Looking for quality electronic ear protection

Maalox

I have not used the electronic ear protection before but would like to purchase a set. What are some good models and what features are important? I do mostly pistol shooting but some shotgun sport shooting. Also some rifle shooting at the range. I'm not a deer hunter so I won't be taking these to the woods. I will also purchase a set for my wife so any thoughts on what may be good or bad for her are also appreciated.

Thanks for your recommendations.

David

nmyers

I disliked Dillon earmuffs: although they worked well, small plastic parts broke off.

Like my Peltor earmuffs, but difficult to locate controls by feel, & some people will think that they grip too type.

Look for AAA batteries; they are easiest to replace.

Neal

pulsarnc

I have used the HOWARD Leight electronic muffs several times They worked well for me .

bambihunter

I think you are likely after the kind with active microphone to talk easily while still having protection. I had a set of those (~$65) and IMHO they were quite useless at the range. These would just cut all audio above a certain DB. I think the better models will still play audio during it, just still keep it in a range. That's something I'd definitely look at if that is your plan. In the end, when I am at the range, or really most other long gun activities, I just use in-ear plugs so they don't interfere with the stock. I do still wear ear muffs when shooting handguns. On a couple of my big boomers, I'll even have both in ear and over ear protection.

I wanted some ear protection for when I am on the mower but I didn't want to spend a fortune but that I could connect my phone or MP3 player to so I could listen to music. I ended up getting some 3M WorkTunes that I am fairly happy with. They have both a 3.5" and bluetooth connections. Bluetooth allegedly has a 30' range on them, but with my phone on my belt, it does cuts out occasionally. No, I am not 30'+ tall.

savage170

I have the Walkers razor slim quad that I like

Maalox

Thanks for the info so far. I am looking for ones that allow you to talk to others but block out the loud report from firing the gun. I see $30 sets and $300 dollar sets. I assume there are significant differences but not sure what price point you need to be at to have a quality pair.

redneckandy

I use Howard Leight Impact Sport and am happy with em.

toad67

redneckandy wrote:

I use Howard Leight Impact Sport and am happy with em.

Same here, for the price they are pretty good. I generally shoot on public land, and the weather can be less than perfect. My only complaint is that they amplify everything below the decibel cutoff, thus they amplify the wind. If you shoot at an indoor range I think they would be a great starter choice..

mstrblaster

I like those walker rzr electronic ear muffs also. Sam's club has em for $39.

BobJudy

We have a few pair. Bought them to wear when running shotgun leagues. Need to block out the muzzle blast but also need to hear the shooters call for their targets. Also good for handgun and rifle but I can't wear them shooting a shotgun. Even the slim line ones interfere with proper gun mount for me. I bang the gunstock into them every time I've tried when shooting any of the clay target sports.

I can recommend Walker game ear and I really like my Peltor tacticals. Whatever you get, look for the highest noise reduction, quickest response both in canceling and returning to speech mode. Some of the cheaper ones have stiff earcups that don't seal around shooting glasses very well and should be avoided. Bob

Proceramic

pulsarnc wrote:

I have used the HOWARD Leight electronic muffs several times They worked well for me .

Same here. Going on 8 years and still works great.

Rocky Raab

Shotgun and rifle shooting demand either in-ear or behind-ear plugs. There are two types of circuits: compression and clipping. Clipping is the cheap kind. It turns all sound off above a preset decibel level, which can be quite distracting. Compression is the far better method. It keeps all sound at the preset level (at the amplified level you dial in) by compressing loud sounds down to a safe level. You have no gaps in sound, but hear everything at the same level all the time. Compression is more expensive, naturally. If your hearing is worthless, buy cheap protection. If hearing is valuable, buy the best you can afford.

I used to be a provider for this company, more than a decade ago. https://earinc.com/ Everything has changed in those years. Peruse the current options for yourself.

bambihunter

Good explanation of the differences Rocky. That was specifically what I disliked about the model that I had. I guess they are the clipping type. At the range with all the gun fire, they are beyond useless as they were on and off constantly. So much so that I felt I heard talk on the firing line better with them turned clear off. So Maalox, the type I had was clipping type, I'd certainly look for the other type. As I, and others have mentioned, I find them hard to use regardless with a shoulder stock.

Maalox

Thanks Guys, All comments are appreciated and especially the detail provided by Bob, Rocky and bambihunter. We shoot at an outdoor range so the compression types are the ones I will look into.

Bubba Jr.

Years ago my son in law bought me a pair of Peltor Tactical 6-S muffs. These have 2 shielded microphone foam covers on the front, with 2 volume controls on the back. You can carry on a normal conversation without any issues. Wind noise is not a problem. The only time you realize they are doing anything is when you fire a gun or make another loud noise. They block the noise only while it is happening and return to normal immediately after the noise ceases. With the 2 mikes you can tell the direction where the bad guy is coming from, or if more than 1 person is talking to you. I still have the original batteries in them after about 15 years or so, and they still work. I really like them.

Here's a link https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-PELTOR-SoundTrap-Tactical-6-S-Headset-Headband-MT15H67FB-01-1-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294780128&rt=rud

Rocky Raab

One last vital tip: the tendency will be to crank up the volume to "hear better" - especially if you are hunting. That's a mistake, because what sounds like a moose way out there will turn out to be a mouse at your feet. Do this...rub your fingers together right next to your ear. Now put in your electronic plugs and repeat the test. Adjust the volume until it is just a tiny bit louder than without the plugs.