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I've been shooting with passive ear muffs (combined with foam ear plugs) for years. Unfortunately, what too often happens is that I take them off to hear conversation...or just to hear...and forget to put them back on again until the first shot rings my ears! I'm going to be shooting a Glock 40 S&W indoors later this winter. This week I want to buy a high quality pair of electronic ear muffs. I've never used electronic ear protectors before, but I like what I see and read about them. Most importantly, whether indoors or outdoors, I won't have to take them off to hear conversation and surrounding ambient noise. A high NRR (noise reduction rating) is very important to me, as well as the ear cup shape for comfortably shooting rifles and shotguns.
What electronic ear muffs have you used that you especially like or don't like?
I've got a couple of the cheap sets from Midway. I really like them. I would guess you get what you pay for and more expensive sets would be better in some way, but these do everything I want.
I shoot with and like the set from Wal Mart with the Winchester brand on them.
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I have the Peltors with the band behind your head rather than over the top. They dont have the highest NRR rating but they are always on and you can wear a hat with them. A set of the yellow fom plugs works great with them if you are shooting at an indoor range or have someone with a muzzel brake next to you.
I prefer the walker game ear type that fit inside the ear, they dont mess with your glasses or wearing a hat. And at about a 100 each they are about the same price wise.
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I don't have any experience with the electronic ones, but am now researching them as thinking of getting into 3 gun. These are recommended by Guns and Ammo...and are at a good price point:
I have the Dillon electronic muffs. Each ear has it own control for volume, or they can be turned off if desired.
I use them for range work only.
For CAS/SASS matchs and competition I use a custom molded set.
I got a pair of the inexpensive Winchester electronic
muffs as a gift. They seem to work all right, and
they fold down to a compact size. I think the normal
Peltor muffs are more comfortable, and they also are
"rebuildable" if the foam gets torn or nasty. The rebuild
kits work quite well and are VERY easy to install.
stretch wrote:I got a pair of the inexpensive Winchester electronic
muffs as a gift. They seem to work all right
-Stretch
I've been using a set of these for a couple of years, just like stretch says that work good, they open my eyes to the fact that these work well and I will be shopping for custom set of in the models when I get around to it
I use them when I am hunting also now, the enhanced hearing works very well, but I have to turn them down if it is windy
I've had a set of the Walmart cheapies since before they re-badged everything Winchester. Dual volume/on/off controls and they've held up well. Sportsman's Warehouse has a set of caldwel's that I've heard good things about and will pick up in the near future. Pretty cheap at around $35 IIRC.
I even started wearing them in the field this year and while direction get's kinda messed up it's nice to be able to hear critters moving in the leaves again. Been awhile.
I have a pair of cheapies and they worked fine untill one side packed up, the next pair I get will be a bit more expensive, so I'm interested in this thread..
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
Two pair of Howard Leight's in our house, and one Peltor. All have worked ok, but there is less background noise in the HL's when turned up loud. HL's seem a bit more comfortable to me.
Nice to hear deer footsteps I'd miss even without hearing protection, yet be protected from the ear-ringing pain of a .44 Mag going off. Good at the range too, so can hear conversation or range commands.
For REALLY loud stuff like hot-loaded .30 Carbines from a Ruger Blackhawk, or a Clinton-era 'compensated' AR-15 Shorty, I put the squish-and-stuff ones in the ear canals too.
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A second vote for the Peltors with the behind-the-head band, if you intend to use a hat, and particularly if you plan to use them hunting, where a hat may be more important than at the range. You can damage your ears just as easily out in the field as at the range, and it can happen with only one shot. Unfortunately, I know. I won't discharge a firearm, even a .22, without ear protection; I can't afford to lose what I have left. If I could turn back the clock, I would never have discharged a firearm without hearing protection. It would be wonderful to have good hearing again, and to kiss the constant ringing goodbye.
I have a collection of passive and active (electronic) muffs, cheap and expensive. Passive muffs have a little better noise attenuation, on average, but it's nice to hear people between shots with the electronics. While I use the muffs hunting, I use both ear plugs and muffs at the range. You can't get too much noise reduction, particularly with handguns and big rifles.
Buy quality muffs. The electronic versions have come way down in price, and you can by an excellent pair for under $100. They are well worth it, both in sound quality and durability. I have some cheap Midway electronic muffs that I keep around the house for use with things like power saws and vacuum cleaners, but I don't use them with firearms. The electronic systems in them just aren't that good, but you can't really expect too much from $20 muffs. Buy quality and you'll very seldom be disappointed.
I don't use electronic muffs because I don't care for them.
However, some of my pals have been buying the cheap ones from Harbor Freight for less than $20 and are satisfied with them.
I bought a pair of the Midway house brand from China, which broke the first time out.
Next pair I buy will be Pro Ears. They are more expensive, but their stereo technology is superior, they have a 5-year warranty, and they one of if not the ONLY muffs made right here in the United States. They have outstanding customer service as well.
If "buy American" still means anything at all, go Pro Ears.
I had a pair of Pro Ears for several years and liked them. As they got older, 4 years or so, they started to develop white noise that was annoying. So I found some Pro Ear Pro 200 behind the head type on sale for almost half price on midway and bought them.
Likes: comfortable and works well, able to use with most caps. Individual volume control. Also great for amplifying low or faint noise while hunting.
Dislikes: Uses N type Batteries, has a tendency to turn on in my bag from movement and run down the batteries that you can't find just anywhere. My cowboy hat doesn't fit well with them.
I have a pair of a real cheap brand and they hang on the wall and don't get used. They are very sensitive to noise and then do not turn back off quickly and that is very annoying to me. A good set will activate and deactivate so quickly you wont know it, except you won't hear the loud noise. Most of the electronic type don't seem to have as high a NRR rating as non electronic ones.
For indoor shooting I would recommend the HL's AND foam plugs! I'm someone who spent his working life working around jet aircraft and shooting indoor pistol and now has little hearing left. I wore the muffs religiously while working and shooting but it's not enough for indoor pistol. The best "muffs only attenuate about 30db and indoor pistols are in the 140db range so it will degrade hearing over time. With the electronic muffs turned up loud you can hear conversation over your plugs but they clip the gunfire at about 85db.
If you go to a music store, you can get simple ear plugs that allow conversation, but clamp high decibel noise. You can use them with non-electronic muffs, and when you take them off to hear conversations, you are protected.
You can also get similar earplugs for hunters. I have not found a source, but I have seen them in the package, belonga someone else.
Plugs add about 5 db to the Noise Reduction Rating of the muffs... well worth it!
Thanks for all your input. There is a wide range of opinions expressed here and that's good because it says there is wide use of ear protection!
I decided to buy a pair of Pro Ear "Predator" electronic muffs and they arrived today. My first impressions of the NRR and the electronics that amplify sound are excellent. I'll post a report when I get a chance to shoot with them. So more to follow in the coming weeks....
