By Craig S.
Rhode Island is at its best in October; Newport has its Oktoberfest and pumpkin flavored beers come out of the woodworks. Stressed out college students are eagerly waiting midterm grades. And finally, muzzleloader and shotgun deer season is just around the corner. And that has me trying out some hearing protection for shooting. Yes, this is a review of hearing protection products…three in fact. If you’re looking for a sexy girl with an AR, a passionate rant about the right to keep and bear arms or some harebrained home defense strategy like Joe Biden’s “Just shoot the ceiling twice with a double barreled shotgun” plan, please press the back button. Otherwise, come on in . . .
Hearing protection, along with eye protection is always something that tends to get little airtime. Some people think the products out there just don’t change over time. That’s partially correct. The market hasn’t evolved at the rate guns and ammo have, but hearing protection has became much more advanced in recent years. And ear pro is extremely important. Every public or private gun range requires it, at least the ones I know, and every shooter and bystander should plug their ears at all times when in the presence of gunfire.
The three products covered here are Champion Hearing Protection Foam Ear Plugs (what I call “five cent throwaways”) and two from SensGard; the SG26 (noise reduction rating of 26 decibels) and SG31 (if you guessed that the noise reduction rating of these babies is 31 decibels, you’re correct). I’ve been using the Champion ear plugs for the last year and a half and I have previously felt that they were better than adequate when it came to any firearm that’s .30 caliber or smaller rifle (.30-06, 7.62x54r, .303), a non-magnum handgun, and the standard 12-gauge shotgun with 2.75” shotshells. The SensGard plugs were new to me.
To test this troika of sound prevention, I needed something relatively loud. Not something that would shake the snow off a pine tree by the power of its Thu’um, but not something that sounds like an unruly squirrel rustling in the leaves. The answer was simple; a M91/30, the 7.62x54r bargain basement deal Mosin that won the Great Patriotic War. In my experience, my M91/30 is a little louder than a .303 SMLE No. 1 MkIII*, much louder than a 7.62×39 AK and is noticeably quieter than .30-06 deer rifle with a 24” barrel. It’s right in the middle in terms of loudness when it comes to .30 caliber rifles and most People of the Gun own some sort of .30 caliber rifle; anything above that is a head turner. The ammo I was using was 1950s production Bulgarian surplus; brass casing, Berdan primed, corrosive and fireball inducing in the right conditions. I ended up touching off about 70 shots for this review.
The first product I tried was the SG26 (about $25). They’re similar to headphones; they adjust by pushing the two halves either closer together or farther apart. When I tried the SG26 on before arriving at the range, I noticed that loud sounds, like wind get converted into a sort of white noise. The foam part that goes into the ear go into the ear canal a little, but they don’t fully plug or block it.
The sound of the M91/30 and the ARs around me was much different than what I was used to. The rifles sounded more like they were being shot indoors rather than outdoors. However, the SG26s do provide adequate hearing protection. That is, when they actually stay on your head. Both the SG26 and the SG31 simply wouldn’t stay on my noggin. They tended to work loose, fall forward into my face and sometimes the Mosin’s recoil simply blew them out of my ears.
The prolonged recoil and noise didn’t affect me until about 30 shots into the SG26s. They got loose occasionally, but after 30 shots, these were so loose and shaky that they were completely ineffective. Having to put a loaded rifle down to repeatedly adjust hearing protection is unacceptable and a potential way to get in trouble with a range officer. Luckily, no one noticed or mentioned my issues with the SensGards.
To their credit, both of the SensGard models I tried are adequate in my opinion for light shooting, such as rimfire, hunting or emptying out a carry pistol’s magazine. But they were completely inadequate for sustained centerfire shooting, especially from a standing position. These things would simply not stay on my head. SensGard claims on the package that these allow the user to engage in conversation and hear other sounds, i.e. the sounds of animals or people talking. After about 35 shots with the SG26s, I went back to my truck and inserted the old reliable Champion ear plugs.
The biggest benefit (and downfall) of traditional ear plugs is how they’re inserted into the ear. Roll – don’t squish – the narrow part of the plugs, lick them, then stick them into the ear canal. If done properly, the stoppels will expand inside the ear canal and form a solid barrier against sound. In my case, the plugs go so far in and form such a good seal that I always end up pulling earwax out of my head when I remove them. Speaking of, the earplugs’ other downside is that they are not easy to remove and re-insert. They also inhibit conversations and ambient sounds. I’m very satisfied with Champion earplugs for shooting at the range, but they simply block out too many sounds to be effective for hunting.
The SG31s (about $32) were a joke. I fired a dozen shots with them and after each one, I had to readjust them in my ear. The level of hearing protection doesn’t seem any better than the SG26s. Five decibels simply isn’t enough of an improvement to warrant another model in my experience when dealing with firearms. Firearms simply are too loud to notice a difference in five decibels.
