Too loud, Need better Hearing protection

J

jbandt

Inactive
Hi folks, New to the forum. Trying to get into shooting a little. Nothing extreme, just the occasional range visits. Trouble I'm having is being super sensitively to the sound. Trying to find the best combo of plugs and muffs. I I went to the indoor range a couple weeks ago. There was one person there using a handgun. I don't know the caliber, but it was enough that I had to walk out. I had some cheap gel plugs and Howard Leight L3 NRR 30 rated muffs and it wasn't enough. What else is there to deaden the sound? I'm mean I want to be practically deaf. I've read about clear armor muffs being very good with a 34 NRR, but what other options are there? Plugs and Muffs.

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Nothing will block all the sound. You can double up and put in both ear plugs and wear muffs at the same time but there will still be sound that vibrates through the bones in your head. One thing you might want to consider is using a different range. Indoor ranges that don't put money into sound-absorbing wall material are MUCH louder than open outdoor ranges.
 
jbandt said:
I had some cheap gel plugs and Howard Leight L3 NRR 30 rated muffs and it wasn't enough.
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If you're talking about the gel plugs that are sold at drugstores and C-stores, IMHO they're near useless when it comes to blocking sound that's legitimately loud rather than merely annoying. :rolleyes: (Gel plugs are better suited for missions like getting a good night's sleep at a motel next to a busy interstate highway.) Foam plugs are much better, even the cheap disposable ones sold for workplace use.

I concur with Doyle about doubling up; it's not completely clear to me whether you tried to use the plugs and muffs one at a time or both at once. FWIW I double up almost every time I visit the range and someone is shooting near me.

Lastly, in case you're not aware of this, the decibel scale is logarithmic rather than linear. A difference of 10 decibels is nominally equivalent to twice the perceived sound pressure level. IOW a NRR of 34 is a more significant improvement over a NRR of 30 than you may assume; it signifies a much greater reduction in apparent loudness than 13.3% (34 divided by 30 minus 100%).
 
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One way to deal with the objectionable noise of shooting is to do it long enough with minimum to no protection until you're deaf enough to not notice.
Unfortunately there's plenty of us who did just that.
I used to depend on picking up empty cartridge cases for ear plugs.
Eh, what?
Other than shooting outdoors, doubling up with the best ear plugs and muffs available, and shooting .22s and airguns, you might just have to switch to archery for your target fun.
Shooting is just plain noisy and there's no getting around it.
Not as bad as Funny Car Drag racing, though.
Be glad they weren't using a large caliber rifle indoors.
There's one other option, though.
Do repetitive ammo dumps until you run everyone else off the range and have it all to yourself.
Just a thought.
 
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P.S.
Be sure your protective eye wear ear pieces aren't preventing the muffs from sealing.
Often a major cause of complaint.
 
I'd suggest looking at custom made earplugs. I have a pair of E.A.R. Inc. Chameleon Plugs.

They are acoustically filtered so that you can hear range commands. You typically get a noise reduction rating of 33.7 dB with an ambient sound pressure of 166dBs.

They also protect your outer ear canal area and help reduce noise transmitted through bone conduction. If you use the custom plugs and 30dB muffs that's about as good as you're going to get.
 
If possible, find a range that does not allow magnum loads. Yes, they are out there. The range I was a member of prior to the current, did not allow magnums. With plugs and muffs, it was fine. The range I belong to now, allows magnum loads. If someone starts blasting away with a magnum, I stop shooting, pack up and go to the lobby to wait. Usually, the magnum shooters blast away for 10 minutes, 50 rounds or less, lucky to punch a couple holes in paper, then they leave until next month. They have every right to shoot their magnums as I do my powder puff loads, so I can wait.
 
Play heavy metal music with the volume turned the way up on the car ride to the range, the gun shots won't seem so loud...;)
The best thing to do would be to double up with ear plugs and muffs and shoot outside
Sometimes a rifle can compermise the ear muffs seal( cheek rest side)
 
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I did use the plugs and muffs together. I tried the indoor range twice because they rent guns and I wanted to try stuff out to see what I might be interested in buying. Both times I walked out due to noise. I've seen hearo's foam plugs are good and the clear armor muffs at 34NRR are very good. Personally I am sticking to 22lr stuff because of the noise but it's still tough at the range with the noise of others. I was able to shoot my .22 rifle at the outdoor range, but it was almost empty which was nice.

Just wanted to see if anybody knew of specific plugs or muffs that may work better than the stuff I've researched.

That's for the help!

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NRR 34 dB seems to be some sort of physical limit, there are no higher rated plugs or muffs that I know of. Wearing both does not get you 68 dB but it is a worthwhile reduction.

Are you inserting those foam plugs properly?
Roll them up small, they will be slow to spring back.
Reach behind your head with your left arm to pull your right ear out to straighten the canal. Insert the rolled plug with your right hand. It should be in as far as it will go, leaving just enough to pull it out by. Repeat on the other side.

Are you wearing the muffs properly?
They need to be completely over the ears and your glasses' temple bars should be thin enough that the pads mold over them against the side of your head.
 
I have ear canals that don't work well with 95% (or more) of the ear plugs on the market.

Pretty much all that works for me are good old, basic, cylindrical foam ear plugs.
Currently, there are two versions that I use:
E.A.R. 310-1001 "Classic" yellow plugs.
3M Tekk 90579 (Color varies - usually orange).

Both have an NRR of 29 dB.

Both of the above are owned/made by 3M, now. The 'classic' version is sort of the 'budget' option and are a bit stiffer than the 3M-labeled version which is always reasonably soft.
The 'classic' isn't much good in the winter (though that probably won't matter at an indoor range).
The 3M version is a bit more expensive, so I reserve them for cooler temperatures or winter shooting.

