# Hunting > Firearm Safety >  Dont take hearing protection lightly

## matto1234

I made a big mistake on sunday, i took the pup out to get him used to firearms. I fired the 22 about 20 times moved up to the 223 and fired around 10 shots which didnt bother the pup, he was happy as so i let off 4 shots with the 308 and called it a successful day. All rifles are suppressed and i didnt wear hearing protection as i expect the dog to be okay with it. Well that may be the biggest mistake of my life so far! Later that day my left ear started ringing and is still ringing and muffled today so my doctor said if its not any better by the end of the week im off to see the ear clinic to find out how much damage i really have done.

Im going to buy another set of baffles for my dpt can so i can make it as good as possible for the dog and im going to keep my fingers crossed that my ear is not permanently damaged at 22 years of age.

DONT BE AN IDIOT, WEAR HEARING PROTECTION IF POSSIBLE.

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## 223nut

I've been playing round with my rimfire lately and fired a couple of shots through the ar the other night... Serious step up in noise I had forgotten about having been used to 22lr

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## mikee

I brought a set of these these after reading the "Blurb' in RodnRifle, the BTooth version.

I would have been better burning my money all $340 dollars of it.

 I thought they would be good cause I had earmuffs and could use them at work too as I spend most of my time in noisy environments since they are advertised as 


> "Perfect for Outdoor and Indoor Activities of All Types, Fitness, Cycling, Hiking, Stadium Events, Tactical, Auto Racing, Shooting, Hunting, Concerts, Musicians, Night Clubs, Industrial, Construction, Motorcycling, General Conversation, TV and more."


, being able to take and make calls without removing my hearing protection would have been fantastic

*Well they are shit* they amplify everything not close to you so other shooters shooting gets amplified, they do cut off when you are shooting yourself. They might be OK for hunting as they amplify surrounding sounds when you are not shooting. If you shoot with a suppressor it seems louder than if you are not using hearing protection at all. Braked rifles then forget it. 

Don't waste your money folks!!!!

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## Maca49

Here a partial $8500.00 fix!! They’re awesome, but just wish I’d protected my hearing!! :O O:

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## gonetropo

its not just a question of volume but also the waveshape and frequency of sound.
to give an example 120dB of piano is no where near as harmful as 120dB of violin as the piano produces an almost sine wave tone that accelerates and decelerates the eardrum smoothly, the violin has a very sharp attack on the wave and a slower decay causing the eardrum to accelerate then decelerate abruptly.
things like angle grinders will cause hearing loss in the vocal frequencies but you will probably still hear lows and highs reasonably well.
i spent years repairing tv's (old tube ones) with 40 plus running in the workshop, thats 20 years ago and my hearing from 15k to 16k is horrid as 15625Hz was line frequency and after a few months my brain switched off to it. yet i can hear very well below and above that frequency.

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## madjon_

Summertime all year for me,I have a whole gully of cicadas in my head.
And a fancy set of dodads like macca.
Although I can answer the phone with mine,I would rather my hearing.
WEAR YOUR HEARING PROTECTORS.

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## Maca49

Im Ok on low frequencies, but have trouble hearing higher range, such as females and kids voices. Was sitting on the deck on the weekend having a coffee and wacked in the hearing aid, Cicadas everywhere. Makes ya day, just small things like that, Im a lot happier in myself, just not frustrated at missing conversations, music and surround sounds. Really just turning off because its too hard. You dont realise how good it is to hear again, until you do!!

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## Kiwi Greg

Only properly suppressed sub sonic rifles are hearing safe other than that you are damaging your hearing.... :Sad:

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## Maca49

> Summertime all year for me,I have a whole gully of cicadas in my head.
> And a fancy set of dodads like macca.
> Although I can answer the phone with mine,I would rather my hearing.
> WEAR YOUR HEARING PROTECTORS.


Mine tune a lot of the tinnitus out with white noise, really good, can tune on my iphone. When I first developed tinnitus it nearly drove me mad, absolute a hole of a thing!!

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## Kiwi Greg

> Im Ok on low frequencies, but have trouble hearing higher range, such as females voices.


Not always a good thing  :Wink: 

I have always struggled to hear my partners voice its just her tone frequency  :O O:

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## Maca49

> Only properly suppressed sub sonic rifles are hearing safe other than that you are damaging your hearing....


Bloody shotgun and 30-06 stuffed mine!!

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## Ingrid 51

Anyone remember the days when hearing protection was unheard of? I recall three of us firing Bren guns and chewing through several thousand rounds on a 25 yard range...in a blind gully. What’s that? Speak up!

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## Maca49

> Not always a good thing 
> 
> I have always struggled to hear my partners voice its just her tone frequency


But I can tune her out completely, along with the grand kids, without telling them!!

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## 223nut

> But I can tune her out completely, along with the grand kids, without telling them!!


Untill she downloads the app that adjusts your tuning and realises your game....

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## Mathias

I'm the same as Maca49, have excellent hearing aids made by resound but I wish I had all my original hearing. I got mine in my late 40"s compliments of ACC (85% of). I have / had acute hearing and my high tone was damaged early on in life from various work environments. You fellas, young & older need to take good care of your senses, hearing & sight. Wear PPE always when needed.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

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## tetawa

> Anyone remember the days when hearing protection was unheard of? I recall three of us firing Bren guns and chewing through several thousand rounds on a 25 yard range...in a blind gully. What’s that? Speak up!


