Hearing Protection while stalking
- Thread starter Terrydeer
- Start date
fixedwheel
Well-Known Member
I swallowed very hard, and bought myself some CENS DX5s, that way I can use them for full bore at Bisley, indoor small bore at my club, clays, and also for use in the field in the future.
Decided I don't want to ever think I should have done it earlier, as the hearing would never recover.
I have the option of putting a pair of SwatComs on over the top as well, but I tend to find over ears very uncomfortable.
Decided I don't want to ever think I should have done it earlier, as the hearing would never recover.
I have the option of putting a pair of SwatComs on over the top as well, but I tend to find over ears very uncomfortable.
MAH
Well-Known Member
A ASEJetz moderator and no earmuffs.
My understanding is that damage is caused by a combination of peak DB and length of exposure.
And thus, infrequent, short exposure to a few shots from;
A. An unmoderated centre fire rifle is likely to cause damage.
B. A rifle with an effect moderator is unlikely to cause damage.
M.
maximus otter
Well-Known Member
I always looked after my hearing religiously back in the pistol days (foam plugs and Peltor inert muffs.)
On the rifle range? Peltor Pro Tac II electronic muffs.
Stalking? Nothing. I used to take Hickock45-style 3M protectors:
- but the awkwardness of dealing with them, plus the Buff I wear as face camo, plus the neck straps for my thermal and my bino harness, made it all too time-consuming.
As I already suffer from a degree of tinnitus and age-related hearing loss, I reckon that one round through a moderated 6.5 x 55mm every two or three outings won't make that much difference.
maximus otter
On the rifle range? Peltor Pro Tac II electronic muffs.
Stalking? Nothing. I used to take Hickock45-style 3M protectors:
- but the awkwardness of dealing with them, plus the Buff I wear as face camo, plus the neck straps for my thermal and my bino harness, made it all too time-consuming.
As I already suffer from a degree of tinnitus and age-related hearing loss, I reckon that one round through a moderated 6.5 x 55mm every two or three outings won't make that much difference.
maximus otter
Terrydeer
Well-Known Member
Very interesting comments, and one of the reasons for asking the question was that we have occupational health screening at work and my hearing has declined, and for everything else noise related I wear hearing protection and as I said while zeroing I do too. So I do feel that even a couple of shots without protection are having an affect on my hearing (my deer management/stalking has increased over recent years, my wife will testify to that!!)
So I will be looking into the most comfortable user friendly effective hearing protection that I can afford.
So all information will be appreciated
So I will be looking into the most comfortable user friendly effective hearing protection that I can afford.
So all information will be appreciated
I use them for stalking & game shooting
www.zoro.co.uk
3M Peltor Electronic Earplugs - PLT9583342K EEP-10| at Zoro
3M Peltor - Electronic Earplugs - PLT9583342K available at Zoro.co.uk - UK's Leading Supplier of DIY Tools and Supplies'
fixedwheel
Well-Known Member
The most comfortable surely would be customs.
I know the CENs are expensive (they cost me more than I have spent on any of my powder burners!) but they do their basic filtered ones for £99 if you send in impressions, or my local hearing centre does those inc. impressions for £109
You can upgrade those to electronics later if you want, just by replacing the passives with active modules.
From clays , to the range , to stalking , to driven hunt , even while running a chainsaw or a hammer drill i always wear ear protection . I have 2-3 pairs of 3m peltor the electronic ones around .
2 in my range bag ( in case someone needs a spare)
1 in the mancave/workshop
I also keep foam plugs on hand just in case someone needs .
Always use ear protection even with moderators .
Its not matcho not to use them . ( Some of the old timers used to make cheeky comments when i first showed up with ear defenders on a driven hunt , too bad they could not hear my replies . But fast forward a few years and now all the younger guys wear them and the old timers chase the grandkids to wear them also . )
Anyways my 2 cents .
2 in my range bag ( in case someone needs a spare)
1 in the mancave/workshop
I also keep foam plugs on hand just in case someone needs .
Always use ear protection even with moderators .
Its not matcho not to use them . ( Some of the old timers used to make cheeky comments when i first showed up with ear defenders on a driven hunt , too bad they could not hear my replies . But fast forward a few years and now all the younger guys wear them and the old timers chase the grandkids to wear them also . )
Anyways my 2 cents .
I have moderators on the rifles and wear active ear defenders. The largest I could find to reduce the noise as much as possible. I have no issue stalking with them. Mainly because my i spent a lot of time to get my rifle to fit So they do not interfere with the stock.
No one is allowed out on my land with me without a moderator. End of.
I have the tiniest bit of tinnitus which came from motorbikes and shooting years ago.
I have no issues with being a wuss and keeping my hearing.
