Would somebody answer that damn phone!

I wear plugs plus muffs. But I am shooting out doors with rifles.

Most people only seem to wear plugs.

The muffs are kind of annoying. My plugs are -33 db rated... should I keep wearing the muffs?

Will be shooting .223 from a 16" rifle.

My personal experience is that muffs are better.

Earplugs are exacting science, you have to get them in just right. If you don't, might as well not.

And, I found that that GOOD ear muffs are way better. I had some cheap ones I used for years and they were not worth the cheap price I paid. Got some good ones, oh baby what a difference.

Go for the muffs, IMO.

I'm sure muffs and plugs are best, but if you're that paranoid, then you probably put on a poncho to go on the log flume at Disney World (I've actually seen someone do that). I'm a couple months short of 39, have been wearing nothing but plugs since I was 13, muffs before 13, and have been shooting since I was under 10, including indoor and outdoor, weapons of all caliber from .17 to .50, a huge variety of loads for those calibers, and shotguns from .410 to 12 ga slugs, and I have no problems with hearing. I would guess I shoot 10,000 - 15,000 rounds a year. It's like anything in life, common sense.

You probably have a better chance of getting hit by a bus on the way home from the range as you do losing your hearing if you're wearing 33db plugs in properly....and in properly is indeed the key. Good muffs are much more screw up proof but also absurdly cumbersome IMO.

I don't care, but I'm telling you what I do with my kids and myself...that is muffs until they're old enough to properly put in the plugs.

The two year old gets muffs, btw.

JK.

I've fired large caliber guns since I was, oh, about seven years old. And they hurt my ears. We'd go home from a day at the range or out in the toolies and my ears would just ring. It just never occurred to me there was damage being done. We never wore muffs or plugs or even cotton balls in our ears. Nothing.

Years later I began to understand (with my limited capacity for understanding) that what was going on was damage. That pain meant damage. So I started stuffing my ear canals with cotton. Not too great, but better than nothing.

Since then, I have hearing loss and tinnitus, no doubt about that. But when I shoot, which is rare these days, I wear muffs. I remember one time, maybe the last time I went out to shoot, I had the .45 ready and forgot to "put on my ears". BANG! Gawd that hurt.

One or the other is fine outdoors, indoors you're looking at cumulative hearing damage eventually by not "doubling up". I've got Peltor regular and electronic muffs, and they are so comfortable you almost hate taking them off, could it be that you've got an uncomfortable set of muffs?

I will use both plugs and muffs when I can. However with many rifles the muffs get in the way and I will then just use the plugs.

When I was first in the service we didn't use them. It wasn't macho and old soldiers would say you aren't going to be wearing them in combat so learn to deal with it. Later that changed. But now, ; like 20mm said, I have hearing loss and tinnitus. One of my service disabilities.

Shooting glasses are another thing I am adjusting to post-service. I dislike them. Another thing that gets in the way with some rifles.

Yeah, I have some cheap $13 pair of muffs with some cheap plugs.

I don't do indoor ranges.

Just got some Daniel Defense A1.5 rear sights today. Will get some pics up.

Also got 250 rounds of .223. So now I just need to figure out how to tighten my sights, zero them, and then I can go shooting.



Tried some expensive Peltor muffs, and they got in the way of the AK stock.

I also don't like shooting glasses. IMO it is pretty annoying. Put any type of glasses on me, and I will get a head ache pretty quickly.

Glasses IMO are very important to me...too much gasses, flying brass going every direction (specially SKS's with ceilings and walls), fire flint fragments and hot powder (muzzle loading blackpowder- very fun!). Then there is the threat of ruptured case heads, out of battery ignition...so go try on many different types of eyewear so something works, but do wear SOMETHING!

This is what I use:
http://www.degilsafety.com/canadian/products.php?country=canadian&id=7