Remember the no hearing protection well, so did ACC until 5 years ago when they decided my hearing loss is now "hereditary" even though I'm the only deaf prick in the family.

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## xtightg

We have used these in all forms of shooting from about 2005, best I have personally used and have experience of to date.

http://peltorcomms.3m.com/world/Prod...Category_Id=39

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## northdude

I have permanent ringing in my ears from firearms when i was younger and my job when i was young it was uncool to wear hearing protection but its more uncool not being able to hear properly shit im even tempted to wear muffs when i vacume these days

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## Cigar

I had ringing in my ears for about 3 days after a Black Label Society concert in the Auckland Town Hall. I often wear earplugs at concerts (I'm into hard rock/metal) but forgot and left them in the car that night. My ears were actually hurting during the concert, loudest one I have ever been to. My annual health check at work still reckons my hearing is excellent, so either dodged a bullet or more likely it's not as excellent as it was.
I use hearing protection whenever possible/practical when shooting, and always when mowing lawns, using loud powertools, etc (and dont forget eye protection too).

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## Russian 22.

I religiously wear hearing protection at work, when I ride a motorcycle. I try to use it when hunting but I am planning on getting some digital ear muffs.

I have tinnitus from too much ear wax and now I'm an adult it's prohibitively expensive to get it vacuumed out. But it was so nice when I didn't have ringing in my ears.

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## Maca49

> I religiously wear hearing protection at work, when I ride a motorcycle. I try to use it when hunting but I am planning on getting some digital ear muffs.
> 
> I have tinnitus from too much ear wax and now I'm an adult it's prohibitively expensive to get it vacuumed out. But it was so nice when I didn't have ringing in my ears.


Put an air hose in ya other ear and blow it out, get mum to check see can see daylight through yours ears before you do it! :ORLY:

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## tetawa

> Put an air hose in ya other ear and blow it out, get mum to check see can see daylight through yours ears before you do it!


Did you originally train as an "ear, nose and mouth" surgeon, or did the skill just come to you naturally  in later life.

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## Dublin

Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Earmuff are excellent. You can get them cheap on either amazon or ebay. I got a brand new set for $30-$40 odd, however they were purple (hence the price) so just painted them when they arrived.

Watch out for the fake chinese versions though, they're rubbish and rife on both amazon and ebay, much more common on ebay. However at least at this stage its pretty straight forward which ones are the fakes and which are legit as the fakes have a few aspects to them that differ to the legit ones. The fakes pretty much dont work at all and the majority all fall apart shortly after buying.

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## muzza

I wear earplugs for a lot of my work day , some times earmuffs as well. I'm not too proud to admit I wear earplugs to do the vacuuming at home, or under my bike helmet, and at 60 I am starting to notice that I dont hear as well as I used to. Always had selective hearing though ....

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## mikee

30 years of guys working around me grinding, rattle gunning etc has taken it toll on my ears, they ring constantly and i too wear earplugs vacuuming  :Grin:

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## 40mm

> I made a big mistake on sunday, i took the pup out to get him used to firearms. I fired the 22 about 20 times moved up to the 223 and fired around 10 shots which didnt bother the pup, he was happy as so i let off 4 shots with the 308 and called it a successful day. All rifles are suppressed and i didnt wear hearing protection as i expect the dog to be okay with it. Well that may be the biggest mistake of my life so far! Later that day my left ear started ringing and is still ringing and muffled today so my doctor said if its not any better by the end of the week im off to see the ear clinic to find out how much damage i really have done.
> 
> Im going to buy another set of baffles for my dpt can so i can make it as good as possible for the dog and im going to keep my fingers crossed that my ear is not permanently damaged at 22 years of age.
> 
> DONT BE AN IDIOT, WEAR HEARING PROTECTION IF POSSIBLE.


WHAT?

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## 40mm

> Remember the no hearing protection well, so did ACC until 5 years ago when they decided my hearing loss is now "hereditary" even though I'm the only deaf prick in the family.


Screw those weasels. Dont leave it at that, make a scene and lots of noise. if nothing it might damage their hearing too.

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## Tussock

> I made a big mistake on sunday, i took the pup out to get him used to firearms. I fired the 22 about 20 times moved up to the 223 and fired around 10 shots which didnt bother the pup, he was happy as so i let off 4 shots with the 308 and called it a successful day. All rifles are suppressed and i didnt wear hearing protection as i expect the dog to be okay with it. Well that may be the biggest mistake of my life so far! Later that day my left ear started ringing and is still ringing and muffled today so my doctor said if its not any better by the end of the week im off to see the ear clinic to find out how much damage i really have done.
> 
> Im going to buy another set of baffles for my dpt can so i can make it as good as possible for the dog and im going to keep my fingers crossed that my ear is not permanently damaged at 22 years of age.
> 
> DONT BE AN IDIOT, WEAR HEARING PROTECTION IF POSSIBLE.


At 20 I had the same problem, ringing ears for up to a week. Started wearing ear plugs + muffs and no problems now (with tinnitus). Pass workplace hearing tests fine.  If I have background noise I'm basically deaf though (at 36). If you were older there might be no coming back.

