Hearing protection
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MSA Sordin. I have the duel commo headset version, but know many who run other variants with total success (even for work, not just monthly range days). The Bluetooth one (attach your phone, etc) is periodically for sale cheaper than the plain Supreme Pro X and therefore worth it. No sales now, but don't think you are gonna have to pay $350 if patient and good at finding deals.
Peltor Comtac 3. Actually, not me, but some people I know who have been running them for years and years, in service and on their own. Six of one. But... the only ones I know to be of fully rugged level are these, so you are paying commo-headset money. If Peltor makes something similar to the Comtac without comms, for less, I don't know which model it is.
All others will fail you if it is raining, too humid, etc. Seen it. Have the pile of dead ones, seen it happen too much on the range.
Peltor Comtac 3. Actually, not me, but some people I know who have been running them for years and years, in service and on their own. Six of one. But... the only ones I know to be of fully rugged level are these, so you are paying commo-headset money. If Peltor makes something similar to the Comtac without comms, for less, I don't know which model it is.
All others will fail you if it is raining, too humid, etc. Seen it. Have the pile of dead ones, seen it happen too much on the range.
Howard Leight with the Valholl Gear gel cups. Many matches in the rain with no issues. The gel cups are a must have upgrade and very comfortable.
ANY earpro that has optional gel earcups: buy them. Don't think, just buy them.
MSA Sordins and Peltor Comtacs are both great options. If you cant swing those then try the Howard Leight’s with gel cups. I ran the HL’s for quite a while before I went to the Sordins and they were fine, but the Sordins were definitely a step up in quality imo.
That won’t break the bank I would say Peltor Sport Rangeguard and buy the gel inserts for them;Best bang for your buck. I have those, Sordins, and HL and I always grab the Peltors.
I have some cadwell electronics i got from cabelas for 30-40 bucks. Cheap, easy and they work. I usually use surefire in ear ones though. Muffs always seem to get in the way of my cheekweld... guess i have low ears
Gel cups on anything make them way better. One big thing is to make sure they have directional microphones so you can tell where the sounds are coming from.
I was paired with a guy at a match who had a pair of Walkers (unsure if model) that didn’t give any idea where the sound was coming from. They just transmitted everything to both muffs. I began talking to him and he began looking all around trying to find where I was. I asked what was wrong and he explained it. I tried them on and it was terrible. It made everything very disorienting. After that I made sure to stand in front of him when I started talking to him.
He tried my Howard Leight Impacts and ordered a pair from Amazon right then. They work well enough with the gel cups that I can’t justify spending $250-300 on something else. Although I’d like to.
I was paired with a guy at a match who had a pair of Walkers (unsure if model) that didn’t give any idea where the sound was coming from. They just transmitted everything to both muffs. I began talking to him and he began looking all around trying to find where I was. I asked what was wrong and he explained it. I tried them on and it was terrible. It made everything very disorienting. After that I made sure to stand in front of him when I started talking to him.
He tried my Howard Leight Impacts and ordered a pair from Amazon right then. They work well enough with the gel cups that I can’t justify spending $250-300 on something else. Although I’d like to.
MSA Sordin but if shooting or ROing in confined space I use plugs along with them. Without adding the plugs at least when shooting a comped gun(mostly talking IPSC matches) it’ll still rattle your teeth.
+ one on the MSA Sordins. Have the cheaper Walkers too that are better than nothing. But the MSA are way bettee
Having worked over 12yrs in the aviation industry with my head under an APU I’ve come to appreciate good hearing protection. You don’t have to break the bank to save your ears. A good NRR rating and the comfort level to not feel the need to hassle with your ear pro is a must.
I use the peltor sport tac's and I've really like them. I'm sure there are bigger better ones but for what I need these were kinda the top of the bell curve for economics and quality. They have a very short cut in/out time, this makes holding a conversation easier. Definatly a big step up from walkers and Howard lights, and you can justify buying $50 gel cups for $115 ear pro.
You don't know what good is till you try it. I have the sport tacs and howard lights and use them as lenders for F&F.
Night and Day, I won't even wear that garbage anymore.
Night and Day, I won't even wear that garbage anymore.
As long as you’re comfortable in them and they work you’re good to go. If it ain’t comfortable you’ll more than likely have to fidget with them or even worse adjust them to feel good but decrease their effectiveness.
Of all your safety equipment, don't cut corners with hearing protection. Start with the NRR of the headset. The higher, the better. The decibel scale is a logarithmic scale. Every increase of 10dB on the scale is equivalent to a 10-fold increase in sound intensity. A single unprotected exposure to a gunshot (140db-190db) can cause permanent hearing damage.
The MSA Supreme Pro-X has an NRR of 18.
The Howard Leight Impact Sport's NRR is 22.
The Peltor Tactical 100/300/500 are 22/24/26.
These ratings are when worn under ideal conditions; i.e., no eye protection temples breaking the cup seal of the ear muff, or contact between rifle stock and ear muff when applying a cheek weld.
Give serious consideration to ear plugs to compensate for less than ideal ear muff fit. NRR protection levels are not additive (NRR 22 ear muffs + NRR 29 ear plugs do not equal a NRR of 51). I find that disposable ear plugs coupled with electronic ear muffs will allow me to hear range commands and have good hearing protection.
The MSA Supreme Pro-X has an NRR of 18.
The Howard Leight Impact Sport's NRR is 22.
The Peltor Tactical 100/300/500 are 22/24/26.
These ratings are when worn under ideal conditions; i.e., no eye protection temples breaking the cup seal of the ear muff, or contact between rifle stock and ear muff when applying a cheek weld.
Give serious consideration to ear plugs to compensate for less than ideal ear muff fit. NRR protection levels are not additive (NRR 22 ear muffs + NRR 29 ear plugs do not equal a NRR of 51). I find that disposable ear plugs coupled with electronic ear muffs will allow me to hear range commands and have good hearing protection.
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Yep, foam plugs under electronic earmuffs with the volume cranked to max is what I like best. You can still hear conversations pretty well and it cuts back on the blast from braked rifles especially in confined spaces. Plugs + muffs is also good for helping mitigate flinch from muzzle blast.
Hello,
I first bought the MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X with gel earpads. They`re really goot and very comfortable.
After about two oe three years ago I bought a pair of Peltor Comtac XPi, I also had them with me during my deployment to AFG. They`re awesome! I still prefer wearing them.
But if you "only" need ear protection for hunting / range shooting, the MSA Supreme Pro X will definitely do their job and you will be happy with them.
I have to say, in Germany are the Peltor Comtac XPi more expensive than the MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X. I don`t know the prices in the States.
kind regards
Whiskey
I first bought the MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X with gel earpads. They`re really goot and very comfortable.
After about two oe three years ago I bought a pair of Peltor Comtac XPi, I also had them with me during my deployment to AFG. They`re awesome! I still prefer wearing them.
But if you "only" need ear protection for hunting / range shooting, the MSA Supreme Pro X will definitely do their job and you will be happy with them.
I have to say, in Germany are the Peltor Comtac XPi more expensive than the MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X. I don`t know the prices in the States.
kind regards
Whiskey
I have a set, shot a match in the rain and the stopped working. Aft a few weeks the did come back though, and seem to be working fine again.
Have a set of Otto Noizebarriers arriving today with some complyfoam earbuds to upgrade them. Had been meaning to forever and sat next to a guy with a 300 Wby Mag with a brake on it a couple weeks back. I had no idea it made me go deaf in one ear until I got in the car to go home and took my cheap protection off. It was an awful feeling and took 4 hours to hear again.
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