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Old September 15, 2012, 10:52 AM   #1
willhud
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Ear Muffs

My wife and I have just started going to the range (been once so far). Are the electronic ear muffs worth it, and is there a low cost brand you would recommend. I realize you generally get what you pay for, but being a new hobby, I don't want to rob the bank in case it isn't something we stick with.
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Old September 15, 2012, 10:59 AM   #2
spaniel
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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T7QJ9O/..._df_B001T7QJ9O

Howard Leight. $45 is affordable to most, I would think. To get cheapos you will want to replace if you stick with it will cost you within $15 of that anyways.

I prefer the electronic ones...much more convenient if you will be talking to those around you and to hear range commands.
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Old September 15, 2012, 11:49 AM   #3
thedudeabides
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I use a cheap pair that came free with my SP2022. Covered the SIG Sauer logo with gaffer tape. Work really well.

I also put in earplugs under the muffs for extra protection. My hearing is already crap, don't want it getting worse.
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Old September 15, 2012, 11:57 AM   #4
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Cabelas sells a pair in the $20s with 23 db noise reduction. They are bulky, but comfortable, and you can put ear buds under them when mowing the lawn!
They are BLUE.
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Old September 15, 2012, 04:11 PM   #5
Brian Pfleuger
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I bought a pair of electronics from Gander Mountain last year for about $35. They are entirely acceptable. Electronic or not, I wear foam plugs under the muffs for really loud guns.

I've used electronics that cost anywhere from $35 up to $350 in muff and "hearing aid" style. I found them all satisfactory, the extra money mostly pays for reduced background noise and/or interference. To me, it's not worth the money. Others find the noise much more distracting.

I always use electronics of some variety, they're especially great for hunting.
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Old September 15, 2012, 08:17 PM   #6
willhud
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Thanks so much. My wife and I went to the range for the first time a last week and we had a lot of fun and plan on going back, but it was a pain communicating. Especially considering she had never shot a gun before and I was trying to keep her safe. I am by no means an expert. It had been probably 25 years since I had shot a gun, but I at least know rudimentary safety and how to handle the pistol we were using.

I had never seen anything like these, and I ran across them online but wasn't sure if the lower end ones were any good or if they were just junk.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
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Old September 15, 2012, 10:16 PM   #7
jcwit
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I'll give another vote for Howard Leigth. I bought 2 other electronic before I discovered H/L.
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Old September 16, 2012, 08:50 AM   #8
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Quote:
Electronic or not, I wear foam plugs under the muffs for really loud guns.
I agree and do the same, its really needed at the indoor range I use close to my home.

Quote:
My wife and I went to the range for the first time a last week and we had a lot of fun and plan on going back, but it was a pain communicating.
The electronic ear muffs will help a lot with communicating, even with using ear plugs underneath the muffs.
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Old September 16, 2012, 08:56 AM   #9
kraigwy
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Quote:
Are the electronic ear muffs worth it,
You bet they are, with normal ear muffs I can't hear the shot timer buzzer. I can't even here the whissle they use in pin shoots. I have to wait until the other guy starts shooting. When my batterys are dead or I grab the wrong set, I end up leaving one ear exposed so I can hear whats going on. Defeats the purpose of ear muffs.

Quote:
and is there a low cost brand you would recommend.
Yeah get the kind that takes AA or AAA batterys. I didn't and replacement batterys cost me a mint. I far too often forget to turn them off. Somebody told me they make them that shut off automaticly after a while. I haven't found them yet but I'm looking.

Right now I don't care what they cost. They are worth it. I spend good money for match ammo components. If I can pick up a few extra points because of good ear muffs, its well worth it.
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Old September 16, 2012, 09:16 AM   #10
Nathan
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Are the electronic ear muffs worth it,. . .
No. Frankly, "no". The good ones like Pro Ears work pretty well, but they use an expensive technology. The cheap ones are probably not as good as just raising your voice.
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Old September 16, 2012, 10:35 AM   #11
Brian Pfleuger
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Kraigwy,

Radian's makes several models that have auto-shutoff. Personally, I HATE that feature, at least for hunting. Having to reach up and turn them off and back on to restore hearing is obnoxious. Plus, the timing seems to be random. One side will go off every hour or 90 minutes. The other side not for 4 hours.

-----------------

I have to wonder if someone who thinks the cheap ones "aren't worth it" has ever used them. First, they're hardly any more expensive that standard muffs and second, they work astonishingly well, for the price.
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Old September 16, 2012, 11:03 AM   #12
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That would work, the most time I would need them on is about 30 minutes for my style of shooting.

