Do you wear your hearing protection correctly?

[Pitmaster]

being married i have selective hearing around the house, but try to always double up(plugs and muffs) when shooting

My wife made me get a hearing test. I passed with flying colors. Got a prescription telling her to talk less.

 

[haldir]

I was down visiting family over the 4th. A couple of my uncles were taking out their grandkids to do some shooting. Then there was me and another older cousin. They were being careful to have the youngsters put in their hearing protection and all that. I couldn't help but start laughing. I remarked out loud that I could remember at that age the same uncles thinking it was quite funny to have us shoot the biggest guns they could find. We never heard of hearing protection and the recoil was something to laugh about.

 

[Bigum1969]

I know a retired police officer that has severe hearing problems from many years of shooting firearms. He doesn't even shoot anymore and has two hearing aids. I'm guessing he is suffering from a combination of a lot of shooting and insufficient hearing protection.

 

[GetA2J]

I'm shocked and surprised no-one has done this....

 

[Bigum1969]

 

[GetA2J]

Or this one....

 

[Cwood]

Or this one....

With his finger on the trigger:dumbass:

 

[GetA2J]

With his finger on the trigger:dumbass:

Wood, that's the same thing I thought when I first saw it about a year ago!!!!
Is seems that the story behind this photo is about a couple of guys that had a comedy website that also had some gun segments. I'm sure I'll be corrected but I think it was called full-auto.com

 

[Scutter01]

And speaking of plugs, I just got my SureFire Sonic Defenders PLUS today.

NRR is 19 dB, but that is (as far as I can tell) for steady, low intensity sounds. When a suddent high intensity wave hits them, the attenuation is better, and the sound level never gets to where it can damage your hearing. Someday I may cut an old pair open to examine what kind of design they are using, but what matters is that it works.

I picked up a pair of EP3's (the non-Plus Defenders) over the weekend. They're 16dB, I believe. I tried them while mowing the lawn and the noise was unacceptably loud. I went back and put my muffs on instead. I'm going to try them the next time I go to the range, but I think I may look for a pair of the EP4's instead.

After years in server rooms, I think I'm due for hearing aids in my old age regardless.

 

[bwframe]

I picked up a pair of EP3's (the non-Plus Defenders) over the weekend. They're 16dB, I believe. I tried them while mowing the lawn and the noise was unacceptably loud. I went back and put my muffs on instead. I'm going to try them the next time I go to the range, but I think I may look for a pair of the EP4's instead.

I had a similar experience with the Sonic II's. The equipment I was running was seemingly loud with them. Even though hearing regular conversation was great, I was concerned and went back to plain old Peltors. Never tried them with firearms.

Please pass along how well the EP4's work.

 

[dblagent]

I just ordered a set of the Plus version myself, but it's back ordered at Brownells. When I get them I'll be sure to post my thoughts also.

 

[rhino]

I picked up a pair of EP3's (the non-Plus Defenders) over the weekend. They're 16dB, I believe. I tried them while mowing the lawn and the noise was unacceptably loud. I went back and put my muffs on instead. I'm going to try them the next time I go to the range, but I think I may look for a pair of the EP4's instead.

After years in server rooms, I think I'm due for hearing aids in my old age regardless.

Two questions:

1. Did you have the little plugs plugged into the holes?
2. Do they fit properly?

Also, it's possible that the sound from the lawn mower lacks enough energy for the baffling system to make much difference. They're going to work a lot better with sudden, high intensity noises like gun shots, but they should work okay for lawn mowing too. I know mine work okay for that kind of machinery.

 

[Scutter01]

Two questions:

1. Did you have the little plugs plugged into the holes?
2. Do they fit properly?

Also, it's possible that the sound from the lawn mower lacks enough energy for the baffling system to make much difference. They're going to work a lot better with sudden, high intensity noises like gun shots, but they should work okay for lawn mowing too. I know mine work okay for that kind of machinery.

I tried them plugged and unplugged, and yes, they fit properly. I did a suction test to confirm proper fit. I think you're right about the lawn mower, which is why I'm still going to try them at the range. I'm not prepared to write them off just yet. Either way, at ten bucks, they're worth the try.

 

[Santee]

I fired a Thompson, a lot, for a six day period, in 77, and have had a low ringing in my ears ever since. Always wore hearing protection before and after, but no time to plug them in at that time. It does not take much to damage your hearing, and you never get it back.