Even double ear protection doesn't work.

[Shellshocker66]

Some people are just very sensitive to noise. You might want to have your hearing checked as you might have some damage already, most places do the hearing check for free (in hope you need hearing aids and they can sell them to you).

Just do something because I can tell you hearing frequency lose is not fun as you get older! I run around all the time saying "huh"?

[IPSICK]

The problem is that if the arms of the glasses are sitting directly ontop of your ears, and the earmuff seal is broken because of that, they're useless. It's not a problem with every person or every set of earmuffs. Just a small gap would let enough sound in.

The same thing goes for earplugs, the slightest gap(such as a crease from when you squashed them before shoving them in your ears) will let a bunch of sound in. Yes, there is a correct way to put in cheap foam earplugs.

^^^This!

I've got custom molded earplugs, which btw only cost me $40 +/- to have a certified person make them, and they still don't work quite nearly as well as a good pair of nrr33 cheap foam earplugs properly inserted into the ear. Even better when I add muffs.

I do use the custom plugs for most shooting but when I shoot my compensated AR, I shoot with plugs and muffs.

[HKMadness]

interesting. i always use the regular foam plugs and its gtg with my 9, 45, 7.62, and .223.

Hope your able to find something that will work.

[voiceofreason]

GREAT video!

I used to use the better foam earplugs, not cylindrical, but rounded with a kind of double fin tail. With ANY cheap ear protection muff made specifically for shooting, the volume/pressure from shooting was minimal.

I now use Surefire EarPros w/ the little plugs out + electronic muffs NOT designed for shooting (Ryobi). Not nearly as much protection, but enough that I'm comfortable shooting .308, yet able to hear ambient noise/sounds.

I think I'll leave the little plugs on the EarPros in from now on after reading this thread.

I can be at the benches with just the EarPros while people are shooting rifles, but I can't shoot rifles with JUST them. At least I'm not willing to try.

Like others have already said, main thing is to have a tight seal. Both for the earplugs AND for the muffs. If you're still having problems after that, I agree with seeing an audiologist.

Oh, and shooting outdoors is FAR easier on the ears than shooting indoors IMO.

Easier to breathe as well.

[Iknownot]

maybe thats it, so getting fitted ear plugs will correct this problem? how do you put your glasses on with ear muffs?

Outdoors, I don't worry about it much, unless I'm on a public range and there are people with rifles right next to me.

Indoors, for sure, I worry about it. I usually put the custom plugs and then muffs on first. Make sure the muffs are properly centered and adjusted. Then I just slide the earpieces of the shooting glasses along the top of the muffs.

It works, and you don't have them breaking the seal on the muffs.

As for going with the custom plugs, I have oddly shaped canals and I had a very hard time fitting the foam plugs on one side. I tried every plug I could find, and none worked very well.

Occasionally I would get a good seal, but a some of the time, especially at indoor ranges, I could tell that I wasn't getting full protection.

I figured it was worth the money for the custom plugs.

The nice thing about them, though they cost $, is they last indefinitely. And they fit right every time. They are also very easy to put it.

You pay the cost once and then you don't really have to think about it anymore.

I think it is worth it to consider if you visit the range more regularly.

Hearing loss is not replaceable or treatable. Taking steps to limit damage to it is important, IMO, especially if you are partaking in hobbies that involve a lot of noise.

[Whiterabbit]

I don't think I'd wear glasses outside muffs EVER. If I have to compromise one, it;ll be my ears. My life would be terrible deaf. It would be inconceivable blind.

[2shotjoe]

Public range with tons of people on the line. I stopped by Sacramento Black Rifle yesterday and picked up some new ear plugs, I'll have pics later since I forgot to take them.

[NorCal Einstein]

The problem is that if the arms of the glasses are sitting directly ontop of your ears, and the earmuff seal is broken because of that, they're useless. It's not a problem with every person or every set of earmuffs. Just a small gap would let enough sound in.

The same thing goes for earplugs, the slightest gap(such as a crease from when you squashed them before shoving them in your ears) will let a bunch of sound in. Yes, there is a correct way to put in cheap foam earplugs.

THANK YOU!

After watching this video, I will admit I've been inserting foam plugs incorrectly since before I started shooting. Since I double up on disposable foam plugs + electronic muffs when I shoot, I guess the improper technique I was using didn't have such a negative impact because the electronic muffs caught the rest.

[Zin_dawg]

I got custom molded ear plugs because I never could get a good seal on my left ear. Looking at the plug, it's obvious what the problem is (long, skinny ear canal with a bend in the middle).

I still use muffs & plugs.

[Iskra]

Buy your wife some chocolate when she's PMSing -

Works on mine.

And buy the chewy gooey carmel kind -

Takes longer to eat....

I hope my wife never knows how funny I find this post

[duckman1]

Even with good fitting plugs you can still cause damage as the sound will penetrate thru the surrounding skull. That's why muff's with plugs is a great combo and really does give better protection. The real problem is it's cumulative and by the time you realize you have damage it's too late.

I double up on the range and for all practice shooting. When hunting I wear the EAR Digital Plugs they are custom fit and cost around $600-800. I was raised not wearing protection and at age 47 am paying the price for my fathers ingorance. All of my children wear muffs or plugs and we don't allow bystanders or other shooters to not wear something.

[windrunner]

duckman1 is absolutely correct in what he states above.

When I shoot indoors, I use double hearing pro. I use softies that are NRR 33 and muffs that are NRR 22. I could get a more Gucci, bulky pair of ear muffs with all of the features, but the combination of the two provides me with very substantial noise reduction.

Shooting .50 caliber rifles several years ago got me into the habit of wearing double hearing pro. It was a necessary requirement. I would walk away from a day's worth of shooting and my head would hurt. Not only would I have tremendous ringing in my ears wearing softies, but my head would ache on both sides all around my ears. I did a little bit of homework on sound pressure levels and such and came to the conclusion that I needed to double up on the hearing pro. I've carried the habit over to indoor shooting. The sound pressure levels in indoor ranges is tremendous. Especially when the range room has numerous shooters popping rounds off.

[KALIDAWG8996]

You may want to try some SureFire EP4's doubled up with muffs....they cost 14$ a pair and are reusable.....Try them out with some Howard Leights over at Turners that run between 50-60$

[cabinetguy]

I try to keep what hearing I have left, when I started construction, it was macho to keep up with the old timers using routers and saws w/o protection. it took me a while to realize they could do so since they already lost their hearing. I agree with the above, dont put muffs on over glasses, it can make a big difference. also, the cheap foam plugs work great, but you need to roll them uniformly. Its hard to reccomend anything, as we all have different ears. I have found some in ear plugs work well in one ear but not the other. try a few more, but you dont need to spend a months wage for a set of ears.

[NorCal Einstein]

I try to keep what hearing I have left, when I started construction, it was macho to keep up with the old timers using routers and saws w/o protection. it took me a while to realize they could do so since they already lost their hearing. I agree with the above, dont put muffs on over glasses, it can make a big difference. also, the cheap foam plugs work great, but you need to roll them uniformly. Its hard to reccomend anything, as we all have different ears. I have found some in ear plugs work well in one ear but not the other. try a few more, but you dont need to spend a months wage for a set of ears.

While true, a month's wages is a CHEAP price to pay for hearing damage.