Did you hear that? Tips for Protecting our hearing…

Guest post by Kate S

Why wear shooting ear plugs

It is no secret that a gunshot can create an immensely loud noise. In fact, a single gunshot creates the same volume of noise as that of a firework display listened to only three feet away. One shot can be measured at 150dB, 65 decibels louder than what is considered to be a safe volume of noise. This can seriously affect your hearing and cause a variety of problems including tinnitus and temporary hearing loss.

Hearing protection is imperative for shooters for this reason. However, it’s not just the sheer volume of noise that can affect your hearing, so too can the length of exposure. You can listen to a safe volume of noise, measured at 85dB for up to eight hours without running the risk of damaging your hearing. For every three decibels above this safe volume, the exposure time is halved. If a gunshot can create a noise of 150dB that means you can safely hear the sound for 0.0002288818359375 minutes.

An estimated one in five Americans suffer from a form of hearing loss and this statistic rises to one in three for those over the age of 65. Hearing loss is a widespread problem and if you’re a shooter or are thinking of taking up the sport as a hobby, we’d suggest you wear some sort of hearing protection. This can be in the form of ear plugs designed specifically for shooting and marksmanship or ear muffs.

Not only do shooting ear plugs provide a protective barrier against these damaging noises, they can also improve your aim. Blocking the damaging and distracting noises can help you to concentrate on your target, giving you the time and space needed to aim for perfection. Some ear plugs can also make sure necessary sounds such as instructions remain audible.

They are ideal to wear when training, target shooting, skeet and trap shooting and hunting. You will find many types of shooting ear plugs; some mouldable and others custom. Both are extremely comfortable to wear, but custom shooter ear plugs can provide the best fit and protection as they are made to fit your ear canal exactly.

Can ear plugs improve marksmanship?

We use ear plugs to protect our hearing from the damaging noise of a gunshot. It is an imperative part of your shooting uniform, as a single gunshot can quite easily cause permanent hearing damage – even with a small .22 caliber gun. With a single gunshot estimated to reach up to 150dB (65 decibels louder than what is considered a safe noise) and the positioning of the gun; it’s not surprising that a lot of shooters wear hearing protection. However, there are many other benefits of wearing ear plugs that shooters can take advantage of.

Shooting ear plugs can help to improve your marksmanship. Not only do these small ear defenders help to preserve your hearing, they can also block distracting background noises. When you wear these specialist ear plugs you can be left in silence, giving you all the time to take your aim and shot to perfection. Silence offers you the space to think and concentrate. If you use this to your advantage you could see you marksmanship improve.

Other benefits

• Speech and instructions can remain audible
• Comfortable to wear
• Prevents irreparable hearing loss
• Easy to use (insert, remove and clean)
• Mould to the shape of your ear for maximum protection and comfort

If you’re an avid marksman or your occupation (law enforcement, farming etc) requires you to practice your shooting skills, we would recommend that you invest in some custom ear plugs. They provide the ultimate in comfort and fit for an ear plug. If you have tried ear plugs before, but weren’t completely satisfied with them, custom ear plugs are the ideal choice for you. They are tailor made to fit the shape of your individual ear canal. With custom ear plugs you can benefit from the best in protection, comfort and fit, and the best in sound quality. The soft medical-grade silicone requires little maintenance. Simply wash them in warm soapy water and dry them before inserting or storing them.

However, if you are searching for a cheaper alternative there are plenty of other shooting ear plugs available, such as Mack’s Shooters Putty that can be reused given the proper care.

The best shooting ear plugs

Whether you’re a police officer, farmer or gun enthusiast, we all know that hearing protection should be worn when shooting. A single gunshot can produce a noise of 150dB, which is incredibly loud. Then just imagine how loud the training room or shooting range are when there are multiple shooters. It is extremely important to protect our hearing from these damaging noises, but what protection is best?

There are many types of hearing protection that shooters can wear. There are ear muffs, mouldable ear plugs and custom ear plugs. Mouldable ear plugs come in two forms; foam and reusable silicone. With foam ear plugs you must discard them after one use. However, with reusable ear plugs you can wear them time and time again until they lose their stickiness. To ensure you can reuse these ear plugs proper care must be taken. After each use simply wash them with water and a mild soap and leave to air dry. Then there are custom ear plugs that are manufactured to fit your ear’s profile exactly.

We recommend

Shooting ear plugs are ideal for those who wish to protect their hearing during training, skeet and trap shooting, hunting and target shooting. We would recommend that you wear custom ear plugs, such as the ProGuard Custom Shooter and Marksmans ear plugs if you shoot regularly. They can provide the best form of protection as they are created to match your ear canal precisely – the better the fit, the better the protection. Custom ear plugs do come with a heavier price tag than normal ear plugs due to them being made specifically for you. However, if you shoot regularly they are worth the investment.

If you’re shooting for a one-off occasion or only attend the shooting range every now and again, we would recommend that you wear some mouldable ear plugs such as the Mack’s Shooters Putty. They still provide the protection you need against the damaging noises and are comfortable to wear; they are simply a cheaper option that is available to you.

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