Advice on ear defenders.

[emilianoksa]

I need to get three sets, and can't afford the electronic ones.

Could anyone advise me about the passive defenders made by Peltor etc.

Most of the time I shoot 22lr. I shoot 380 and 38sp quite a bit, and 12 gauge occasionally.

When a set of defenders is advertised as 24 or 28 decibels etc., what exactly does this mean?

 

[RedAlert]

Decibels is a measurement of, for lack of a better term, loudness. The scale is logarithmic, so 1 db increase results in a 10x increase in loudness.

A 28 is much better set of ear protectors than a 24. My advise, is to use soft foam ear plugs at the same time while wearing the ear protectors. They add protection as the foam seals of the ear protectors are compromised by the bows of your shooting glasses.

Peltor is a good brand and the ones I use personally.

 

[Avenger29]

Passive? Peltors are a good bet for affordability. I get the highest rating I can find (Peltor makes ones that are 33db rated)

I also advise some good earplugs, too, to wear under them. You only need a single level of earpro when shooting .22LR, but you're going to want to double up for anything else or when in the area of other centerfire shooters.

Surefire makes electronic ear pro that's pretty cheap, too. Check them out. http://www.surefire.com/EP4-Sonic-Defenders-Plus

Do give the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic muffs a look, too (around $50 or so). I wear these with earplugs during matches or at ranges with ROs to better hear the commands They perform beautifully at matches. I don't miss a word or command.