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## matto1234

I had the ear protection guys just made a bad judgement call to not wear it, suppressors dont make them completely safe unfortunately. Ill probably have to live with it for the rest of my life now and thats a hard pill to swallow

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## headcase

You overdid it. Your pup didnt have ear protection either.

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## matto1234

> You overdid it. Your pup didnt have ear protection either.


I sure did, hence the warning to others

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## Uplandstalker

I run Resound customer fitted ear plugs with ear muffs over the top to deal with the percusion. My father is 70 years old this year and is deaf as. A life time of running earthmoving machines and ACC will not cover it as it not from a specific event. So private funding of hearing aids and recently an implant. Prioir to the Implant, I haven't been about to have a conversation with him for the past 10 or 15 years. A real shit life for him too.

I'll not going down that path!

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## Kiwi Greg

> I had ringing in my ears for about 3 days after a Black Label Society concert in the Auckland Town Hall. I often wear earplugs at concerts (I'm into hard rock/metal)


Years ago when I had hair on the top of my head I went to a Shihad concert in Chch

I took two sets of plugs for my self & my Girlfriend at the time.

She wasn't keen on wearing them because they looked silly...I pointed out no one could see them under her long hair... Girls....

The warm up band was pretty loud, Shihad was absolutely awesome but just bloody silly...I could feel the shortish hair on the top of my head was moving  :Zomg: 

The ear plugs were a very welcome addition on that night  :Cool: 

Just quietly...F--K they were loud  :Wink:

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## Uplandstalker

I also take between 20 and 30 Long Haul flights a year. I wear my fitted ear plugs on the plane to cut out the engine noise.

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## Tussock

> I religiously wear hearing protection at work, when I ride a motorcycle. I try to use it when hunting but I am planning on getting some digital ear muffs.
> 
> I have tinnitus from too much ear wax and now I'm an adult it's prohibitively expensive to get it vacuumed out. But it was so nice when I didn't have ringing in my ears.


Buy an ear candle at the pharmacy. $20, vacuums out excess ear wax.

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## Russian 22.

> Buy an ear candle at the pharmacy. $20, vacuums out excess ear wax.


Cheers

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## northdude

I do my own I use a syringe with warm water takes a little bit to get the hang of it but works well

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## Beavis

My hearing tested damn near perfect in 2014 when I did a medical exam for employment. Nurse couldn't believe my hearing wasn't fucked in a certain frequency range after I mentioned hunting as an activity. was a surprise to me for sure. In the meantime I would say ambient noise from cooling fans, air compressors and hammer drills would of hurt my hearing more than shooting.

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## Maca49

> Did you originally train as an "ear, nose and mouth" surgeon, or did the skill just come to you naturally  in later life.


Comes from years of busted ear drums, water skiing, two sinus punch and bore jobs, a chunk out of my voice box and the most entertaining specialist. The first time I went to him he looked in my ear and said  shit theres daylight on the other side not quite the norm to start an examination first up?

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## 6x47

Some little snippets for you:

- ACC only covers hearing loss from occupational exposure, not recreational shooting. The only exception to this is if you cop a one-off "accidental" event like a mate letting his big banger off very close to your ear.

- Tinnitus is not caused by excessive wax. It is an expected side effect/symptom of inner ear ( sensorineural) damage.

- You can't measure the true level of firearms noise with basic sound level meters. They will significantly under-estimate the peak level which correlates with the risk

- Noise alone will only damage high frequency hearing. You can still hear rumbling stuff at distance well but voices sound muffled/mumbly and you will be in serious trouble in noisy social situations.

Yes, decent hearing aids help but can never come close to replacing what you were born with, especially in background noise.

In case you're wondering, I'm a near-retired clinical audiologist who has fitted tens of thousands of hearing aids..

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## tetawa

> Some little snippets for you:
> 
> - ACC only covers hearing loss from occupational exposure, not recreational shooting. The only exception to this is if you cop a one-off "accidental" event like a mate letting his big banger off very close to your ear.
> 
> - Tinnitus is not caused by excessive wax. It is an expected side effect/symptom of inner ear ( sensorineural) damage.
> 
> - You can't measure the true level of firearms noise with basic sound level meters. They will significantly under-estimate the peak level which correlates with the risk
> 
> - Noise alone will only damage high frequency hearing. You can still hear rumbling stuff at distance well but voices sound muffled/mumbly and you will be in serious trouble in noisy social situations.
> ...


When I was tested and visited the specialist in the early 1980's ACC accepted their finding of industrial deafness. 30 plus years later on my 4th reassessment the ACC specialist has decided that only 17% is due to industrial noise, the rest is hereditary, even though I'm the only family member with any hearing loss.

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## Maca49

> Some little snippets for you:
> 
> - ACC only covers hearing loss from occupational exposure, not recreational shooting. The only exception to this is if you cop a one-off "accidental" event like a mate letting his big banger off very close to your ear.
> 
> - Tinnitus is not caused by excessive wax. It is an expected side effect/symptom of inner ear ( sensorineural) damage.
> 
> - You can't measure the true level of firearms noise with basic sound level meters. They will significantly under-estimate the peak level which correlates with the risk
> 
> - Noise alone will only damage high frequency hearing. You can still hear rumbling stuff at distance well but voices sound muffled/mumbly and you will be in serious trouble in noisy social situations.
> ...


