Ear Protection

[MikeNice]

I have a simple question. What is the minimum amount of hearing protection a person should use?

I have a set of Hearos High Fidelity ear plugs. I've used them in live sound situations. They have a NRR rating of 12 with a stated reduction of up to 20dbspl. Is this enough protection for long sessions at the range?

I make my living in audio from time to time. So, this is a pretty important topic IMO.

 

[jcwit]

You need more than that. Use muffs. Either standard or electronic.

 

[Zundfolge]

Depends on what you're shooting and where.

Shooting inside requires more protection than shooting outside.

Also some calibers are louder than others.

 

[russ69]

Plugs and muffs, save your hearing as much as possible.

Thanx, Russ

 

[OkieOFT]

I can't stand hearing protection. Plugs is the most i'll use. Thats shooting big bore rifles. Nothing fancy, just some blue Winchester branded plugs from Wal-Mart. Muffling the sound takes away from the experience. I also like loud fireworks...

 

[gvcandyman]

I'm a professional audio engineer and I personally use Radian custom fit ear plugs for shooting. At about $20 it's well worth it. Just remember to keep some plugs in your shooting kit for the friends you take to the range with you. I have used the Herros for some shows but decided they had to much of a curve to mix with them in. I'm looking at getting some Westone musician ear plugs. They're about $200 with one set of filters. Each aditional set is about $70-80. The great thing about those is they have more of a flat response than others on the market. They are also custom made to your ear so they fit better and feel better longer. In response to your how much is enough. I would say more is better if you plan on working in the audio field for a while. Your ears are the money maker with out them you're out of luck and you only get one set once those are gone there's no getting them back.

 

[natman]

Those plugs will work great. Under a set of muffs.

12 isn't enough for shooting.

 

[altitude_19]

I don't use anything lower than 30. Muffs hurt over my glasses, so I use plugs. If cost is an issue, order these. They come out to around a dime a pair when you order them by the box and they work well at NRR 31. They're not exactly perishable, so it doesn't hurt to buy in bulk.

 

[Dionysusigma]

I use these daily--they just work the best out of everything I've ever used. I'm not in the audio industry (anymore), but rather in aviation. I've had these in and been comfortable with a jet engine running a foot from my head (thankfully not in front or behind ), and while marshalling them out from in front of the hangar (decibel level notably higher, especially in the 5k-10k Hz range), for sustained periods up to about half an hour. Been doing this for quite a while, and have had no (noticeable) loss of hearing, no tinnitus, and the only frequencies I know I've lost were actually to a Slayer concert almost four years ago.

 

[bigfatdave]

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=531659

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=490510

Rule of thumb:
If you feel any discomfort, your protection isn't good enough.
Hearing protection is cheap and easy, get better plugs, put muffs over them if wanted, and know that hearing isn't something that heals or comes back, damage is permanent and your ears aren't evolved (or designed if that's your thing) to last past 50 or so OR to be subjected to noises of the magnitude firearms or industrial machinery can produce.
You have the ears of a hunter-gatherer, don't trash them you want to be one of the stone deaf geezers.

 

[Six]

I like loud music, I like big booms, I like shooting .357 magnum full house loads.

I don't like trying to go to bed at night with the fire alarm perpetually going off.

I have tinnitus. It sucks.

Wearing plugs under electronic muffs I can hear people talking just fine, but a .38 super comp gun just makes a little "pop".

Since I started using both, I wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[jcwit]

I can't stand hearing protection. Plugs is the most i'll use. Thats shooting big bore rifles. Nothing fancy, just some blue Winchester branded plugs from Wal-Mart. Muffling the sound takes away from the experience. I also like loud fireworks...

Won't be long till your asking,"What'd she/he say?".

The experience of the constant noise in your ear will take away from the experience of likeing loud anything pleasurable.

Ask me how I know, wait don't bother, I'll just keep it as my little secret.

 

[3:00hold]

I wear 30 db muffs over molded plugs. Very quiet. If I wanted to hear people better I'd get the electronic muffs, because the muffs/plugs I wear makes it very hard to hear talking.

 

[hso]

Muffs over plugs should be used for shooting. The less exposure you have to the high noise levels associated with shooting sports the better. Use the highest NRR plugs you can find and the highest NRR muffs.

 

[Red Cent]

Gotta close the door. Too many crickets and jar flies out there.
Sure wish I had used plugs and muffs about fifty years ago and kept using them.
I now use plugs. These are custom made at some matches I attend. They dam up the ear fairly deep, pour it in your ear and let them set up. Turns into a rubber like ear plug that fully fits the entire entrance and some depth into the ear. When talking I simply use a fingernail to lightly pop the seal and talk.
You can go to your local hearing aid/ear doctor and have them made the same way. You can have them made with a tube that contains a device that shuts down sound. Bought some quite a few years ago. Our Min Pins customized them. Now I wear the plain poured in plug.

