i just purchased my first pistol, so i was looking on ebay for some eyes and ears, i see that they have some higher tech ones, that claim they let you hear the spoken word but block loud noises. do they really work? any recommendations would be appreciated.

You can buy very nice electronic thin-profile earmuffs from Caldwell for around $24 or $29. They work very well.

 

I think you're better off buying from Midway or Cabelas or some other place than ebay for stuff like this. Midway often has this stuff on sale, too. I got my low-profile Caldwell muffs for $19 on sale. Anytime I see people wearing them, they always say they got them for $19 on sale at Midway!

I got a great set of them from Dicks. Yes they do work.

Electronic muffs are the way to go IMHO. You can crank up the volume so you can hear people around you talking, but do a good job of muffling gun shots. I use these:

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-0 ... 001T7QJ9O/

Leight L1 are my basic ones... that work well.

 

winchester walmart specials are ok but not that comfy.

 

try regular ones, then buy electronic ones if you need them.

Harbor Freight has electronic ones for less than $15 everyday. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=92851

 

These are ALWAYS good to have: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=96365

I have a Series 7 from Peltor. They aren't cheap but they shut down quicker than the less expensive ones and the clarity of the sound is outstanding.

 

Like everything else, you get what you pay for in this world.

These work very well for me:

 

Surefire earpro

http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-EP4-MPR- ... 828&sr=8-2

I've gone through a couple of different brands before settling on Peltors.

 

Some cons on the cheap ones:

 

- As rscalzo said, the electronics are not as hot; they don't cut out as quickly on the shots and distort conversation.

 

- Battery life can be poor, meaning you're changing batteries every other range session.

 

- The body of the "muff" is thicker and can interfere with you getting a good cheek weld on a rifle (not an issue for pistols, obviously).

My set uses a 9 volts and battery life is very good...if I remember to turn them off at the end of the session. I both a cheap case to carry them in and keep a spare battery. I keep some 9 volt batteries removed from my smoke detectors at the yearly change and they work well.

i picked up a pair of Caldwell E-Max Low Profile Electronic Ear Muffs 487-557. but now i would like to understand what is the nrr rating?

nrr = noise reduction rating. Pretty self explanatory, but, for example, if something has a nrr of 23rd, it will take a sound that is 90db and make it sound like 67db. I'm over simplifying slightly, but that's the general gist of it.

 

These work very well for me:

 

Surefire earpro

http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-EP4-MPR- ... 828&sr=8-2

I love these! If I'm doing a lot of shooting, or if I'm at an indoor range, I double up. I wear the Surefire Earpros underneath my electronic muffs. The combo works great. But even on their own, these plugs works really well.

if you get into shotguns look at getting custom moulded plugs made.very comfortable all day but not enough protection for certain rifle and pistol reports

so what nr rating is recommended for normal range shooting?

I've settled on these for pistols: http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Ear ... B0013A0C0Y

 

They provide sufficient noise reduction for shooting 9mm and .45ACP at a small indoor range. Just make sure you insert them properly to attain a good seal.

Only thing I don't like about mine is that it amplifies the ventilation fan noise at indoor ranges and I forget to shut them off.

Electronic muffs are the way to go IMHO. You can crank up the volume so you can hear people around you talking, but do a good job of muffling gun shots. I use these:

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-0 ... 001T7QJ9O/

 

Hey Pete how are these muffs? i was looking into buying them.

I like them a lot. They do a good job of muffling blasts, and the amplification really helps when you're trying to have a conversation with someone. They're also relatively low profile and don't interfere when shouldering a rifle. For the money, they're pretty hard to beat.

Another cool suggestion if you dont like the constant talking is the Peltor Push to Listen. They have the constant block then when you need to hear around you you just push this little button and then the sound clicks in.

Another cool suggestion if you dont like the constant talking is the Peltor Push to Listen. They have the constant block then when you need to hear around you you just push this little button and then the sound clicks in.

 

 

Also can be renamed the "Ray Ray" option... 8-)

Another cool suggestion if you dont like the constant talking is the Peltor Push to Listen. They have the constant block then when you need to hear around you you just push this little button and then the sound clicks in.

 

 

Also can be renamed the "Ray Ray" option... 8-)

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't work with Matt, he talks loud enough to be heard over dual ear protection (plugs and muffs).