Handgun hearing protection

[StuntHeavy]

Just a little update.... Got to take the Howard Leight Impact Sport earmuffs for a test drive today. Very Very impressed. Only downfall is that at high volume, there is a good amount of 'white noise' in the background. But most times I had the volume at low to medium volume and that was plenty to hear others talking.

Very happy with how well they block noise. We shot several hundred rounds of .40, .45, and .22. Also touched off some rounds of .460, and they blocked the noise quite well. None of the centerfire cartridges ever made me feel "ouch thats loud". .22 was quite mild. Needless to say, one of the best 47$ I've spent.

 

[Clarence]

Plugs + muffs for me.

My ears have been ringing for 20 years. I've gotta save what hearing I have left.

 

[JustinL]

Like many, I now wear both plugs and muffs. It is imperative you wear both as you will only get a 40dB reduction at best with them (not a lot when you consider an AR-15 will register about 161 dB if only for a fraction of a second). That is assuming you are wearing them correctly.

The worst thing you can do is wear those ear plugs that are connected with a loop under your chin. The reason being is that they rarely seat properly in you ears and even if they were they often slip out of position.

The moral of the story is to protect yourself as best you can.

 

[CJ]

I love the electronic muffs with plugs combination. You can crank up the volume on the muffs to hear conversations well enough while having the doubled protection for the louder sounds.

In classes, I've realized that everyone else had removed their ear protection during a instruction, and I hadn't even noticed because I could hear just fine.

 

[Guillermo]

Leightning 30 and some foam plugs does a good job.

Bought 3 pair so the whole family can shoot. I wear them when shooting anything including 22lr

 

[ironvic]

I'm an older shooter and like a lot of guys my age, I have tinnitus (ringing in the ears). It's with me 24/7 and I can never enjoy a quiet day in the woods just sitting listening to nature because of the high pitched squeal. Mine is a result of being an ambulance EMT in Los Angeles where we often drove lights and siren with the windows rolled down to hear other emergency vehicles in the vicinity.

Whenever I hit the range, I don my ear protectors, usually ear plugs until I hit the gate, then the muffs go on too. There's nothing as fiercesome as walking into the range just when someone touches off a centerfire handgun or rifle-ouch!

Get out of the budget mindset when buying ear protection, too. That's no place to save money-get the best you can afford, trust me.

 

[Water Garden]

I use bilsom 30db muffs and usaf canal plugs. I can tell you that your hearing damage will happen suddenly and without warning. Once its damaged its damaged. There are all kinds of problems associated with damage to your inner ears. Dont mess around, protect your ears. Most gunfire is 130 db ++

+1 to what Ironvic said

 

[Publius1688]

Growing up in the 70's and early 80's, in rural Louisiana, no one wore ear protection, myself included. I didn't start until I got married, and my wife bought me some.
Oh, man, was I an idiot. I've done permanent damage to my hearing. One thing I try to really talk to new shooters about is hearing protection.
IMO- cheap plugs, with muffs over. I've never used electronic, but more power to you.