I hate earmuffs

[thegatman]

It is important that you cover the area of the tympanic membrane. I use ear plugs under my Peltor ear muffs.
I suffer hearing loss and this prevents any further damage.

 

[Bill Raby]

Ear muffs are hot and sweaty. They are uncomfortable. Well try working outside on a hot sunny day for a few hours in a chemical suit. You won't complain about ear muffs any more. Fact is that all protective gear is a pain. Not using it at all is usually worse.

 

[gifbohane]

I hate the Tinnitus more. I was just stupid and before that in the military we never used them.

 

[tark]

Suppressors are your friend.

Not in Illinois they're not. Can't have em'

 

[jdc1244]

I wear both ear muffs and ear plugs.

Belt with suspenders here, too.

 

[shoobe01]

Reiterating or responding to a lot of points raised:

• Muffs shouldn't be touching your ears. They go over them, not on them.
• Quality ones are adjustable, should be comfortable.
• Should also adjust to not gap or knock with longarms. I use my muffs with carbines, rifles, shotguns, even prone precision rifle, no problems.
• Nothing like electronic muffs for actually hearing other shooters, instructors, etc. etc. WAY too many folks popping them off to hear, but there are shots going off over in the next bay that are plenty loud.
• Plugged into radios: brilliant. Nothing like it.
• For over the top types, try a hat with it.
• Get gel ear cups.
• Try the (generic, originally for aviation) fabric covers they make. Washable and its fabric. May work better for you.
• Try goggles, or goggle straps. If it's all day I'll definitely wear my Wiley-X SG-1 with the strap instead of temples. Helps a lot.
• Muffs can be doubled up. Can always add earplugs.
• I like the extra coverage for better hearing protection. Sound comes in your whole head, so eyepro is part of it, helmets (hardhats or ballistic depending on your job) even. I have no reference but have to believe covering the whole ear area is more protection.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I have been doubling up for years, I even wear muffs when I use power tools and the vacuum cleaner. Yes, they should fit over your ears, surround them, not compress them.

 

[hso]

Some people are just nuts.

Ignorant or stupid

 

[JohnB-40]

I like to use plugs and muffs to take it easy on my old ears,but I don't like the muffs cause I wear trifocal progressive glasses and the muffs tend to move the glasses around. Its eyes going out of focus or ears going deaf.

 

[Ignition Override]

Yes, hate - but only in the summer time.

Shooting about 5-10 rounds (7.62x39), then pausing several minutes in the shade (while looking at photos or recent texts on iphone etc) limits:

1) barrel temps,
2) skull temps,
3) sweat flowing onto the safety glasses.

Why make a barrel extremely hot? Avoiding that takes care of two other turn-offs automatically.

 

[ms6852]

Only use earmuffs when shooting handguns, they interfere with cheek weld if shooting a rifle.

 

[Steve S.]

I use sonic (I think they are called, Silencio is the brand) ear plugs - the design is a small electronic device inserted inside a standard set of silicone-type earplugs - intended to allow normal conversation and also stifle loud sounds like a muzzle blast - been using them for about 30 (or so) years with great success. I agree with the consensus, muffs work well but cause discomfort.

 

[jag1954]

I wear ear muffs when I'm at an indoor range, when outside just simple ear plugs. My hearing is pooched anyhow after years of being around heavy equipment and attending motorsports events.

 

[doubleh]

Ear muffs are hot and sweaty. They are uncomfortable. Well try working outside on a hot sunny day for a few hours in a chemical suit. You won't complain about ear muffs any more. Fact is that all protective gear is a pain. Not using it at all is usually worse.

Try wearing a leather welding jacket doing overhead welding outside in 100 degree+ sunshine all day long for a really unpleasant experience. I also remember spending a week building heavy duty shelving inside a big metal building that only had an entry door and no windows in 100+ degree heat. Oh well, I chose the occupation so I didn't complain.

I did the chemical suit every once in awhile before becoming a welder so I know what you mean. Not bad in the winter, brutal in the summer.

To keep this shooting oriented I will say that evidently I have sensitive ears. Whatever the size of the cups on muffs they make my ears hurt and the plugs are uncomfortable but with the right size of plug they are much better than any muff that I have found

 

[GEM]

I wear muffs and bought a set that didn't interfere with cheek weld. Even in TX heat outdoors, I wore them and doubled up with plugs for rifle usage.
The hearing debate is an old one.

 

[whughett]

[/QUOTE]

Reiterating or responding to a lot of points raised:

• Muffs shouldn't be touching your ears. They go over them, not on them.

Ha, Some of us would need muffs the size of shipping crates. Alfred E Neuman comes to mind.

