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Recommend me some appropriate hearing protection, if you would please


Dapper Dave

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On 8/20/2024 at 5:32 AM, Still hand Bill said:

For maximum protection, foam plugs are the best. You can get over 30 db of protection if inserted correctly and your ears fit them.  Ear shapes can vary a lot and some simply don’t work for foam plugs.   Custom plugs offer mid to high 20’s for protection, but fit more ear shapes.  Note there are different types of custom plugs.  There are lab made which are molded from an impression made of your ears.  These have the advantage of being able to made of different materials for longer life and better performance.  There are also custom made that are simply impressions that are trimmed and then used as plugs.  Down side of these is the materials are more limited as it has to be able to be used as the impression.  
 

the final custom type is self molded.  From testing lab made where the canals were short, I would expect these don’t provide much protection.   I know I could not mold a plug that would provide any level of protection and I would not wear these.   
 

Just for background I worked at what was the largest lab in the US in the new products group.  We got to make plugs and test them daily.   Even did user fit NRR testing of our plugs which is far more difficult testing than the typical experimenter fit testing (highly suspect imho).   One of my fellow engineers worked with niosh to help write a better standard which unfortunately never got implemented.  Btw they used to call nrr not really relevant. 

I totally agree about the self (hot water) moulded plugs.  I would not recommend them, based on some unhappy experience. 

 

I had previously used custom moulded earplugs, purchased from a vendor at a Regional Match. But they gradually losened in my ears, and I had trouble locating a vendor or lab to replace them. 

 

 So I bought, via Amazon, two different types of self-moulded plugs, over a 7- month period,  trying to get proper protection.  One was just a hard plastic ear mould with a detachable foam insert.  The other had a small filter insert advertised to give 30% protection while allowing you to hear conversations.   

I never succeeded in getting a decent fit to my ear, despite repeated re-moulding attempts, per the directions.  The plugs felt like they sealed OK, but even light CAS gunfire sound was pretty uncomfortable.  When tightly moulded, they were also quite painful to wear for long periods.

 

Over that 7 months, I experienced a nearly 40% permanent hearing loss in the mid and upper frequencies.  When I saw that test result, 

I immediately went to using the disposable foam plugs which do give the advertised 30%. 

 

I fully realize that at my advanced age (75), Fallapartitis is also a factor in my hearing loss, but the 7-month massive loss was undeniably due to deficient protection. I learned a hard lesson, and so I'm passing it on here.   

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I will add one thing for those who don’t have access to any testing equipment (which is pretty much everyone), provided you don’t already have a hearing loss, you should not clearly understand speech with hearing protection on/in.    If you can then either you are not wearing it correctly or it doesn’t fit you.  A good hpd should offer 25-30 db of protection which is about at the point where people start to notice a hearing loss.  So if you have a loss, a proper fitting hpd should make it very hard or impossible to understand speech.  
 

note that I have read white papers that found foam plugs only offer on average 15 db of protection.  This is due to users not installing them correctly.  If they have instructions on how to install them performance jumps to the mid 20’s.   15 db of protection won’t get any sass gun to a safe exposure level for a match.  
 

There seems to be a fallacy in the shooting community that protection is protection and it all is enough to protect our hearing.   That is not at all true.  The nrr of protection only reduces the sound level by that number of db at best.   If you are using a 175db rifle, a measly 25 db of foam or custom plugs or muffs only gets you to 150 db exposure.  Still far above the considered safe threshold of 140 db.  Even at 140 db that’s only one shot per day.  To get to 100 shots, you need to be under 130, to get to a 1000, you need to be under 120.  if we work that backwards, a 25 db plug only gets you 145 db exposure for 1000 shots.  That’s a rifle 22 lr.  For 100 shots, those same plugs get you 155 db or about the loudness of a shotgun with target loads.  This suggests that the common usage of a single protector is marginal for sass shooting.  

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On 8/25/2024 at 4:44 AM, Still hand Bill said:

Try a true fit kit from Westone or tips from comply.  They make 6 different sizes of tips.  Three diameters and two lengths of each diameter.  They are color coded by size.  The green or blue are the smaller ones.   

I contacted Axil. They said they have an extra small set, which I ordered.

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On 8/25/2024 at 7:14 PM, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

It's always a good plan to go cheap...particularly with your hearing and eye protection...yep...it's the best plan.

 

Phantom

That really isn't the plan - my regular hearing protection is a very nice set of Walkers XCEL 500s, but with a hat in the way, they just don't work. When these arrive this weekend, I will try them out. If they don't work right, I'll try something else. 

