wiscoaster
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Were they specifically made for shooting? May not have the proper active noise suppression, or may not have the proper seal. You could probably double up with active electronic shooter's ear muffs over your ear plugs.
avoiding ear damage with powerful rifles
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Bentonville
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Well, I asked for it when the audiologist examined me . I paid enough . But insufficient protection. I have such terrible hissing now in my left ear and ringing in my right that I can’t afford more loss. Any noise now, such as a vacuum cleaner or playing piano ( 90 decibels) causes even more hissing . The active muffs aren’t as high with the NRR as the passive .
wiscoaster
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No, they aren't, that's not their purpose. It's to actively surpress the explosive pressure change of the firearm discharge in the vicinity of your ears but pass everything else. Wear the foam plugs or your prescription plugs to reduce the overall noise continuously and the active electronic muffs on top of them to reduce the effects of the discharge.
Bentonville
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NRR is the bottom line with any protection. If the explosive sound is higher than the rating of the muffs, the high sound energy still gets to the cilia in the cochlea which is where my damage has occurred. 33 is higher than 25 or 28.
wiscoaster
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Yes, of course, I know that ... I'm suggesting that you double up ... as I and many other shooters do. Ear plugs plus muffs on top.
Bentonville
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I will definitely do that . I appreciate your input !!
wiscoaster
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Let us know how it works for you; I'm hoping it helps alleviate your particular noise reduction problem. 
Bentonville
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Thanks. I have no idea that the hissing will go away. After several audiograms, there’s no doubt about the damage in certain parts of the of hearing chart. I use a sound machine or take melatonin to get to sleep in most nights.
wiscoaster
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Oh, OK, I get it ... you've got tinnitus. Me, too. No, it doesn't go away. It gradually gets worse. My career was in a high noise level occupation. Melatonin for sleep, yes. Ambient background noise for the tinnitus. E.g. I run the furnace fan continuously. There are "white noise" generators you could place on your night stand. Active electronic shooter muffs will help with tinnitus in shooting situations because they amplify ambient sounds while suppressing only the discharge report.
Ethan Verity
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I usually wear both foam ear plugs AND ear muffs when I am at the range; ones rated at the highest dB level I can find.
I say usually, because if I happen to be the only person there I'll just wear the foam plugs... the gun isn't that loud when directly behind it, and I love to hear the trailing echo that follows each shot... I find that sound extremely satisfying.
However, if there is anyone in the lane next to me, I double up.
I say usually, because if I happen to be the only person there I'll just wear the foam plugs... the gun isn't that loud when directly behind it, and I love to hear the trailing echo that follows each shot... I find that sound extremely satisfying.
However, if there is anyone in the lane next to me, I double up.
gifbohane
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I have been doubling up for months, custom ear plugs from Audiologist and a new and expensive pair of headphones. I still hear more than I find acceptable at the range, it hurts. Doc say that is the the best he can do.
Bentonville I feel your pain. Literally
wiscoaster
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Sorry, but I think your Audiologist is letting you down. Disposable foam ear plugs costing 16 cents apiece have a 32 db NRR and those, properly inserted, plus a decent set of active electronic shooter muffs worn over them will offer more than enough protection from even large caliber rifles discharged inside an indoor shooting range. Been there, done that, and I guarantee it. I don't care what your Doc says. Is he a shooter, by any chance? Probably not.
Bentonville
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I’m sorry you have to deal with that . This tinnitus is no joke at the level I have it . As I’ve aged it gets worse and worse. Tinnitus is tied to hearing loss at those frequencies where the hissing or ringing occurs. I had special plugs molded for me but they are not as effective as foam Hearos with a 33NRR. The muffs I use are the 3M Peltor X5A at 31NRR or Decibel Defense. They differ in the lower pitched sounds. I’m not sure which is better . I appreciate all the comments on this subject.
wiscoaster
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I like the blue ones best: https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-foam-earplugs/ID=prod6384523-product
Make sure the plug seals before putting on the muffs. You might need to hold it in place for a bit; else as it expands it pushes itself out.
Note to old coots: we grow coarse hairs in our ear canals. Those hairs can interfere with proper ear plug seal. Trim your ear hair, all you old geezers (that includes ME)!!
.38 Special
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A couple of quick points, from a guy who runs a hearing clinic...
NRR should be taken with a grain of salt. It is tested under ideal conditions, which are unlikely to be met in the field. NRR is useful in comparing products with one another, but not very useful in telling an individual how much actual noise reduction he will experience.
Custom molded earplugs do not generally offer superior noise reduction, but rather improved comfort. If a person is comfortable enough with proper fitting over-the-counter plugs, there is no real advantage to buying expensive custom plugs. (If you do see your audiologist for customs, make sure to ask for open-mouth impressions and a soft material for the plugs. This will help ensure a good seal). I have never had custom plugs which I felt were completely adequate against gunfire.
