Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

OTC shooting protection and hearing amplification device?

This topic is closed.

9 replies952 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic

Any shooters here?

Do any of the ear bud electronic hearing protectors have enough amplification to allow a hearing aid user (moderate loss) to hear range commands or critters?

7 people in this conversation4 min readJump to latest

I have a solution that is a little less than OK, but beats a sharp stick in the eye. I have custom ear plugs that have different filters, I think they have 16db filters in them right now. They work well. Over them I use Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Shooting Earmuff (ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BBFB48YQ) These would probably give enough attenuation by themselves if the cups stayed tight on my head. But there are occasional gaps and it is a painful mistake if I haven’t put my plugs in when there’s a gap. I have to turn the gain up to just below feedback level for me to really be able to understand speech. If it is really busy at the range there isn’t any helping me overcome the noise. The high power rifles eat up all the headroom I might have. I have seen ads for a SIG solution. I like their other gear, but I don’t shoot enough at this point to try them out.

WH

I use those Honeywell Impact muffs when I’m shooting a rifle. The compression in my hearing aids works fine for when I’m shooting handguns (outdoors and in moderate caliber; i.e. .22, .38. 9mm & .45). I shoot twice a week with the 9mm at steel plates and USPSA targets, plus 2 or 3 matches per month. So pushing 1000 rounds a month. The hearing aids seem to work fine for that, although maybe I’m beating up the microphones.

However, I’d like to be able to avoid beating up the mics and also lose the muffs when shooting rifle (PITA for a cheek weld) so I’m hitting up the fine folks here to see who has run across an solution. I can’t afford custom devices made for this purpose because we all know how much hearing aid companies love to overprice everything.

Thanks

You will not care for my answer but here it is anyway.

I take out my hearing aid, case it, insert a foam plug, and use Howard Leight muffs with supposed 30 over the top. Only one ear works at all so I get twice the mileage on a pair of plugs.

At the match I watch the person on the next firing point so I know when the command to load is given, as well as the “targets up!” command (in the old days the targets actually came up, these days electronic targets are always visible so the command to fire is “targets up!”). If there is a cease fire for a safety issue the match director knows my situation and will tap my shoulder (standing) or kick my foot (prone) - and the lack of shots would be a tip-off anyway.

At the range for practice I tell whoever is on the firing line that I’m turning off my ears and ask him to let me know (same procedure as in the match) if there is a cease fire, or if someone wants to make the line “cold” to go put up targets or whatever.

WhiteHat’s solution sounds promising but I do not think any of the plugs have enough gain for me.

The plugs I put in don’t provide any amplification, they are passive attenuators using a filter to reduce sound a set amount. They are custom made for the shape of my ear canal, but are just ear plugs.

WH

Thanks, I understand now. Seen custom ear plugs like that but I think those were just solid elastomer with no added filters, more like ear-mold impressions. Foam plugs are more universal but probably not as effective.

Just got back from my outdoor range, shooting my rifle. I have Philips 9030 with power domes (for increased bass). I use the iPhone accessibility setting (triple click to access hearing aid settings). I set the microphone to 0 and use my 30 db muffs. Works really well and when the range is cold, I can set the microphone back to normal to hear conversations.

I think the power domes with the microphone turned to 0 give added protection.

Older thread, but I’ll add a note anyway.

I use a set of ESP’s which are basically all-in-ear hearing aids for shooters. They are good for a few rifle shots or possibly a few rounds of clays (skeet, etc.)

At the rifle range I wear my electronic earmuffs over the ESPs. If i remove the earmuffs at a bad time, I’m still protected.

When new in 2019, my top of the line verson (they make several) was about $2,200 (IIRC). They worked well enough to use temporarily as back-up aids back then, but word recognition is pretty poor these days.

Still much better than not hearing at all when i need to communicate with a guide and cannot wear my hearing aids.

I am quite sure the new digital technology is capable of some good electronic shooting plugs. Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s When I was still manufacturing some of my aids.,I made electronic shooting plugs with a simple linear circuit with a (maximum power output) of about 100-105dB. I sold them for $550 and they were quite popular with our local gun nuts. I am quite sure they would be significantly more now. You are correct about them not being great hearing aids but better than nothing and great for shooting.

Safariland makes a plug that nas a nrr of 16 that can clamp down under gunfire to a nrr of 30. I cannot understand speech with them in so I put on a pair of Peltor Comtac hearing defender muffs. This set of muffs has “plug mode” that boost output of speech and environmental noises. By doubling up the Safariland plugs with the Comtacs I can hear speech with any strain, and have protection from gunfire noise indoors and outdoors. Only drawback is Comtacs are expensive.

Active discussions

What the forum has been talking about this week.