Ear Protection - ear muffs in the way, and NRR of electronic muffs

fiftycalforsquirrels

fiftycalforsquirrels

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Is it just me or are over ear muffs completely in the way when shooting rifle off a bench with a rest and bags? I have "low profile" ones, but still cant figure it out.

I like to use dual pro (plugs and muffs) when shooting pistol(32 NRR plugs and 33 NRR oversized muffs) ... downside is I pretty much cant hear anything unless youre yelling at me. I like this level of sound reduction though for magnums and pistol in general

22lr benchrest rifle... just use plugs because ear muffs are in the way. Which is mostly pretty good with a longer tube and sub sonic ammo. 32 NRR plugs work well, but when a pistols getting sent, Id prefer to have the extra pro on.

Center fire rifle... I dunno. Really would like to have dual pro on... depends whats happening, sometimes I put the muffs on and just half way on, on my stock ear.

My girlfriend bought me some electronic muffs, but the NRR on electronic muffs kind of suck at 23nrr..... why do they even need to be electronic at 23nrr. You can still have a conversation and almost hear a pin drop with 23's on.

So I wondered if maybe caldwell E muffs were just not that good....but it seems in general E muffs of all varietys are behind the curve. Whats with that?

Tldr the ramble:

What are you guys doing for ear protection when shooting rifle?
Why do E muffs suck and/or what are the best ones?
 
Trust me, when you get older you will thank me. Foam ear plugs, electric muffs, I have a set of peltors, over top of foam plugs
Turn the muffs up enough you can hear enough, and never shoot with just one level of protection as ear damage is cumulative over time. If you muffs are in the way your cheek weld sounds like its the problem, can't help you there.
 
In my experience the material of the ear cups makes a big difference. Proper, high quality gel cups will conform to your head shape and eye protection rather than merely being pressed up against it, making a much better sound seal than the traditional foam material that most muffs use, and considerably more comfortable for all day at the range. If you can find a set of gel cups for the set you have I would recommend giving it a shot. Comparing my sordins and walkers for both comfort and effectiveness is a night and day difference (some of that is probably the 5x price difference though as well :LOL:
 
I’d like to try out some custom moulded ear plugs with the speakers in them so you can hear conversations, but it seems like the people selling them want me into their store becore they’ll give me a quote. I’ve sent a few emails to different providers and nobody wants to say what the actual cost is.

Anyways, I think I’m going to try these from 3m
https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/v100765196/
I have the same problem with my cheek wield being in the way while wearing muffs and it seems to be every one I’ve tried.
 
Bustercluck said:
I’d like to try out some custom moulded ear plugs with the speakers in them so you can hear conversations, but it seems like the people selling them want me into their store becore they’ll give me a quote. I’ve sent a few emails to different providers and nobody wants to say what the actual cost is.

Anyways, I think I’m going to try these from 3m
https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/v100765196/
I have the same problem with my cheek wield being in the way while wearing muffs and it seems to be every one I’ve tried.
Click to expand...

Those have potential to be the best E version anything I've seen. I say potential because the 30nrr claim is relative to the tip fitting right. I think custom molded is pretty expensive....likely right in the ball park of what those eep's cost. Not sure what the NRR is on custom?

I dont shoot without atleast foam plugs in...32nrr. I rechecked the specs on what I have....
Pro Ears sleek -26NRR
Pro Ears Ultra -30NRR

When shooting pistols, there is a substantial sound level comfort difference between the caldwell 23's, and pro ears 26's and 30's. I dont shoot pistol without the foam plugs and my ultras. Unless youre talking loudly and relatively close to me AND im paying attention, I am not going to hear the words come out of your mouth. Problematic?? Not sure. The range is hot... good chance I'm gonna be busting caps, not talking.

Pro ears has gel molded versions, rated at 1nrr less. Strange.

I'll have to revisit my cheek weld and sitting arrangement..... standing shooting shotgun/clays, I can wear my ultras and not have them in the way. I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to wear any muffs while shooting off the bench..... foam plugs for sure... + non stock side ear is muffed. Kinda goofy, lol

I guess I just think these E versions are not that great... sure they serve a purpose for instruction and what have you, but at the expense of hearing protection.
 
Your not the only one. I can't get comfortable with my noise cancelling Walker ear muffs or just any basic ones either. I picked up some walker noise cancelling ear buds, but they are a pain to figure out let alone change batteries in. I just use my plugs most of the time while shooting and wear the Walker muffs while setting up and stuff. Cheers
 
Bustercluck said:
I’d like to try out some custom moulded ear plugs with the speakers in them so you can hear conversations, but it seems like the people selling them want me into their store becore they’ll give me a quote. I’ve sent a few emails to different providers and nobody wants to say what the actual cost is.

