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Hearing Pro

Nikon147

Private
Minuteman
Aug 21, 2020
66
44
New member here, and this will be my first post. I'm active on another big gun forum and always been a lurker here, but finally got around to creating an account recently.

I'm not new to shooting, or really long range shooting for that matter, but have been mainly focused on pistol and carbines. During the dumpster fire of 2020, I've been spending more and more time on my precision shooting, and have found that I really love it more than anything else and want to get started in PRS-style matches.

Now for the question. I've always used primarily foam plugs for Ear Pro. Nothing special. They work, I'm not usually looking to socialize at my range, so it fits the bill.

What are opinions of ear pro for matches? I love the foamies for a reason (simple, effective, comfortable), but since they make talking to people difficult I figured I'd upgrade if I'm going to start going to matches.
 
I use foamies AND electronic Walker Razor muffs on top of those. You can turn the volume up on your electronic earpro and have conversations under steel roof overhangs while people are firing magnum rifles with loud ass brakes and be good to go.

I will eventually upgrade to MSA Sordin or similar in the future though.
 
No doubt people will, rightfully, chime in here with a variety of excellent "active" options which provide both protection and the ability to easily hear conversation or whatever. With that said...

I have stayed with my custom-molded solid ear plugs for matches because they are extremely effective and extremely comfortable - and I already had them when I started precision rifle. Not all that easy to hear conversation, but not all that hard either, and I certainly have no trouble hearing range commands. In addition to effective noise protection, they also allow me to wear a wide-brimmed hat. I've had several skin cancers and the experience of having melanomas excised with what felt like jack hammers and excavators is not one I care to repeat.

If I were to go this route again, and could find a reputable provider (my "old" one got out of the business), I'd get the molded plugs with active or passive sound capability. These can get really expensive, but to be able to hear well AND have the effectiveness and comfort - worthwhile investment.

For most range trips where I'm under a covered firing line for only a few hours and I can take them off when the line is cold, I use a pair of Leight muffs. Effective but not all that comfortable for extended wear... and no wide-brim hats. Others will give better options for muffs.
 
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Broke down and got the MSA Sodins a couple months ago. I had the cheaper version before, wish I had done it ages ago. 5 times the price- ten times better quality. I always wear foam underneath. The biggest hazard at a match is laying down next to someone with a big brake sighting in.
 
I use foamies AND electronic Walker Razor muffs on top of those. You can turn the volume up on your electronic earpro and have conversations under steel roof overhangs while people are firing magnum rifles with loud ass brakes and be good to go.

I will eventually upgrade to MSA Sordin or similar in the future though.
I too have Razor's and like them well enough. I see that Walker offers a set of Razors with gel ear pads and they look to be the same low profile as the other Razors.

Keeping a low profile to avoid interference with the comb is, for me, an important consideration.

When I will the lottery I'll get a high end set of E.A.R. type custom molded with the electronics embedded. But wow, you can spend some large green on those.

I do have molded ear plugs from competitive skeet shooting (actually, not sure how I ended up with so many pairs of them! haha) and should try them at the range. But it is nice with the Walkers to be able to hear "hot", etc.
 
I have used Walkers, mold to fit in ear, and Otto in ear electronic. Walkers need the gel ear pads to use for any length of time. They work well and are fairly comfortable except for the sweat that accumulates under the ear pads. They also interfere with my cheek weld but are certainly usable. The mold to fit in ear are comfortable and don't interfere with my cheek weld. They are also the cheapest. You can hear people talk, but barely and need to be removed to really understand and hear. The Ottos fit both needs. They are very capable and simple to use but not cheap. But I would recommend them out of the three choices I've offered. Actually I'd recommend all three as they all serve a purpose and if you can afford the Ottos, you can probably add the Walkers and molded in ear. I keep a set of in ear molded in my truck, in my rifle case, and in my ammo box.
 