Outdoors, especially if shooting primarily rifles, I generally just use the ear plugs.
Indoors, or if shooting primarily handguns, I generally double up the hearing protection. (Some NRR 28 dB muffs from MidwayUSA or some Walker's Game Ear electronic muffs [26 dB?].)



....But no matter how much I do to reduce the noise level, there isn't much that can be done about the concussion - and that's what gets to most people.
You simply have to learn to live with it.
And if that can't be done... go to an outdoor range.

I have days when I seem to be more sensitive to the concussion than others. And, sometimes, you're simply facing an enemy that can't be tamed ...like someone shooting one of the large Weatherby Magnums next to your position, with a gigantic muzzle brake that channels the muzzle blast directly at you. :( Sometimes, on days like that, I have to either walk away or wait for them to finish.
 
After today, I am also interested in this subject. I have fired guns outside all my life but have only visited an indoor range once, several years ago. Today, my wife visited an indoor range that just opened. It's a very nice facility, but no sound deadening. Two guys were shooting their AR15's and even with ear plugs and ear muffs, it bothered me. My wife had no problem with just ear muffs. It might have been that I was wearing safety glasses over my prescription glasses and I wasn't getting a good seal. This range allows all guns to be shot here, and I'm sure there are louder guns than an AR15. I'm all ears for suggestions.
 
The Clear Armor ear muffs are the highest NRR I have seen. I also double up with the Howard Leight foam ear plugs which have a 33 NRR.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/howard-leight-usa-shooters-red-white-blue-earplugs.html

Make sure you are inserting the earplugs properly. Many don't reducing the effectiveness. Practice at home first. See the example here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nGO0qNTCd8

Finally, for an indoor range, I would go to one which only allows pistol calibers, and go during the slower times if possible. If a lead-free range is around I would try to stick to this. I never go on the weekend, there are just too many people. Outdoor ranges will be quieter with everything else being equal. Finally, it will never be completely quiet, unless you're shooting by yourself with a suppressor.
 
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Do you know how to properly insert the ear plugs? If not you are giving away a tremendous amount of the sound blocking ability. I have seen way too many people improperly insert them and wonder why they don't work well.
 
Use foam earplugs and make sure you insert them correctly. Pinch them between your fingers and roll them up to compress them, then stick them in your ears and let them expand. You'll be able to hear yourself breathe and swallow pretty loud. In my experience this blocks out noise better than earmuffs, which I sometimes (but not always) wear in addition.

Find an outdoor range. Indoor ranges trap noise and make guns sound much louder than they are.

You also get used to it over time. Doubling up on ear plugs and muffs, a .380 handgun used to be too loud to me. Now I shoot short barrel (16") rifles with compensators.

Lots of time shooting a .22 will dissociate the trigger pull from the fear of the noise for you. It's good to go back to .22 any time you end up with sensitivity or flinch
 
There's really only one way to maximize hearing protection: use 34 Decibel ear muffs that cover the entire ear, and then double up with the foam ear plugs.

As someone above mentioned, it seems that a reduction of 34 decibels is the max reduction for ear muffs. I have yet to find better.

The best ear plugs I have found reduce by 33 decibels.

Unfortunately, both ear plugs and muffs do not arithmetically stack. I read read somewhere that the combination of the two produce an addition 5 decibels reduction.

I also try really hard not to set up next to a magnum rifle shooter. Before I set up, I look at who my neighbors are and pick the booths/stalls/placement that is not next to a magnum shooter.

I shoot a lot, and I'm very paranoid about protecting my hearing.

Threads like this always interest me. I'm hoping for the day that someone invents a super duper ear muff.

Maybe I sound snobbish when I say this...but I wish silencers were more common, and ranges mandated their use, at least on certain days. Silencer+ear plug+ ear muff is so chill.
 
Ear plugs with baffles . . .

I too use both plugs and muffs. I prefer the ear plugs that have baffles on them. They seem to block more sound than the foam. However; you have to learn how to put them in correctly. Pulling down on the ear lobe helps get them in well.

I recently got a pair of Clear Armor muffs and like them better than any other muffs I've ever used. There is a lot of ventilation fan noise at my range which I can still sort of hear through my plugs, but when I put on those muffs it is gone.

As one who has tinnitus I can't state strongly enough that you want to protect your hearing even if it means giving up on indoor ranges or leaving when the guy next to us is using a cannon.

Live well, be safe
Prof Young
 
I like the Peltor Sport Secure Fit safety glasses, whose arms fit better under my muffs. On our outdoor range...it's impertinent and against the rules, for a shooter to have a firearm's muzzle behind or even with another shooter while firing --- All firearm muzzles, must be over the firing line while firing, and in no instance...shall a muzzle of a firearm be behind or abreast of another shooter while firing. Shooter's...shooting bullpup rifles and pistols off the bench, are most suspect to violating that rule at our outdoor range.
 
All firearm muzzles, must be over the firing line while firing, and in no instance...shall a muzzle of a firearm be behind or abreast of another shooter while firing.
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It is also impolite to gangsta yo Glock and rain brass on the people next to you. Or impolite to bark a cannon off next to someone without having the courtesy of warniing them what you are going to fire.

On occasion, I have had to 'Return the Favor' to get the point across. That is why I prefer the desert where I don't have to deal with inconsiderate people.

As to doubling up on plugs and muffs....if you get an additional -6dB attenuation, you have cut the sound pressure level a lot more than you think.
 
I wear electronic muffs whenever either it's cool enough outside, or I'm shooting the .50BMG (then I might double up). The latter is actually fairly mild for the shooter, but vicious in the vent areas of the brake. I always have extra foam EAR plugs with me to hand out to anyone I see without protection. It amazes me that people don't consider buying plugs when they're buying ammo. Some of the black mouseguns can be very loud.
 
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