Anyways, I think I’m going to try these from 3m
https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/v100765196/
I have the same problem with my cheek wield being in the way while wearing muffs and it seems to be every one I’ve tried.
Click to expand...

I had the same experience when my molded hearing protection wore out after 12 years of daily use.

The folks at Connect Hearing were the least obnoxious, so I went to see them. I replaced my solid plugs with solids silicone plugs as those attenuate the most sound. The set took a week and a half to make and cost $300. I am happy with that as they will last me at least 10 years - probably more that I don't use them every day.

I listened to the explanation that the plugs with filters allow conversations to be heard but I can hear range commands with the solid plugs.


.
 
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Just received a set of Sordin Pros without the led 💡 and the gel cups. Huge difference in comfort as well as sound quality. Used them for 8 hours in minus 15 on a field duck hunt and was very impressed. I think they keep you warmer in the cold as well. They’re are not cheap but much better quality vs the Walkers I was constantly replacing.
 
Sordin Supreme with GEL cups. These will shut themselves off after a couple hours it you forget to turn them off. Battery life is about one year. Tried Peltors and a set of batteries might last a weekend.
 
I've been through a few different kinds of hearing protection over the years. A lot of muffs out there are too low on NRR to really be effective, at least when shooting indoors. The slim Peltor Tactical set was one of the worst. More tacticool than effective. To add to the confusion, some manufacturers (EU mostly) use SNR which offers less protection than NRR if you compare numbers to numbers. Axil is an example of a brand that uses SNR.

I have a nice set of electronic muffs I bought years ago and recently snagged some aftermarket gel cups from Amazon. It's comfortable to wear all day, except when it's killer hot out in the summer. Be weary of cheap electronic muffs, they may or may not "filter" out damaging noise well enough. This maybe used to be more of a concern when the tech was "new".

I just bought a set of in ear 3M Peltor EEP-100 electronic earplugs. I've only used them for about 3 hours during a range session but so far I'm very impressed. Comfortable and have enough NRR for shooting indoors (get the skull screws with them to maximize NRR). I have not tried them outdoors yet though so can't comment on stuff like wind noise. When I'm squadded with a particular open shooter next, I'll probably still double them up with my existing muffs. Need a blast shield with him really (and maybe a fire extinguisher on hand.....if you're reading this, you know who you are! :D
 
Howard Leights, with gel pads for most things, I double up with plugs when I’m shooting indoors or have anything stupid loud going off beside me.

No issues with cheek weld on any of my rifles while shooting from a bench.
 
I use Peltor Tac 6’s, I think is the name, plus 3m neon plugs. It took me awhile to get used to a new cheek weld position to accommodate them.
 
I have recently started using these for waterfowl hunting.GS extreme shooting ear buds 2.0
$130-150 usd a bit pricy but very happy with them.
https://goaxil.com/collections/ear-...MF4BfbP-EVJ5HrkbRDfkZqLtSEarR_zxoCqagQAvD_BwE

Ear buds with built in Bluetooth and sound enhancement. A bit to get used to putting them on but I can hear a mallard a mile away, can also listen to tunes and hear other talk. When shooting sound is blocked.
 
OP I have the same issue. I find that if I can be seating more upright/behind then gun it is less of an issue, the more I have to lean down to the gun the worse it is. Bench height plays a big role in this.
 
I am also shopping for new protection.
Have this Walkers Slim for couple years, it works OK for if I am at distance from centerfire lane, but last year I started a BR with 308 and here I realized that I need a dual layer.
Time to upgrade.
Also I need to figure the eye protection. I have to wear reading glasses during day and at the bench this becomes a hassle....glasses on and glasses off. I want to find some bifocals so I don't touch my scope that working fine.
 
I have already lost a good portion of my hearing so I do what I can. Muffs of any kind may not seal properly for some but using them with plugs will still be a big net benefit.
 
Brownells sells a Radians kit to make moulded yourself ear plugs. These work really well.
With plugs alone, there are concerns about bone conduction of sound.
With really good non-electronic hearing protection, there can be a safety concern - the shooter can be unaware of what is happening around him. Might not hear the RO, etc.
Gel pads really are superior. Worth adding if muffs aren't equipped with them.
 
bigHUN said:
I am also shopping for new protection.
Have this Walkers Slim for couple years, it works OK for if I am at distance from centerfire lane, but last year I started a BR with 308 and here I realized that I need a dual layer.
Time to upgrade.
Also I need to figure the eye protection. I have to wear reading glasses during day and at the bench this becomes a hassle....glasses on and glasses off. I want to find some bifocals so I don't touch my scope that working fine.
Click to expand...

Here is a video for your consideration. Have you seen the scope-mounted magnifiers? They are popular with the older shooters.

 
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