Strange EAR problem.

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Lavan

New member
JohnKSa I've often wondered if the EXPANDING foam plugs aren't actually better than the custom fitted neoprene ones.

It just SEEMS that expansion in the ear canal would be easier to accomplish than relying on a perfect FIT.

I specified 22 rifles as the problem isn't the report, but the contact noise of the muffs themselves on the stock.

Thanks all for great info. :)

I also have an appt. in 7 days with the hearing center.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
The expanding foam plugs work really well. As long as you can get them deep into the ear and then let them expand, they make a perfect fit every time.

I use them at work sometimes when I'm working on something and can't tolerate distraction and they mute my coworkers nearly perfectly. :D

I haven't tried the silicone fitted plugs, but it's hard for me to imagine they would work better given that they're solid instead of full of air spaces like the foam plugs. Seems like the solid material would have to pass sound better than foam.

I think that in your case you're also lucky to be able to actually reduce the noise itself by putting some kind of padding on the muffs & stock.
 
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pwc

New member
You can't just roll the foam plugs and stuff them in your ears and expect them to work.

Just for grins and giggles, let's review the correct way to wear foam ear plugs....assume the right ear...1st, roll the foam onto a tight cylinder, with your left arm reach around over the top of your head, grab the top back of your right ear and pull back and up to straighten the ear canal. Insert the rolled up foam plug deeply and hold it with a finger of the right hand. Release the ear and hold the plug while it expands to fill the canal; you will hear the ambient noise subside. Repeat for the left ear. Use muffs over the plugs for best protection.
 
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ballardw

New member
I have some of the custom fitted plugs that were done by a guy that used to work the local gun show circuit.

Unless something does contact the plug they are quieter than several of the brands of expanding foam I have tried.
The custom plug fills part of the ear channel as well as the outer part of the ear that focuses sound toward the ear channel.
They are also less sensitive to cool/cold temperatures than the expanding foam. In and working; none of the wait to warm up and finish expanding.
 
Z

zukiphile

New member
Lavan said:
And..... I shoot mostly 22.
Click to expand...

As do I.

Lavan said:
If cutting the stock is the only "fix" I'll do it..
Reluctantly and will try everything else.
Click to expand...

I haven't cut any of my stocks, and I don't think any muffs would permit a decent cheekweld with the muff covering the strong side ear.

I use cheap ear plugs and electronic muffs. When shooting rifle, I raise the right side muff up an inch or so; the bottom of the muff no longer covers the bottom of my ear but it does clamp that ear plug into my ear canal. With the volume turned up all the way I can hear through my left ear plug. I can't hear through the right ear because that cheap piece of foam rubber is jammed into it, but I can also get my cheek bone down onto the stock.


I read an article on the mechanism for tinnitus. I'm not a medical expert so I may not have this 100% correct. The idea was that the condition is generated when a specific frequency is lost mechanically and the brain substitutes a sound for that missing frequency. Unfortunately it also can produce hyper-sensitivity to actual sounds that are adjacent to the dead zone. So your hearing might look like this:

a B C - E F g

C and E will drive you nuts. I don't tolerate whistling well, and I can hear one of my people whistling on the elevator up to my office when he is a couple of floors away. Some microwave timers are intolerable too.

I haven't a fix for that, but it may mean that you aren't nuts.
 
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Lavan

New member
Zukiphile..... EXACTLY,
There's a screaming whistle in the opening of any FX program.
No matter what the volume is set at, that damn soumd will HURT.

Gonna pad the muffs for sure. A 22 rifle stock does me in while a 45 handgun doesn't.

I hear stamp collecting is pretty easy on the ears. :D
 
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Lavan

New member
It is NOT the bolt. I know that sound and it is nearly imperceptible.

It is the STOCK CLACKING the muffs.

I am going to try attaching some CARPET to the muff as I ....think..... that will be about the BEST vibration damper.

NOT THE BOLT !!!!
 
S

Shane Tuttle

Staff
OK, OK, easy there, Lavan. Ifishsum is only providing some thinking outside the box and a possible solution.

Be sure to provide an AAR on the carpet trick.
 
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Lavan

New member
I wasn't trying to be testy.
What I may not have mentioned but maybe I did is that this phenomenon affects all my rifles. Not just the Ruger.

LEAST affected is the CZ 455 Ultra Lux that is a ...bit... heavier.

I hold my guns lightly. That allows some slop in the weld.

Ergo.....clack. :eek:
 
M

mellow_c

New member
I only have one thing to say. Your hearing CAN and WILL improve if you allow it to. I've read that once the damage is done it is done. That's not true. It will get better, how much better? I don't know, but enough to notice I'd say. Make some real efforts to tone it down when ever you can and you'll be sure to notice things will start getting a little louder.
 
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Lavan

New member
Okay..... just returned from another 10-22 shoot.

WAY better. However, I used the carpet glued to the right muff.
AND
Flent EXPANDING foam plugs.
AND
The rubber bolt stop.

Mucho better. Still can hear a percussive "sound" but that is just part of shooting.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

(I did manage to RE-install the OLD bolt stop while wanting to install the NEW one)

DUH !!! :D
 
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