My ears hurt

[MikeyScuba]

This open thing is soooo much fun, but not when I forget to put on my ear muffs.  I have the in ear custom earplugs which are great in the summer.  It's just that now I'm shooting open I need to put the ear muffs as well  when I'm on deck.  Forgot on one stage Sat and on a longer stage Sunday.  I still remember thinking right after UASC "that was loud".  I have to be be more careful or I'll end up like my old man. 

 

but boy it's fun.  I do think the 3 years I spend shooting revolver helped IMMENSELY.

[nhyrum]

Yep. It also kind of depends on the gun/cartridge. I shoot a 9x25 Dillon for fun in an open gun, and she's LOUD. I'm glad I don't have to make the power factor they used to in the late 80's with them. I've heard stories of even ro's needing to double up on ear pro. Hell, I shot once in an outdoor range that was covered, and i really do not want to do that again, and it has made me never want to shoot the thing at an indoor range. I feel like at that point it won't be the noise that's the issue, but the massive concussion

[waktasz]

Double plug all the time. Even when I shoot minor. No reason not to. You're damaging your hearing otherwise. 

[ltdmstr]

16 minutes ago, nhyrum said:

Yep. It also kind of depends on the gun/cartridge. I shoot a 9x25 Dillon for fun in an open gun, and she's LOUD. I'm glad I don't have to make the power factor they used to in the late 80's with them. I've heard stories of even ro's needing to double up on ear pro. Hell, I shot once in an outdoor range that was covered, and i really do not want to do that again, and it has made me never want to shoot the thing at an indoor range. I feel like at that point it won't be the noise that's the issue, but the massive concussion

 

I used to RO a guy who shot a 9x25 open gun back when pf was 175.  Think his name as Steve Einman and gun was built by Marc Krebs.  It was very unpleasant to say the least, even with double plugs.

  

[Ssanders224]

24 minutes ago, waktasz said:

Double plug all the time. Even when I shoot minor. No reason not to. You're damaging your hearing otherwise. 

 

This. Period. 

Plugs, no matter the brand or make are not protecting you from an Open gun. 

[regor]

Have you tried going for some top rated (e.g. 33NRR) disposable foam earplugs? I have not found any in-ear ear pro that outperforms the Howard Light Max ear plugs and have converted some folks over to them from custom plugs. I run a Czechmate, so no popples, but it's still comfortable to shoot with just those in, though I prefer to double up to knock the edge off the concussion. 

[ggrosspoint]

 

I always wear earplugs. Mine are the custom molded type. I keep one about half way in until we get birds working. Cheap and easy.

[Ssanders224]

12 hours ago, regor said:

Have you tried going for some top rated (e.g. 33NRR) disposable foam earplugs? I have not found any in-ear ear pro that outperforms the Howard Light Max ear plugs and have converted some folks over to them from custom plugs. I run a Czechmate, so no popples, but it's still comfortable to shoot with just those in, though I prefer to double up to knock the edge off the concussion. 

 

High quality foamies (32-33 NRR) inserted CORRECTLY are definitely the best option if you are only going to wear plugs. That's all I use when I'm shooting shotguns, and sometimes when I'm shooting standard pressure un-comp'd handguns for short periods of time.  But... They aren't protecting you from damage from your Czechmate unfortunately. 

 

let’s assume an Open gun report is 165 dB’s, (which is at the low end).  With NRR 33 plugs, using a more conservative calculation, that means your ears are still being exposed to nearly 152dB’s. More than enough to do permanent damage  immediately, much less over the course of repeated exposure. 
 

Even if you don’t use OSHA’s recommended 50% correction factor, 33NRR still only provides 26dB of actual attenuation. So your ears are still being exposed to nearly 139dB. Again, more than enough to cause damage. 

[MikeyScuba]

165dB's?  I've shooting 38SC 4 holes, 2 ports.  Probably louder. 

[Ssanders224]

15 minutes ago, MikeyScuba said:

165dB's?  I've shooting 38SC 4 holes, 2 ports.  Probably louder. 

 

Exactly. 

[regor]

On 7/27/2021 at 7:29 AM, Ssanders224 said:

 

High quality foamies (32-33 NRR) inserted CORRECTLY are definitely the best option if you are only going to wear plugs. That's all I use when I'm shooting shotguns, and sometimes when I'm shooting standard pressure un-comp'd handguns for short periods of time.  But... They aren't protecting you from damage from your Czechmate unfortunately. 

 

let’s assume an Open gun report is 165 dB’s, (which is at the low end).  With NRR 33 plugs, using a more conservative calculation, that means your ears are still being exposed to nearly 152dB’s. More than enough to do permanent damage  immediately, much less over the course of repeated exposure. 
 

Even if you don’t use OSHA’s recommended 50% correction factor, 33NRR still only provides 26dB of actual attenuation. So your ears are still being exposed to nearly 139dB. Again, more than enough to cause damage. 

 

Agree that doubling is the way to go. Much better to play safe with hearing. Only time I shoot Open with just foamies is the occasional time where I forget to put my muffs on before heading the the start position. 

 

FWIW, I did get my hearing tested after shooting Open for over a year and had no perceptible hearing damage according to the doctor. Will probably continue to get it checked every other year or so to stay safe. Just like lead exposure from this sport, better to stay ahead of it than deal with the issues down the line. 

[MikeyScuba]

As per lead exposure I’ve thankfully 4 cases of Fiochcci non-toxic primers that hopefully last until next year.

[Hvansky]

Molded in ear with over the top ear seems like a good go to 

[AverageJoeShooting]

the max michel pro ear muffs are really good. 

[echotango]

Custom in ear plug plus muffs.  Always double plug.