Plugs or Muffs?

[TAB]

That really only wokrs for sub sonic rounds...

[GUNS-R-US]

Both especially indoors! Once you lose hearing you can't get it back!!

[bigboredad]

For the low sounds of a .38 special I just use molded plugs but for my hot loaded .45long colts I use both. It really makes a big difference for those loads

[LittleRed]

Both! And, now I feel much better about it since there are others that agree. I am a big believer in that ounce of prevention thing. All of my shooting glasses seem to "break the seal" a bit on muffs, so the earplugs help.

[billt]

Plugs when hunting or shooting rifle.   Muffs otherwise.

Same here. Plugs for rifle or shotgun, muffs for handguns. Sometimes if I'm shooting large magnum handguns I'll use both, but I can't use muffs when shooting a shoulder stocked weapon because they always hit the stock.   Bill T.

[Sponsor]

[shooter32]

Take both and use as needed. 

[billt]

I have never really understood the "db rating" system. If it's decibels it doesn't seem right. For example I have a pair of Howard Leight muffs that claim a 33 db rating. That's pretty good compared to most muffs. But then I read that a 747 at takeoff power is like 135 decibels, and front row at a Who concert is just slightly more than that. If that is the case 33 db's isn't crap???   Bill T.

[Timothy]

I have never really understood the "db rating" system. If it's decibels it doesn't seem right. For example I have a pair of Howard Leight muffs that claim a 33 db rating. That's pretty good compared to most muffs. But then I read that a 747 at takeoff power is like 135 decibels, and front row at a Who concert is just slightly more than that. If that is the case 33 db's isn't crap???   Bill T.

As a general rule of thumb, subtract 6-7 from the NRR rating to see the realized sound attenuation of your hearing protection, ie....33 minus 7 is 26.  If the sound registers 136 db, then the sound entering your ear canal would be approx 110 db.

OSHA allows up to 4 hours of 90 db noise for about 4 hours before they require hearing protection.

BTW, NRR of 33 is the highest rating available in the US whether it's passive or powered.  There is another number used occasionally called the SNR rating which is the "Signal to Noise Ratio" which uses another convoluted calculation.  The thing is, some frequencies in our spectrum are easier to attenuate than others.  These numbers are used as a general engineering criteria by OSHA and other agencies when determining safe occupational exposure limits to workers.

Even though the powered phones appear to work better, chances are, they may not attenuate sound better than a properly inserted foam ear plug.

[Timothy]

More Brain Salad...and remember, hearing loss is "cumulative" and cannot correct itself!

The decibel (abbreviated dB) is the unit used to measure the intensity of a sound. The decibel scale is a little odd because the human ear is incredibly sensitive. Your ears can hear everything from your fingertip brushing lightly over your skin to a loud jet engine. In terms of power, the sound of the jet engine is about 1,000,000,000,000 times more powerful than the smallest audible sound. That's a big difference!

On the decibel scale, the smallest audible sound (near total silence) is 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. A sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB. Here are some common sounds and their decibel ratings:

    * Near total silence - 0 dB
    * A whisper - 15 dB
    * Normal conversation - 60 dB
    * A lawnmower - 90 dB
    * A car horn - 110 dB
    * A rock concert or a jet engine - 120 dB
    * A gunshot or firecracker - 140 dB

You know from your own experience that distance affects the intensity of sound -- if you are far away, the power is greatly diminished. All of the ratings above are taken while standing near the sound.

Any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. You know that you are listening to an 85-dB sound if you have to raise your voice to be heard by somebody else. Eight hours of 90-dB sound can cause damage to your ears; any exposure to 140-dB sound causes immediate damage (and causes actual pain).

I heard recently in one of our meetings that a "twenty something" carpenter who refuses to wear hearing protection on the job has the hearing loss (potentially) of a 60 year old office worker.  Save your eyes and your ears...

[philw]

    * A rock concert or a jet engine - 120 dB

ACDC was here the other week and they were 130db