Ear plugs / Defenders

Antonyweeks

Well-Known Member
Hi
As a newbie to stalking and shooting large calibres on an indoor rifle range, what is the general consensus of opinion on ear plugs? I've seen that you can buy cheap one for £20 or go for super custom ones for several hundred quid! I'm an ex drummer so have been using the in ear plugs from those days but they aren't very good at cutting out the shot inside a range. Not used them stalking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
go for good ones you can get them around a 100 quid you only have 1 set of ears
 
Hi
As a newbie to stalking and shooting large calibres on an indoor rifle range, what is the general consensus of opinion on ear plugs? I've seen that you can buy cheap one for £20 or go for super custom ones for several hundred quid! I'm an ex drummer so have been using the in ear plugs from those days but they aren't very good at cutting out the shot inside a range. Not used them stalking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
The Shooting times did quite a good article on this, either last week or week before. Worth a look as it was quite in depth describing the pros and cons of each.
 
Lots of discussion threads on here about over and in ear defenders.

The highest SNR rating I have found for either "in" or "over" ear protection is with the 3M Peltor LEP 100 or LEP200 electronic plugs...at 37dB with the largest skull screw tips and around 34dB with the tips that I use.

Honeywell / Howard Leight type over ear are 25dB and CENS fitted in ear ones are rated around 27dB SNR

Some of the 3M Ultrafit passive foam plugs are also around 34dB SNR for just pence.

In an indoor railway tunnel range the LEP 100s have been fine with moderated and most un-moderated rifles....I always double up and add on a pair of over ear muffs if some anti-social type turns up with muzzle brake, I always did the same when I used the passive plugs.

The active plugs have the added bonus of amplifying the ambient sounds up to 85dB so are great for conversations or when you are stalking, you can hear more going on around you, but your ears are still protected when you take the shot.

Alan





 
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Hi
As a newbie to stalking and shooting large calibres on an indoor rifle range, what is the general consensus of opinion on ear plugs? I've seen that you can buy cheap one for £20 or go for super custom ones for several hundred quid! I'm an ex drummer so have been using the in ear plugs from those days but they aren't very good at cutting out the shot inside a range. Not used them stalking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I use either when out with a shotgun. Both plugs Sonic 2’s and some Winchester branded ones and Pelter electronic defenders.
It’s a long time since I shot indoors but then it was definitely both plugs and over ear, definitely more effective.
 
I have two sets of Pluggz passive ear plugs.
I wear one pair for eight hours every day at work, and I work next to some constant 90+ dB equipment.

We chose in ear plugs as we also wear safety glasses and over ear defenders do not seal properly over the arms.

The pluggz units we use were tested and cancel out a consistent 39dB, when fitted correctly, but for added noise reduction we also use over ear defenders when we feel the need (working next to aircraft whilst they are running up the turbines).

For stalking or vermin shooting I find the passive plugs are enough to stop my hearing being affected (and I suffer with bad tinnitus), but for range work I also use over ear units (Howard Leights) as well as in ear plugs.
 
Go for the ones that you'll always have with you! I always carry a small plastic bag of the small orange disposable push in plugs in my car. They cancel out far more noise than my overhead ear defeders that I've left at home that day. Elseise I've a set of the British Army issue ones that have the microphone integral to them. They do seem to work OK.
 
I use these.

Thanks. I've just purchased a pair and intend to clip them to my stalking hat so they are always there when needed. If I lose them it's only £20 and not circa £200!

For the range I'm gonna stick to My Peltor Comtacs and probably sell the 3M LEP 100's that have been a great disappointment.

K
 
Ear plugs won't reduce the noise as well as a good set of muffs. I use both, muffs on the range and plugs in the field.
A good pair of passive, muffs isn't expensive, hearing aids will be.
 
Ear plugs won't reduce the noise as well as a good set of muffs.

I disagree.

That is neither my experience of using both plugs and muffs in the forge over the last 50 years...nor is it indicated by the SNR ratings.

At SNR 36dB passive Foam Plugs of the correct size for your ear canal will do much better than most muffs which are in the mid 20s dB SNR...and easily equal to the enormous double depth style muffs.

SNR of 38dB is hard to beat with the LEP 100s and the scullscrew tips...though I use the smaller foam tips which are rated at SNR 34dB. If necessary at the range I increase that with another 25dB SNR from similar muffs to the Honeywell/Howard Leight.

Peltor Sportacs are rated at only SNR 26dB.

Even the £700 Peltor Comtac VI muffs provide significantly less protection at 28dB SNR.

The huge double depth Peltor Optime lll are rated at 35dB SNR


A good pair of passive, muffs isn't expensive, hearing aids will be.

Fully agree with you there. Anything is better than nothing.

Alan
 
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Thanks. I've just purchased a pair and intend to clip them to my stalking hat so they are always there when needed. If I lose them it's only £20 and not circa £200!

For the range I'm gonna stick to My Peltor Comtacs and probably sell the 3M LEP 100's that have been a great disappointment.

K

I have some of the Surefire EP4 which use the flanged tips and they work okay having a similar degree of attenuation as the LEP-100s with flanged tips...they do reduce ambient sounds significantly even with their little corks out though...I found conversation and animal sounds very muffled, which is why I went to the active plugs.