After studying it for the last twenty years or so, I believe we rarely are able to fully protect ourselves from gunfire. The exceptions, in my opinion, are A) subsonic .22 RF with properly fitted muffs or plugs, and B) suppressed weapons fired outdoors with both plugs and muffs in place. For those of us who are just "regular" shooters - i.e. rifles and handguns without suppressors, fired indoors or out, with muffs, plugs, or both - we most likely will suffer some degree of damage over the course of a lifetime of shooting.
NRR should be taken with a grain of salt. It is tested under ideal conditions, which are unlikely to be met in the field. NRR is useful in comparing products with one another, but not very useful in telling an individual how much actual noise reduction he will experience.
Custom molded earplugs do not generally offer superior noise reduction, but rather improved comfort. If a person is comfortable enough with proper fitting over-the-counter plugs, there is no real advantage to buying expensive custom plugs. (If you do see your audiologist for customs, make sure to ask for open-mouth impressions and a soft material for the plugs. This will help ensure a good seal). I have never had custom plugs which I felt were completely adequate against gunfire.
After studying it for the last twenty years or so, I believe we rarely are able to fully protect ourselves from gunfire. The exceptions, in my opinion, are A) subsonic .22 RF with properly fitted muffs or plugs, and B) suppressed weapons fired outdoors with both plugs and muffs in place. For those of us who are just "regular" shooters - i.e. rifles and handguns without suppressors, fired indoors or out, with muffs, plugs, or both - we most likely will suffer some degree of damage over the course of a lifetime of shooting.
Bentonville
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Great post.
wiscoaster
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While this post is correct, I disagree with what seems to me to be its overly cautionary tone. Loss of hearing over the course of a lifetime is a normal situation whether a person is a shooter or not. I think we need to protect ourselves as best the available technology enables us to protect ourselves from accelerating the course of hearing loss due to avoidable causes. (I was already in the habit of using foam ear plugs while learning to fly back in 1973.) But because we cannot fully protect ourselves, we shouldn't allow that to dissuade us from doing something we love to do, or that we should be overly concerned about not being fully protected. Life is too short anyway to not live it because of things we can do nothing about. We should do what can be done, and then we should go ahead to enjoy doing what we can do until we can't do it any more.
.38 Special
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I don't mean for it to be cautionary, but rather realistic: we put ourselves at increased risk of hearing loss by being shooters. We should do what we can to reduce that risk, but should not delude ourselves about the reality.
<edit> Without meaning to seem nitpicky, we should be careful not to conflate "normal" with "common". There is no degree of hearing loss, at any age, which is "normal", and in fact only about a third of elderly Americans show hearing loss.(And I'll bet they're all shooters.
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.38 Special
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One other comment, as I finish catching up on the thread: it is true that sound can be conducted through the skull, especially in cases of direct contact with the noise source. I am not aware of any studies which indicate that the cheek weld of a rifle can increase noise exposure, and I strongly doubt there have been any studies of which type or brand of rifle stock is the "loudest". In point of fact, it is common to see more damage to a long gunner's "off side" ear (a right handed shooter's left ear, and vice versa) as the gun stock provides a "shadow effect" which offers some degree of protection to the gun-side ear.
This is a typical case report:
"Especially in cases involving gunshots, unilateral hearing loss as a result of the head shadow effect and left ear hearing loss in right-handed patients may cause asymmetric hearing difficulty."
This is a typical case report:
"Especially in cases involving gunshots, unilateral hearing loss as a result of the head shadow effect and left ear hearing loss in right-handed patients may cause asymmetric hearing difficulty."
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wiscoaster
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OK, I'll go with "common" as opposed to "normal" but I'll bet they're all "normal" people exposed to various excessive sound level events incurred in "normal" everyday life, which over the course of a lifetime "commonly" leads to hearing loss, regardless of whether they had any exposure to gunfire or not. Good heavens: a dog barking, a baby screaming, a rock concert?!?! People staying home to avoid activities that incur some degree of danger of physical harm are a whole lot more likely to incur some degree of psychological harm. Life is not safe. It's all a trade off. What do you want to risk?
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.38 Special
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You may have read too much into my post.
wiscoaster
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Perhaps. But maybe other people have as well. I just don't want to see people warned off from doing something they enjoy doing that has the potential of causing harm when they have taken all appropriate and available steps to mitigate potential harm. I want them to get out and enjoy their lives, not cower in their basements, as it seems there's all too much of that going on nowadays.
.38 Special
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I deeply apologize to anyone currently cowering in their basement as a result of my post. 
Too late for me...
What?
