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Posted: 7/21/2004 8:39:18 AM EDT
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What do you guys where for protection out at the range when playing with your AR? Ear plugs? Muffs? Plugs & Muffs? Electronic muffs? how well do the electronic muffs work? Harbor freight has a pair for $20! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46798 thanks for any responses. MadManh.gif |
| So what you're saying is that if plugs reduce sound by 20db and muffs but 25db, wearing both together is no different than wearing just muffs - i.e the best you can do is reduce by 25db? I'm no engineering/science guy, but that doesn't "sound" right. I can believe that you don't get a 45db reduction by wearing both, but I have to think it has some effect. Also, based on my own subjective experience, plugs and muffs do seem to be more effective than either one alone. |
Muffs plus plugs would be more then just muffs alone, that's just common sense. The muffs would reduce the db from say 150 down to 125 then the plugs would take that 125 and knock off another 20 for 105. When we used to shoot the Big 50's at McMillian we'd ware both, you almost had to with that bad boy. |
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Check out the Aearo Combat Arms Ear Plug. The following is a link to Botach, which has a good explanation. But don't buy them from Botach. botac.com/aearcomarear.html |
You use a diaphragm? Does your wife know? 
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its dam hot in Fl and all that stuff is uncomfretable(misspelling intental)
but if i have to use them i perfer electronic
| I got some custom molded earplugs done at a gunshow. They are sweet, so much more comfortable than muffs, and way better noise reduction than those cheap foam ones. Only cost around $40 too. I use them for testing sound equipment, playing guitar (really loud lol) and concerts. |
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Out of the muffs I have used, I like the Leightning 31 muffs by Howard Leight Hearing Protection best. They have about as high a noise reduction rating (NRR) as you will find (31 dB), yet are still quite comfortable, at least more comfortable than others I have tried. Neither Lon_Moer nor TNFrank are completely right about the combined effect of plugs and muffs, but both are partially right. What TNFrank describes is correct under ideal circumstances. Without secondary effects, the noise reduction expressed in dB would add linearly. For example, 20 dB muffs plus 25 dB plugs would give 45 dB noise reduction. However, in actual practice some sound is transmitted through your skull, bypassing the hearing protection, and the presence of the muffs in close proximity to the plugs affects the sound field presented to the plugs and thus their noise reduction. Effects such as these prevent the noise reduction rating from adding linearly, the point Lon_Moer was trying to make. Thus, the truth lies somewhere in between. Using both plugs and muffs will give more protection than just one alone, although it won't give the full combined protection you might expect. And the combined effect will likely be more noticeable if the individual devices themselves don't have very high ratings. In other words, you will gain more from combining muffs with your plugs if your plugs are 15 dB rated than if they are 30 dB rated. One other thing to keep in mind is that the NRR is a single number designed to summarize the overall noise reduction capability, but that it doesn't tell the whole picture because noise reduction varies with parameters such as the tone/frequency of the sound, the amplitude of the sound and the shape of the sound wave. You can see an example of some frequency dependence for one brand of ear protection products here and read some Air Force test data for plugs, muffs, and combined plugs/muffs here. From my own personal experience and without any scientific backing, I think that muffs may have an advantage for attenuating large amplitude, impulsive sounds like gun shots. In any event, it is particularly important for you, as a 15 year old, to use good ear protection. Your ears may be more sensitive to damage since you are still growing, and certainly any damage you do now will be with you for a long, long time. If you need a pair of muffs and money is a concern, send me an instant message with your address and I will mail you a brand new pair of Tasco Golden Eagle 29 dB muffs (non-electronic) I just purchased. I have decided not to keep them because my Leightnings are more comfortable, but they do work, and they are free to you if you promise to use them. If you don't need them or can get some yourself, that is fine too. I will donate my Tasco's to another young shooter at my local range. |
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zrxc77, I am truley grateful for your haspitality. I thank you very much, but I won't be in need of a pair yet. Just expanding my knowledge. Jefferson, It must be hell for the others with that y comp on it. Thanks again MadMan  Oh and great explenation on the subject, zrxc77 |
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IMHO, If you are going to be taking any sort of training class (or classes), it would be a good move to get some electronic muffs. They offer protection, yet, allow you to hear everything the instructor is saying. From what I have seen on-line, the Sordin Supreme Pro is considered the best electronic muff, with the Peltor Com-Tac a close second. I cannot comment on the Sordins, but I do have the Com-Tac and like it a lot. Beyond that, the Peltor Tactical 6s and Tactical 7 are great. There are those that like the Pro-Ears stuff, but, I have had a pair and don't think they are very rugged (ok for recreational shooting, but not for a fast paced tactical course). |
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I just use foam plugs. But I use them for everything that creates a lot of noise -- mowing the lawn, running a chain saw, rock concerts, running a shop vac, any power tool bigger than a Dremel, shooting, driving in an open top jeep on the highway.... Hearing loss is forever. "The ringing in your ears is the dying scream of nerve endings" Saving my money for some Peltor Com-Tac down the road. |
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