Ear pro for the youngsters

[Krazykarl]

Took my 4 year old to the rifle range for the first time today. Graduated from back yard pellet rifle to 22lr! Yeah!

Problem was my ear muffs were too big for his head and he couldn't get a good cheek weld and sight picture. A good sight picture meant that his ear muffs were not ideally placed for effective noise protection. My foam plugs were also too big for his ear canal.

Ideas on low profile muffs??

[omegajb]

My son is a little older but my ear pros had the same problem. I picked him up a pair of Winchester electronic ear muffs at Walmart and they worked for him.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[militarymoron]

This is the set up I use for my son:

https://www.amazon.com/Peltor-Sport-.../dp/B000I7NX5E

Replaced the Peltor foam with Noisefighters gel pads which are more comfortable and conform better:
https://noisefighters.com/products/sightlines1

And use them over silicone ear plugs which don't go into the ear canal (NRR 22 db):
https://www.amazon.com/Macks-Pillow-.../dp/B003LZQGN6

[Krazykarl]

Thanks guys for the advice. He is excited and definitely wants to go again. I could tell we were going to have a problem when the guys a few benches down began using something bigger than 22lr and every report distracted him.

[0uTkAsT]

I have a set of these for my daughter. She was 3 when I first bought them and she's 5-1/2 now. They work great.

https://www.amazon.com/Peltor-Sport-...ateway&sr=8-13

[Krazykarl]

What do you guys think of electronic ear muffs? That way he can hear guidance from me and commands from RO. Are the electronic muffs still too bulky?

[crosseyedshooter]

What I plan to do with my infant son in the future, is similar to recommendations above but with Howard Leight Impact Sports and gel pads. I've found that first time shooters appreciate doubling up on hearing protection but have difficulty hearing verbal instructions. Electronic ears over plugs gives them the overall NRR protection but amplifies verbal instructions to a hearable level so I can communicate with them more easily.

[militarymoron]

What do you guys think of electronic ear muffs? That way he can hear guidance from me and commands from RO. Are the electronic muffs still too bulky?

In my experience, electronic ear muffs did not work for my son, but YMMV. I have Sordin, Peltor and Howard Leight electronic ear muffs that did not fit my son. The back of his head/neck is so skinny that they wouldn't seal. I just talk louder and he can still hear me through the doubled-up ear plugs and muffs. I always stay close to him and when I need him to hear me, I'm talking 6 inches from his ears.

I spent a lot of time at home teaching him firearm safety, handling, how to load/unload etc before we even went to the range (progressing from dummy gun to airsoft gun to pellet gun). IMHO, the only thing that should be a 'first time' for the range should be firing live rounds. Everything else including sight alignment/trigger control can be explained at home where it's quiet and distraction-free. All that prep time really paid off. The first time he was at the range, other shooters were watching him and commented on how well he handled the pistols (with a minimum of instruction from me, but me staying very close behind), and how safe he was. They were really surprised when I told them that it was his first time ever shooting a gun.

That brings up one of my pet peeves that I see at many public ranges - putting a live weapon in the hands of someone who has never even handled an empty one.

[jsbhike]

Not muffs, but these are smaller than standard.

https://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/max-small

[bp7178]

From experience riding loud motorcycles, how you insert a foam ear plug is everything. Don't twist it, just smash it into as thin a shape as possible. Reach over your head and gently pull up on you earlobe as you plug it. It helps if the plug is wet...and a little devil's lube, aka spit, works wonders. Just smoosh the plug, and pop it in your mouth, then ear. Hold it until it expands.

For new shooters, especially at an indoor range, double ear pro is HUGE. Foamies and cups if possible. IME, the big problem with muffs is that eye pro will interfere with them and break the seal. I can see this being a bigger problem on kids. Finding them properly fitting eye pro will go a long way.