 

[bassjam]

I've found a few things helped with ear muffs. Gel cups which others have mentioned. Also safety glasses with the thinnest earpiece possible, I have ESS Crossbow Suppressors which work well. Still, after 40 minutes or so my ears do start to hurt, an no the cups are over my ears, not on them. I think it's the buildup of heat and no "breathing". And that's in the winter and cooler weather, in the summer they're pretty hot and end up contributing more to my glasses fogging up or getting sweaty.

I'm still waiting for an affordable in-ear option that works well. Most recently I'm using Walker's bone conducting sound amplifiers with regular 3m ear plugs, it works really well but the battery life is only a couple hours.

 

[daniel craig]

I find plugs far far LESS comfortable.

 

[rbernie]

Am I the only one? The things are hot and sweaty in the summer but I can live with that. What I can't live with is the fact that they quickly make my ears hurt and that distracts from my shooting ability and pleasure. Maybe I am just a wimp but I have never found any that are comfortable. I use Walker ear buds which are much more comfortable with replacement foam tips that I get from Amazon. The replacement tips make them even more effective than with the Walker tips and they last much longer. I don't shoot any major boomers and these seem to do the job well but even they become annoying after a time. At least it is a much longer time than with muffs.

I've been pretty happy with the Otis EarShield. I've been using them for a couple of years now, and once you figure out how to seat them (you don't just plop them on like over-the-ear muffs) they seem to do a fine job at noise attenuation without the discomfort of in-the-ear-canal plugs or stock fit issues of over-the-ear muffs. I did replace the foam cups this summer, after two years of use, since they were starting to show signs of physical degradation after 400+ hours of use. I certainly hadn't noted any loss of hearing protection - it was just a 'because I probably should' kind of thing.

 

[hso]

Also safety glasses with the thinnest earpiece possible

Spoggles with straps work well also.

 

[Viking59]

Hate earmuffs as well. Rifle shooting in particular.

 

[Steve S.]

It dawned on me with the mention of suppressors in the context of hearing protection; if the ATF can be persuaded to allow an SBR to be called a “pistol” due to a strip of Velcro on the butt stock, then maybe that organization can be persuaded to carve out an exemption for suppressors under the guise of hearing protection - I wonder - one thought is no more silly than the other I should think.

 

[Tirod]

After two years of wearing plugs in a CNC shop with three turret pressing die punching up to 1/4" hot rolled plate, meh. It's like wearing glasses forever, you will get used to it. It's the first 30 hours of your life they are uncomfortable. It wears off, like wearing a wrist watch again or adopting flip flops after 20 years.

As for a silencer, sure, it works and can work well - but ONLY on the weapon it's mounted on. Not the OTHER weapons which don't have one and even worse, are pointed your way. That is why you might consider wearing ear protection in the middle of the night - in your flip flops, with a pistol in your hand, volume turned up a bit to hear the "wrong" noises you normally would not in the dead of night. Your pet moving around, you sleep thru, teens coming home at 2AM, not a threat (you will discuss it later) but a creak on a board which normally takes a human sized person in a room nobody is normally in at a night?

You can hear that from another floor with electronic muffs. Someone posted his experience hunting, in his stand he'd used for years, wearing muffs, he heard a repeated noise off in the distance. Turned out to be a windmill 1/4 mile away he'd never noticed before. Good muffs do that, while damping down ALL firearms reports.

Find me a silencer I can mount on my rifle which cuts the report of a gun fired at me, I'm in! Otherwise, I will do what the teams do, wear muffs - I just don't need the commz they share to go with it. They like to whisper, not shout and give location and tactics away to someone 20 feet from them.

 

[JJFitch]

As a long time shooter and instructor I agree with most of the recommendations. I have several styles of "over the ear" protection as well as smaller to larger. I carry these so people can try them out. Not all amplified protections are the same and cost doesn't seem to matter. My favorite are not the most expensive!

For the record most of the time I "double up" with "in ear" and "over the ears"! I rarely notice that I have them on. But over the years I've tried dozens.

One recommendation missing are the custom fitted/molded in ear style that are popular at some forms of competition but not all since they may work too good! The newer styles can include amplification.

Lets all keep in mind that hearing damage is cumulative and what my seem harmless today might result in permanent damage later in life. Whatever we are doing that might be damaging we should wear eye and ear protection. A little discomfort now might just prevent non-optional in ear devices or eye patches later in life!

Smiles,

 

[chamokaneman]

I worked around aircraft most of my life so I've worn a variety of hearing protection. Yes, some of the ear muffs that have been out there are uncomfortable to put it mildly. The ear pads could just be too hard. Softer is better. A few years back when I was working as a safety manager with a dairy I was pushing Decibelz fitted ear plugs. You warm them in hot water to fit them to shape of your ear. Soft ear plug comfort with muff sound reduction. They've become my favorite.