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12 minutes ago, Dapper Dave said:

That really isn't the plan - my regular hearing protection is a very nice set of Walkers XCEL 500s, but with a hat in the way, they just don't work. When these arrive this weekend, I will try them out. If they don't work right, I'll try something else. 

It was meant to be a flippant remark.

 

Phantom

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I understand - I get that a lot at work. :) But in all seriousness, I haven't used plug style hearing protection in many years, so this will be interesting.

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One thing about the foam plugs. Once you insert them and remove them, go back in with a different pair.

I always carry a package of them in my bag, it is easy to lose the other types, and if you have some of these, you will still be safe.

 

I have hearing damage from a accident.

Tinnitus. I can actually hear OK, but it is hard to get anything past the ringing.

It is tough on loved ones.

They have some new hearing aids out now that help Tinnitus I am going to invest in, once I figure out which ones to get.

 

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On 8/20/2024 at 6:33 AM, Jack Spade said:

I have been using Decibullz from Amazon for about four years and am very happy with them.  You mold them yourself at home, easy to do and if you don't get them right the first time you can re-heat them and try again. Cost $25. 

Agree! just bought a new pair to have as backups in case I lose them. 

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3 hours ago, Vail Vigilante said:

One thing about the foam plugs. Once you insert them and remove them, go back in with a different pair.

I always carry a package of them in my bag, it is easy to lose the other types, and if you have some of these, you will still be safe.

 

A word of warning on foam earplugs.  Keep track of the used ones.  We have a cat that likes to chew on things and ate one.  It plugged her intestines and required emergency surgery to save her.  We now don’t bring them into the house.  The bag of them stays in the range bag.  

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THAT was not a problem I ever considered, and we love our cat, thank you for the safety tip.

I got the Walker Rope in today, and with the foam plugs it does cut down on noise...but not that much. I will try them out with the active hearing protection on next range trip. 

 


 

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On 8/25/2024 at 9:14 PM, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

It's always a good plan to go cheap...particularly with your hearing and eye protection...yep...it's the best plan.

 

Phantom

again i have to agree 100% with his comment , you only have sight and hearing if you care for it , it goes away with age  , no need to rush that , 

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Ok, so either I don't know what I am doing, which is unlikely, considering I wore foam earplugs in the past, or something with modern ear PLUGS doesn't work for me. Tried the different sizes of plugs, and no help whatsoever. Might as well been shooting with naked ears. The Rope, the plugs, tried four different sets of foam plugs, nada, zip, zero, no help whatsoever. What IS funny is I went to an audiologist just yesterday and my hearing test showed a loss in the upper frequencies, but slight enough that the doctor said a hearing aid would be pretty much useless. 

So the new shooter orientation is in regular clothes, so my Walkers will be on, and between that and the first match I shoot, (after I pay my dues), I'll have to find some behind the earmuff style hearing protection - no more plugs. 

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On 8/31/2024 at 2:35 PM, Dapper Dave said:

Ok, so either I don't know what I am doing, which is unlikely, considering I wore foam earplugs in the past, or something with modern ear PLUGS doesn't work for me. Tried the different sizes of plugs, and no help whatsoever. Might as well been shooting with naked ears. The Rope, the plugs, tried four different sets of foam plugs, nada, zip, zero, no help whatsoever. What IS funny is I went to an audiologist just yesterday and my hearing test showed a loss in the upper frequencies, but slight enough that the doctor said a hearing aid would be pretty much useless. 

So the new shooter orientation is in regular clothes, so my Walkers will be on, and between that and the first match I shoot, (after I pay my dues), I'll have to find some behind the earmuff style hearing protection - no more plugs. 

Psst... no one else needs to hear this... but... a cowboy hat is not a requirement.  You may go hatless.. or, find yourself a era correct train engineer's cap, or other period appropriate chapeau.   (You do know of course that baseball pre-dated the turn of the 20th century...)

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On 8/20/2024 at 7:30 PM, Montie Montana said:

If you want to reach out to them, tell Jeff that Scott Sweet, fellow cowboy shooter sent you... he has no idea who Montie Montana is

That is so funny... when I attend a shoot near family or friends, I have to remind them to ask for Scarlett because no one knows E'Lane Tipton! 🤣  Those are a neat option for electronics. 

 

Hugs,

Scarlett

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Tommy and I have represented EAR Inc. for over 12 years.  They have providers all over the country... I am SURE they have several in Arizona.  They offer a lot of options and colors - beige won't show up and you can still be "Dapper"! They keep a 3D scan of your impression and you can get replacements easily if you lose one... anyway, we have enjoyed our relationship with EAR Inc.

 

Here is the link for the Find a Provider in your area. :)

https://earinc.com/looking-for-a-provider/#

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

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