Overall, I give the SensGard products a C+. They do reduce the sounds of gunfire and they allow the user to hear ambient sounds. However, for my head, they wouldn’t stay on and that’s too much of a distraction and safety hazard to be effective enough for me. I was lucky that no one had a REAL rifle at the range – something like a .300 Winchester Magnum or a .338 Lapua Magnum. So I’ll stick to my Champion plugs, but understand that earplugs won’t work for everyone. The right answer, in short, is to find out what works for you. Shoot well and shoot safely.
The simple answer here is that if you want to be able to hear game sounds, have conversations at the range, etc then you are going to spend at least $75-$100 for the least expensive but still quality set of ear muffs like the Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs, which work very well outdoors. Indoors, I would not recommend using them as they are not rated for the sound range you will get on an indoor range.
+1 on the Howard Leight Impact Sports. I just used a pair this weekend for deer and dove hunting. I could hear everything around me, but no ringing after 80+ shots of 12 ga and 30-30.
As a hearing conservationist, I’ve tried SensGards, and have mixed feelings about them; I won’t knock the devices entirely, but personally, I’m not crazy about them. My personal preference is soft foam earplugs in combination with earmuffs, especially when shooting under a metal cover. Just to comment on a couple of other points however- I won’t tell you not to lick your earplugs, but I’d caution that it’s a bit… unhygienic, and when training others, I don’t recommend they do so. Also, the difference between 26 and 31dB doesn’t seem like a lot, but an understanding of the exchange rate (5 dB increase/decrease in protection = safe exposure time is doubled/halved, respectively, per OSHA, or 3 dB using ACGIH standards), the difference becomes significant, very quickly! As for the ease in removing them, try this trick- give them a gentle twist before you remove them. You should feel the seal release, and you can then remove the earplugs without popping them like champagne corks. For people who have difficulty grasping the earplugs to remove them, many come in stringed versions that may make it easier to get a grip on them, or with posts in them for easier grasping. Just my .02 worth :).
3M has ‘real’ earplugs (meaning that they go in the ear canal) with ‘acoustic chambers’, like the Sensguard. The fact the Sensguards are reported to fall off is not good, especially not with other people shooting in your surroundings. They have a model with two ways of putting it in, one fully blocking, the other one using the acoustic chamber. The model I have sits nicely in the ear and has a pushpin to block the chamber (so it’ll be like a traditional plug) and open it pushes loud sounds down really well, while only attenuating normal level sounds by something like 7dB. That means I can talk normally to people and hear stuff on the range, while at the same time the booms get nicely adjusted. I was surprised with how well they work.
Thank you for this review. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is (or should be) such an important part of the firearm experience that I’ve always been surprised by how little press it gets.
I would love to see a future review and/or comparison of some of the excellent electronic earmuffs that are currently available. With prices of certain models exceeding $300 I just haven’t been able to bring myself to purchase a set (yet).
Having been around sheepherders here in the west and knowing a little bit about how they handle predators, yes, a versatile shotgun is what their Asia Minor counterparts would probably carry. Otherwise, I’ve seen them carry lots of .22’r. Nothing fancy. Never, ever anything fancy. Sheepmen, regardless of where in the world they are, don’t tend to put a lot of capital into their operations. For the cost of an AR, they could buy enough food and fuel to keep the sheep herder on the job for perhaps three months.
Most of the predation issue is addressed with dogs. Not little barking dustmop dogs that most people here in the US seem to adore. No, I mean Real Dogs. Dogs whose withers come most of the way up to your hip. Dogs that can run at 35MPH for a mile. Dogs that when they get hold of a coyote, they play with it like a rag doll. Dogs that make pit bulls run the other way. In other words, flock guard dogs; a minimum of 100 to 110lbs, in excellent shape, possessed of a hard, independent mind that bonds with the sheep. No instructions or training are necessary – the protection instinct has been bred into these dogs for hundreds to thousands of years. In Turkey, they have beasts like the Kangal and the Anatolian, which are both dogs to be reckoned with.
The shotguns… they’re for putting down the result of the guard dog’s savage curb-stomp of the predators.
Big sheep operators running flocks of 2,000 to 10,000 ewes will have one dog for every, oh, 700 or so sheep.
My guard dog was smart enough to know to look to see whether I was holding a rifle when a coyote was on our land. If I had empty hands, it was “game on.” If I was holding a rifle, he’d hang back and wait to see what I’d do. Shotguns, even with only #6 birdshot, take down a coyote pretty darn well at close range. If I had to deal with wolves around livestock, I’d step up to something like BB or T shot.
The secret to dealing with predators like this is to not kill them too quickly.
Unicorn Farts!
Nice read BTW
it sounds kinda gross, but I reuse my foam ear plugs. I’ve got loud neighbors and use ear plugs every night to drown them/their dogs out. Some brands are better than others, but some are good for 2 weeks’ worth of consecutive use. That at least amortizes the cost.
For shooting, +1 on the Howard Leight Impact Sport (around $40 from Amazon). If i’m shooting a lot of centerfire at the indoor range, it’s wise to double up and use foamies under the muffs.
First let me say I lean more to the traditional side of things in general.
With a .22 LR, .223 & .30-06 a person can do anything that needs done in North America. Now I will go on and say that when you include the large brown/grizzly bears, the .30-06 would not be my first choice, however I have done it. That said, I’m not a fan of every new “high speed low drag” whatever round that comes out each year. BUT, a LOT of people have been looking for a round that is better than the .223/5.56 for personal defense & medium game hunting. Of course the 7.62X39 has been around for a long time and is a good round, but most guns it is chambered in leave us wishing for more accuracy! Now, someone has come up with the .300 Blackout, which is more powerful than the 7.62X39, in a platfrorm that is almost always more accurate and all a person has to do is change a barrel on their AR-15 and EVERYTHING else stays the same. It sounds like the least amount of $$ & equipment change to gain a lot over the 223/5.56. I will give it to the “nay sayers”, the .300 Blackout ammo is more expensive than either .223/5/56 & 7.62X39, but you are getting better performance.
Bottom line, I’m not rushing out to buy one………yet. I’ll continue to monitor the situation as I use my .22 LR, .223 & .30-06 to do what needs done (when using a rifle). Handguns & calibers are a whole other discussion………
Glock
What about electronic ear muffs?
I have been looking for ear muffs with some features I would like:
– Electronic (or whatever else that can dampen loud noise while not dampening low sounds).
– Being able to listen to music (connect to MP3 or phone).
– Noise Reduction Rating of 30db.
– Large muffs (I have large ears which make most ear pro uncomfortable).
I cant seem to find any ear muffs with all these characteristics.
If the GOP can’t beat the dems this year. If the best they can muster is Romney or Newt for another run then our gun rights may very well be toast we all know Bloomer is gonna be pumpin money into the DNC to back their boy so it’ll be tough to beat them just based on air time the last thing we need is another idiotic GOP candidate like Newt or Romney.
Bloomer is gonna be pumpin money into the DNC to back their boy
Don’t you mean their girl?
One more successful recall flips the majority. If “The Hick” is so opposed to Bloomberg why did he (1) take “short round’s” money in the first place, and (2) cause all the trouble in the first place by not vetoing all that anti-gun legislation he was so proud to sign off on. And yes, it’s the control of the Colorado Senate and loss at the Governor’s manse that he sees drifting away, like a dream that fades away bringing you a harsh reality.
Normally pre Obama days Colorado would be dead set against any gun control. but I haven’t lived in the state for 10 years now. People say the only reason Obama won in Colorado was the youth vote (young and stupid vote) brought out by the legalize pot initiative. However, If they House and State Senate are about to turn Republican again the Governor is smart to tone down the gun control rhetoric. Only the Denver, Boulder and pockets of old money liberals in Aspen, Steamboat ski towns are liberal. Fort Collins and Colorado Springs are conservative as are the Eastern plains and Western Slope towns. Lots of takers moved into Denver and Boulder from California. Colorado has streak of Libertarianism going back to the mining days when my Great Great Grandfather settled there with his Cherokee bride. As they were discriminated elsewhere. It was a mining state where miners married the whores and it was a let and live state.
Any bets on whether the dems taking his money under the table? Odds are he will offer and they will take!
Not getting bogged down in the terms is a big thing for me. I am a gun guy, I am a technical guy, I can argue ballistics based on bullet weight and exactly what the NFA process is for getting a suppressor because I have done it. However, when shooting with a newbie I think back to the first time I went out on a sailboat with a friend. He was beating nautical terms into me, and I just kept thinking wow this is annoying, when can we come about and go back to land. Don’t be that guy. Oh, and always bring a 22. Especially if they said they wanted to shoot a magnum, Desert Eagle, S&W 500, .45, or .380 pocket pistol, that way they can work up to the thing they think they want to shoot.
Which would I grab? It totally depends on the context and what caliber the Glock is.
If the context is a home defense handgun for things that go “bump” in the night, I would prefer the Glock assuming it is .40 S&W or .45 ACP (although I have never heard of an extended Glock magazine for .45 ACP).
If the context is everyday carry, I would take the 1911 over the Glock.
If the context is shooting fun at the range, I would take the Glock if it shoots less expensive ammunition.
I believe guards working for cash in transit companies up here in Canada used these (stainless, with rubber grips), until they switched to .40 pistols a few years ago. The various city police generally used S&Ws with blued finishes, before they too switched to pistols in the early 1990s, as did the Mounties, OPP and SQ. I never saw bobbed hammers. Unfortunately, these are now classified as a ‘prohibited’ (not illegal, but incredibly difficult to get a license for) firearm, since their barrels are under 105mm length–a completely arbitrary rule. The only people who carry revolvers anymore in Canada are the odd trapper, geologist, wildlife photographer, etc. with a wilderness ATC permit, usually for a .44 magnum or greater, for protection from wild animals.