 

[TX1911fan]

As important as the rating of plugs is how you use them. I see so many people just stuff plugs in their ears and then wonder why it's still loud. You need to compress the plug to a very small size, use one hand to pull your ear back to open your ear canal, and then stick the compressed plug way down your ear canal. You should be able to feel it go way in. When it expands, it will do its best work.

 

[Jeff82]

The good thing is if you don't like using hearing protection, after awhile, you won't need it anyway!

 

[Red Cent]

What TX1911fan said.

 

[MinnMooney]

I make my living in audio from time to time.

Is this a joke question???

NRR of 12 isn't even adaquate for shooting if you were 90 years old and already 1/2 deaf! If you make part of your living through audio then only the best hearing protection will do. I'd recommend doubling up by use of those plugs AND excellent muffs over the top.

 

[Drail]

The NRR used on most of these products are almost meaningless as there are a number of different methods to calculate them and different weighting curves. It's like the wattage ratings used an amplifiers. Those ratings got so ridiculous in the 70s that the Federal Trade Commission had to step in and make everybody use a standard rating system. Bottom line, USE plugs or muffs or both, but protect your hearing. I spent many years in the military and civilian fields working with jet engines running a foot from my head and lots of weapons fire and have not suffered any hearing loss (we were tested monthly) but many guys I worked with that didn't think it was important suffered loss and now have terrible tinnitus. Plug and cover those ears or someday you will wish you had. I am also a musician and an audiophile and I cherish my hearing very much. Most foam plugs claim a reduction of 27 to 29 decibels and will protect you if you install them correctly. You have to get them all the way down in the ear canal. Muffs also work well unless you're wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses that hold them off your skull. I use both.

 

[jnyork]

I shoot weekly with a group of abut 30-35 older fellers (70 average age) , EVERY ONE of which has hearing loss, hearing aids are common and three or four are deaf as a stone!! All due to excessive noise exposure on the job, shooting, military activities, etc.

I can guarantee you that you dont want to be like these guys. Take care of your ears (and eyes too) they are the only ones you will ever get. Wear plugs and muffs when shooting, even for .22's. You'll be glad you did.

BTW, what do you will happen to these idiot kids you see driving down the street with the car music so loud you can hear it a block away, or the music in their earbuds turned up as loud as it will go?

 

[MikeNice]

Is this a joke question???

NRR of 12 isn't even adaquate for shooting if you were 90 years old and already 1/2 deaf! If you make part of your living through audio then only the best hearing protection will do. I'd recommend doubling up by use of those plugs AND excellent muffs over the top.

It wasn't a joke. I know guns are loud. However, I don't know the actual dbSPL of a handgun shot. I also don't know a lot about how the NRR works. If they put "up to 20db noise reduction" right beside a NRR of 12 it gets pretty confusing.

 

[hso]

Considering that the sound pressure level is measured in the US in dB and the NRR (noise reduction rating) for hearing protection is the dB of the spl the hearing protection attenuates there isn't any reason for there to be a difference. The noise you're exposed to while wearing hearing protection can be calculated by subtracting 7dB from the NRR, then subtract the remainder from the TWA (time weighted average) of the noise you might be exposed to to determine the attenuated noise level. (i.e. A weighted TWA[A] – (NRR-7db) = Attenuated Noise Level). We've reproduced many tables of spls of firearms, but the oversimplified rule of thumb is to assume 140 dB for handguns and 170 dB for rifles.

I can't think why you'd have any hearing protection that would list "up to 20dB of noise reduction" with an NRR of 12db unless it were some sort of attempt to communicate dBC vs. dBA protection.

Regardless, an NRR of 12 is lower than I would recommend using.

 

[omegaflame]

My NRR22 electronic muffs are fine outdoors, but inside I need to use NRR32 disposable plugs.

 

[gun guy]

Ear protection? I never needed any ear protection at the drag strip, or a rock concert. As gun capt I couldn't wear ear protection when the 40mm's were firing, couldnt hear orders from the bridge. If you don't need hearing protection for a 40mm, you sure don't need it for 20mm or 50 cal. On countless helo ops over the years, never wore it. These days, i don't need it because a 357 magnum with a full patch handload hardly makes any noise at all. What?? Speak up son you're mutterin, can't hear a word you say. I'm not losing my hearing, the world is just getting quieter.

Ear protection, only if you want to hear conversation after you're 35 or so. How much to spend, what kind? What do you think the ability to hear will be worth to you in 20 or 30 years?