Ear protection

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RAfiringline

New member
I did some bench shooting w/ a new AR15, and my ear muffs interfere with my cheek placement and screw up my glasses. I'm trying to get my groups cut in half, and these muffs aren't helping.

Any suggestions for some "in the ear" protection that works? I don't think cotton or those foam things are good enough.

Thanks
 
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CWKahrFan

New member
Good foam ones (I use Mack's Ultra) are enough IF you learn the technique of rolling them between your thumb and finger to compress them enough and then use your fingertip to quickly push it way into the ear canal. If they're deep enough they work great. 'Course then you also have to learn the technique of how to dig them back out (starting with your fingernail).

There are subtleties in brands. I really like Mack's Ultra the best... a good compromise between hard and soft.

Once I got used to getting the right depth, I became a big fan... but there is a learning curve.
 
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FITASC

New member
One thing in the ear plugs do not do is protect the mastoid area around the ear which transmit the vibration to the inner/middle ear which can also be very debilitating. Your best bet is to use both plugs and muffs. Peltor and Howard Leight make thin muffs that might works.

I shoot a target shotgun with electronic muffs and they never interfere with the stock or my glasses. Maybe you need to have someone look at your method of mounting the gun to see if there is something there that might need to be changed.
 
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AK103K

New member
I cant use the muffs when shooting long guns either. Learned early on to use plugs.

I mainly use the soft rubber "finned" type for shooting, that are also used for swimming. I also use the foam type at work. Both have a higher Db rating than any of the muff type Ive seen.

You can get a big box of the Howard Leight "MAX" plugs at most safety product suppliers for a reasonable price. They are soft, shaped for ease of use and comfort, and have a rating of 33.

The rubber ones dont seem to be as popular as they once were, but I find them slightly more effective than the foam type. They are reusable and can be washed. I have a half dozen pairs on the slings of different rifles so I always have a set, and I also keep a couple of packs of the foam type on other guns as well. There are always a 5 or 6 packs in my pants pockets too for work, or any time I might need them. That alone is a big plus over the muffs. Its easy to always have some along.
 
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bcrash15

New member
I tend to find ear muffs, especially when wearing any sort of glasses which break the cup seal around the ear, are not the best for sole protection. They tend to have mid-20's NRRs and that is probably tested in "best case" conditions, not with safety glasses creating a gap around the top of the cup. Most decent foam plugs have a better NRR (although the flanged rubber ones are similar to muffs but MUCH easier to install properly). Plugs can be a trial and error through a few styles/brands until you find the best one for you.

It really depends a lot on the type of shooting I am doing. Indoors definitely doubled up. If I am shooting the loud gun at the range I will probably double up, but if I am shooting a .22 unless someone is shooting a compensated magnum in the next stall I will probably just use plugs or muffs (whatever is convenient for range noise).
 
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Mobuck

Moderator
"those foam things"
Ear protection devices are rated (fairly stringently) and provide the amount of noise reduction they're labeled for-WHEN PROPERLY INSERTED. Installation may be a problem for some users.
 
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buckhorn_cortez

New member
Go to the E.A.R. Inc. website.

I use their custom molded "Chameleon Ears" filtered ear plugs for both rifle and shotgun. You need to have a custom mold made of your ear canals and then they will make the plugs to fit your ears.

If you buy the "Pop Stoppers" version, there is an additional plug that can be used to close off the acoustic filter, giving an NRR of 30.

If you call or email them, they will provide several sources in your area for the mold service (generally at a hearing aid company). They send you back the molds with the finished earplugs so that you can have additional earplugs made at any time.
 
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SARuger

New member
I have gone through some intensive training for PPE on my job. The best hearing protection with the highest NRR is the canal plugs(foam) combined with muffs. If you can only wear one thing, wear the foam canal plugs.

I prefer the muffs and I wear glasses and never had any issues shooting shotguns or rifles.
 
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mxsailor803

New member
I use Surfire EP-3's everyday at work. They can usually be found for less than 15 bucks and are some of the most comfortable plugs I've found. Personally, I can't stand foamies. I'd rather go without than wear them. They make my ear canal itch like crazy.
 
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Erno86

New member
You might have a wrong cheek weld location if the stock is hitting your muffs while shooting off the bench.