Gotta say Ive resisted and resisted and resisted hearing aids. Then my grand kids caused me grief cause I couldnt hold a conversation with them, so my wife got me a "free" hearing test, which I begrudgingly attended!! ( ffffing old people ) The guy did a full test and went through my options. He fitted a set so I good hear what I was missing. It was like "when can I get em" Not cheap, but no batteries to piss about with and hooks to my iphone. Have been wearing them 15 hrs a day since then, except for weekends working round the house or boating etc. Changed my life, and now can join in group conversation without saying, what? what? hey what? or just getting on my phone and disappearing into my own world in the corner.

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## Max Headroom

Preserving your sense of smell is important as well.

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## Maca49

Sniffing Farts is meant to be good for your brain? Not a lot of intelligence in Rotorua though?

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## Pengy

I thought that my hearing was ok, until I went for a test arranged by a potential employer. Boy did I get a surprise.

My job involves a lot of big noisy machinery, and having to maintain contact via vhf. Chuck in a few foreign accents and BOOM...I am hopeless

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## gonetropo

i have spent allot of my career building sound equipment. in my 50's now and still have great hearing as i always took precautions. but i still keep getting " it needs to be louder" from customers. and heres what happens, they want it loud but dont want to spend the money. end result is they buy a cheaper system and thrash it to the point of clipping and distortion. end result is hearing damage. clipped audio at high volume is far more damaging that clean audio at the same volume.

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## Russian 22.

> Some little snippets for you:
> 
> - ACC only covers hearing loss from occupational exposure, not recreational shooting. The only exception to this is if you cop a one-off "accidental" event like a mate letting his big banger off very close to your ear.
> 
> - Tinnitus is not caused by excessive wax. It is an expected side effect/symptom of inner ear ( sensorineural) damage.
> 
> - You can't measure the true level of firearms noise with basic sound level meters. They will significantly under-estimate the peak level which correlates with the risk
> 
> - Noise alone will only damage high frequency hearing. You can still hear rumbling stuff at distance well but voices sound muffled/mumbly and you will be in serious trouble in noisy social situations.
> ...


Ah. I am only going off what I felt like after the ear wax removal.

I did a few concerts and loud bike rides before I wised up and started wearing ear plugs.

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## Boar Freak

> I made a big mistake on sunday, i took the pup out to get him used to firearms. I fired the 22 about 20 times moved up to the 223 and fired around 10 shots which didnt bother the pup, he was happy as so i let off 4 shots with the 308 and called it a successful day. All rifles are suppressed and i didnt wear hearing protection as i expect the dog to be okay with it. Well that may be the biggest mistake of my life so far! Later that day my left ear started ringing and is still ringing and muffled today so my doctor said if its not any better by the end of the week im off to see the ear clinic to find out how much damage i really have done.
> 
> Im going to buy another set of baffles for my dpt can so i can make it as good as possible for the dog and im going to keep my fingers crossed that my ear is not permanently damaged at 22 years of age.
> 
> *DONT BE AN IDIOT, WEAR HEARING PROTECTION IF POSSIBLE*.



I tell you something better, don't wear hearing protection and start bow hunting  :Grin: 
Obviously no good if you want to shoot those clearings the other side of the valley, but for bush stalking can be more fun (and frustrating at times) than rifle hunting.
It's quite a good feeling when the stalk ends with the zip of the arrow rather than a rifle shot. 

Living with tinnitus for 8 years now it is a frustrating thing

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## gonetropo

> I tell you something better, don't wear hearing protection and start bow hunting 
> Obviously no good if you want to shoot those clearings the other side of the valley, but for bush stalking can be more fun (and frustrating at times) than rifle hunting.
> It's quite a good feeling when the stalk ends with the zip of the arrow rather than a rifle shot. 
> 
> Living with tinnitus for 8 years now it is a frustrating thing


i miss my bow, i had a buckmaster 70lb compound, but then i came close to ripping my arm off and couldnt even pull back on a 20 let alone a serious bow. recovered now and want to get back into it.

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## Boar Freak

> i miss my bow, i had a buckmaster 70lb compound, but then i came close to ripping my arm off and couldnt even pull back on a 20 let alone a serious bow. recovered now and want to get back into it.


I know a grunty PSE Reaper 4 sale.  :Grin:

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## 6x47

> When I was tested and visited the specialist in the early 1980's ACC accepted their finding of industrial deafness. 30 plus years later on my 4th reassessment the ACC specialist has decided that only 17% is due to industrial noise, the rest is hereditary, even though I'm the only family member with any hearing loss.


Don't be fooled by the scientific-looking percentages: they're numbers largely plucked out of mid air based on clinical intuition.

In the "old days", ENT specialists were largely inclined to say it was simply industrial deafness but in the last ~ 5yrs at least, ACC have hardened their attitude, especially what they expect of specialists. One good way to damage your industrial deafness claim is to say you've done a lot of recreational shooting. Pest control as part of a job, eg farmers, is OK though

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## 6x47

> Buy an ear candle at the pharmacy. $20, vacuums out excess ear wax.


