IHAVEGAS Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 Hate to do it but after last weekend I am retired from working level 2 or above matches. With the best ear muffs I could find, running several shooters with incredibly loud open guns (the kind that send a shock wave that you feel with your body) is still painful and there is no way that it does not damage your hearing. I could try double plugging but it was hard enough yelling loud enough for essential communication as it was. It would be an easy enough problem to fix (DBA meters are cheap) but the guys that make the rules do not seem worried about it and the folks with the super loud guns are positioned so they don't feel the pain from it, so I think the only option is to vote with your feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcfoto Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I'm having the same issue this weekend when I RO'ed both days at a GSSF match. Couldn't double plug and had to have my powered muffs on because there is a lot of "instructing" at the line. The suppressor major guns are in the minority there but still, two days solid on the line gets to you. At least when I work a major, the team tends to rotate so we all get time off our feet and away from the line at the score table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I have some peltor 30db muffs that are pretty effective. I also just stand further away from the open guns, since the timer doesn't have any trouble picking them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 (edited) I'm using the fattest muff that Pro Ears makes, 32 DB on paper if I remember right, maybe the peltors would be better. After the first 6 - 8 shots I could let the shooter move ahead of me a bit and get a reasonable distance off of the blast when I had the timer. When I had the score pad I looked for a heavy set person on the squad and used their body for a sound block on the initial barrage. Edited June 10, 2019 by IHAVEGAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I would do the exact same thing OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLDave Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 Double plugs with powered/amplified muffs is the only way I'm able to tolerate RO'ing and shooting open shooters indoors. And, as others have pointed out, no need to crowd the shooter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I have molded in ear plugs that reduce by about 32dB. I now use Howard Leight foam earplugs rated at NR33. When running an Open shooter I also put on a pair of 28dB ear muffs. That gets me down to a 35dB reduction. That's good for outdoors in the open, but not under a cover. I'll have to search for those higher rated muffs. 28dB reduction was the best I could find when I last searched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 The concussion off of barricades and walls, or being anything less than directly behind the shooter, transmitted through your sinuses and skull bones isn't helped by double plugging. There is more to it than just the noise. If it bothers him that much (as it does me also) then I think stopping that duty is totally OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLDave Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 True, true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egd5 Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I know this is kinda "out there" but, the other day I saw a for sale ad here for a watch style timer. Maybe the host club could require the open shooters to wear one of them and the ro wouldn't need to be near him to record time. Might work well for 22 shooters at steel challenge also. Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcfoto Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 3 minutes ago, egd5 said: I know this is kinda "out there" but, the other day I saw a for sale ad here for a watch style timer. Maybe the host club could require the open shooters to wear one of them and the ro wouldn't need to be near him to record time. Might work well for 22 shooters at steel challenge also. Just a thought... Good "out of the box thinking!" Things to overcome: 1.they are twice the price of the normal "blue brick" timers. Might be an issue for clubs to absorb that. 2. They are not intuitive to set. If you don't have one and have learned to use it, you're not going to be handed one and be able to function. 3. The wearer sets the buzzer. Even if you set it to random, when you hit go all you have to do is look at it and you can see the count down. That'd be a competitive advantage over others who get beeped when the RO decides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 3 hours ago, zzt said: I'll have to search for those higher rated muffs. 28dB reduction was the best I could find when I last searched. https://proears.com/product/pro-ears-pro-mag-gold/ Mine are 30, not 32 as I had posted above. It was the best I found when I was in the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 Thanks. I just did a search and found two pair rated at NRR34, but they did not specify ANSI or OSHA. I did find one rated at 37 ANSI/ 34 OSHA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 I would sometimes put a barrel into stages, with the targets spread just far enough that you had to get your arms up into it. The Open shooters would bitch like crazy after ULSC about how loud if was in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansedgli Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 Double plugging with electronic ear muffs on the outside seems good enough for me indoors. No troubles hearing and the loudest open guns are fine. Ymmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 21 minutes ago, ima45dv8 said: I would sometimes put a barrel into stages, with the targets spread just far enough that you had to get your arms up into it. The Open shooters would bitch like crazy after ULSC about how loud if was in there. Sounds like a fantastic stage for PCC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 40 minutes ago, ima45dv8 said: I would sometimes put a barrel into stages, with the targets spread just far enough that you had to get your arms up into it. The Open shooters would bitch like crazy after ULSC about how loud if was in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 28 minutes ago, dansedgli said: Double plugging with electronic ear muffs on the outside seems good enough for me indoors. No troubles hearing and the loudest open guns are fine. Ymmv Only issue I can see r.o.ing like that , besides hating to wear both inner and outer protection for the greater part of 3 days - which maybe I could get used to, is the loud guns in the bays on either side. My electronics often shut off while scoring when they were running shooters in one or both adjacent bays, made for a lot of open throttle yelling even without the second set of ear protectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 I don't use electronics because the NRR is usually around the 22 mark. I want more than that. NRR32 plugs are good enough for me for most guns in wide open air. NRR28 muffs in addition are fine for Open guns in open air. Not for anything with a roof over it. I'm going to replace my NRR28 muffs with the 34 or 37 pair I recently found. My hearing has definitely taken a hit since I started ROing and shooting Open guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 6 hours ago, zzt said: I'm going to replace my NRR28 muffs with the 34 or 37 pair I recently found. What's the brand on the 34's and 37's ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Decibel Defense is the 37. Several of the claimed NRR 34 got really bad reviews saying they were no where near as reducing as claimed. They all looked the same with different name, so I think they were manufactured by the same plant. If you care to you can find them in a search on Amazon. The Pro for SHO NRR 34 looks promising, but there is no explanation about their methods or how they reach so high a rating with their small size.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teros135 Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 I have a 3M Peltor TacticalPro Communications Headset MT15H7F SV, from Amazon. It *says* NRR 26, but it's the best NR headset I've ever had on. The silicone ear pads (additional) add to the NRR. Handles Open all day, including under cover, and the electronics let me hear conversations. Sarge put me onto these; he ROs quite a bit and might want to chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 How do the 3-gun RO’s handle the problem? Blast from an AR is much worse than an open gun. I mostly shoot indoors with an open gun, often with a guy shooting an AR or AK in the next lane over. Plugs and electronic muffs seem adequate to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Murphy Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Ever since I had sinus surgery RO'ing open guns is extremely painful. The pressure on my face hurts bad. AR's suck too, but they are further forward. Comped shorty AR's are very bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncrivello Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 Far from an expert on noise reduction of various ear pro but I'm under the impression that not all rated decibel reduction claims are made equal so to speak. The MSA Sordin's I have are not rated among the higher decibel reducing ear pro out there at 18-19NRR but considered among the best ear pro out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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