Basic Ear Protection for Shooters
Posted: Tuesday, July 03, 2007
by Brad Justus
Gunner's Alley, LLC
Ask a group of hunters about hearing protection, and you may get some strange looks. Ask the same group for advice on a recommended rifle or shotgun, and they'll talk your ear off. Although hearing protection is vitally important; it's one of the most overlooked and underused items of shooting gear.
Most experts agree that repeated exposure to noise that exceeds 80 decibels (dB) will damage hearing. To put that into perspective, the average human conversation registers about 60 dB; while muzzle report from long guns generally registers about 140 dB. Handgun blasts can even surpass 150 dB in volume. Close exposure to a gunshot noise at that level can cause impairment in one single instance. Repeated unprotected exposure is sure to cause injury.
Most people would think purchasing some type of hearing protection would be fairly simple, but there are a number of different types of hearing protection available along with different levels of coverage. The focus of this article is to provide some introductory information on the various types of hearing protection, along with some recommendations.
For the most part, hearing protection for shooting sports can broken down into a couple of different categories: passive ear plugs, passive hearing protection, and electronic hearing protection.
Let's a take a minute to discuss each one of these different styles of hearing protection in detail:
Passive Ear Plugs - These are basically soft plugs that are usually made from plastic or some type of foam based substance. These plugs are inserted into the ear opening and they serve to dampen any high volume noise that the ear is exposed to. They are called "passive" because these plugs don't utilize any electronic technology that damper noises. Ear plugs are by far the less expensive form of hearing protection, but do they really work effectively? The noise is dampened a bit, but can still be quite loud. When I was a kid, I can remember using ear plugs of this type when bird hunting; and I can still recall how bad my ears rang after a entire day of hunting. I'm sure the plugs helped out some, but they really didn't protect my ears as well as they should have been protected.
Passive Hearing Protection - This style generally consists of ear muffs that have a cup which covers the entire ear. The muffs are usually connected by a headband or headpiece of some type. Like the passive ear plugs, this style won't have the electronic noise dampening device. The ear muff style design is nice as the cup has a seal that protects the entire ear from the sound versus the ear plugs which only partially protect the ear canal itself. Most ear muff models have the ability to be adjusted, although some of the less expensive ear muff models may not have this feature. Unfortunately, ear muffs of this nature dampen all sound, so the wearer can't hear anyone speaking or any other important sounds.
Electronic Hearing Protection - This design contains an ear muff style and integrates it with electronic technology that dampens the sound down to a level that isn't harmful to the human ear. The entire sound dampening action takes place faster than the blink of an eye as the suppressed sound is communicated to the wearer almost instantly. The best feature of electronic hearing protection is the power to hear everything that is going on around you while you are shooting. In many situations, such as on the range, during training, or while hunting; this can be a tremendous benefit. Of course, due to the technology involved, electronic hearing protection tends to be the most expensive all the hearing protection devices. A number of the higher end electronic models may have other enhancements such as a separate volume control for each side of the ear muffs, enhanced adjustability, a battery saver feature to conserve battery use, and ambient sound magnification. The ambient sound enhancement is a great feature for hunters as it amplifies sound to a level that is far greater than the naked ear can hear. At the same time, the augmented sound is instantly dampened when a shot is fired.
So how do you choose which style to buy? Evaluate your specific needs and match that up to the best choice above. Personally, I wouldn't suggest the basic passive ear plugs. Far superior to no hearing protection at all, they offer only minimal protection. If you only shoot occasionally or don't have the need for the additional capability of an electronic version, standard passive ear muffs will probably work just fine. If you are a regular shooter or hunter, the electronic models are a outstanding purchase with all their added features. I changed from passive headphones to an electronic model years ago, and I've never once regretted it. At the end of the day, the choice really comes down to your own individual preferences and needs.
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