My strong advice is Don't bother. It's quackery, pure and simple. Anyone who understands physics will immediately see it is.

The preferred method of wax removal these days is micro-suction. Syringing with water is higher risk and less efficient. ACC will pay for regular recalls by ear suction nurses.

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## canross

For anyone looking for a good cost to value ratio on earmuffs take a look at the bunnings bluetooth/radio/mic tactix muffs https://www.bunnings.co.nz/tactix-bl...uffs_p05810828

I've been using them for a year now for everything - bluetooth is set to my phone so I don't miss calls, either the earmuff or phone mic pics up my voice so I don't have to take them off to answer a call in a noisy shop, I can listen to music from my phone or radio, and there's a push to activate mic so you can talk to someone without taking them off as well (new models may not have this). Heck... I've been known to wear them around the house when I want to listen to something without disturbing others. 

Charge via android cable. Don't run them flat and don't leave them charging forever to keep the Li-Ion battery from degrading, but so far not a single complaint about them. I wear them up to 8 hrs/day and am thinking of mounting a second pair to the hard hat too (I don't think they're waterproof... that might be a problem for later  :Psmiley: )

I wear them for shooting at the range as well and don't find them terrible - any earmuff is a bit of a pain with cheek weld on some stocks, but it's ok. I sometimes throw some ear plugs in as well if someone's shooting something big with a brake nearby, but generally I find them pretty good. The mic doesn't cut out at high volumes so I generally keep the mic volume on low just in case someone fires off a round.

Edit - no I don't work for bunnings, or have shares in them  :Psmiley:  Only thing to add is that I don't know the decibel reduction rating on them.... I figure it's probably not as high as other brands?

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## Cigar

It says class 5, so they should do the job.
I reckon fit has as much to do with protection as rating, poorly fitting class 5's probably give less protection than well fitted class 4's.
Comfort is very important too. Whatever the rating, none of them give any protection if they aren't being worn.

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## Tussock

> My strong advice is Don't bother. It's quackery, pure and simple. Anyone who understands physics will immediately see it is.
> 
> The preferred method of wax removal these days is micro-suction. Syringing with water is higher risk and less efficient. ACC will pay for regular recalls by ear suction nurses.


You must have missed the part where he said his suctions are no longer funded. I dare you to go watch ear candling videos on youtube.

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## Max Headroom

> Syringing with water is higher risk and less efficient.


I had been using a 12ga on rabbits, and put cotton wool in my left ear to kill the noise (ear plugs weren't as common 30 years ago as now). Some of it must've stayed in my lug hole afterwards.

 A few days later I got into a mud fight at the riverbank, and copped a handful in the side of my head at close range. Some of the mud also stayed behind and mixed with the cotton wool to form a pretty effective seal that vibrated at certain frequencies. 

I found this out one morning a day or so later while playing bass in church. Any time I played a low G the cotton/mud mix vibrated with a loud WWHHAANNGGGG noise that made it very hard to concentrate on playing the song. Which was awkward, because there were a lot of G notes in it .

Off to the doctors a few days later. After the usual chitchat he pulled out a syringe big enough to innoculate a mastodon with, filled it with water, stuck it in my left lughole, and fair leaned on it. He was not gentle at all.

 I was looking out to the right hand side, waiting for a plume of water to spray out the other earhole, but to my surprise it  it never came .
A fair fackin' torrent of mud, water and bits of cotton wool did  come out my left one though.

Syringing hurts.

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## Tussock

I think my wife ear candled me because I don't hear her so well. I'm deaf in the frequency of her voice. No recollection of what she said at all. English is her third language and she is fluent, so its hard to notice when she switches to the sentence structure of one or the other of the two, all at a fair clip. I think I do OK.

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## Rushy

On this subject has anyone used the moulded ear plugs made by Jaytod.  I am thinking about getting some made so would like some commentary if you have used them.

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## Tussock

What are your two best sound suppressing plug/earmuff options? I just bought a  un-supressed magnum and this thread reminded me I backed over my earmuffs with a tractor. 

No one mentioned percussion. When the first ultra-mags came out I lent between the muzzle brake and the cab of a ute on a spotting scope wearing plugs and muffs. Like getting punched in the head. Instant headache.

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## mikee

> On this subject has anyone used the moulded ear plugs made by Jaytod.  I am thinking about getting some made so would like some commentary if you have used them.


I have had a couple sets (not made by him) they are excellent, I used mine for Pistol Shooting and Sporting clays. Highly recommend that style.

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## Ozzy

> On this subject has anyone used the moulded ear plugs made by Jaytod.  I am thinking about getting some made so would like some commentary if you have used them.


I use them for pistol shooting also, we have a guy in the club selling them which makes it a bit easier.  I normally have them under electronic earmuffs, with the volume cranked up for the best of both worlds.  Really good noise reduction but can still have a conversation.  I usually just run the earmuffs by themselves if im not the one shooting.

I can highly recommend the MSA sordins with the gel cups, really comfortable, waterproof and good noise reduction.

