hearing protection for skeet

R

rhinonewshooter

New member
What do you use for hearing protection when shooting skeet.

Right now I'm using some big Peltor muffs, and they seem to get in the way a bit. I got these muffs for woodworking, when I am dealing with continuous high db noisemakers (large planer, jointer, table saw, dust collector etc), not the bangs of shotguns. When I bought those muffs, they were the highest DB rated hearing for muffs available.

Do folks use muffs or do you use some other in ear opiton?
 
I have used foam plugs, molded plugs, passive Peltors, and now electronic Peltors. My electronic ones do not hit the stock and it is SOOOOO nice to hear conversations, speak without shouting, hear the traps release on the sporting course, etc. The ONLY downside here in Florida is the heat and your ears get real sweaty.

Something to consider: a report I read had mentioned that the bones surrounding the ear (mastoid area) can transmit harmful vibrations to the middle and inner ear when you only use plugs. As someone who has diminished hearing from loud music with headphones...(the humming and buzzing NEVER goes away), it is important to protect not only the ear canal, but the area around your ears - muffs do that, plugs do not
 
With shotguns, muffs do not work for me. The mount knocks them off. I do use them over plugs with handguns,rifles and muzzleloaders.

I use custom silicon plugs. A two part silicon compound is mixed and poured into the ear where it hardens. db reduction is about as good as it gets, near 30 db.

The cheap disposable foam plugs are nearly as good, 27-28 db. They expand to fill the ear canal without a void, and work well with kids.
 
I too use the electronic muffs. I started with a set of Radians. These were complete junk. I then went to a set of Peltor Sport Tacs. I loved these. They are all digital, provide slight amplification and the battery life was phenominal. However, they did not survive being run over by my car. I now have a pair of Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic muffs. These too are digital and work as well as the Peltors, but at about half the price.

Like oneounceload, I have used everything, but my hearing is poor to begin with. Add some plugs and I can't hear range commands, the instructor's instructions, or often even when someone calls "Pull". With the electronics I can. Good point on the heat, here in Texas it ain't so nice in the summer either, and I will admit that when it is 105 or so as it has been for the last 40+ days, I usually just use the plugs and don't hear.
 
I use foam plugs, bought in large quantity from Home Depot. Cheap, disposable, useful for other tasks like mowing the lawn, etc.

I did have a cheap set of in-ear electronic plugs, and I really liked them, but they quit functioning. IMO, they are better for skeet since you can talk amonst the group more easily, but I just haven't replaced them.
 
Like Dave, I use custom molded ear plugs ....most of the big tournaments - some of the gunshows - have people that will make you a set for about $ 40.

Ear Muffs - hit the comb on my stocks ---so they don't work for me at all.
 
Peltor ComTacs. The best electronic headset I've used and I've owned several. Second place are the larger Peltor ProTac. Same as the ComTac but larger with a higher rating but for shotgunning outdoors the ComTac is sufficient.
 
I have used foam plugs, molded plugs, passive Peltors, and now electronic Peltors. My electronic ones do not hit the stock and it is SOOOOO nice to hear conversations, speak without shouting,

Me too, I use the Peltor 7S for the same reason. The very best ear PLUGS I've used are from the link below. A little pricey, but very, very comfortable.

http://www.earplugsonline.com
 
I'm in the same boat as the others -- for me, muffs hit the stock with rifles and shotguns. I use my muffs only for handguns. For years I used "Sonic" generic ear plugs, but I'm happier since getting custom molded ones 25 years ago. In my corner of the world, they're what we NSSA skeeters use. As my buddy, Big Jim, mentioned: There's often a "plug person" and large shoots. Also, Cabelas claims to have them available ($18) in their stores. But, I've never seen custom plugs used with a lanyard on a skeet field.

In the 80s is was squadded with NSSA World Skeet Champ Alan Clark in a 12-ga event. It's the custom to arrive at a Skeet field well before your scheduled time, but Al was typically tardy -- one of the championship perks. We delayed our start waiting for him. At the last minute he hurriedly drove up, screeched to a halt, grabbed his trusty R-1100, his vest, a box of shells and headed to station one. Then he stopped and patted his empty breast pockets. Something was amiss! He asked me for a cigarette and took two from my pack, tore the filters off, and lit one. No big deal I'd seen this before -- he'd misplaced his smokes. Then, to my surprise, something I'd not seem before: Since he'd misplaced his ear plugs, too, he stuck the filters in his ears and went on to shoot another 100-straight.
 
The cigarette filters is a new one on me, but I have seen guys stick spent 9mm shells in their ears. I've never tried it, but I guess anything is better than nothing.
 
Don't use dirty filters, the tar and nicotine will burn the heck out of your ear canals.

Since you asked, nobody had a pack of smokes or ear plugs or a paper towel. We hadn't planned on shooting, but somebody had a new gun and lots of ammo.
 
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