Ear defenders on Safari?

[Trickyd66]

Can you ask him what driver he uses please? I would be interested to know if it is a Ping.

I play golf most days but I rarely practice anymore which is when you hit tons of shots. I would sometimes hit 500 balls a day in days gone past when on the range when I was younger.

Golf simulators indoors can contain the noise from solidly hit drives which would make it worse. I would wear plugs if hitting lots of drivers while using an indoor simulator. You get the double whammy of the ball hitting the catching curtain in front of you. Ball speeds can be upwards of 175mph off the driver face so it hits hard only a few feet in front of you. Decibel wise the noise can reach 120dB. Some drivers are worse than others. I play with a guy who uses an older Ping driver and the noise i find particularly harsh. I prefer to use drivers with a lot of carbon in which deadens and dulls the noise as well as improving the feel of the shot off the face.

No what driver he uses, he changes clubs more often than I change my underwear
He's been playing since he was 5, (now mid 40's) and plays off about 3 from memory. And he does hit a lot of balls in practice,.

 

[Selous]

Going through this thought process myself. I’m taking the Peltor EEP electronic plugs, the electronic muffs and some spare ear plugs on a string in case I lose the others. Planning on hunting with the electronic plugs with muffs as a last resort

 

[Pedro]

I'm a bad boy. At the range or when shooting clays I always put ear defenders on. Out in the field, not so much. As a failsafe I always have a pair of those foamy yellow things to plug in the lug holes, but in my pocket I find they have limited effect.

I'm left handed and my hearing isn't that bad at all, but it's obvious that my right side is worse than the left. I'm told that's usually what happens, the side furthest away from the rifle or shotgun is most affected. I guess to an extent the left ear (or right if you aren't cack handed) is protected to a degree by being pretty much directly behind the forward facing bang and perhaps there's some protection afforded by the stock.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Following the 1 ear failing theme.... the one thing over looked completely here...... forget rifles, shotguns, golf balls...etc does it not all come down to what side of the sofa and bed your Mrs frequents!?? latest hearing test sais i have reduced hearing in my left.. low and bloody behold.... guess what side she sleeps and sits on!!!

Interesting and dare I say it courageous post, possibly verging on suicidal even…..

 

[Jagare]

All my shooting I wear ear protection. I would rather pass up a shot with a full bore rifle if I had no ear protection. Even the .22 aggravates my ears with no hearing protection. If you get ringing in your ears after a .375 shot the damage is already done.

 

[stalker.308]

Moderators are not allowed in a plethora of places in Africa.

Just adds to the issue really.

It would be an interesting exercise to see which’s African countries allow vs which don’t allow sound moderators-

The following countries allow them-

Namibia
South Africa
Mozambique

From my limited research the following doesnt

Zimbabwe


Be interesting to see if sd members can add to these lists

 

[Tinki]

I wear some sort of ear defenders any time i take a shot . Game or range . It does not help that i am the antisocial one not using a moderator.
In Africa i wore my surefire EP4 , in ear but you can hear around you what is going on and you can hold a conversation .
My advice is always wear some from of hearing protection.

 

[kenbro]

This!
Ken.

 

[NickJ]

I'm going with @Selous and @Sybarite Sporting next month so similarly wondering about this.

I have severe hearing loss from an historical incident and wear hearing aids. My ENT specialist advised always wearing muffs (Vs plugs) when shooting as so much sound can enter around the ear not just the canal.

I have done two PG trips to Africa and wore (amplifying) ear muffs with a .308 and a 30:06 and kept them on my belt and put them on when we closed for a shot. All worked fine but we were generally 100 yds plus out.

On dangerous game I intend to do the same, hopefully. I prefer a brimmed hat to a baseball cap so have a Tilley with press studs on so the muffs can go over the top. I realise that this might all be too much faffing about if events happen quickly and if so am just going to take my chances!

If I add a lovely old English rifle I don't think I could bring myself to put a mod on it but if it was anything else I would

 

[Stalker62]

I prefer a brimmed hat to a baseball cap so have a Tilley with press studs on so the muffs can go over the top. I realise that this might all be too much faffing about if events happen quickly and if so am just going to take my chances!

@NickJ

The Tilley hat was a revelation this trip. I needed (everyone needs) proper protection from the sun and that hat does the job.
Baseball caps are a short cut to sunburned neck, and cancer of the ears (a real thing in Australia).





