Ear Protection for rifle shooting

[nksmfamjp]

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?

 

[Laguna Freak]

Walker's Game Ear Razor

 

[nksmfamjp]

By the numbers, the Walkers all look like old technology due to the slow attack time. How are they on the ear? I question Walkers a lot because my in the ear set are horrible. They simply cannot handle the 3 inputs of iPhone, ambient wind noise and gun fire. They are safe but the Bluetooth music is terribly choppy always.

Anybody try these?

Buy Vanquish Pro Electronic Hearing Protection and More | Champion Target

Shopping for the Vanquish Pro Electronic Hearing Protection - Learn more about the latest All Products and other hunting or shooting gear at Champion Target.

www.championtarget.com

 

[Laguna Freak]

Sorry bro. I can't answer to all the bluetooth tech. I like the Razor for the fit at the ear, the stock, and its blast decibel suppression. Whether the volume is turned up or off. Of course, I've been discharging firearms since 1977. So, maybe these ears aint the best performance discriminators.

 

[nksmfamjp]

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.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Buy the best that you can afford. Hearing loss is progressive and permanent. After shooting for the last 40yrs WITH ear protection, my hearing loss is worse than I'd anticipated.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Buy the best that you can afford.

Totally agree. What is the best? Just by nrr? The pro mags were great, but often with a rifle, the stock would create a gap between muff and ear….causing me to hear the shot. That hurts.

im wondering if the shape of the Champions will improve that.

 

[nksmfamjp]

Anybody try these?

AXIL - TRACKR BLU

goaxil.com

 

[FEENIX]

Buy the best that you can afford. Hearing loss is progressive and permanent. After shooting for the last 40yrs WITH ear protection, my hearing loss is worse than I'd anticipated.

I agree; unfortunately, for most, they only protect their hearing while shooting.

I spent 10 years in flightline (aircraft generation of F-4s and A-10s). At the time, I used both foamies and a headset. Some of my co-workers only used one of the two, and some did not. Most of them lose hearings. I was one of those people that were lucky enough not to have any hearing loss because I protected myself. During aircraft generation, esp during a surge or with multiple aircraft on joint exercise, the noise level is >140 dBs for 10-14 hour days. My hearing improved when I transitioned from F-4s to A-10 and back to normal when I got off the flighline in 1996 (cross-trained to another career field).

I still use hearing protection and other PPE when operating household machinery/tools like lawn mowers, snow blowers, leaf blowers, portable grinders/drill presses/impact wrenches, etc. Take care of yourselves. Cheers!

Ed

 

[Laguna Freak]

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.

Whichever you decide on, I hope you will post your real world performance assessment in this thread. I'm sure lots of folks could benefit from your analysis.

 

[skipglo]

Axil!

 

[Stonyman88]

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?

As everyone says Walkers with noise canceling so you can hear when you not shooting,

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

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.

 

[jeb405]

For years with handguns and rifles in really loud situations like inside, muzzle brakes, outside with a roof, I did mostly non-electronic pods plus plugs. I also had a pair of compact electronics from many years ago, I used those mostly for shotgun without plugs. I found not enough room in the ear cup was painful (and my ears are not that big) and they did not seal well with almost any shooting glasses. So I invested in some nice gel seals for them. What a great upgrade but as happens then they totally died so I just use them as non electronic now. For replacements for long (time) range sessions I bought Sordin Supreme Pro X with the gel seals. Mine are not bluetooth capable, they do have a 3.5mm jack for other inputs but no microphones for voice, just under $300. The battery replacement is a little goofy (I thought they were defective but did not realize second batter was hidden, but I like not having to remove gel pads to do it. Comfortable and seal well with a variety of eye pro without being overly large. Website says NRR = 18-19 (contradiction from web page to owners manual) which I think is good. I do wish they were rechargeable both for the environment and so I don't have to worry about batteries exploding and killing them like happened to my last pair.

I have not considered in ear electronics, I want my electronics to be over ear for more protection. I'm sure they are great for some but in lower noise environments like only one person at a time firing minor 9mm handguns outside without a roof I find disposable foam to allow good protection plus I can still hear OK. To me the main downside to over the ear is how hot it is, NC gets toasty in the summer.

JB