I am really surprised that you found the LEP 100s a great disappointment...as they use the same tips as EP4s or EP7s or any other standard passive foam and flanged tips I can't really understand why they didn't work for you...

They should work just like the Surefire EP7s as passive protection if you didn't turn them on...using the same foam tips they should just do the same job of attenuation and be just as effective.

Alan
 
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I have some of the Surefire EP4 which use the flanged tips and they work okay having a similar degree of attenuation as the LEP-100s with flanged tips...they do reduce ambient sounds significantly even with their little corks out though...I found conversation and animal sounds very muffled, which is why I went to the active plugs.
Alan
I don't plan to walk around the woods with them deployed but rather take a few seconds to pop them in prior to pulling the trigger. That should take less time than setting up quad sticks which I neither own nor use.

K
 
I don't plan to walk around the woods with them deployed but rather take a few seconds to pop them in prior to pulling the trigger. That should take less time than setting up quad sticks which I neither own nor use.

K

I found fumbling with cold fingers was a problem doing that...the fit and forget advantage of the electronic ones on leaving the vehicle and removing when I got back was more convenient.

I do hope you find the EP7s effective...if you do, you might try transferring their tips over to the LEPs, or getting some similar, to see if that makes those work for you before you sell them on.

Alan
 
I use both Peltor Sportac muffs and the LEP 200s. Sportacs have been great but I was finding that they were getting a bit uncomfortable when on a peg for a number of hours during the typical Portuguese monteria, so bought the LEPs.

These are fit and forget for me and I really could wear them all day without issue. Both systems of course amplify the ambient sounds prior to shutting down for the bangs, so are really helpful to anticipate driven game and other animal sounds.
 
I have custom made in ear ones, and electronic over ear ones. Issues are some over ear ones seem to interfere with shot gun use and not so good on an all afternoon pigeon shoot, I find them quite irritating. Just find something yo can get on with and use. I always keep a selection of dispo plugs in shooting jackets and cartridge bags so always on hand. Reilly to late for me as I all but destroyed my hearing 40 years ago when I spent a huge amount of time decoying without any ear protection.

D
 
I disagree.

That is neither my experience of using both plugs and muffs in the forge over the last 50 years...nor is it indicated by the SNR ratings.

At SNR 36dB passive Foam Plugs of the correct size for your ear canal will do much better than most muffs which are in the mid 20s dB SNR...and easily equal to the enormous double depth style muffs.

SNR of 38dB is hard to beat with the LEP 100s and the scullscrew tips...though I use the smaller foam tips which are rated at SNR 34dB. If necessary at the range I increase that with another 25dB SNR from similar muffs to the Honeywell/Howard Leight.

Peltor Sportacs are rated at only SNR 26dB.

Even the £700 Peltor Comtac VI muffs provide significantly less protection at 28dB SNR.

The huge double depth Peltor Optime lll are rated at 35dB SNR




Fully agree with you there. Anything is better than nothing.

Alan
Good morning, you've obviously gone into this in far more detail than I did. I was looking for something for use on the range , muffs, and I out and about, plugs. I settled on a set of Peltor muffs ( passive) that give about 33db reduction and a set of Cens plugs rated to around 27 ( I think)
The muffs are definitely better, no surprise there, but I recently got another set of muffs with electronic noise reduction and there's really very little difference between them and the plugs, I suppose it's horses for courses, do the research first.
As an aside I was at the Sporting world championship in Dowth, quite a few of the top shots were using passive ear muffs instead of the more sophisticated electronic units.
I suppose the electronics are just one more thing that could go wrong on the day.
 
Good morning, you've obviously gone into this in far more detail than I did. I was looking for something for use on the range , muffs, and I out and about, plugs. I settled on a set of Peltor muffs ( passive) that give about 33db reduction and a set of Cens plugs rated to around 27 ( I think)
The muffs are definitely better, no surprise there, but I recently got another set of muffs with electronic noise reduction and there's really very little difference between them and the plugs, I suppose it's horses for courses, do the research first.
As an aside I was at the Sporting world championship in Dowth, quite a few of the top shots were using passive ear muffs instead of the more sophisticated electronic units.
I suppose the electronics are just one more thing that could go wrong on the day.

I gather it takes about 10dB for us to perceive a doubling of loudness but the actual pressure increase doubles every 3dB.

The great thing about the electronic ones of either sort is that even if the circuits fry or the batteries die they still continue to give the same passive protection.

The reason the plugs can be more effective is that they fill the volume of the ear canal and support/dampen the walls as well as sealing out the air movement. The over ear ones, even if they have a good seal to the surrounding surface can actually transmit the pulse like a diaphragm when the pressure hits the outer shell.Think of a loo plunger. Neither do the muffs prevent the transmission of vibration through the cartilage, flesh or bone which vibrates the walls of the ear canal and tympanum, which plugs can help to reduce.

The only way to prevent the transmission of the bone is to enclose the entire skull in an acoustic helmet and visor like the helicopter pilots and tank crews wear! But the plugs can help reduce the result of any bone transmission.

Alan
 
I just upgraded to msa-sordin supreme pro-X, they are superb, simple to operate even with stalking gloves, and I actually hear better with them on. but they reduce the gun noise to a well muffled level. well worth the money.
 
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