What ear muffs do you wear when hunting with a pistol? I normally just stuck a regular plastic or foam ear plug in my left ear to muffle the shot. [I am right handed] There are a lot of good ear muffs on the market that block out the shot sound but increase your hearing for getting game. I would like to hear your thoughts.

Pro ears golds

Walkers Quad Power Muffs - I keep them "at ready", and slide into place and turn on when I see or hear game approaching. The Quad design helps with directional hearing.

I also have a set of Howard Leight Impact Sports that I use for long guns, and they work well in the handgun application too.

I use the pro ears predator gold. They are the best ones I've found for hunting. I don't get a lot of wind noise and they are light. It has a mic on each ear cup so you do get some directional indications.

X2

When I first started shooting there wasn't much info around about hearing protection. Over the decades I know my hearing has suffered due to inferior hearing protection. I need to protect what little hearing is left. These days I use Pro Ear Gold. They are the best I've used by far. Highest noise protection, very good filtering system and clear amplification of voice etc.

The only problem with muffs is that they wont fit under a broad-brimmed hat or some of the head camo. It'd be good if anyone knows of a field reliable amplified ear plug system with similar protection levels.

What ever use choose, make sure it gives the best possible noise protection available. Hearing damage can't be reversed so protect what you've got irrespective of dollars.

I wear Peltor Tactical Sport for hunting and shooting. I do not wait to put them on because they actually improve my poor hearing while wearing them.

http://peltorcomms.3m.com/Americas/Product.asp?PageNumber=1016&Product_Id=403&ProductCategory_Id=39

I used what used to be called Sonic II's . They're now made by a different company. They are inserted into the ear and have an internal baffle that closes. They've worked great without the bulk of muffs to get hung up on branches and such while on a stalk.

http://www.earplugstore.com/health-enterprises-acu-life-shooters-impact-ear-plugs.html

I've been using the sonic II's for years and love them. Put them in at the beginning of a hunt and you forget their even there.
However they are more suited to long gun use due to the proximity of the muzzle. They might be ok for hunting since your generally only taking one or two shots but for range time I'm using muffs or both.

Jeff

Howard Leights

has anyone tried the electronic earplugs? I like the idea of just having them in all the time and not having to wear clunky muffs

Yup, I put them in in the morning and take them out at night when the hunt is over.

I've not had a problem with them even with handguns, which is my primary method to hunt, a T/C Encore in .308 Win and an SRH in .480 Ruger.

I looked over all the muffs mentioned and decided to go with Howard Leight R01526 model. The specs look good and so did the price. Also, they were on a few best seller list. If they perform as advertised I think they are a good deal.

Dhom, those are what I got for my son several years ago and they've worked great. I use walker quad pros, but like the Howard lights better. They will be my next muffs once the time come. I think you will be satisfied.

Howard Leights
X2

My oldest son has the Walkers muffs and complains of background noise. I just received the Howard Leights and they seem to be just what they advertise. I haven't had a chance to use them in the field but I am happy.

I've a pair of Walker digitals, I use.
Steve

Howard Leight "Impact Sport" By Honeywell
My brother and I have 2 sets each.
The DB rating is a little low, but I do not find this to be a problem with anything I have fired hunting so far.
You can adjust the Volumn Up or Down to compensate for wind noise. When the wind is fairly calm, I will have them cranked all the way up. They will amplify a lot better than my normal hearing.
Battery life is very good also. We changed batteries in all of them just before deer season, to make sure they would all make it through the season with no problem. NOTE: We also wear them at the Range all the time for Handgun, and 3 Gun Match's, etc. I have no handle on how to rate the battery life other than Very Good. We use them for months on the range before changing the 2 AAA batteries. The head set has an automatic shut down at 4 Hours. Every 4 hours you will have to shut them Off & turn them back on. A battery saving feature, incase they are left on, when not in use.

Bob