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Earpro for scoped rifles?

A

akh223

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 23, 2009
220
113
South Carolina
So, what is everyone running for shooting their scoped rifles? I find that most of my sets of earpro end up interfering with my cheek weld when shooting. I am a stickler for saving my hearing, so I like to have plugs and muffs on, and I shoot with a suppressor.

What do you find works best?
 
Personally I haven't found a set of ear muffs that work with my cheek weld. I wear plugs to shoot and keep score. I may wear both plugs and muffs when I'm running the range. I have electronic muffs but most of the time the batteries are dead.

I'll post a link for the ones I use. The name is escaping me.
 
gunsnjeeps said:
Personally I haven't found a set of ear muffs that work with my cheek weld. I wear plugs to shoot and keep score. I may wear both plugs and muffs when I'm running the range. I have electronic muffs but most of the time the batteries are dead.

I'll post a link for the ones I use. The name is escaping me.
Click to expand...
Thanks,
I currently have The impact sport, and the Walker Razor Slim for electronics. Both work ok, but not great.
 
I use the Impact Sports. They don't seem to interfere with my cheek weld at all. I also double up and I use the Surefire Defenders for in-ear protection at the moment. I have a pair of both the foam tipped and the flanged models and they are the most comfortable plugs I've worn.
 
www.earplugstore.com

Elvex Quattro Reusable Ear Plugs Corded (NRR 27, SNR 34)

Elvex Quattro™ industrial reusable ear plugs feature a stiff insertion stem and a tapered four-flange design to fit most users. Also available in uncorded. Elvex Quattro Corded Ear Plug Features 27 NRR, 34 SNR Ultra-soft hypo-allergenic polymer provides a comfortable and effective seal...
www.earplugstore.com www.earplugstore.com

The Elvex Quattro. We used to get them at work. When they decided to move to foamies I ordered two pairs and got hard cases with them. It was about $24.00 for them. I get the corded ones but end up taking the cord out once in a while. I also can pass the cord through the back of a cap or through a sweat band. Hope this helps.

I had a set of the molded ones made a gun show, they worked well. I've heard a lot of complaints about the diy set not hardening correctly. Last I saw they were near $50 for a set made at a show.
 
Asking what works for others is pretty useless because the answer of what set of ear muffs/defenders won't interfere with your stock depends significantly on the facial structure of the wearer.

What works for someone else may suck completely for you. Personally, I'm one of those who cannot wear ear muffs when shooting a precision rifle. Handguns, yes. Shotguns (clay shooting), yes. Rifles that don't need a hard cheek weld (AR-15), yes. Precision rifle work, nope.

In any event, foam earplugs when correctly installed have the highest NRR of any type of hearing protection available.

I only double up when shooting indoors.
 
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308pirate said:
Asking what works for others is pretty useless because the answer of what set of ear muffs/defenders won't interfere with your stock depends significantly on the facial structure of the wearer.

What works for someone else may suck completely for you. Personally, I'm one of those who cannot wear ear muffs when shooting a precision rifle. Handguns, yes. Shotguns (clay shooting), yes. Rifles that don't need a hard cheek weld (AR-15), yes. Precision rifle work, nope.

In any event, foam earplugs when correctly installed have the highest NRR of any type of hearing protection available.

I only double up when shooting indoors.
Click to expand...

I understand everyone is different, and like you the muffs work for me in most situations, but not precision rifle.

I was hoping maybe someone would mention a product that I wasnt aware of that may work.

I like to double up everywhere. The NRR of even the best foam plugs or earmuffs still doesn't get you down to a level where damage is not occurring on some minuscule level.
 
gunsnjeeps said:
Personally I haven't found a set of ear muffs that work with my cheek weld. I wear plugs to shoot and keep score. I may wear both plugs and muffs when I'm running the range. I have electronic muffs but most of the time the batteries are dead.

I'll post a link for the ones I use. The name is escaping me.
Click to expand...
I’m with gunsnjeeps. Haven’t found a pair yet that I really like.
 
I've tried a lot of ear plugs and muffs. Flanged ear plugs lose their seal depending upon my jaw position. The same is true of "custom molded" ear plugs. The best I've found are the radian foam ear plugs.

I also shoot with plugs and muffs, though if I were only shooting suppressed I would probably go with plugs or muffs. I must be lucky in that muffs don't move around much on my head, and don't interfere with my cheek weld.
 
Custom molded in ears with Impact Sports (w/gelcups) over them. Never had any issue.
 
I've used the Impact ones in the past and had the same issue. They're great for general range use and plinking, but are tough to get a proper cheek weld.

I've since stepped up to the OTTO electronic in-ear ones. They're spendy, but I really like them a lot. There are several threads on here about them you can look up.