No one is allowed out on my land with me without a moderator. End of.
I have the tiniest bit of tinnitus which came from motorbikes and shooting years ago.
I have no issues with being a wuss and keeping my hearing.
caorach
Well-Known Member
If you are implying that you are going the route of some sort of "in ear" protection then the key thing to remember is that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to foam plugs or the "foam tips" you can get for the likes of the Peltor/3M electronic plugs. You will have to try a few different options before you get something that works for you. This is really important as many people take the plugs out of the packet, put them in their ear, and over time decided they aren't comfortable or don't really offer much protection. Getting something that really works requires you to use your brain.
If you are going for non-electronic foam plugs then these people do really excellent assortment packs that allows you to try a lot of different plugs before you make a decision. Getting earplugs that fit is harder than getting shoes that fit:
Ear Plug Assortment Packs - Ear Plugs
Confused by all the choices? We can help! We have combined top selling products into several different trial packs, each designed to help you find the very best ear plugs for your application.
www.earplugstore.com
There is also the option of custom moulded plugs and these are better than nothing but they can't offer the same degree of protection as a foam plug simply because the foam plugs expand to fit your ear canal and completely seal it whereas the custom plugs are relatively hard and so can't do this plus they can't be super tight or you'd never get them in or out. If you want maximum protection with in ear plugs then having an expandable foam bit in your ear is the way to go. I think CENS are about the only people who quote certified noise reduction measurements for their moulded plugs and from memory they come in with around 25dB of attenuation whereas foam plugs, or tips on electronic plugs, will be giving you something around 36dB based on the Peltor/3M plugs.
In an industrial setting most damage occurs from incorrectly fitted protection or people not fitting the protection before the noise exposure starts - they might put their plugs in once they've entered a noisy environment or just nipped into a noisy room to pick something up without fitting plugs at all. This is something that is also important to keep in mind.
The over ear, or ear defender, type protection also works well but it can be bulky and it can also be hard to get a reliable fit if you wear glasses or don't position the ear cups correctly. The over ear protection can, if the ear cups are large, offer the same levels of protection as in ear foam protection when worn correctly. It is often repeated that over ear protection is "better" than in ear plugs as it prevents bone conduction and this is incorrect, for one thing it only covers the bone in the inch around your ear and leaves the rest of your head uncovered so there is no logic to this suggestion and when taking attenuation measurements you can easily demonstrate no advantage with over ear protection. Bone conduction does happen and actually limits how effective any form of hearing protection can be as eventually you get to a point where you can't reduce the noise any further because of conduction through your head but this is the same for all types of protection. However, over ear protection can have a significant problem if it contacts the stock of your rifle as then "sound" may be conducted directly into the ear muffs and this can produce very high pressures at your ear so it is important to fit the muffs to avoid this.
Something like this may be of interest to you, I use the previous model and they work well, but again I must highlight that you will probably have to acquire different ear tips until you will get something that is comfortable and effective for you:
3M™ PELTOR™ EEP-100 EU Electronic Earplug Kit
3M Peltor EEP-100 EU Electronic Ear Plug
www.best4safety.co.uk
fixedwheel
Well-Known Member
The biggest problem with the foam ones are that most people do not fit them correctly. They don't take the time to wash their hands, then roll each plug, insert, and WAIT for it to expand to fit.
You often see the foam ones about to fall out of someones ears.
caorach
Well-Known Member
Yes, fitting is a major problem and I think both users and also those providing plugs in an industrial setting aren't good at understanding this. You can get "no roll" plugs and they work extremely well and are generally easier to use in my opinion, I use the Peltor "Next No Touch" quite a bit and really like them. Note that the attenuation figure quoted here is an NRR and is not comparable to an SNR figure - the Peltor no touch have an NRR of 30dB and an SNR of 35dB for example but there is no linear relationship between the two means of measurement.
No-Roll Foam Ear Plug Trial Pack (10 Assorted Pairs)
For those who are unfamiliar with no-roll ear plugs, we recommend our convenient trial pack which contains 10 assorted pairs of no-roll foam ear plugs so you can try them all to find which works best in your situation.
www.earplugstore.com
I use them for stalking & game shooting
3M Peltor Electronic Earplugs - PLT9583342K EEP-10| at Zoro
3M Peltor - Electronic Earplugs - PLT9583342K available at Zoro.co.uk - UK's Leading Supplier of DIY Tools and Supplies'
If you are implying that you are going the route of some sort of "in ear" protection then the key thing to remember is that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to foam plugs or the "foam tips" you can get for the likes of the Peltor/3M electronic plugs. You will have to try a few different options before you get something that works for you. This is really important as many people take the plugs out of the packet, put them in their ear, and over time decided they aren't comfortable or don't really offer much protection. Getting something that really works requires you to use your brain.