Thanks I'll look into them.
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Old September 16, 2012, 01:30 PM   #13
ClydeFrog
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Hearing protection...

Here are a few sites that sell decent ear plugs/hearing protection;
www.cabelas.com www.uscav.com www.policehq.com www.cheaperthandirt.com www.actiongear.com www.gandermountain.com www.midwayusa.com www.nra.org www.galls.com .
There are many styles & brands you could buy. I'd start with milspec/GI type plugs(UScav.com) then upgrade to the Wolf Ears, electronic muffs.

Clyde
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Old September 16, 2012, 08:42 PM   #14
willhud
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Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. I added the Amazon ones to our wish list.
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Old September 16, 2012, 09:32 PM   #15
chris in va
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Definitely go electronic, and find the type that compress the shots without cutting out all sound.

I struggled to find something affordable until finding the Caldwell Platinum muffs. These have natural, directional mics and sometimes I forget to take them off.
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Old September 17, 2012, 01:26 PM   #16
ClydeFrog
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UScav.com; Surefire models....

I read a few listings for ear plugs(around $14.00 USD) from Surefire in www.uscav.com .

UScav is a well known military/LE supply source. I've purchased many items from the KY area company since the 1980s.

CF
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Old September 17, 2012, 02:26 PM   #17
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i'll tell ya a story about ear muffs that are cheap and why i wont hunt with someone with them. i was with a friend that was wearing the kind that just cuts off the sound and doesnt lessen the noise, we were rabbit hunting(dont ask why he was wearing them) anyway the action was hot, rabbits everywhere. the dogs were busy. my friend wasnt too much of a small game hunter so i had to keep reminding him of the dogs position. well he kicked up a rabbit and starting shooting, the rabbit crossed in front of the dog, i could see this coming but he was shooting, i tried yelling "watch the dog!!" he didnt hear me cause of those dam cheap electronic muffs.
thanks god he was a bad shot!! i told him lose the muffs or walk home.
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Old September 19, 2012, 02:35 PM   #18
JimDandy
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That's not a muffs problem, that's a freind problem. I have a pair from Peltor that I love to death.

The cut out the loud sounds, and amplify the quiet ones. They aren't perfect, so you do want some plugs underneath, at least from time to time.

Beyond that, I was shooting at my uncle's trap/skeet/fivestand range, and kept hearing something. I looked around and looked around, and couldn't figure out what it was. Turns out it was a windmill powering a water/well across the highway 500 yards away. So they will amplify unbelievable stuff.
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Old September 19, 2012, 04:15 PM   #19
603Country
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Being a shooter and a woodworker, I'm around loud noise all the time. I had some of the electronic muffs so I could use the power tools and still hear the radio, but I wanted more quiet and finally replaced them with some 3M non-electronic muffs that Lowes and Home Depot sell (about $30). They have a noise reduction rating of 33. I can still hear the music in my workshop, which is a good thing, though I guess they wouldn't be the thing for shooting competition. I had a buddy over shooting and he had the old electronic muffs and I had the one pair of the real quite ones. At some point we switched and he shot once and turned to me and said, "holy cow, such a difference in the noise reduction". There is a huge difference. I just got a second pair of those 'good' ones yesterday.
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Old September 19, 2012, 06:28 PM   #20
willhud
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Nuke, we did a lot of hunting as a kid. I can't imagine wearing them outside for that. Inside a range, where the sound reverberates all over the place I can definately see. But if I was to go hunting again, I want to be able to hear everything around me all the time. Little things, like a snakes rattle, or the dogs, or anything else for that matter. Part of the fun would be the birds chirping, etc. LOL!

603, the ones that were suggested above, Howard Leight, have an input for an MP3 player. That might fit your needs. I haven't tried them myself, but that way the music would be behind the muffs.

On our first range trip, there was a guy shooting a fully automatic rifle. I can't imagine being in that enclosed space without something.

Looking forward to getting a set for each of us.
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Old September 19, 2012, 06:34 PM   #21
603Country
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Muffs with a plug for my iPod sounds interesting, but heck I've got all I really need now. As for those 3M muffs, I was out in the workshop and had a close look at the ones I use. In faint lettering below 3M Tekk, it says Peltor.
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Old September 19, 2012, 06:35 PM   #22
willhud
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Jim which Peltor set do you have?
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Old September 19, 2012, 06:36 PM   #23
willhud
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Amazon has Peltor ones from like $20 to over 300. They even had a set with bluetooth built in. Of course, that was the 300 pair.
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