So what is the best at reducing noise? I was at an indoor range recently and tried the cheap foam inserts and the head mufflers over that and while my .454 was tolerable, it still wasn't as good as I would like. I'm not crazy about sticking things in my ears and have always preferred over the ears mufflers, but I'm open for suggestions. I don't care if it amplifies low noises, I just want to turn loud noises into a distant soft "pop" if possible.
Absolute best hearing protection?
- Thread starter AL45
- Start date
LeverGunFan
New member
I like Pro Ears for hearing protection, I have a set of their passive muffs that I use along with soft ear plugs. In general the passive muffs will have a higher noise attenuation rating than active muffs, and it appears that you need the highest attenuation that you can find for your .454. Typically the maximum attenuation that you can find is a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 29 or 30. These are large muffs, which may not work well for rifle work, but work well for pistol use. Here is a link to the Pro Ears comparison table, they list a couple of models as best for indoor pistol use.
Don't discount the use of plugs under a set of muffs; the plugs add some attenuation above what you get with the muffs and can make up for a less than ideal seal around your ears due to the wear of safety glasses. Try a few different brands of soft plugs to see if there is one that you find comfortable.
Don't discount the use of plugs under a set of muffs; the plugs add some attenuation above what you get with the muffs and can make up for a less than ideal seal around your ears due to the wear of safety glasses. Try a few different brands of soft plugs to see if there is one that you find comfortable.
https://www.sordin.com/products/sordinsupreme-prox-camogreen
https://srstactical.com/sordin-supreme-pro-x-hearing-protection-headset-hear2.html
The Sordin's are military grade used by the Swedes along with several NATO countries and are equivalent to 3rd Generation Peltors. Very similar to the Peltor's we wore in 2001 in my first tour in Afghanistan.
Peltors are pricey and Sordin's give you Military grade shooting/patrolling ear protection for a lower price without compromising capability or quality.
https://srstactical.com/sordin-supreme-pro-x-hearing-protection-headset-hear2.html
The Sordin's are military grade used by the Swedes along with several NATO countries and are equivalent to 3rd Generation Peltors. Very similar to the Peltor's we wore in 2001 in my first tour in Afghanistan.
Peltors are pricey and Sordin's give you Military grade shooting/patrolling ear protection for a lower price without compromising capability or quality.
Peltor 30db muffs, best I have ever used. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BGHVPYK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Paired with some ear pugs
Paired with some ear pugs
Dfariswheel
New member
Peltor protection, whether electronic or passive, is the best available.
Military special ops and police SWAT mostly use Peltor electronics.
Military special ops and police SWAT mostly use Peltor electronics.
I run Howard Leight active muffs with Harbor Freight disposable foam plugs. I shoot my .454 with these no problem in an outdoor range with a 8ft awning. No way I'd do this without doubling up on the active muffs.
As some other have stated, passive muffs generally block more noise than active for the same bulk/size. You give up sound deadening material for electronics. Active muffs with the same sound deadening as passive will cost exponentially more.
And to clarify for some reading this now or in the future that don't understand how active muffs work- they don't just allow some sound in and not others. They block everything and there's a little speaker inside that transmits sound outside from a little microphone. Turning them on or off doesn't block more or less sound. They block as much as they're capable.
I can usually still hear standard conversation with foam plugs and active muffs just fine. Much better than just plugs or just passive muffs.
As some other have stated, passive muffs generally block more noise than active for the same bulk/size. You give up sound deadening material for electronics. Active muffs with the same sound deadening as passive will cost exponentially more.
And to clarify for some reading this now or in the future that don't understand how active muffs work- they don't just allow some sound in and not others. They block everything and there's a little speaker inside that transmits sound outside from a little microphone. Turning them on or off doesn't block more or less sound. They block as much as they're capable.
I can usually still hear standard conversation with foam plugs and active muffs just fine. Much better than just plugs or just passive muffs.
One benefit of active muffs is that because you can hear conversation with them on, there's no reason to take them off at the range.
Before I started using active muffs, I would take them off sometimes to talk with someone and occasionally get surprised when someone started shooting while I had them off. That doesn't happen with active muffs.