If you are going for non-electronic foam plugs then these people do really excellent assortment packs that allows you to try a lot of different plugs before you make a decision. Getting earplugs that fit is harder than getting shoes that fit:
Ear Plug Assortment Packs - Ear Plugs
Confused by all the choices? We can help! We have combined top selling products into several different trial packs, each designed to help you find the very best ear plugs for your application.
There is also the option of custom moulded plugs and these are better than nothing but they can't offer the same degree of protection as a foam plug simply because the foam plugs expand to fit your ear canal and completely seal it whereas the custom plugs are relatively hard and so can't do this plus they can't be super tight or you'd never get them in or out. If you want maximum protection with in ear plugs then having an expandable foam bit in your ear is the way to go. I think CENS are about the only people who quote certified noise reduction measurements for their moulded plugs and from memory they come in with around 25dB of attenuation whereas foam plugs, or tips on electronic plugs, will be giving you something around 36dB based on the Peltor/3M plugs.
In an industrial setting most damage occurs from incorrectly fitted protection or people not fitting the protection before the noise exposure starts - they might put their plugs in once they've entered a noisy environment or just nipped into a noisy room to pick something up without fitting plugs at all. This is something that is also important to keep in mind.
The over ear, or ear defender, type protection also works well but it can be bulky and it can also be hard to get a reliable fit if you wear glasses or don't position the ear cups correctly. The over ear protection can, if the ear cups are large, offer the same levels of protection as in ear foam protection when worn correctly. It is often repeated that over ear protection is "better" than in ear plugs as it prevents bone conduction and this is incorrect, for one thing it only covers the bone in the inch around your ear and leaves the rest of your head uncovered so there is no logic to this suggestion and when taking attenuation measurements you can easily demonstrate no advantage with over ear protection. Bone conduction does happen and actually limits how effective any form of hearing protection can be as eventually you get to a point where you can't reduce the noise any further because of conduction through your head but this is the same for all types of protection. However, over ear protection can have a significant problem if it contacts the stock of your rifle as then "sound" may be conducted directly into the ear muffs and this can produce very high pressures at your ear so it is important to fit the muffs to avoid this.
Something like this may be of interest to you, I use the previous model and they work well, but again I must highlight that you will probably have to acquire different ear tips until you will get something that is comfortable and effective for you:
3M™ PELTOR™ EEP-100 EU Electronic Earplug Kit
3M Peltor EEP-100 EU Electronic Ear Plug
I am another avid proponent of the EEP-100 active in-ear plugs after being steered towards them by the sorely missed @Alantoo.
I have found that whilst some of the 3M tips were good I get far better fit utlising the CENS Mino foam tips.
reiver
Well-Known Member
I use peltor electronic muffs shooting both game and wild boar my hearing is a lot better with them on and I can also hear guns on a couple of pegs away talking about meWas out on my first pheasant shoot yesterday and on one of the drives the line of folk was spread over two hills with wind the whistle wouldn’t be loud enough so a shot from the gun would be fired to signal the start. Two mates either side had there ear defenders in so they had and excuse but I was born with slight deafness and didn’t take ear defenders yesterday ( don’t really have any) Anyways we never heard the shot and so the drive was done before we started
Basically I was an idiot because being already hard of hearing and not taking ear defenders with me defo got me thinking about my hearing and the future so I think it’s important to get something properly sorted and get something that’s comfortable to use.
I’ve never bothered with ear plugs whilst on the deer because you take a shot and that’s it.
On the shotgun it’s multiple with multiple more going off around you.
So ear defenders are definitely on my to buy list
No, they're not.
I got them from Mercury Custom Plugs, after having moulds of my ears taken on their stand at the Game Fair one year.
The filters are interchangeable, with different options available depending on your intended useage. I have 3 sets of filters, including total blockers. The ones that I'm using allow me to hear ambient sound pretty well.
Just go for the best you can afford, passive or active depending on budget, but I'd definitely recommend custom moulded for comfort. I wear them all day when I'm stalking, and basically forget they're there.
I'm confused. I obviously understand the importance of protection and have a set of Custom Guards for shotgun and BIG peltors when on the range, but when out stalking I've never found my 308 with a DPT to be loud at all and I consider my hearing to be quite sensitive.....am I missing something??
You won't know what you're missing until it's gone.
paul o'
Well-Known Member
In the high seat I sometimes if its really windy I use my MSA as they help cut out unwanted sounds and help hearing movement other than that nothing as I use a mod. Only on the range do I use ear protection and the Mod ! My ears are permanently damaged from back in the green days and motor trade .
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