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## bully

> For anyone looking for a good cost to value ratio on earmuffs take a look at the bunnings bluetooth/radio/mic tactix muffs https://www.bunnings.co.nz/tactix-bl...uffs_p05810828
> 
> I've been using them for a year now for everything - bluetooth is set to my phone so I don't miss calls, either the earmuff or phone mic pics up my voice so I don't have to take them off to answer a call in a noisy shop, I can listen to music from my phone or radio, and there's a push to activate mic so you can talk to someone without taking them off as well (new models may not have this). Heck... I've been known to wear them around the house when I want to listen to something without disturbing others. 
> 
> Charge via android cable. Don't run them flat and don't leave them charging forever to keep the Li-Ion battery from degrading, but so far not a single complaint about them. I wear them up to 8 hrs/day and am thinking of mounting a second pair to the hard hat too (I don't think they're waterproof... that might be a problem for later )
> 
> I wear them for shooting at the range as well and don't find them terrible - any earmuff is a bit of a pain with cheek weld on some stocks, but it's ok. I sometimes throw some ear plugs in as well if someone's shooting something big with a brake nearby, but generally I find them pretty good. The mic doesn't cut out at high volumes so I generally keep the mic volume on low just in case someone fires off a round.
> 
> Edit - no I don't work for bunnings, or have shares in them  Only thing to add is that I don't know the decibel reduction rating on them.... I figure it's probably not as high as other brands?


Thanks, I have been using Bluetooth headphones in a machine which isn't too noisy, mostly good for answering the phone, and they cost way more! I might try some.

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## Russian 22.

> On this subject has anyone used the moulded ear plugs made by Jaytod.  I am thinking about getting some made so would like some commentary if you have used them.


They're allowed on their own at the nzda Auckland range. So are probably class 5. Although my disposable class 5 plugs are not. So I wear plugs and muffs

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## bully

> Thanks, I have been using Bluetooth headphones in a machine which isn't too noisy, mostly good for answering the phone, and they cost way more! I might try some.


I brought some today, they seem fine but there is no way to manual tune a radio station, unless you know something I don't.... In that case they are rubbish to me, they can only auto tune stations, that maybe ok in perfect reception, but I hardley ever have that. The idea and the other features seem ok, can't comment on sound quality as yet.

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## matto1234

So ended up going to get a hearing test, my right ear is perfectly and my left ear is not as bad as i suspected. I have lost some hearing at 3khz but the rest is at normal levels which is lucky. The ringing (tinnitus) could take 6months to go away or never just depends on the individual apparently. 

So all and all not too bad of an outcome and ill be a damn more careful in the future now.

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## bully

> So ended up going to get a hearing test, my right ear is perfectly and my left ear is not as bad as i suspected. I have lost some hearing at 3khz but the rest is at normal levels which is lucky. The ringing (tinnitus) could take 6months to go away or never just depends on the individual apparently. 
> 
> So all and all not too bad of an outcome and ill be a damn more careful in the future now.


Coke zero, nicotine and probably other stuff makes the ringing louder. It just kind of creeped up on me, It's there all the time, but these things make it worse. I'm mostly used to it now.

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## jacksimonton

I think hearing protection is necessary for all of us. The loud noise is harmful to our ear and may cause tinnitus, which is not curable. What is the difference between generic earplugs and electronic earplugs?

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## stagstalker

Found out I had hearing damage in my right ear at 18 years old when I joined the Army. Attributed to plenty of duck shooting and centrefire rifles with no ear pro on. Pretty big wake up call about the importance of hearing protection...

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## SiB

@jacksimonton
Ordinary (passive) ear muffs and plugs are simply a foam type material that deaden the sound - effectively too if you buy class 5 gear not budget gear

Electronic earmuffs (and some plugs) have microphones, with the ability to slightly amplify ordinary conversations so you can hear them with muffs on, and special circuitry that switches off any loud noises. 

Ive just switched from the usual passive to electronic.  Very happy

Note the previous comments that a foam type plug inside electronic muffs is also possible for loud environmental noises

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## SiB

@jacksimonton
Ordinary (passive) ear muffs and plugs are simply a foam type material that deaden the sound - effectively too if you buy class 5 gear not budget gear

Electronic earmuffs (and some plugs) have microphones, with the ability to slightly amplify ordinary conversations so you can hear them with muffs on, and special circuitry that switches off any loud noises. 

Ive just switched from the usual passive to electronic.  Very happy

Note the previous comments that a foam type plug inside electronic muffs is also possible for loud environmental noises

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## Russian 22.

Anyone have first hand experience with using the electronic ear muffs with a unsuppressed rifle?

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## Maca49

> Anyone have first hand experience with using the electronic ear muffs with a unsuppressed rifle?


Yep use them with my 45/70s, they click out, just in time :Thumbsup:

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## Russian 22.

> Yep use them with my 45/70s, they click out, just in time


How much noise dampening do you feel?

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## Mathias

> Anyone have first hand experience with using the electronic ear muffs with a unsuppressed rifle?


Yep, I find they are not enough for my braked 260 and wear Grade 4 muffs, this is for range use. I've got the Peltor Sport Tac.

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## zimmer

> Anyone have first hand experience with using the electronic ear muffs with a unsuppressed rifle?


Yep, range use with 308s, 284s, 7mmSAUMs.

MSA Sordins. Wouldn't be happy to trust the cheapies. I already have substantial hearing loss from the days when only weaklings wore muffs.

