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Passive ear muffs

7K views 24 replies 19 participants last post by  Horoscope Fish 
#1 ·
Anyone recommend a pair of ear muffs that would be good enough to not have to double up with plugs? I really don't like to have plugs in my ears and for some reason I feel that I wont like the electronic muffs. I have heard more than one person say that the electronic muffs are hard to get used to and I would agree. The constant on off of sounds must be a bit annoying. I have been shooting indoors lately, this past weekend I rented a pair of the muffs at the range and some Guy decided to take out his 357, I thought it was going to be really loud but surprisingly, the muffs I rented were really good at keeping the sound down. I'm not sure what type of muffs they were but I know they were big and blue.

Any suggestions? Are the electronic one really annoying? I was looking at the Howard leights but would have to double up with those.
 
#2 ·
Good electronics like Pro Ears are not annoying and give seamless hearing while blocking damaging volume. You can't detect the on/off/on. I have the gold model and while expensive they are much better than the $50 ones. I can even wear my hearing aids with them and hear the bullets hitting the steel plates now.:biglaugh:

LOG
 
#3 ·
I've been using Pro Ears Dimension 1 muffs for several years. They are not annoying at all. I can't imagine ever going back to passive muffs.

I think the problem with any muff, passive or electronic is that they may not seal around your ear good enough to provide the best protection. That is why I wear Surefire Ear Pro plugs with my muffs.

Get the best you can afford, hearing loss is permanent.
 
#9 ·
I have a pair of Pro Ears Gold and I must say that I've been pretty disappointed with them. They're rated at 33NR. The electronics are flawless but they fail miserably at doing the one thing they should above all else...block the noise. Ok...maybe not miserably but considering how much the cost...

I even sent them back to Pro Ears and they upgraded the circuit board and the foam. The most certainly are not 33NR's. Still have to wear plugs with them.

I do seem to be unique here as most people are quite satisfied with theirs.
 
#10 ·
jball, 9/4/10

I have had several sets of electronic muffs (Peltor 7s and a high end ProEars) but keep going back to my passive set of Remington muffs with a Noise Reduction Rating of 32 decibels. The Peltors died after a year and a half and I was unable to get any response from the factory to repair them. The ProEars headpiece tension is too slack and the muffs move around too much. The Remington's do a great job for my pistol or rifle work outdoors and the price was reasonable (about $30 if I remember correctly). I do use the electronic muffs if I am going to a training course, however, so I can better hear range commands.

best wishes- oldandslower
 
#12 ·
I've never been so lucky with muffs. I have several pairs, and none seem
to reduce noise levels as well as plugs. I see these muff ratings of 30+,
but I'm skeptical.

I use foam ear plugs and a pair of Dillon muffs. I'm more concerned
with protecting my hearing than with comfort.

Joe
 
#15 ·
I have a pair of Howard Leight Leightning L3's that have a NRR 30 rating that I bought a few years back for $15. They work really well for shooting pistols, not so much for rifles as the ear pieces are quite large.

Start out with the low priced set but I would ultimately recommend getting a set of high quality electronic muffs with the indention in the ear piece to accomodate rifle shooting.
 
#17 ·
After The Incident, I replaced my old Peltor electronics with Pro Ears Ultra 33 dB passives. The intent being to try the Pro passives and if I liked them, go up to their electronics. They seem not to be as quiet as my old Peltor Ultimate 10 30 dB, but better than the cheap sets in the 20s.
 
#18 ·
I have a set of the Howard Leight's with the MP3 input.
I really love them. I am able to listen to music (at a low level),
while still being able to hold a conversation without having to yell.
If I was at an indoor range, I would probably leave them turned off.
 
#20 ·
You have to be careful though, some electric muffs won't reduce enough to bring the blast down to a safe level. My peltors are not enough indoors or with high-power rifles. Also, you can have awsome muffs but if your eye protection breaks the seal- its all for not.

Since I now have hearing damage at a very young age (b/c I'm dumb dumb dumb:grumble:), I wear foam plugs underneith for anything except shotguns and 22's.
 
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