I have used Walkers, mold to fit in ear, and Otto in ear electronic. Walkers need the gel ear pads to use for any length of time. They work well and are fairly comfortable except for the sweat that accumulates under the ear pads. They also interfere with my cheek weld but are certainly usable. The mold to fit in ear are comfortable and don't interfere with my cheek weld. They are also the cheapest. You can hear people talk, but barely and need to be removed to really understand and hear. The Ottos fit both needs. They are very capable and simple to use but not cheap. But I would recommend them out of the three choices I've offered. Actually I'd recommend all three as they all serve a purpose and if you can afford the Ottos, you can probably add the Walkers and molded in ear. I keep a set of in ear molded in my truck, in my rifle case, and in my ammo box.

With the Ottos, do you still need to wear muffs for those centerfire - braked rifles?
 
I am really happy with MSA Sordins and have used them for work and play for years. I keep lots of pairs of Surefire EP7's around in various sizes for myself and friends and family because they are comfy and work out great loud non-shooting events that you still want some audio, eg. concerts where the sound engineering is bad, boat engines, racing events. For long-duration range days, indoor ranges, or just lots of heavy shooting I double up.

My wife expressed interest in some in-ear bluetooth electronics, so I just bought us both sets of Walker's new Silencer 2.0. I haven't shot with them yet, but they were great for mowing the lawn and listening to Pandora! They seem like they would be nice for light range days, shooting suppressed, or for people who are very sensitive to having over-ear protection (pony-tails, glasses, "princess and the pea syndrome", or all of the above). Be advised though, Walker's app for the Silencers is totally inop and needs to be fixed from the ground up. Luckily, they work fine and connect to your phone or whatnot without the app.
 
I have used Walkers, mold to fit in ear, and Otto in ear electronic. Walkers need the gel ear pads to use for any length of time. They work well and are fairly comfortable except for the sweat that accumulates under the ear pads. They also interfere with my cheek weld but are certainly usable. The mold to fit in ear are comfortable and don't interfere with my cheek weld. They are also the cheapest. You can hear people talk, but barely and need to be removed to really understand and hear. The Ottos fit both needs. They are very capable and simple to use but not cheap. But I would recommend them out of the three choices I've offered. Actually I'd recommend all three as they all serve a purpose and if you can afford the Ottos, you can probably add the Walkers and molded in ear. I keep a set of in ear molded in my truck, in my rifle case, and in my ammo box.
Hi Friend and thanks...didn't know that Walker offered gel pads and I just ordered them for my quad razors.

As for Otto's, I have a set of Shothunt In-Ear that I bought for the goose pit, Georgia quail hunt, and clay shooting. They are very expensive ($800) but provide 32 db NR which is very high (higher than almost any) and they amplify well as I am hard of hearing. I don't believe Ottos were available when I bought these.

They are actually made in Italy but sold and supported here by E.A.R. which is an excellent company.


They are flush with the ear and use a type of resilient memory foam in the ear canal.

I have never worn them rifle shooting for no damn reason I can think of. They do feel like they are not secure enough in my ear, but this is all in my head as they have NEVER fallen out and, as I said, I have worn them on all day, very active, quail hunts in Albany, GA (if you want to know of a GREAT place to hunt quail in GA, PM me).

I'm going to take my Shothunt's with me to the range next I go and give them a try. See if they stay in with rifle recoil but I see no reason why not since I have shot lots of 12 ga with them (and no, quail is 20 ga only)

Cheers
 
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I've been using the MSA Sordin muffs for years and recently elected to try a set of Peltor Comtac V muffs.

I was very surprised with the increased sound reproduction quality in the Comtacs. There are also great some communication integration solutions if you want to hook up a radio to talk with others on the range without shouting.

I'd like to try some Opscore AMPs at some point but am pretty impressed with the Comtacs for the time being.
 
+1 for the electronic Walker Razors.
I use the surefire in-ear plugs as well as the Walkers on top. I've hunted with too many old guys in their 60's and 70's that are basically deaf from shooting year after year with either no hearing protection or crappy hearing protection. I double up, especially when I'm shooting larger calibers.
 
I wear several different types. I have the Invisio X3 in ears and the T5 over ears and they are great, only down side is you have to have the PTT box to get the active hearing. Also wear Peltor Comtac III and Liberator III’s for work. I feel that the Peltors, especially with gel cups are more comfortable then the Libs. However, I know my Advance designated marksman prefer the Invisio X3’s because of the cheek weld issue. I don’t have that issue running my M4, but could see where they might cause an issue with the long guns.