Before I started using active muffs, I would take them off sometimes to talk with someone and occasionally get surprised when someone started shooting while I had them off. That doesn't happen with active muffs.
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Realizing that this is a rather old thread at this point, it's still worth noting a few things.
First, if foam plugs and virtually ANY set of muffs are insufficient then nothing will be sufficient. It's literally impossible.
Second, have you seen the "bone conduction" headphones? These work because sound that originates outside your head can travel through the bones of your skull to your ears. This sound basically can't be attenuated. It's a complex issue, yes you can cover more bone and get more attenuation but at some point you're literally wearing a helmet.
Third, NRR ratings don't stack mathematically, at least by addition. If you are wearing plugs rated at pretty much the highest possible rating (33) and muffs at the same rating, the combined NRR isn't 66. OSHA (29 CFR 1910.95 and 29 CFR 1926.52) recommends adding 5db for the second set of protection, so 33+33 becomes 38, at best.
It's also worth noting that OSHA has a formula for "real world use" that indicates an actual protection level of less than half (subtract 7 and divide by 2) so 38 becomes more like 15-16.
The short answer is, if muffs and plugs aren't cutting it, you're in dangerous noise territory and there's really nothing more you can do except don't be in that noise level.
First, if foam plugs and virtually ANY set of muffs are insufficient then nothing will be sufficient. It's literally impossible.
Second, have you seen the "bone conduction" headphones? These work because sound that originates outside your head can travel through the bones of your skull to your ears. This sound basically can't be attenuated. It's a complex issue, yes you can cover more bone and get more attenuation but at some point you're literally wearing a helmet.
Third, NRR ratings don't stack mathematically, at least by addition. If you are wearing plugs rated at pretty much the highest possible rating (33) and muffs at the same rating, the combined NRR isn't 66. OSHA (29 CFR 1910.95 and 29 CFR 1926.52) recommends adding 5db for the second set of protection, so 33+33 becomes 38, at best.
It's also worth noting that OSHA has a formula for "real world use" that indicates an actual protection level of less than half (subtract 7 and divide by 2) so 38 becomes more like 15-16.
The short answer is, if muffs and plugs aren't cutting it, you're in dangerous noise territory and there's really nothing more you can do except don't be in that noise level.
LeverGunFan
New member
The decibel scale is logarithmic, so a 3 dB reduction is 10 raised to the -0.3 power, which is 1/2 the sound pressure level. So adding in another 3 dB reduction is very significant, even though the numbers don't look too impressive. Using both muffs and ear plugs probably cuts the sound pressure level in half or more, and is definitely noticeable.
Recycled bullet
New member
I use the 3M barbed green plastic in ear plugs inside of a howard leight electronic headphones when I practice shooting my 357 Magnum.
It's unbearably loud if you only have single layer hearing protection when you're shooting indoor range.
It's unbearably loud if you only have single layer hearing protection when you're shooting indoor range.
Wow, read up on this stuff
I'm the hearing control officer, if you shoot with me you will wear protection or we do not shoot. Research the artillery men's issues for our returning vets. The bone conduction is mentioned here. Fairly recent history where thousands of rounds were fired by just a few individuals. There are now many walking wounded vets for which the VA has no good answers for. I'm hesitant to link articles it's currently in the news. That shock wave generated by really heavy rifles sure the heck can't be good for us.
I'm the hearing control officer, if you shoot with me you will wear protection or we do not shoot. Research the artillery men's issues for our returning vets. The bone conduction is mentioned here. Fairly recent history where thousands of rounds were fired by just a few individuals. There are now many walking wounded vets for which the VA has no good answers for. I'm hesitant to link articles it's currently in the news. That shock wave generated by really heavy rifles sure the heck can't be good for us.
Recycled bullet
New member
The camera is slow. I screen shot recorded individual frames from a video recorded with an inexpensive cellular phone to capture the picture. I have some pictures filmed from the side showing j frame snubby 357 Magnum recoil impulse where the barrel disappears in between frames during the firing cycle.
I've always wanted to record a shooting trip with a high end camera. It could really share my love of shooting handguns to others.