On the odd occassion due to other shooters nearby have also used throwaway ear plugs under my electronic muffs.

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## 223nut

Just got my first braked rifle (7mm wsm). First few shots with 3m plugs (usually have foam disposables) and my howard leight electronic muffs. No issues, lost the muffs and went just plugs for the next few and noticed a difference.

Havent used the electronic side other than at the range which they were great for.

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## jacksimonton

> @jacksimonton
> Ordinary (passive) ear muffs and plugs are simply a foam type material that deaden the sound - effectively too if you buy class 5 gear not budget gear
> 
> Electronic earmuffs (and some plugs) have microphones, with the ability to slightly amplify ordinary conversations so you can hear them with muffs on, and special circuitry that switches off any loud noises. 
> 
> Ive just switched from the usual passive to electronic.  Very happy
> 
> Note the previous comments that a foam type plug inside electronic muffs is also possible for loud environmental noises


Thanks for your beautiful response.

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## MSL

> Yep, range use with 308s, 284s, 7mmSAUMs.
> 
> MSA Sordins. Wouldn't be happy to trust the cheapies. I already have substantial hearing loss from the days when only weaklings wore muffs.
> 
> On the odd occassion due to other shooters nearby have also used throwaway ear plugs under my electronic muffs.


I use sordins with my braked 7mm, they work well, especially with the gel cup.

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## sako75

Helped the neighbour across the road do a fence using his nail gun. Came away with tinnitus 
Sometimes don’t notice it and sometimes quite annoying 
Would have only taken 5min to get earmuffs from home and now a life sentence

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## GWH

I had a cockup while hunting with the braked 28 Nosler over the weekend.

Had plugs in ready to shoot a deer, deer went out of sight, plugs out to talk to mate further back up the hill on the uhf to see if he could still see the 3 deer (which he could) the one I wanted to shoot then quickly came back into my view and presented a shot thru a very small opening in the bush, I let rip with the plugs still hanging on their string around my neck.

The moment I pulled the trigger I realised my mistake. Ringing in my ears for hours and they were sore for the rest of the night but not bad by morning.

I know I will have done damage and will have lost some hearing, but I think I ended getting off lightly.

I do have a feeling I'll regret that mistake for life tho.

I'm pretty pissed off with myself.

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## jacksimonton

Earplug is the key to protect hearing, but we need to make the right decision. The loud noise is one of the best reason for tinnitus, which is not curable.

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## davetapson

Anyone notice that tinnitus is more noticeable when you are miserable than happy..?

Always wondered what's up with that.

Or is it just me?

But I know when my tinnitus is bugging me it's time for a meeting with myself about my lifestyle choices.

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## 35desoto

> Anyone notice that tinnitus is more noticeable when you are miserable than happy..?
> 
> Always wondered what's up with that.
> 
> Or is it just me?
> 
> But I know when my tinnitus is bugging me it's time for a meeting with myself about my lifestyle choices.


I hate loosing to myself when I argue with myself. SOB loosing to yourself Bloody hell no justice in that one sided goddarn argument

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## Micky Duck

got a head cold....left ear is ringing constantly....are as grumpy as a grumpy bastard....poor wife keeps getting grumped at and even the dogs are giving me a wide berth.....
got work tomorrow and just know already how little fun that will be...with head cold communication becomes a real effort
look after your hearing.

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## sixtus

some people can blast their ears to deafness without a squeak of tinnitus, some people get tinnitus matching hearing loss, and some can lose very little or no hearing and get a lot of tinnitus.You get used to it, but as the above blokes say you would rather not have it. I got 10-15 high pitch whines oscillating in my left ear, crickets in the background and hissing behind my head... though that could be snakes creeping up on me this is Australia after all. 

I reckon this is one of the reasons people preferred longer barrels a couple of generations ago before hearing protection was common. Sudden mild hearing loss and tinnitus was seen as a pretty good reason not to chop high powered rifles down to 20". With a longer barrel, not only is the noise further from the ears, the muzzle pressure has more time to drop, which contributes to less db blast.

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## Russian 22.

> Yep, I find they are not enough for my braked 260 and wear Grade 4 muffs, this is for range use. I've got the Peltor Sport Tac.


These would be for bush stalking with a 30 30 or 243. I always bring decent ear Pro if it's a longer shot where I have time. 




> Yep, range use with 308s, 284s, 7mmSAUMs.
> 
> MSA Sordins. Wouldn't be happy to trust the cheapies. I already have substantial hearing loss from the days when only weaklings wore muffs.
> 
> On the odd occassion due to other shooters nearby have also used throwaway ear plugs under my electronic muffs.


Sounds good. 




> Helped the neighbour across the road do a fence using his nail gun. Came away with tinnitus 
> Sometimes dont notice it and sometimes quite annoying 
> Would have only taken 5min to get earmuffs from home and now a life sentence


Yeah it's very annoying. Simply will never have real peace and quiet. The tapping the back of your head doesn't work for me.

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## jacksimonton

> Found out I had hearing damage in my right ear at 18 years old when I joined the Army. Attributed to plenty of duck shooting and centrefire rifles with no ear pro on. Pretty big wake up call about the importance of hearing protection...


