Ear protection rating?

[speedywillie]

What decibel rating is recommended for ear protection on the range?

Any help/advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Mgderf]

What'd ya say?

Seriously, the better the rating, the better the protection, or so one would think.

 

[Blackjack43]

Most hearing protectors take noises down 20-40 DB. Anything above 80 DB is uncomfortable

 

[Ian]

Good earplugs will give you 30-32 dB of reduction when properly inserted, the thinner muffs are usually around 24-26dB, and thick muffs are similar to plugs.
All options will be adequate to protect from hearing loss, but if your indoor range gets really loud, you can always wear plugs under muffs. It's not actuallygoing to give you 60dB reduction, but definitely in the 50's range. I personally use musician earplugs that allow you to hear normally, just 15dB quiter under a set of active muffs with 24 dB. That way I can turn up the sound over the plugs, and get better protection than plugs alone.

 

[PX4me]

I have tinnitus from too many years in the bike shop and going to concerts without hearing protection. I wear both plugs and muffs. Is it necessary? Probably not but I'm just trying to keep what hearing I have left.

I would recommend at least a 28db reduction.

 

[pudly]

I have tinnitus from too many years in the bike shop and going to concerts without hearing protection. I wear both plugs and muffs. Is it necessary? Probably not but I'm just trying to keep what hearing I have left.

I would recommend at least a 28db reduction.

I also double up. Easy to do and provides extra protection. I like electronic earmuffs, but they generally provide the least protection of the major options. By using both foam plugs and electronic muffs, you can get maximum protection when things are noisy, but the muffs can amplify normal conversation so that you can still hear moderately well. This is especially useful when giving/getting training where you want both protection and to still hear the communication.

Most people don't know how to properly use the basic foam earplugs to get full protection. Here is a good video on how to use them properly.

http://youtu.be/SPNPZJingZA

 

[speedywillie]

Thank you very much for all of your input.

 

[JetGirl]

Good earplugs will give you 30-32 dB of reduction when properly inserted, the thinner muffs are usually around 24-26dB, and thick muffs are similar to plugs.

There ya go^.

Look for a number on the packaging preceded by the letters "NRR". The "NRR" stands for "Noise Reduction Rating". The higher the number, the better the sound reduction. Foam plugs should start no less than 30 for shooting.

 

[ReadnFool]

As mentioned above the NRR of the plugs indicates the amount of reduction provided when properly used.

Given that gunshots range from 140-160 dB and OSHA requires limiting exposure to >115 dB to less then 15 minutes. Minimum useful NRR is 25 with NRR of 45 or higher being recommended for louder guns and enclosed spaces.

I don't like most of the non-electronic "hear thru" options because the NRR is in the 10-20 range, not enough for stand alone use although they can have a place under ear muffs as additional protection.

Typical disposable foam plugs run from 25 to a hi end of around 33 dB reduction. Given the numbers above and looking at OSHA tables you can see that for anything other than a short practice session plugs alone will not be sufficient for any longer term exposure the noise needs to be lowered even more.

If you are going to an indoor range or to a multi hour shooting event I recommend a combination of ear plugs plus ear muffs whose NRR add up to at least 40 and preferably 50 or higher.

If you are going to be doing this a lot I recommend that you do what was mentioned above and get the electronic ear muffs and back them up with a decent ear plug. The cost is not that expensive, and the electronic muffs improve safety by letting you hear range commands and other ambient sounds while not allowing cumulative damage to your hearing.

Just as a side note I work in a high noise industry and hearing damage can easily sneak up on you.

 

[davedolli]

Good info, thanks for sharing.


Dave