doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hearing protection - ear plugs

Saw this over on the 6br site. Thought it worth posting "hear."
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"I'm a retired hearing aid engineer with a degree in electrical engineering and masters studies in audiology. I also became the companies expert on wind noise. That coupled with my companies expertise in hearing aids and ear plugs, I think I can comment.

The BEST hearing protection you can get are the old cheapy "yello foamies." Disregard the NRR rating on the package. These things are usually not installed properly so OSHA requires the "NRR" which is the actual attenuation plus any degredation due to mis-installation. Properly installed, the actual attenuation is around 40dB. This attenuation is not limited by the ear plug, but by your mastoid bone. With a properly inserted yellow foamie (or similar plug) what you hear comes through your mastoid bone.

Fancy electronic plugs or muffs will NOT protect as well as properly inserted foamies. Muffs can and will leak and at best electronic plugs approach the foamies.

So, what is "Properly Inserted?" Roll them up between thumb and fore finger to a small rod, insert quickly into ear canal and push it in as far as possible with your little finger and hold till the plug expands fully. Now, you should be scared you will not be able to get it out! But you can, even if you have to use needle nosed pliers! Actually, enough of the plug will ooze out that you will be able to pinch it between thumb and one of your fingers and pull it out. For sure, it isn't going to get lost in your ear! Your ear canal is an inch or more deep and the foamie is only 1/2 " or so long. Ideally, you want to get the plug deep enough to get to the boney region of your ear canal. The outer half of the canal is the cartilagenous region and the inner half the boney region. Seal to the boney region and occlusion effect goes away. Occlusion effect is the talking in a 55 gallon drum sound with ear plugs in. This is usually a problem with electronic one-size-fits-most plugs and the molded-at-the gun-show plastic plugs. These plugs usually don't go far enough in for a good seal.

If you want good, custom plugs, go to a hearing aid dispenser and ask for a solid custom earplug with an impression past the second bend. They will know what that means. I know, this plug set may cost $50-$100, but you just spent $1200 for that new see-in-the-dark scope, isn't your hearing worth $100? "
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Norm

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/6mmbr/vpost?id=3293866

Yes, but...

An even better solution, if you are willing and able to spend the money, is an electronic plug with attenuation, stuffed into a custom earplug with an impression past the second bend. Then you can still hear what's going on around you when hunting. The custom solid plug is fine for targets but not real useful for hunting situations.

I tried a set of these and was pleasantly surprised. You can hear normal conversation, but high power rifle shots under a covered firing line are no problem at all. As long as you make sure the ear canal fit is snug, they work well. I now use them instead of my usual professional muffs or "foamies".

OB

http://www.nrastore.com/nra/Product.aspx?productid=SS%20302-58

I use the ones that are a soft mixture that is inserted in your ear and let ot harden. These fit well and I use Hydrocortisone ointment on them to make a better seal. The Hydrocortisone also gets rid of itching in my ear for a few days. Then I don't have to use a car key as much to scratch them.

FWIW

Regards, Gordo

I don't have an itching problem with mine, but do sometimes need to improve the seal. My audiologist suggested ChapStik, but I think Ballistol is also OK. Don't want to use petroleum-based lubes, because it could attack the silicone in the molds.

I hate to wear muffs but they are the only thing comfortable to me when shooting either shotguns or rifles, especially rifles under tin. Plugs (and I've tried them all) do not provide the noise attenuation I need.

Muffs over the plugs for me.

If you shoot for about 40 years or so they don't make much difference!

Seriously, I was a full time small arms instructor for about 10 years in addition to everything else. I usually wore double protection. Yet at 50 I am am wearing hearing aids. You still have to do everything you can to protect them as a set of hearing aids can cost around 7K.

.338----45-70----.22-250 under tin....or in the open actually...

Fancy electronic noise canceling headset please, thank you.....

Best Regards,

WHAT

11 years of jet engines, years of skill saws, routers and 30 plus years of a wife have robbed me of too much of my hearing. I use foam plugs with muffs all the time. My kids do the same. Hearing is a bad thing to loose. Only thing worse is sight.