Ear protection

[krowe79]

Hi what are a good pair of ear protection are out there I only do wildfowling so was thinking of a pair which let you hear are they any good £200 pound ish max thanks

[Glenlivet]

My MSA Sordins amplify sounds if you want LOUD, I love mine.

[Bewsher500]

peltor comtac

[JohnfromUK]

MSA Sordins are good ..... but make sure you can mount the gun OK when wearing over ear type ear defenders. I can't - so use in ear EMTEC custom moulded items when shooting - and the MSA Sordins when standing with others shooting.

[johnnytheboy]

Emtec Noise Breakers for me

[steve_b_wales]

Howard Leight Impact. Electronic, comfortable and have a built in amplifier. You could also plug an MP3 player into them if you wanted too.

[Cant hit them all]

was on a HSE event and was shocked at how little protection most of them offer some was as effective as putting tissue in your ears anything 86+DB is damaging your hearing i have some sonic ones and might as well thrwom them away only offer -6BD my work over ear ones offer -34db

Edited October 11, 2016 by Cant hit them all

[Westley]

I would go for the Emtech moulded in ear type, BUT do make sure you get them in a bright colour. I lost one of mine and it was almost the cost of a new pair, to replace just one ! They are very good and do not impede gunmount. I could still hear geese calling and without any amplified wind noise. They are around £70.

[krowe79]

Thanks for reply

[oldypigeonpopper]

Howard Leight Impact. Electronic, comfortable and have a built in amplifier. You could also plug an MP3 player into them if you wanted too.

hello steve, there was just such a post on here reference these,

[Highlandladdie]

I would go for the Emtech moulded in ear type, BUT do make sure you get them in a bright colour. I lost one of mine and it was almost the cost of a new pair, to replace just one ! They are very good and do not impede gunmount. I could still hear geese calling and without any amplified wind noise. They are around £70.

I got a pair last year. Good bits of kit with no clunking on the gun stock. I did find them a bit restrictive for fowling though.

 

Oh and mine cost £116!

[cromwell7]

was on a HSE event and was shocked at how little protection most of them offer some was as effective as putting tissue in your ears anything 86+DB is damaging your hearing i have some sonic ones and might as well thrwom them away only offer -6BD my work over ear ones offer -34db

Do you remember or have any results of commonly used sporting ear protection?

Would be really interested to hear the results.

[Cant hit them all]

Will grab some off the info packs we was given was a complete shock the the value ones I got ok they was like 15 pound but in protection wise rubbish. The throw away foam ones gave more protection the likes if the over ear electronic peltor shooting that's over a 100 pound only offer-26 decibels reduction ones was only about bd no use reduction if I remember right. And a shotgun is in the range of around 140+db in noise

Edited October 11, 2016 by Cant hit them all

[Cant hit them all]

And what ever srn rate there are for instance 20SRN means that's how many decibels it's will cut out to -20 of 140 is not really helping when damage starts over 86 decibels

[johnnytheboy]

That's interesting the price difference my emtec were £95

[Wb123]

I love my Peltor Protacs to bits, but they are a bit bulky, especially on the left hand side.

[Highlandladdie]

That's interesting the price difference my emtec were £95

Got mine done in Aberdeen. You seem to add £20 to everything there. Lol

[Savhmr]

As Cant hit them All suggests, not all is what it seems with expensive hearing protection.

 

Some clarification offered on noise protection. 85+dB to just over 100dB will NOT damage hearing from a one off blast like when shooting. It is SUSTAINED noise levels and the current threshold for average weekly exposure in any day is 85+dB. Instantaneous hearing damage occurs at much higher levels, typically 120 to 140 dBA. Point is, the higher the noise level, the shorter the duration before hearing damage occurs. EG:

 

100dBa = 15 minutes sustained. 120dBA + = instantaneous damage. It is not true to suggest that anything over 85dB instantaneous will damage hearing and if the HSE trainer suggested as much, then he's misleading people.

 

A shotgun produces about 140 to 190dBA depending on the type of gun and ammunition, so to be completely safe, you need to block out all sound to 50+dB to be sure. Few currently sold hearing protectors offer that sort of reduction. Most try to limit instantaneous to below 120dBA for a short duration by offering between 20 and 35dB SPL reduction. If clay shooting, in ear foam plugs plus over ear muffs will give good protection. None of the currently made electronic hearing protectors will provide much over 30dBA, so with a rifle, a moderator is sensible plus hearing protection. With a shotgun, foam plugs are about as good as anything else.

 

From the HSE's own website:

 

• The upper exposure action value is set at a daily or weekly average noise exposure of 85 dB, above which the employer is required to take reasonably practicable measures to reduce noise exposure, such as engineering controls or other technical measures. The use of hearing protection is also mandatory if the noise cannot be controlled by these measures, or while these measures are being planned or carried out.
• Finally there is an exposure limit value of 87 dB, above which no worker can be exposed (taking hearing protection into account).

The last point is the important bit. Anyone regularly exposing themselves to more than 87dBA (including the reduction from hearing protection) is at risk of hearing damage. This implies as a daily activity such as in the workplace. A weekly outing with a gun at those levels is not a problem unless you're allowing 120dBA through (ie no or little hearing protection). Despite best efforts, I'm now partially deaf in one ear thanks to 30 years of shooting, motorcycles and loud music and suffer tinnitus. For those with some hearing damage/tinnitus, you are more at risk of total hearing loss without wearing adequate hearing protection.

Sportear XP3 and Auritech are both in ear ones that I wear when shooting the rifle with the moderator, with Peltor electronics over the top for shotgun on clays (or range work) or on their own for rough shooting. If worried, foam plugs plus over ear is a good if cumbersome way to be really effective.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Savhmr