CapnMac
Member
Suppressors are a bit like one-method-only hearing pro--the NRR matters.
Supersonic (typically, over 1070 fps) gunshots will meter to 155-165 dB.
A suppressor that reduces only 20 dB is a bit like plugs or muff that only reduce 20 dB--you are still coping with 135-145 dB.
A number of people (too many, actually) will quote 140 dB as "hearing safe"--that's a misapplication of the OSHA standard for "single impulse sounds" measured over an entire eight-hour shift.
Most audiologists are going to quote numbers closer to 100-110 dB as the "threshold level" for damage. Now, that's related to exposure. Eight hours around lawn machinery at 110 dB will cause damage by accumulation.
This is where "doubling up" is a success-oriented strategy.
Muffs and rifle stocks are a pain, admittedly. But, a person can get used to a lot of things. Clanking muffs off a rifle stock is not enough of a burden to give up the fun of rifle shooting. One balances the other.
Getting muffs with replacable parts, like going from foam to gel filled ear cuffs, can be a game-changer--and is well worth the extra dollars involved. In many ways, going to a spendy set of hearing pro is like buying a more expensive scope--the results can be startling.
Supersonic (typically, over 1070 fps) gunshots will meter to 155-165 dB.
A suppressor that reduces only 20 dB is a bit like plugs or muff that only reduce 20 dB--you are still coping with 135-145 dB.
A number of people (too many, actually) will quote 140 dB as "hearing safe"--that's a misapplication of the OSHA standard for "single impulse sounds" measured over an entire eight-hour shift.
Most audiologists are going to quote numbers closer to 100-110 dB as the "threshold level" for damage. Now, that's related to exposure. Eight hours around lawn machinery at 110 dB will cause damage by accumulation.
This is where "doubling up" is a success-oriented strategy.
Muffs and rifle stocks are a pain, admittedly. But, a person can get used to a lot of things. Clanking muffs off a rifle stock is not enough of a burden to give up the fun of rifle shooting. One balances the other.
Getting muffs with replacable parts, like going from foam to gel filled ear cuffs, can be a game-changer--and is well worth the extra dollars involved. In many ways, going to a spendy set of hearing pro is like buying a more expensive scope--the results can be startling.