Sticking on a decent electronic set of earmuffs as you make your 'final approach', is the most sensible thing to do.

If I add a lovely old English rifle I don't think I could bring myself to put a mod on it but if it was anything else I would

Two things about that.

In some parts of Africa, moderators are forbidden.

To stick a moderator on any lovely old English rifle is a short cut to Hell...






Have a fantastic trip.

 

[NickJ]

The Tilley hat was a revelation this trip. I needed proper protection from the sun and that hat does the job.
Baseball caps are a short cut to sunburned neck, and cancer of the ears (a real thing in Australia).

Sticking on a decent electronic set of earmuffs as you make your 'final approach', is the most sensible thing to do.


Two things about that.

In some parts of Africa, moderators are forbidden.

To stick a moderator on any lovely old English rifle is a short cut to Hell...

View attachment 366527




Have a fantastic trip.

Indeed my cousin in SA said of his relations there: 'the old boys wore brimmed hats, they are OK but the younger ones thought baseball hats were cool, they now have skin cancer on the tops of their ears (possibly exasperated by cauliflower ears!') He added 'there is a reason rednecks come from the US, they invented baseball and caps!'

Yes re mods and the case in Zim I gather but next trip might be Moz where I think they are legal. I agree it would need to be a very utilitarian BG rifle for me to stick a mod on it, unlikely to happen as I'm holding out for an English rifle, not a H&H or similar but a minor smith. Buying was paused as obviously the UK have an arms embargo on Zim so we are borrowing

On that subject that 'monstrosity' someone produced looks just like my lovely Callum Ferguson stalking rifle!

Thanks

 

[bowji john]

Never worn ear protection anywhere unless it is mandated (usually on a range)

Certainly never in the bush

Never stalking

I might when zeroing a large calibre as noise adds to the perception of recoil (for me)

There after ? No I don’t

I don’t recommend doing as I do - as ‘impact noise’ has a huge, and irreversible affect on hearing

J

 

[Stalker62]

... next trip might be Moz where I think they are legal.

Have been there twice. It is so remote, and so beautiful, I simply do not have words to describe it.





Sadly, right now it is close to civil war (again), and one's own security (especially in the North) becomes a real 'thing'.

Such a bloody shame.

 

[Rhodesianjess]

Never worn ear protection anywhere unless it is mandated (usually on a range)

Certainly never in the bush

Never stalking

I might when zeroing a large calibre as noise adds to the perception of recoil (for me)

There after ? No I don’t

I don’t recommend doing as I do - as ‘impact noise’ has a huge, and irreversible affect on hearing

J

I certainly wouldn't wear protection in the bush, the loss of an important sense might be tragic. With a PH to look after you,not so important so quite understand others using hearing protection.
Here in UK I don't wear anything for shoot days that I'm running, however if shooting on peg or loading then yes. Likewise clays, the estate here provided me with CENS under H+S legislation so I wear them when required.
Rather a personal choice, bearing in mind that it's my hearing and if damaged, then no sympathy as self inflicted.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Well….
Here’s the thing, as stated earlier my hearing is banjaxed through many years of shooting so if I was in the bush I would hear nothing including the beast which pinned me. However if I wear my electronic ear defenders I can even hear birdsong so next time you are on the Dark Continent the eejit running around with a pair of “cans” on is more than likely to be me and for two good reasons - one so that I can hear said beast and two to protect what little hearing is left…

 

[NickJ]

Well….
Here’s the thing, as stated earlier my hearing is banjaxed through many years of shooting so if I was in the bush I would hear nothing including the beast which pinned me. However if I wear my electronic ear defenders I can even hear birdsong so next time you are on the Dark Continent the eejit running around with a pair of “cans” on is more than likely to be me and for two good reasons - one so that I can hear said beast and two to protect what little hearing is left…

Me too!

 

[old 30-06]

johndeere, that is a nice Impala.

 

[tomgsp]

I never used them when I went. Doing 5/6 shots per day.

 

[sh1kar]

Never wear hearing protection here or there. I never notice shot. Or recoil. I want to see 1. Sight picture at release of trigger. 2. Sound of impact. Solid thump. Good. Wet thwock. Bad. Nothing. V bad. Defenders screw that up for me. Always wear them on range

 

[Tazz]

Hunted in SA and Namibia a number of times I shoot a 300 win mag with an F&D mod on it only use ear defenders when checking zero over there, however without the mod I would take my cans on every hunt, you only have one set of ears