Ear Protection with 22LR cheek weld issue

quikcolin

quikcolin

Regular
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Hey guys,

I'm having a bit of difficultly with my T1x in it's KRG Bravo chassis and my ear protection hitting the stock. Previously with the OEM stock while wearing my slim Walker Razor ear protectors things were perfect... I could obtain a great cheek weld and the Walker's didn't touch the butt stock, and everything was fine. Fast forward to the KRG Bravo, and every time I try to get behind the scope my Walker's bump into the buttstock causing them to lift up and cause all sorts of issues. The KRG must be that it's a bit bigger and a different shape.

I'm considering just using regular ear plugs when shooting the .22LR. Which I realize will be more than enough for shooting this small caliber, but what about when you have a guy with a 7mm beside you blasting away.... anyone have a solution... or at the very least, do you have any recommendations for great in-ear plugs? I don't want to spend $500 on crazy fancy electronic ones...

Thanks guys,
Colin
 
I am 66. Pretty significant deaf - need hearing aids, etc. BUT - the audiologist that reviews my hearing tests - my hearing loss pattern is not from bursts - so is NOT caused by gun fire - she suspects some amount due to aging and some amount due to excessive exposure to high frequency noises - for that, I blame the damn screaming circular saws when I was building our house - was "too tough" to need hearing protection here at home!!! But, I always have been wearing EAR brand foam ear plugs when shooting targets. And I still insist my kids wear something when shooting - Ha! My "kids" are in their 40's now!!! I leave it to them to set the standard for the grandkids.

From previous life - I used to have to teach this stuff - is a correct way and about 20 wrong ways to wear ear plugs to get maximum protection from them - is useful to actually read and follow instructions on the box how to install - no one born knowing how to do this stuff, without reading or coaching. You are correct - muffs are a lot "handier" - but very easy for the way you turn your head, press against something like rifle comb - to dislodge and break the seal against your skin - basically voiding a lot of the protection that you might otherwise have. When I was underground miner - could take a few minutes to install foam plugs - would usually wear them all shift - often would wear them at home to sleep during day, when I was on night shift. When I got transferred to surface mill - constantly in quiet control room, then out on very noisy operations floor - so ear muffs much more handy to flip up or down as walking in or out the door. But I was well aware that the muffs, were not "as good as" the foam plugs - all due to the wearer.
 
I use the Howard Leight "MAX LITE" foam plugs for rimfire mostly, and the Howard Leight "Impact Sport" electronic muffs if I'm shooting anything heavier...or observing others shooting. I find the Impact Sport to be pretty low profile and pretty decent, but I experience the same with some guns. Honestly, never gave much thought as to why it's a bigger issue with some than the others...except to say, I fall back to the foam (only) if that's an issue.

I've heard the the "best" are the in-ear ones you can have made to fit your own ears...but can't say that from personal experience.
 
Go to the hearing clinic. They can make you proper molded ear plugs. They are custom fit just for you. Well worth the money to protect yourself. Might as well get a hearing test while you are there . The hearing tests are free in BC not to sure about other provinces
 
My 17HMR is in the Mako stock and I have the same problem with it pushing the ear muff up. I just put a plug in that ear and let the muff ride a bit higher.
 
I had this issue with big rifles because recoil would bump my ear protection off. Best thing I ever did was get some custom mounded ear plugs with filters in them. They are worth every penny.
 
I wear ear plugs as well as peltor 105 muffs on the indoor range. With my high comb rifles they push on the muffs too. So all I do is just slide them up a little on my right side. The bottom of my lobe is exposed but the plugs and muffs still do their job.
 
Sounds like I'm not alone, thanks for sharing your experiences, guys.

I think I'll just pop in some ear plugs, push the muffs up and deal with it :). I was considering dropping the rifle back into the factory stock... which I didn't want to do.

Thanks guys!
 
Molded custom plugs for a couple of hundred bucks are the right answer.
I shot tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of 22 rimfire when I was younger with no hearing protection at all and at 60 years old, my right ear is still pretty good while my left ear not so much but not enough to warrant a hearing aid yet. As Potashmier said, my audiologist says that it is not so much the gun fire that has caused my hearing loss as much as the power saws and loud farm tractors, cats etc that I ran when I was younger.
That said, along with several sets of custom plugs, I also have Peltor muffs which are really not the best muff as far as decible rating goes but I slide them up as high on my stock side ear as I can and they dont interfere with the rifle or shotgun stock.
 
If you install them properly, the foam plugs are plenty for a 22lr, but I do prefer custom molded plugs, as they stay in place better, and mine have the valve, that allows me to hear conversation better.
 
Sure fire plugs work well. Theyre comfortable for all day wear. Just measure to get the right size. I wear a surefire 3 at work but i take the inner caps out so i can hear ppl talking and relieve some pressure as i get disoriented plugging my ears. The surefire 5 has move flanges and an option for foam tips as well.
 
When I was in my 20s I shot handguns w/o ear protection - .22 auto-pistols until me ears really hurt, a 2" barrel with HV is really high-pitched and prob the main cause of my tin... but I also worked in a woodshop and ran radial cut-off, table saws and routers w/o muffs or plugs. This was all thru the 60s-70s and hardly anyone wore E-P back then. :rolleyes: It all adds up but my tinn only affects the 'high-end' freqs and I usually can ignore the ringing... but my wife's voice is often in that 'high' spectrum - lol. I think I should wear my elec-muffs at home, too. ;)
 
https://www.championtarget.com/eye-and-ear-protection/vanquish/vanquish-pro-elite-electronic-hearing-protection/CH-40982.html

They are stamped R and L which might have been a screw up on mine so wearing them backwards puts the cut out forward. Foam earbuds typically have about 22-25 dB rating which is about the same as most ear muffs: EAR foam buds are around 29 dB nrr and the linked muffs are closer to 30 dB nrr I think... if no muff will fit properly, when worn properly you can be confident the foam plugs are adequate. I prefer the foam plugs just because I can carry and have them with me anytime, anywhere (and usually do... helps with loud kids, dogs, random noises, work and hobby) Ear plugs can be a drawback if you are prone to earwax buildup/clogging... I don't suffer from this it seems, but they will be an unwelcome antagonist to that problem. They also decline in efficacy pretty quickly so are a replace after a day of use.
 
I have a pair of Howard Leight Impact Sport that work well outdoors (for most cals). They are fairly low profile to fit rifle/SG stocks.
The problem I have is the padding isn't thick enough to allow proper fit over my safety glasses. So, when shooting center-fire ammo I usually have to double up with foam ear plugs..... especially indoors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom