Thread: Hunting without a suppressor.......... ear plugs or cop the lot?

Nice thread!

Wish I wore protection properly over the last 30 yrs.
The cicadas in my left ear love it tho😆

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When I was young ear muffs were rare. In the army there was cotton wool at the range but they told us only sissies used it. I have mostly worked in noisy places.
Now I have constant cicadas in both ears and am 63% deaf.Its standard industrial deafness. Hearing aids help but not when there's background noise. Going out socially is a waste of time.
Wear hearing protection whenever you can or you will pay for it.

jesus , its almost as if wrote this , 100% the same ........tinnitus is the worst ever , I wish I was smart enough to use earmuffs as a boy ...teenager...young adult... adult...etc etc

Originally Posted by Brian

When I was young ear muffs were rare. In the army there was cotton wool at the range but they told us only sissies used it. I have mostly worked in noisy places.
Now I have constant cicadas in both ears and am 63% deaf.Its standard industrial deafness. Hearing aids help but not when there's background noise. Going out socially is a waste of time.
Wear hearing protection whenever you can or you will pay for it.

Me to I'm the same as you two as well

Amazon is the place to get the Howard Leigh muffs from. I regularly wear them for hours at a stretch and they are comfy enough. On a hot day they keep the sun off your ears and in a cold day they keep them warm. You're ears do get a little sweaty and the pressure can hurt after a long time so you do have to take them off occasionally. I even wear them while shooting my suppressed 223 because it all adds up over time.

I Too use muffs and a suppressor. Admittedly the muffs get left behind occasionally but never the suppressor. I use Howard Leights as they are slim and comfortable, but at the range, when I am using large calibre centrefire (7mmRem etc) I ditch the electronic ones and use Peltor ones as the percussion and noise inside the bunker is enough to lift the ear piece and cause discomfort.

I got my Howard Leights from Amazon, and all my others from Leed safety in St Asaph st. Most safety shops carry these. There are some really good ones out there. Check out ones for Airport staff- They have to be good if they are to be used on runways.

The advantage with decent electronic ones is while they block out loud noises like gun shops, lawn mowers and chainsaws, they also amplify quiet noises like streams and little pigs grunting that I would otherwise miss so they do not hinder me in any way.

Not using a suppressor or Ear protection because it "gets in the way", or is "extra crap on a rifle" is exactly like not using a seatbelt because it "gets in the way" or is "extra crap" in the car and restricts movement. They wont need warm gear either, it will be just extra crap they have to carry. Be hard, leave the earmuffs at home with the jacket. Gunshots won't hurt you just like the cold can't touch you.

Too people who consciously decide to not use protection, then expect the public health system to help with their problems- I say" Man up and protect what no health system can fix." Put them on or bugger off.

Just as well this is in writing otherwise I never know about this thread, treat your ears as you do your willy and don't expose them to nasties that will damage them, the next time I hear silence! I'll be dead! That's the worse I can't hear silence what a treasure to give up.

That's a strange way of looking at it timattalon

I have 2 sets of the Howard Leights and they are great at amplifying sounds but my ones are shit protection wise. I have to wear plugs under them.

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Originally Posted by R93

I have 2 sets of the Howard Leights and they are great at amplifying sounds but my ones are shit protection wise. I have to wear plugs under them.

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Same, they don't seem to seal well behind the ears imo
Msr are awesome with cans but reach for the grade 5 peltors with brakes


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When ever I shoot at the range I always use plugs and ear muffs. I leave the plugs in if I am not shooting but others are as you can still hear well enough to hold a conversation yet not get you ears rung if someone close by takes a sneaky shot.
Plugs and muffs are a must when shooting any major power factor compensated pistol or rifle in a confined space like a room.
When hunting I use a compact pair of electronic ear muffs. I can hear more with these on then when they are off and my hearing is not far of 100% still.
My dad is deaf as (Old Farmer) so keen not to follow in his foot steps.

There a places like Woodhill that don't allow suppressors & think a lot of forestry blocks will soon follow suit.
Personally I only use ear protection for sighting in or checking zero & target shooting .
The problems I've seen with over barrel suppressors makes me wonder why anyone would bother.Fire 3 shots with a suppressor & the unscrew it & see if you can hold onto the barrel. Shot #4 is likely to go wide due to heat ,8 - 10" is common.
In a normal hunting situation you'll fire 1 or 2 shots. You'll probably be subjected to more D/B's all day in a lot of jobs & the night club is a good place to screw up your hearing.
Turn the sounds down at work might be a good place to start.

Hearing, eyes, teeth. You only get the one set and it's madness to chuck it away unnecessarily.

Its interesting reading the replies here. I'm pretty much completely deaf in my left ear(born that way) so I'm very conscious of my right ear. Myself and a friend had a big clay bird session during the week, I wore plugs as usual but he didn't use any protection the whole time, silly bugger!!