For offhand or standing shots that require a quick mount...you're head should already be in the shooting position before you bring the gun up --- If you lower your head to the gun just as the gun comes to your shoulder --- you are doing it wrong.

Bring the butt stock slightly outward from your body as you bring the gun up --- and then drive-it straight back into your shoulder.

Use a squared-up fighter's stance --- shoulders forward, weight on the balls of your feet, knees slightly bent --- in order to control recoil better.

For safety glasses...slide the arms of the glasses outside the muff support wires.

While hunting with firearms...I use a camo pair of electronic Howard Leights, and I rarely have a muff slap with the gun --- and if I did --- I know I mounted the gun wrong.
 
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FITASC

New member
You can get a big box of the Howard Leight "MAX" plugs at most safety product suppliers for a reasonable price. They are soft, shaped for ease of use and comfort, and have a rating of 33.
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Those NRRs are optimistic - just like the stated gas mileage for your car. The other issue, which I saw today, is folks never insert the plugs completely inside the ear. These ROTC kids that were trapping barely had the tip inserted, basically no ear protection wore a darn. My electronic muffs carry a 26 NRR:

41LrJnsTybL.01_SL300_.jpg


The nice thing about these types of muffs is that I can turn the volume up or down as needed for hearing either the target machines or someone talking.

They also make thinner ones:
51BGCTDSGJL.01_SL300_.jpg

and ones that go behind the head:
41qH-hxUxIL.01_SL300_.jpg


And that is just one of the makers that have these types
 
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AK103K

New member
The other issue, which I saw today, is folks never insert the plugs completely inside the ear.
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Like anything else, if you dont use them properly, you dont get the benefit.

Ive seen more than a few guys at work, stick them in the outer ear sideways, "over" the ear canal. :rolleyes:

I started with the muffs back in the 60's when they were all big, and tried the various "smaller" versions as they came out. Nothing ever worked as well as the plugs. The only time I ever wore both, was at a couple of the machine gun shoots, when I wasnt shooting.
 
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emcon5

New member
Double up. Defense in depth is always a good thing.

This should be your mantra:

cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible....

Now you say it a few times.......

(wish someone had beat this into my head years ago)
 
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Moomooboo

New member
emcon5 said:
Double up. Defense in depth is always a good thing.

This should be your mantra:

cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible, cumulative and irreversible....

Now you say it a few times.......

(wish someone had beat this into my head years ago)
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Wait. Cumulative? I dont think thats the right word? Its not like when your ears are exposed to 999999 decibels is when they start to lose hearing.
 
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cryogenic419

New member
Start looking around for a new pair of muffs that are slimmer and presumably will have a lower NRR and consider doubling up with both plugs and muffs. I shoot ARs in highpower matches so I was kind of in the same boat as you once. Found some slimmer shotgun muffs that didn't interfere with getting a good cheeckweld or glasses. The downside is that they didn't have the highest NRR rating which is why I double up.

As someone who has lost a great deal of their hearing for various reasons I try to spread the gospel. Do yourself a favor and do everything you can to protect it. Its not going to be something you notice overnight, it builds up over time. One day you wake up and and notice that things you KNOW you used to be hear just fine you now have trouble with. There is no way to get it back, once the damage is done that's it, end of story.
 
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FITASC

New member
Wait. Cumulative? I dont think thats the right word
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Mine is. My "tin ear", "ear crickets", "snare drum", all started back when I used to listen to Jimi Hendrix at volume 9 with the headset on. Over a long period of time, the loss got worse and worse.

The key word above is irreversible...............NOTHING can bring it back once it is gone. Now, some married guys might think that might not be to bad.......:D, but I would like to be able to hear, even if it requires some amplification down the road.
 
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emcon5

New member
Wait. Cumulative? I dont think thats the right word? Its not like when your ears are exposed to 999999 decibels is when they start to lose hearing.
Click to expand...

No, it is not like a counter, but every time you damage you hearing, it stacks with every other time you have damaged your hearing in your whole life.

And it never gets better.
 
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Stevie-Ray

New member
No, it is not like a counter, but every time you damage you hearing, it stacks with every other time you have damaged your hearing in your whole life.
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And that means cumulative or accumulative IS the right word. And trust me, it is. Doubling up, for me.
 
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