NoizeBarrier Micro High Definition Electronic Earplugs Hearing Protection

The NoizeBarrier Micro high definition electronic tactical earplugs offer active hearing protection as well as hearing enhancement for extremely effective sound localization and detection. Gun range hearing protection.
www.otto-comm.com www.otto-comm.com
 
Fret said:
The only one that worked for me is this Walker model. It's small enough to not bother my cheek weld.

Click to expand...

I may have to try those. The price isn't too hateful and if they don't work for shooting rifles I'll hang them on the lawnmower.

Here's what I'm using now.
rg-oth-4_2.jpg
​
 
Fig said:
Those earplugs better give a fantastic blowjob for $400.

I use muffs because other squad members are NOT shooting suppressed. If everyone was suppressed I'd use foamies and not think twice.
Click to expand...
That's nothing compared to the SportEAR Custom 90s that I have. I too struggle with cheek weld and any over the ear cans. I shoot suppressed but still like to wear something just in case. I tried the "one size fits all" in-ear electronics and some were better than others. When I started to get serious about shooting in competitions and going to the range more I justified spending $1500 to keep my ears as healthy as possible as there is no bringing them back if they go bad.

The ability to pop them in in the morning and be leaving the range at the end of a long days competition and forget that you even had them in is a good feeling. Other brands would leave my ears sore for a few days after. Mine also have 4 channels to tune them to your specific need, i.e. cutting down wind if there is a lot, how loud they are, etc.
 
love my walkers xcel's can hear leaves rustling in the trees or even a sneeze while 5 people are shooting with no problems , and no problems muffs while cheek is on the cheek rest can also tune into the gong at 600 yards for a magnified high frequency hit on steel now if they only could make a pair with the order pizza and a few cold beers I would be a life time buyer .
 
Muffs are required to help prevent some of the bone conduction hearing loss. Plugs alone cannot do that. I always wear both. I meet a lot of handgunners and shotgunners who only wear plugs and they can't hear sh!t.
 
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I've had issues with muffs over the years with my bolt guns, so I run Peltor in ear TEP-100 ear plugs instead of muffs. For most other long guns, though, I've been happy with Howard Leight Impact Sport and the Walkers electronic muffs.
 
Fig said:
Those earplugs better give a fantastic blowjob for $400.

I use muffs because other squad members are NOT shooting suppressed. If everyone was suppressed I'd use foamies and not think twice.
Click to expand...
I'm not arguing that the fact that they're expensive. But my hearing is worth that and then some to me. I've been hit in the face with brakes enough from hunting clients that are quick on the trigger that I put these in once we're on a final stalk. They're comfortable all day on the range and in classes too.
 
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Etymotic Gunsport Pro. $240 best damn e-plugs i ever worn. Been using them solely for 3+ years.
 
I have some Caldwell slim noise cancelling ear phones and I use baffled plugs underneath. They're okay. But like everyone else I have never found a good solution. They all get in the way.
 
When I'm shooting suppressed I use Disposable ear plugs from Howard Leight.
When shooting unsurpressed I use a Nacre Quiet Pro system purchased on eBay.
No interference at all with the cheek weld.
www.ebay.com

nacre quietpro for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for nacre quietpro at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!
www.ebay.com
 
Thanks for responses so far. The mention of gel pads got me lookig and I found a set that has a relief cut in the pad for eye pro earpieces. Gonna get a set and try them out to see if it helps.
 
flyright said:
Muffs are required to help prevent some of the bone conduction hearing loss. Plugs alone cannot do that. I always wear both. I meet a lot of handgunners and shotgunners who only wear plugs and they can't hear sh!t.
Click to expand...

Yup, use both. Plugs alone won't prevent hearing damage with how high of decibels gun shots are.

I use Sordin Supreme Pro -X's with foam ear plugs. These muffs are low profile enough that they don't really get in the way of your cheek wield.
 
I wear in the ear Surefires and these over top of them. Never interferes with my cheek weld on any type of rifle.

They muffle around 10extra db’s and make all the big mag and black powder shooters around me easily tolerable.
Now if only I could do something about their concussive blast ?
 

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Another Sordin Supreme with gels user here. They work pretty well I must say but they do not make shooting with a cheek weld a lot easier but enough that it helps to find a position without interference.

I think this is because the gel seals with the wearer better than the usual rubber/foam combination and thus they can be worn higher.
 
Depending on the situation, I’ll use one of the two below:
Plugs: Surefire EP5’s
Muffs: Sordin Supreme Pro-X w/ Gel Cups

I’ll double up if I’m at a public range (ewww) and surrounded by brakes.
 
You're already using a suppressor. It either needs to be quieter or you're getting way overboard.