The loud noise is harmful to our ear and may cause tinnitus, which is not curable or may cause some other ear disease if you lost your hearing, so you miss someone beautiful speech. I think safety must come first. The earplug is the key to hearing protection, but we need to make our right decision.

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## jacksimonton

What're your thoughts on electronic hearing protection? I think electronic earplugs are best than generic earplugs at the time of the shooting.

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## mikee

> What're your thoughts on electronic hearing protection? I think electronic earplugs are best than generic earplugs at the time of the shooting.


I find them distracting to use for range shooting. Good for hunting

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## Sakoswarosorted

Does the concussion wave itself that hits you with a side and rear facing muzzle brake damage your hearing? I’m wearing double hearing protection with my brake but I often get ringing that evening

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## Maca49

The hearing aids I wear, help control my Tinnitus, they can tune it out. Didnt wear them this weekend and needed them by the time I got home, screaming grand kids all weekend, I can tune them out as well. :Cool:

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## Moutere

> Does the concussion wave itself that hits you with a side and rear facing muzzle brake damage your hearing? I’m wearing double hearing protection with my brake but I often get ringing that evening


Are your ear muffs rated class 5?

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## H.M

My ears also ring non stop (age 29), from not wearing hearing protection when younger while shooting and also loud rock/metal concerts. Have to say i wish i had worn ear plugs as it drives me crazy. And also can not hear high pitch noise and any loud noises at work like dropping steel on concrete etc makes me cringe. Wear hearing protection trust me!!

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## Sakoswarosorted

> Are your ear muffs rated class 5?


yeah they are

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## 264 magic

chopping barrels below 24 inches is foolish too,,regardless if youre going to put a suppressor on,,24 and a suppressor and your grand kids will be able to have a conversation with you

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## timattalon

> chopping barrels below 24 inches is foolish too,,regardless if youre going to put a suppressor on,,24 and a suppressor and your grand kids will be able to have a conversation with you


Not so much barrel length, but making sure your load has burnt ALL the powder before the end of the barrel. I had a couple of Mosin Nagants, a Polish Carbine (20") and a 26" 91/30. With factory ammo the flash and bang out the front of the Polish carbine was amazing...but the extra 6 inches of barel on the 91/30 meant that it was more like a 303 with no flash and a much reduced noise as all the powder was burnt in the barrel. By using a faster burning powder I was able to get the most out of a similar rifle with an 18 inch barrel that uses all the powder and keeps the Bang to a minimum.

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## A330driver

I have these....Pelter Tactical 500....Electronic hearing Protectors....end of story!!!

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## sixtus

> Not so much barrel length, but making sure your load has burnt ALL the powder before the end of the barrel. I had a couple of Mosin Nagants, a Polish Carbine (20") and a 26" 91/30. With factory ammo the flash and bang out the front of the Polish carbine was amazing...but the extra 6 inches of barel on the 91/30 meant that it was more like a 303 with no flash and a much reduced noise as all the powder was burnt in the barrel. By using a faster burning powder I was able to get the most out of a similar rifle with an 18 inch barrel that uses all the powder and keeps the Bang to a minimum.


barrel length is still a big deal. Muzzle pressure, which also contributes to the bang, will still be higher in a shorter barrel all else being equal. For example in a 22LR you get complete burn of the tiny 1-2 grain powder charge before 16", but barrels at 20, 22" and 24" still sound  quieter the longer they are.

Also 357 lever guns, you load a fast burner its almost top speed in 16-18" barrel. But big difference between 16", 20, 24" noise wise

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## sixtus

> What're your thoughts on electronic hearing protection? I think electronic earplugs are best than generic earplugs at the time of the shooting.


For muffs their maximum protection is usually lower than the best standard earmuffs, 20-27db reduction levels vs compared to 33-35db. Not sure about the plugs though? you should be able to google it.

As to question above, can blast from muzzle brakes beside you damage ears through hearing protection, especially if you notice ringing afterwards. Yes. 

Some hearing protection ratings, like for the lightest muffs and lower electronic stuff can be as low as 21DB reduction. That means a magnum or short barrel muzzle braked gun, running almost 170db is hitting you with neatly 150db, or roughly the same as a 410 shotgun without hearing protection. You need to work out what you are dealing with and do the math.

I think most people using decent hearing protection are not going to have many problems. The idea is if you are worried or the type of guy who wants the most protection, you double up on hearing protection, particularly at the range. Hunting game you only fire a certain amount of shots anyway. At a range shoot you can be exposed to more gunfire in a day than a lifetime of hunting, since you get the blast and reflected sound from everyone elses guns.

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## A330driver

AN OFFER.......anyone who wants some of these earplugs(foam)...let me know Ill post you some....these are brilliant and work very well.....send me and address and Ill send you a dozen....look at the reviews

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## Joe_90

> Attachment 123358
> 
> 
> AN OFFER.......anyone who wants some of these earplugs(foam)...let me know Ill post you some....these are brilliant and work very well.....send me and address and Ill send you a dozen....look at the reviews


They are bloody great things. These and the SparkPlug brand work very well.

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## Maca49

> I have these....Pelter Tactical 500....Electronic hearing Protectors....end of story!!!
> 
> 
> Attachment 123175


So you dont have to listen to the co pilot and cabin crew bitching?

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