Ear Protection

[22-rimfire]

Outdoors away from a formal range, I would let him do what he wants to do. But I would wear my "protection". Since I wear perscription glasses, I seldom wear safety glasses shooting. Sometimes wear fit on top sunglasses which add a bit of protection.

I always wear ear protection. Always. I even wear it deer hunting or when I am getting ready for a shot. I won't pass up a good shot because of not wearing ear protection, but I usually have at least plugs in. I use a handgun a lot in the woods which feels a bit different from a rifle or shotgun.

 

[wep45]

you can lead a horse to water, but....

 

[Cee Zee]

I've fired my .45 Sig P220 and forgot to put my hearing protection on. Just one shot caused my ear to start to crackle and it stayed that way for almost a year. I thought it was never going away and there ain't one thing they can do to fix a hearing issue like that. Luckily the damage finally went away or at least the annoying crackling did. I don't hear all that well but I'm not terrible either. I have my hearing tested on a regular basis and I've always been in the normal range.

Long guns are bad but handguns are terrible when it comes to ear damage. They are much closer to your ears and the barrel doesn't deflect the sound as much.

I use muffs because I can't get the plugs to fit me right and I never see the larger sizes. I like muffs anyway. I like the active noise cancelling type. I can hear everything until the bullet is fired and that is blocked. I have a few sets that actually amplify sound except for anything that is above 85 DB which is blocked. I love that. I can hear things I never heard before using them. One set raised the normal sound to 5X levels but that's too much. I don't turn them up that high. Still it's great to be able to hear so much better. It's like being able to hear like an animal hears or something. It's amazing how much noise information is out there that we miss for the most part. I can hear my cat walk across the grass at night with my Walkers Game Ear Power Muffs. They are the 5X model I have. Here's a pair of them if you want to check them out. http://www.mysimon.com/prices/walke...ec-d-max-green?tag=centerColumn;sdc.119755045 I think they look different now and have a different name too. "Alpha" is part of the new name I think. Whatever they certainly give you a whole new perspective on hearing. It would be mighty hard for someone to sneak up on your with those things on, that's for sure.

I got a couple of those HF muffs with tools I ordered and they actually work very well. I don't know about 37db. That's very high.

I also saw a set of Walker muffs that had a 35db rating. That is a huge amount of sound blocking if they really work that well. Those weren't the kind with mics that pick up normal sounds though.

One other thing. The most fun I ever had with a hot case was when one fell right into my shoe. It still burns just thinking about it. I've had them go down my shirt too but that wasn't as bad as going in my shoe.

 

[hso]

I like the active noise cancelling type.

Shooter's electronic muffs aren't noise cancelling like the Bose and other muffs recommended for airline travelers. Shooting electronic muffs have a microphone, speaker, and amplifying circuit that is shut off with a high speed clipping circuit. The noise isn't cancelled, the microphone/speaker/amplifyer is simply shut off quickly to allow the passive noise protection of the muffs to work.

If you have problems finding plugs that fit over the counter check with your local Grainger or safety supply house or order off the interenet.

 

[Cee Zee]

Shooter's electronic muffs aren't noise cancelling like the Bose and other muffs recommended for airline travelers. Shooting electronic muffs have a microphone, speaker, and amplifying circuit that is shut off with a high speed clipping circuit. The noise isn't cancelled, the microphone/speaker/amplifyer is simply shut off quickly to allow the passive noise protection of the muffs to work.

I guess a person just shouldn't believe the ad copy they read. Every set of muffs I bought said they were actual noise cancelling. No matter. I think this might be a better system anyway. For one thing true noise cancelling tech has a delay before it kicks in. I always wondered how they managed to block out a sound that wasn't a steady sound too. Engines are good targets for noise cancelling. Gun shots never did seem to be. I guess I know why now.

I wasn't surprised to see noise cancelling in a budget packacge though. I have ear budgs that weren't over $30 or so and they do a great job when I mowed my grass. It cut engine noise down a lot. It wasn't perfect of course but it works well. I have a set of headphones that cost about the same and didn't cancel at all. Go figure.

I always wondered if noise cancelling didn't hurt your ears worse anyway. They were designed to let pilots talk over top their jet engines. They work by the phones sending out another sound signal that is exactly opposite from the one that is to be blocked. So when the wave form is at the top of the wave curve the cancelling is too. It does let you hear but is it protecting your ears or actually making the damage worse by producing lots of noise energy that is actually twice what it was but not audible?

 

[Field Tester]

Just wanted to give an update. The few people I was having an issue with have had a bit of a change of heart. Not all but most. Also I've been coaching at Women On Target and a lot of this information was very helpful. It's always easier to get a point across when you have actual data. Sure we know it's bad for us, but having the science to back it up usually stops an argument.

Thank you again to all who were helpful!

 

[Field Tester]

BTW on this thread I see an option for a third page but when I click iy, it only reloads the 2nd. Anyone know why that is?

Thanks again!

 

[AnthonySmithXR]

You can't make him. They will either get tired of the ringing ears an burn marks or they will get used to saying 'huh?' All the time.

It's like teaching someone not to wrap their thumb around an auto pistol. I warn them once. After that, the ripped flesh teaches more than I ever could.

 

[Manny]

I'm late to the post, but didn't see anyone mention my favorite ear plugs, Surefire Sonic Defenders. Two levels of noise reduction, 14db which allows conversation but blocks out dangerous noise levels (within reason) and 28db with the little plugs installed. I carry them daily and use them at work (diesel engines). I generally wear them without the plugs anytime I'm around where noise is likely, and add ear muffs instead when I need more.

 

[BigLar]

Late to the post, too. But I know when I realized how important hearing protection was. A good client of mine is a retired copper and range rat. I met him when he was in his late 60's. He couldn't hear a thing. Seeing someone like that was what really drove the point home. Made me rethink the idea that cheapest is best, especially when it comes to something like ears and eyes.

I'd try an introduce him to someone that's basically lost their hearing due to shooting. If that didn't get him, don't know what would.

 

[hso]

Field Tester,

Glad to see the information has proven useful.