Ear Protection for rifle shooting

[Gater]

I'm looking for ear muffs for the range and possibly hunting. These will be used while shooting stocked rifles with elevated cheek pieces.….basically standard hunting rifles with long range scopes. I'm ok if hearing protection is under nrr 33 or one of the higher ratings as long as they can fit around my stock. I hate my muff getting bumped or gapping from my head during aiming or in recoil. i will add plugs to bolster indoor or magnum performance.

So what works for you?

Have been using the yellow foam ones ya roll between your fingers no problem.

 

[Window]

I'm looking for ear muffs for the range and possibly hunting. These will be used while shooting stocked rifles with elevated cheek pieces.….basically standard hunting rifles with long range scopes. I'm ok if hearing protection is under nrr 33 or one of the higher ratings as long as they can fit around my stock. I hate my muff getting bumped or gapping from my head during aiming or in recoil. i will add plugs to bolster indoor or magnum performance.

So what works for you?

Seven or eight years ago I started using the custom fit sport ears from axil after be told I had 70+ loss in both ears from shooting. Big investment but worth every penny to save what I have left.

 

[George Dean]

I tried Walker in ear buds and they were trash. We have the over the ear ones at work and they are trash. I would run away from anything Walker brand.

I have two pairs of over the ear hearing protection that I really like. For the low end budget, the Howard Leight Impact sport muffs are pretty spectacular. Mine have been working for years, and don't give me any problems with rifle stocks, and I have hunted with them. I do, however, tend to get a headache while hunting if I have ear muffs on for too long. On the other side of the budget I have a pair of Ops-Core Amps which naturally blow everything else out of the water. They have the option for the NFMI ear plugs which increase your hearing protection but transmit the audio amplification magnetically from the muff to the ear bud so you still can maintain your situational awareness doubled up. They are more designed around tactical shooters and have inputs for comms and such but are absolutely fantastic.

For hunting and outdoor/pistol ranges I run the Otto Noizebarrier Micros which are in ear and naturally do not give me a headache. The battery life is good and the sound protection is also good. I did have to replace one of the buds because the contact for charging pin corroded and would no longer charge the bud. Otto let me pay to replace that one but suggested that I had caused the damage because there was "scoring" from me trying to clean the contact. I wasn't thrilled, but it was cheaper than buying a new pair. Otto has some over the head hearing protection which I have heard good things about which are more for the intermediate budget. I would feel confident buying a pair, but I don't have any personal first hand experience.

Thanks for the tip. I have Walkers and a bunch of other trash. Today I've bought the Ottos along with the Comply foam tips.

 

[Lefty38-55]

For eyeglass wearers ... get the 'Sightline' gel pads for eyeglass wearers, from NoiseFighters, where there is a 'relief' designed into the gel pad for the temples of your glasses!

SIGHTLINES | Gel ear pads with a relief cut for glasses

Compatible with hearing protection earmuffs from 3M™, Howard Leight®, Invisio®, Ops-Core®, Peltor™, Sordin®, TCI®, Walker's Game Ear®, and many more.

noisefighters.com

Those will STOP you from getting headaches whilst wearing shoting glasses with your ear muffs. They make them for most brands ...Pletor, Walker, H. Leight, Caldwel, etc.

FYI. I wear foam plugs of 32 dB NRR under the Walker's Razor and I can hear all range commands perfectly. Unlike the other poster, I for sure wouldn't call them trash ... and I get my hearing tested evry year due to tinnitus from years of playing the drums and being in bands. My hearing has not degraded since using the combo of plugs and the Walker's Razor eMuffs.

 

[jeb405]

Have been using the yellow foam ones ya roll between your fingers no problem.

I use the Howard Leight orange ones, I find they stay in my ears better than the harder cylindrical types.

YMMV

JB

 

[vancewalker007]

I'm looking for ear muffs for the range and possibly hunting. These will be used while shooting stocked rifles with elevated cheek pieces.….basically standard hunting rifles with long range scopes. I'm ok if hearing protection is under nrr 33 or one of the higher ratings as long as they can fit around my stock. I hate my muff getting bumped or gapping from my head during aiming or in recoil. i will add plugs to bolster indoor or magnum performance.

So what works for you?

I have 2 pair of the Peltor 500s. I use them at the range and on hunts. We even used them in Africa. They also have Bluetooth so you can listen to tunes or podcasts while on the range.
Amazon product ASIN B06W56YRWJ
I have also recently been using the Walker's SILENCER BT 2.0 ear buds. So far at the range they have worked fine even shooting a 7mm LRM with a Terminator 2.0 brake. These also have Bluetooth.

https://www.walkersgameear.com/silencer-bt-2-0/

 

[Lycanit]

I'm coming from these..

Pro Mag Gold

Our ear muffs are great for the indoor gun range & designed for handguns & pistols. Keep your ears safe with the 30 NRR, the best hearing protection rating.

proears.com

They are said to be kind of a best. That said, I think they have the same electronics and design they had 15 or so years ago when I bought mine. It looks like a circuit board finally fried. Looks like it got wet and/or battery damage. They have been 1/2 dead for probably 7yrs….now one side went out completely. I'm bummed, but my cost of ownership is like $10 per year. So I'm not mad.

I'm thinking about….

