Hearing Protection

[drainpipe]

Hey Everyone,

I'm looking for some suggestions for hearing protection that will work well at indoor ranges while shooting handguns and also work well for shooting sports like IDPA and USPSA. I've been actively shooting skeet for the last few years and have used the cheap in ear style plugs as well as moldable foam plugs and those have worked well for me, but lately I feel like these plugs haven't been cutting it for indoor shooting. For shotgun sports I don't like muffs because they tend to get in the way when I mount the gun, but I'm open to muffs for handguns.

Pistol shooting and IDPA/USPSA is new to me, so I'm open to suggestions. I'd like to try to keep the cost under $100 if I can. Any ideas?

[870TC]

Look for the highest NRR you can find. Wear ear plugs AND ear muffs whenever possible.

[Ironbear]

For indoors, I prefer a NRR of at least 29 db, that generally precludes the low-profile models. My personal preference has been Peltor, but 3M bought them, and I am not familiar with the new naming scheme under 3M. They had one with a rating of 31 db. In addition, ear plugs can be worn under muffs. Some folks like the electronic ones, but I personally don't find any real advantage to them, and they seem to be a compromise for sound blocking.

[SharpRule]

I'm using a set of Howard Sleight impact pros. They fit very well and do a good job blocking noise. I think they are rated to 30...

[EAJuggalo]

I use a pair of these, http://www.amazon.com/Radians-Plugs-Reu ... +ear+plugs
Under a pair of these, http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-0 ... +ear+plugs

I turn the volume up fairly high on the Howard Leights so I can still hear all range commands even with the plugs underneath.

[drainpipe]

870TC/Ironbear - I think the earplug/muff combo is a good idea in doors. I left Bill's in Robbinsdale 3 hours ago and my ears are still ringing and I don't even think there was anyone shooting rifles at that time.

SharpRule - those Howard Leight Impact Pros looks nice. It also looks like they have a lower profile sport version. I'll have to put those on my list to check out. Like Ironbear pointed out, I have some concerns about the cheaper electronic muffs, so I'm curious if anyone else has a had good experience with these.

[XDM45]

Whenever I shoot (indoors or outdoors), earplugs with ear muffs = life is good.

[Hmac]

I have Howard Leight Impact Sports, Impact Pros, and a pair of MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X. The Impact Sports are OK, but they don't hold up well in my experience. I'm on my second pair and relegate them to guests and backup. The Impact Pros have good noise reduction, but they're pretty bulky. Fine for handgun outside but not good for rifle. I haven't had them long enough to know how they hold up. Hopefully better than the Impact Sports. The MSA Sordins are by far my favorite. Very comfortable and durable (they've been horribly abused) and low profile good for rifle. I can wear them all day at a course, and they fit over eye pro much better than either of the Leight models, both of which suck for that (no gel seals available AFAIK). Noise reduction of the Sordins is better than the Impact Sports, but for indoors I do wear a pair of Surefires. Problem with the Sordins is that they're very expensive at $250. IMHO, for pistol, best bang for buck is the Impact Pros at $65, but I do recommend shooting glasses with a wire-frame temple.

[Hoot]

I have yet to try a set of muffs, either active or passive, that allowed me to execute an acceptable cheek weld. I use a well implemented pair of 3M 1100 foam plugs. I see folks at the range all the time with the plugs inserted barely beyond falling out. I choose to roll them down and insert them down into the canal just short of touching the ear drum and allow them to expand. I use a lot of rifles with muzzle brakes and the sound pressure does not bother me. Others shooting alongside do not disturb me for the most part. They still manage to tick me off when they shoot just as I'm about to break my shot, without checking the person on either side of them, but it's more about the surprise. Then again, no amount of hearing protection can correct for a lack of range courtesy. I would consider my hearing to be excellent at age 58 and I'd like it to stay that way. Right after I clip my nails, it can be tricky getting a hold of those deeply seated plugs. Otherwise, they're not a bother. I've tried several brands of plugs and the 3M 1100 is pretty hard to beat. There was some other brand I tried that was a little softer without giving up sound attenuation, but I can't remember the name. Some, with really fancy names are not nearly as effective. I buy the 1100 plugs in boxes of 200 every couple of years to keep the cost down to around 15-20 cents a set.

Hoot

[Hmac]

For those who prefer plugs over muffs, you can check with your local audiologist. They can set you up with a pair of plugs custom-molded to your ears for about $30. For a little more money, various types of noise brakes can be inserted. Although, the NRR of most of those isn't really better than a pair of Surefire EP3, which have an NRR of 24 db. I find the custom-molded versions to be a little more comfortable and easier to insert into the ear.

[farmerj]

custom silicon plugs and Walker Game ears.

[SharpRule]

I would definitely recommend the impact pro for bang for buck value. I have not needed to wear plugs with them yet since I have them on passive going by myself. I will have a better review Sunday after an outting with friends. It came with a cable that you can connect to an MP3 player also. I don't mind the size of em, I have a big range bag to throw em in anyways. The next jump in price goes to over $150 for the sets I liked.

[bothwell]

I wear three brands of 33 NRR muffs at work: Pro-Ears Ultra 33, another brand of 33 NRR, and some "Walker's Game Ear Bone Collector" muffs, claimed to be 37 dB NRR I don't think they're true C-Weighted 37 dB NRR, but they definitely perform better for me than the Pro Ears 33. I wear them over 3M 1100 (29 NRR) foam plugs, and can't hear a darned thing (which can be a problem with range commands ).

You may need to try a few brands of both earmuffs and plugs to get the best fit and performance.

[drainpipe]

Thanks everyone. I just ordered the Howard Leight Impact Pros. I'll try those coupled with some foam ear plugs. I'm also going to look into some molded plugs for skeet.

[SkyRock]

I bought a set of molded ear-plugs from Shelly (she's got the table at MWCA shows), and have been very pleased with them. I even use them when mowing!