many issues that I've largely stopped using them. It's very tricky to get them to fit correctly in conjunction with my hat and hair and glasses, and in such a way that they won't crack open when I adopt a shooting position or interfere with cheek weld. They get very hot and sweaty, and it's not realistic to wear them 24/7 on a full day hunt or camping trip, not to mention that they rely on batteries and are inherently unreliable as electronic devices. They are large and cumbersome and there is no way to take them off and store them without stopping and taking my pack off.
So I just use silicone plugs in conjunction with modest cartridges like .223, .30-30, 9mm, etc in long barrels with linear compensators. Until suppressors become cheaper and easier to obtain, this is the only realistic way to effectively and safely use firearms for any kind of practical purpose outside of a range that I have discovered so far.
I've always had a strong preference for flanged silicone plugs, because I can wear them unobtrusively around my neck, wet them on my tongue, and slip them in my ears properly with just one hand without having to set a rifle down. This makes it possible to take opportunistic offhand shots at game while walking to and from a stand, hiking, or just woods loafing, without the complication and expense of a suppressor. Without the ability to quickly and smoothly apply ear protection while holding a rifle, without taking my eyes off the target or creating a large visual disturbance with excessive fumbling around, I would end up squandering or passing up over 50% of the shot opportunities I get at any game animal.
One time, as a teenager, I fired a .270 Winchester from a 22" bolt action using Winchester White Box 130 grain without ear protection, and while it didn't seem to cause any permanent damage, the experience was so disturbing to me that I vowed to never shoot a firearm without ear protection of some kind ever again. I consider it to be utterly astonishing, almost unbelievable, that it was routine practice for decades for people to shoot modern, high pressure, bottleneck rifle cartridges without ear protection, whether hunting or in any other circumstances. I would almost rather be confined to a wheelchair than lose one of my primary senses.
Foam plugs usually advertise higher NRR, but they've never worked for me. My ear canals are shaped strangely or something, and it takes too much time and frustration to get foam plugs in correctly. I can't use earbud headphones for the same reason. They have no practical application other than at the range, at which it's simpler to just throw some muffs over silicone plugs I always carry.
I have some nice electronic muffs too. They "work", in that you can hear your surroundings and be protected from impulse noise simultaneously, but they have so many issues that I've largely stopped using them. It's very tricky to get them to fit correctly in conjunction with my hat and hair and glasses, and in such a way that they won't crack open when I adopt a shooting position or interfere with cheek weld. They get very hot and sweaty, and it's not realistic to wear them 24/7 on a full day hunt or camping trip, not to mention that they rely on batteries and are inherently unreliable as electronic devices. They are large and cumbersome and there is no way to take them off and store them without stopping and taking my pack off.
So I just use silicone plugs in conjunction with modest cartridges like .223, .30-30, 9mm, etc in long barrels with linear compensators. Until suppressors become cheaper and easier to obtain, this is the only realistic way to effectively and safely use firearms for any kind of practical purpose outside of a range that I have discovered so far.
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