Hearing Protection

[NewfGuy]

Where is a good place to buy hearing protection? What should I be looking for? Thanks

[Marlin]

Any good and reputable Sporting Goods store can provide good protective gear. You should have at a minimum protection for 25db or more.

[Oneida Steve]

I've been using the same pair of Peltor Presidental muffs for ten+ years. Midway USA sells them for under $25. They are also available at most gun shops and bigbox sporting goods stores.

[bunnyhunter12]

Well, marine chief engineers have a policy, much akin to what a lot of military people do. Order whole lots of stuff whether you need it or not, because if you stop ordering big bunches of stuff, the company will think that you can make do with less, and not let you order the stuff when you need it.

Therefore, every so often when my father is ordering ship's stores, he gets LOTS of stuff, including hearing protection for his engineers. And you can't just have bunches of stuff kicking around the ship, cluttering the place up, and to be seen when the company bigshots do tours of duty, so you take it home.

I get a new pair of Peltors (22Db) and boxes of foam ear plugs every year. Used together, they give great protection and if I slip the defenders off for a minute and someone pops a few shots, I still have the plugs in so no big deal.

[Terry_P]

For skeet I stictly use foam plugs that you can get at Wal Mart or most anywhere they sell ammo. Muffs get in the way of my shotgunning as I hit them on the stock. When shooting handgun or rifle I use the muffs or plug muff combo with no problems. The best option is plug/muff combo. Cabelas or Bass Pro will have them or any sporting goods store.

I bought a pair of the Peltors that allow you to hear and then block out the noise at a harmful level. The one on the left side broke within 6 mo. They are still functional as hearing protection but I can only hear out of one ear and they eat batteries. My advice is spend your money on ammo and buy the best hearing protection without the electronic gadets and you will be happy.

[user]

I get disposable green memory foam ear plugs by the hundred, manufactured by AOSafety, sold in hardware stores. 96 dB reduction. And if you're shooting .357 magnums or black powder muzzle-loaders, you can always put earmuff style over them.

[CampingJosh]

I have some $2 plugs that work well, and I have a pair of $12 muffs that work a bit better (I can't usually get plugs to stay in my oddly-shaped ears). I got both at Wal-mart.
You don't need anything fancy; just something to keep the noise level down a bit.

[22dave]

I had excellent results with in-ear foam AND regular muffs.

[cohoskip]

I usually go to the range with a buddy (or 2) and I really like my S&W electronic muffs. I can carry on a normal conversation without having to remove them.

I can wear them for 2 or 3 hours at a time with no discomfort...

[Mosin_Nagant_Fan]

I bought reusable earplugs at Wal-Mart for $9, +tax, that's good for up or around 26db. They fit very well, just be sure you have clean ears. Just about every sporting goods stores has one brand or another, just ask someone that knows a good one.

[obxned]

Since I have a wife, six kids, their spouses and/or friends, and six grandkids, I go with the el cheapo Wally World ear muffs. Enough for everyone who wants to go to the range nearly fills a 5gal bucket, but cost little. Some of them say Hoppes and last bunch are lableled Winchester. I've tried some expensive muffs, and they don't seem to work any better.

[Marlin]

I have a terrible hearing problem requiring expensive digital aids in both ears. We have been using a better grade of ear-muff style. I looked at the S&W item mentioned by "cohoskip" and they seem to be an ideal possibility for me to not only have protection but to also be able to hear with them on.

Thanks for the comment, chs.

[NewfGuy]

Thanks guys. I think I'll look the next time I'm at Wally World. My son is also looking at some of his online suppliers. At least now, I know what dB rating I need to look at