Pro Slim Gold

With a 28 NRR, dynamic compression technology, & medium ear cups, this made in the USA model are the perfect lightweight headphone for any gun or shooting range.

proears.com

but I'd like to not buy 25 yr old tech if possible. Seems like Howard Leight's get good ratings, but nra is a bit low.

walkers makes a few that seem nice, but nrr is just a bit low and attack time is super low…..but people like them.

To me, ideal would be nrr of 26-28. fairly slim profile shaped to my ear shape. bluetooth for phone connection. 24 or more battery life. Plug in rechargeable.

Right around $100.

There are several things you can do to the lehight ear. Muffs. One is the cushion. Replace that crap from the factory and put on silicone! Dad is amazing. Far more comfortable far more ceiling. The other is to actually pull the inner lining apart from the body itself and literally stuff the pills that you pull off of foam from your gun case to fit your rifle. Or any heavy foam. And stuff it in! The change is amazing! It goes from a fairly noisy firing line of 15 operators with AR-15s and brakes. To a very muffled thud in the background that is not at all annoying. If you do a Google search for just about 10 minutes, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know!

 

[Of001]

The gel cups! Game changer.
Some have an indent for glasses but they are useless for that purpose. The gel will form around the frames regardless of shape or size.
I put some on low profile walkers from Cabela's and it made a HUGE difference. It made them as good or better than the full size peltor industrial ones I use for work.
They are often called a hygiene pack/kit.

I have some low profile noise cancelling halo earbuds I put in under the walkers, turn the mic to about 30%, optimize the noise cancelling, crank they mic and I can hear only what comes through the mic. NOTHING else.

There are some military ones out there for $300 (Canadian plus shipping, because our government hates scary things. Our sub 49 friends should find them for half or better). The ones I've tried are excellent but like cold weather gear, layers work best

 

[mnoland30]

Duracell will replace any device damaged by their batteries. I have used their warranty and they replaced my dive light with a better one.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Well, I ended up going with the Gold II 26. They are slim with good nrr numbers.

I know the Pro Ears system and timing….plus I have several N batteries remaining!

I believe the Peltor Tactical Sport/Sport TAC was a solid choice too.

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1761620O/3m-peltor-datasheet-sporttac-camo.pdf

There are more expensive muffs, but mostly for coms.

30% off Pro Ears at this time!

 

[nksmfamjp]

I tried Walker in ear buds and they were trash. We have the over the ear ones at work and they are trash. I would run away from anything Walker brand.

I thought I was the only one that had bad luck with them. My walker in the ears are barely usable.

Have been using the yellow foam ones ya roll between your fingers no problem.

Do you find that enough indoors or with a big brake?

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

I thought I was the only one that had bad luck with them. My walker in the ears are barely usable.

If I remember correctly, I could never get mine to fit right and stay in. Tried all the little ear pieces but it still never fit right. As a result they fell out when I was moving and weren't actually protecting my hearing in general to the point that I got really concerned. The App for the phone was also clumsy, it seemed like I would set something and it would just go back to whatever it wanted. The hearing modes I also found unnecessary/ineffective and I really only ever used one. Best thing I ever did was get rid of them. The Otto and Peltor options for in ear protection are truly both excellent if you are looking for a better option.

 

[nksmfamjp]

I posted this elsewhere, but figure it sums thing up well enough to post here.

Well, I've been looking for some decent ear protection to replace my Pro Ear Pro Mags. They have been in service since 2004. Finally died completely it 2022….18yrs $200….$11 per year with about monthly use.

So, what is gunshot noise…LINK
I think 3m describes this well. It is 150-170db of sound pressure in a very fast impulse.

What frequency range is it? (I'm struggling to find a good source.) From memory, I believe it peaks in the 800 - 4000 range….with the max around 1000.

Last, look into bone conduction. If I can get bone headphones, sound is passing through there. Not sure if you can get hearing damage through bone conduction. I read that you can.
So, what do I want….

Ear Muffs….I want to cover the bones around the ear too, when indoors or when shooting boomers/handguns outdoors.

Electronic….I want to hear without removing headphones.

Sound compression…..I want to hear it all, but just compressed to a safe level.

Safe level….85db is safe, 82db is a better safe limit of sound coming through the muffs

Attentuation data….it is much better to look at the full spectrum of attentuation data than an SNR or NRR.

Don't get confused by nrr or snr. Most companies are pretty honest, some choose a minimum, but some choose something that looks like what they wish it were. My point is always look at the data.

Shape….I want the cup shape minimized without too much impact to performance.

Microphone….I want wind protected and multi directional. I want natural, but amplified hearing.

IP rating….I'd like IP7 or IPX7….or better.

Batteries….well, ideally I'd like to get muffs with a built in rechargeable that had >40 hours life….

Bluetooth….yea it would be nice, but not an absolute requirement.

Cup material…..I don't think I care, but I'd like to try gel cups. They are pretty popular.

Head band….I'd like an easy to use…whatever that means. I also need it to fold up pretty well. The wire band seems best, but is a bit hard for me to use.

USA made….in the world or ear pro and many other things, this can be hard to buy. Pro Ears are the only USA made product that I am aware of.

So, I looked at everything from Howard Leight Sports through Sordins. There is little truly bad out there.

After, weeks of research, I'm down to 3M Peltor Tactical Sports and Pro Ears Gold II 26.

Pro Ears has a 30% off sale right now. I went with Pro Ears again.

They are still in the mail….