Electronic ear protection

[jdege]

I've been thinking about buying a set of those ear muffs with the internal speakers so you can actually hear what is going on around you.

I've been using a pair of Remington M28s with foam earplugs underneath, and they do a great job of blocking the sound for a busy day on an indoor range, but they aren't great for competitions, when I also need to hear what the range master is saying.

Anyone have any particular recommendations?

What I want are 1: high dB reduction of gunshots, reliable, comfortable, and cheap.

I'm not going to get all of that. But I can't judge any of that from the outside of the bubble packing.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

There have been some very helpful threads in the Gear and Ammunition section. I went with the Pro Ear Magnums (my wife is getting me a set for my birthday). When I shoot rifle and shotgun, not as often, I will use my slim Peltors. When I shoot indoors, I double up with ear plugs.

Because the electronic ears require holes in the shells for the microphones, they will not have the DB ratings of passive protection.

Re read your post and from what I have seen, "cheap" and electronic ears don't seem to go together very well.

Jeff

 

[Gillster]

If you are looking for cheap and effective electronic hearing protection, try Harbor Freight. I bought these about a year ago and like them alot. They run on 2 AA batteries Ears . I paid $24.00 at a store here in San Antonio. A little bulky for rifle shooting but great for handgun competition.

Chris

 

[P95Carry]

My Peltor ''Tactical'' 6-5's serve me well (why they have to use ''tactical'' - sheesh!) .. and are comfortable, light and reasonably effective. IIRC they were a tad over $100 - which ain't cheap.

When shooting big stuff under a covered firing point, then addition of foam plugs does help ... but overall, they seem to cope with almost all average situations and do let you hear to be able to converse easily.

 

[Justin]

I've shot with a pair of Beretta electronic ear muffs. They worked fantastically. I haven't the slightest idea how much they cost, however.

 

[Rocko]

I have two pairs of the cheapie HF sets myself (only works if both parties in any conversation can hear ). I haven't had them out for more than a few sessions yet, so can't comment on long-term durability, but I'd think that in any case, they'd be a cheap experiment to see if that sort of device would be useful to you. As mentioned, the protection isn't as good as standard muffs (dunno if the more pricey ones are better?), so I've usually been wearing plugs with mine as well and turning the volume all the way up. But then again, I usually double up indoors anyway. Result is good hearing protection and still able to near normal conversations within normal range.

This weekend, I was shooting my supressed m11/9 at a family gathering- the can ain't that great, though, and the noise is still borderline uncomforable, so I had just the muffs on. I was very surprised that the mic was picking up conversations about 60 yds away, inside the garage with the open doors facing away from us. Not enough to hear them clearly, but much more so than the naked ear.

 

[Series 70]

I have the Peltor Tac-6 muffs. I like 'em a lot, and add foam plugs when necessary - not too often. I think most of the electronic muffs have a noise reduction rating of 19-21 db, where then standard muffs are in the mid-20's.

 

[Ktulu]

I had a pair of Pro Ears with the behind the head band. I don't remember the model numbers. Anyway, the electronic amplification wasn't enough for me and I tended to have them turned up all the way. Turned up all the way one was louder then the other. Finally the foam mic cover fell off and I returned them for cash.

This isn't to say there are no good electronic muffs out there or even that Pro Ears are not any good. I’m just relaying my experience. I didn't like mine.