With the can, in a wide open outdoor setting I barely notice the report with plugs in. Perfectly comfortable with muffs on (walker razor I think?). I usually use the muffs just so I can crank the volume and hear the steel ring, spotter talk, etc.

Indoors, plugs with the muffs turned off. Suppressed, I'll do muffs turned on.

If anyone is near with a muzzle break the muffs get turned off, brakes suck.

I will not use the muffs with them turned on unless I have plugs in. I tried it once, it only took about 50 rounds to notice my ears were getting bit in the microseconds it takes them to turn off. Suppressor and plugs eliminates this for me.

My Dad wore Dillon electronics for years, and was an insrutctor for 10 of them. He would go to classes where he shot 2-3k rounds a week, and trained guys where he would go through 30k rounds in a week as he was instructing. Lots and lots of gunfire. He blames his tinitus on the lack of plugs under them, .357 sig barking, and short barreled AR's barking.
He uses a can on everything now, but he's about 1/2 deaf too.
 
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chevy_man said:
You're already using a suppressor. It either needs to be quieter or you're getting way overboard.

With the can, in a wide open outdoor setting I barely notice the report with plugs in.
Click to expand...

They installed a nice overhead cover (metal roofing) to our rifle range a year or so ago. It bounces back a LOT more blast and noise. It does help with rain and sun!
 
3m Peltor sport plugs. 6 bucks for a 3 pack. Probably have 20 pairs around my house and truck and everywhere else
 
nathan.s. said:
I've used the Impact ones in the past and had the same issue. They're great for general range use and plinking, but are tough to get a proper cheek weld.

I've since stepped up to the OTTO electronic in-ear ones. They're spendy, but I really like them a lot. There are several threads on here about them you can look up.

NoizeBarrier Micro High Definition Electronic Earplugs Hearing Protection

The NoizeBarrier Micro high definition electronic tactical earplugs offer active hearing protection as well as hearing enhancement for extremely effective sound localization and detection. Gun range hearing protection.
www.otto-comm.com www.otto-comm.com
Click to expand...

I also bought these and now I feel like a dumbass for not having done it sooner. Best $400 bucks ive spent. I think its funny that guys buy 5,000 dollar rifles and scopes and won't spend money to protect their ears. These allow you to hear range commands and speak normally to each other, another huge safety factor when shooting, but also protect your hearing. You can double up and wear cheaper muffs on top of them and they still amplify normal conversation. Great for shooting bolt action rifles as they do not interfere with cheak weld. Also amazing for hunting as they allow you to hear better that normal.
 
Anyone know of an electronic plug like that that also has Bluetooth capability? I enjoy listening to music while shooting but only my muffs let me do it and I don’t like shooting rifles with them.
 
I run TCI DEHP or Peltor ComTacs/w gel cups and foam plugs or surefire plugs... for anyone balking about the price of quality electronic ear pro, try pricing out hearing aids. I have a hearing deficit in the high range in my right ear from a lifetime of shooting and want to preserve my remaining hearing.
 
akh223 said:
They installed a nice overhead cover (metal roofing) to our rifle range a year or so ago. It bounces back a LOT more blast and noise. It does help with rain and sun!
Click to expand...


Ahh, we hung a bunch of sound matting from the roof of our lean-to. Helps tremendously but it's still loud. I would try and do some sort of sound deadening to keep the steel from ringing if the club can afford it.
 
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79steeler said:
I also bought these and now I feel like a dumbass for not having done it sooner. Best $400 bucks ive spent. I think its funny that guys buy 5,000 dollar rifles and scopes and won't spend money to protect their ears. These allow you to hear range commands and speak normally to each other, another huge safety factor when shooting, but also protect your hearing. You can double up and wear cheaper muffs on top of them and they still amplify normal conversation. Great for shooting bolt action rifles as they do not interfere with cheak weld. Also amazing for hunting as they allow you to hear better that normal.
Click to expand...
How are this working out for you so far ?
 
Peltor EEP-100 with Skull Screw Tips, that combo is 30db of actual OSHA noise reduction, they are marketed for industrial use, I love mine, 170 delivered from Amazon
 
I like the MSA sordins behind the head. There is a band that goes over the top that will allow them to sit higher on your head and ears. I feel like my ears are low and my Howard Leights kept pinching my jaw meat. Now that I can have the Sordins sit higher I’ve had fewer problems.

The difference in the electronics are incredible, too. The Impact Sports just turn into passive muffs when there is a loud noise. The Sordins compress that noise without cutting everything else out.
 
I had the Howard Leight sport and it was just a half inch too low with the manners stock so I took a chance on the Comtacs and I’m glad I did. Pricey but they are so worth it.
 
MSA Sordins with the strap behind the head for me. Works great, ability to raise the ear cup as high as needed, and going strong for 5+ years. No double ear pro necessary.
 
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