Shawnee
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"As a hearing aid salesman, I'd just like to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. Baby needs a new pair of shoes!"
Blarney.
Blarney.
Ear protection
- Thread starter ds92
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22-rimfire
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I take two types of protection deer hunting. One is a cheap pair of plugs that you have attached to a shoe string and electronic muffs. I keep the plugs draped around my neck and take the electronic ones off and on. I like the amplification of the muffs, but the sound level gets a bit oeverwhelming after a while and I take a break.
If the shot opportunity comes when I have nothing on, I just slowly reach up and insert the plugs. I will not miss a shot due to ear protection not being in place, so I just use protection as I can. Hearing while hunting is very important. You're pretty handicaped if you are only using your eyes.
If the shot opportunity comes when I have nothing on, I just slowly reach up and insert the plugs. I will not miss a shot due to ear protection not being in place, so I just use protection as I can. Hearing while hunting is very important. You're pretty handicaped if you are only using your eyes.
buck460XVR
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I take it you never shot a .460 revolver.
Altho I've used some sort of ear protection at the range for 30 years, I hunted deer for 42 years without feeling the need for ear protection while in the woods. Even when using the .357, the occasional shot that would later leave my ears ringing for a short while was tolerated cause I didn't want to be hampered by not hearing the game. After getting the .460 a few years back I soon realized that it was just not viable to shoot this gun, ever, without some kind of ear protection......not only for the shooter, but for those in the immediate area also. After trying several different solutions, and trying to stay within my realistic budget, my best solution has been to use cheap foam type plugs when sitting in an elevated stand where hearing deer approach is not as important and the use of Peltor Tacticals when stalking or still hunting. I use only enough amplification to return the sounds levels to that of not wearing them and the sound suppression works well when the hand cannon barks. After the first hour or so of wearing them I don't even know they are there. When sharing a stand with my youngest son(as I did this year) I leave the .460 at home, take my old rifle and just watch him shoot.
Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
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What I do when hunting is this: Just take a standard set of the push-in rubbery material ear plugs, connected by a little plastic wire - after I get set up, I will put the one in the ear nearest to the gun about 2/3rds of the way in, and the one in the ear on the far side of the gun about halfway (loosely) in, if that makes sense. Then I can still hear most of what's going on, but I have some level of protection.
That's for centerfires; for rimfire hunting I don't use anything.
The electronic ones work fine (they cut out anything over 85 db), and you can get a decent one (Radians) for as little as $80 or so. BUT, they are no bueno for hunting, because they become uncomfortable after a few hours. And during spring turkeys or early fall season, fuggeddaboutit - too hot.
That's for centerfires; for rimfire hunting I don't use anything.
The electronic ones work fine (they cut out anything over 85 db), and you can get a decent one (Radians) for as little as $80 or so. BUT, they are no bueno for hunting, because they become uncomfortable after a few hours. And during spring turkeys or early fall season, fuggeddaboutit - too hot.
Depending on the genes, some men will naturally become more deaf as they age. Partial deafness is common, but it has the unusual feature that most people don't realize they have the disease until a) it becomes really bad or b) someone convinces them.
Some of the posters saying don't bother with ear protection might not need it because they are already partially deaf.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingdisordersanddeafness.html
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As an aside, the electronic ear protection work by blocking sound just like a regular ear muff. Separately, it has a microphone and speaker system. If it decides the noise wasn't too loud, it replays the sound in a tiny speaker. If the sound was too loud, it doesn't replay it.
Some of the posters saying don't bother with ear protection might not need it because they are already partially deaf.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingdisordersanddeafness.html
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As an aside, the electronic ear protection work by blocking sound just like a regular ear muff. Separately, it has a microphone and speaker system. If it decides the noise wasn't too loud, it replays the sound in a tiny speaker. If the sound was too loud, it doesn't replay it.
Speedo66
Member
Electronic muffs are NOT the way to go if you're looking for the best hearing protection. Most of them do not have a great decibal reduction rate.
CDNN has regular Swiss made Howard Leight muffs with a 29 dbl rating for $10, I don't think you can do any better than that.
CDNN has regular Swiss made Howard Leight muffs with a 29 dbl rating for $10, I don't think you can do any better than that.
You don't necessarily need the maximum db reduction for hunting purposes. I can't find the link right now, but the levels for damage are a certain number of minutes for a certain db level, with the exposure time before damage getting less and less as noise level goes up, and past 130-140db the damage is instant and permanent. You may not notice the damage, but it happens and is cumulative.
So the 29db muffs come in especially handy if you want to spend more time in a loud environment than you could with 20db muffs, or if you've got a sound that's 160db+. That means regular calibers at the range for lots of shooting, or maybe a braked magnum in the field for a shot or two.
Extrapolating from that, for hunting, this is what I do: Because the length of exposure to the noise is so extremely limited while hunting, get the noise level below the instant damage threshold and you're fine, whatever you use. IIRC the instant damage threshold is 130ish db+. Standard calibers are 140ish, magnums 150ish, and braked magnums are just f'ing loud.
I used some of the aforementioned Howard Leight electronic muffs this year, and they worked great. Well, except for when they decided to receive the local radio station. I'd imagine that for standard calibers out of regular barrels, even 10db attenuators would be a huge improvement over nothing.
And I just say no to muzzle breaks. I like my ears more than my shoulder.
The numbers above likely aren't 100% accurate, as from what I recall, 20db muffs are plenty for pretty much anything for a shot or two. Treat them as a relative scale and go practice your google-fu.
So the 29db muffs come in especially handy if you want to spend more time in a loud environment than you could with 20db muffs, or if you've got a sound that's 160db+. That means regular calibers at the range for lots of shooting, or maybe a braked magnum in the field for a shot or two.
Extrapolating from that, for hunting, this is what I do: Because the length of exposure to the noise is so extremely limited while hunting, get the noise level below the instant damage threshold and you're fine, whatever you use. IIRC the instant damage threshold is 130ish db+. Standard calibers are 140ish, magnums 150ish, and braked magnums are just f'ing loud.
I used some of the aforementioned Howard Leight electronic muffs this year, and they worked great. Well, except for when they decided to receive the local radio station. I'd imagine that for standard calibers out of regular barrels, even 10db attenuators would be a huge improvement over nothing.
And I just say no to muzzle breaks. I like my ears more than my shoulder.
The numbers above likely aren't 100% accurate, as from what I recall, 20db muffs are plenty for pretty much anything for a shot or two. Treat them as a relative scale and go practice your google-fu.
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