I have been putting it off too long, but I really need a good gas mask to carry with me in the 18 wheeler in the mobile BOB, and one to have at home.





what are some of the better gas masks out there right now?  any that work really well while still letting you shoot a rifle? are there any that work with eyeglasses, or any that you can get prescription lenses in like you can with scuba masks?

try this

approvedgasmasks.com.

I like and own these two.  The Scott is a great mask but you may have trouble getting a good cheek weld with its wide visor, so I prefer the M-95.

I have a M-95 gas mask that was used during training in the army a few times.  It's in great condition with only minor scuffs.  One of the best masks made, current issue.  Pm if your interested.

This along with a 40mm cartridge adapter and a CBRN filter cannister makes a damn fine full face respirator.  In a former life I worked as a field tech on hazmat cleanup sites where PPE up to level A was required in some areas.  Having worn various respirators every day for weeks I'll tell you without any reservations that Scott masks are the absolute best in terms of wearability, durability, and maintainability.  On top of that they are totally modular and can be easily converted from a plain old respirator to a powered resiprator, a supplied air respirator (air hose from a tank/compressor), or a SCBA setup.  There's a real good reason that Scott pretty dominates the market for Fire Department issued SCBAs.  They work and you can stand to wear it for long periods of time without issues.  Issues like the small narrow straps on the other masks that will stretch out and cause you to loose seal, dig into your head like barbed wire and cut you or just hurt like hell after 4 hours or so, etc....

You need to do a little leg work before you run out and buy one.

1.  See if you can find a safety supply company that will size you and let you try on a few masks.  If you don't get the right size mask it will not seal properly and/or be real damn uncomfortable.  Fischer Scientific (sp?) will do this for small companies but I'm not sure about individual customers.  You ain't gotta buy it from them but you DO need to be properly fitted.  Realize that wearing a respirator sucks.  Some suck a lot less than others.

2. Get a sturdy bag to carry the thing in and some extra canisters.  Keep the respirator with a filter mounted sealed in an airtight plastic bag inside the carrier til you need it.  Otherwise the filter will absorb crap from the ambient air and may not be any good when you need it.  The rule I was  taught was replace the filter every thirty days if it's stored in the open air or every year in a sealed ziplock bag.  If used in an operational environment replace it every 24 hours or sooner depending on what kinda crap you are in.

3.  Practice putting the thing on every once and a while.  With it on go out to your truck and try doing stuff.  I'd be very careful about driving with it on because if someone sees you with it on they're liable to have a brain hemorrhage and call the cops thinking you're a friggin terrorist.  

4. Realize that there's a lot of stuff out there that is bad not just to breathe but just to come in contact with period.  Consider getting a complete suit with a hood, boots,and  gloves.  You can get a regular old impermeable hazmat suit or a milsurp charcoal suit.  The hazmat suit is better in some ways like useable life, ease of decontaimation.  It's a real bitch to wear though.  You'll be amazed at how much you sweat even when it's cold because it's gonna stay in the suit with you.  The milsurp charcoal suits suck 98% as bad and will have to be thrown away after operational use.  You can't decon them.

5.  How are you going to get out of a contaminated suit?  If you are by yourself you need to have some industrial bleach & water and some way to hose & scrub yourself down very very well from head to toe.  Decon is not fun.  Self decon is a real bitch and will take a lot of time.

I have two M40A1's that are in my BOB. One for me and one for the Fiance.

thanks for the info.  I'll see if I can find someplace around me that has ones I can try on.  I haul HAZMAT loads from time to time, nothing really bad, but it would still be a damn good idea to have a mask out here with me.

If it is for generic, non-rifle shooting use, you'd be hard pressed to beat the Scott Pro Mask.  You can use it with filters and can hook it up to SCBA, too.

Very hard to find a mask that works well and will still let you get a good cheek weld on a rifle.
A red dot will help. Irons will be hard.
This is one of the few times it is my opinion that a laser sight on a rifle may be justified.

Andy..

are there any that work with eyeglasses?  or am I kinda screwed there?

None of them will work with actual glasses, because they break the seal... but there are multiple models of mask that you can buy inserts for, where you'd just need to have prescription lenses made for the insert.

^
This! I'm a four eyes, inserts are wonderful

MSA makes good stuff....like my kit

You should be able to find some sport type glasses that fit tight to the face that can be worn under a mask. We used the inserts in the mask I was issued in the Army but I remember you could buy the glasses that fit under a mask also. They were marketed for tactical and sports applications.

As others have said, anytime you get a mask you need to think about the whole spectrum of threats that would require the use of a mask or a full MOPP Suit. Protection in a Chemical or Biological Environment is more than just slapping on a mask and thinking you're good to go.

Does anybody have any sources for parts for the M40s?  Like the one-way valves and lens covers?

This guy on ebay has been selling new Scott masks with NBC filters for a long time. These masks were originally purchased by New York city/state with fed grant money after 9/11(IRRC). He got a deal and has been selling ever since. About a year ago I bought 2 at first then I liked them enough to by 2 more. I'm not affiliated in any way with this guy. These may be worth a look for you, OP.

Actually, if IRRC, I found this guy through a post in this forum over a year ago.

ebay, Scott mask

Have you called Approved Gas Masks?  They have nice people working there.  If they can't help you, ask them who can.

They sell the lens outserts (covers), for sure.  They're on the web site.  Replacement valves is probably a liability issue.

well, I ended up ordering a Scott Promask with eyeglass insert from approvedgasmask.com.  I also picked up a couple of those other ones from that guy on ebay just to keep around the house.



wasnt sure what filters to get, so I just picked up some that did the best with the crap i commonly come in contact with out here in the truck, ammonia and chlorine and other nasty crap like that.



thanks for the help.

tag for later reading

I have one of these, its a Korean K1 mask. I cant get the regular M40 or Scott 95s because of ITAR bullshit. I have a stock of sealed Chimera (Finnish manufacturer) 40mm CBRN filters.  Mask fitment is ok and I beleive its also HYCAR, it was nib and came with a case.  Side mount filters are handy if you need to shoulder a rifle. Centre mounts make it difficult or impossible to shoot a rifle.



Filters in packs



Case with mask and 2 filters in it