r/canadaguns • u/macmuaythai • Apr 03 '26
Misc New to shooting, fearful of ear damage
Interested and excited to start this hobby/pastime. But am fearful of the damage to ears, I already purchased some walker xcel 500 headphones for outdoor shooting and was going to double up. Wondering if there is anything else I can do or if I should just not worry
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u/Bubbafett33 Apr 03 '26
If you are doubled up with ear plugs and your ear pro, you are 100% safe from hearing damage (assuming you aren't shooting large bore rifles indoors).
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u/JurboVolvo Apr 03 '26
I went for custom ear plugs with interchangeable filters. I have block outs, 9db,15db, 25db filters and you can always add muffs over them. Much more comfortable than foam. They are expensive though but live music, shooting and work as a mechanic was enough for me to justify the cost.
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u/Fine-Tie2651 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
This is all good advice in here but the most important thing to know is how to correctly insert ear plugs. You donât just jam them into your ear like 95% of people. You have to follow the instructions and roll them up, pinch the top of your ear lobe and lift it. With the rolled up ear plugs, insert it all the way into your ear and hold it there for 30 seconds while it expands. Next, look in the mirror and check to see if the earplugs are visibly sticking out of your ear when looking head on. If it is, you havenât inserted them well enough and need to try again. Also they should be pretty flush with your skin. Hence forth you will get the full 33 decibel reduction as opposed to the 15db you would get if you just jammed it into your ear. Also look for the highest NRR plugs and muffs at 33 and 30NRR.
Edit: my favourite brand is hearos as they slide in to your ear a lot better than regular orange plugs and can be reused more times.
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u/notanm1abrams Apr 03 '26
Simple ear protection is enough. Iâd only double up if youâre going to an indoor range, even then itâs not needed. I recommend any electronic noise canceling. My headphones have high power microphones so I can hear lower DB sounds very well. I can hear bees buzzing at 75 yds but gunshots are low
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u/1baby2cats Apr 03 '26
Just personal experience, I used electronic noise cancelling headphones in an indoor range and had ringing in my ears for months after. I use ear plugs now and shoot at an outdoor range
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u/Fine-Tie2651 Apr 03 '26
Do you mean that you used Apple AirPods?
Or walkers razors muffs? because neither of these are really sufficient for ear pro indoors and the AirPods arenât even ear pro to begin with.
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u/ProfessorOfPain Apr 03 '26
Well, yes and no. Apple says theyâre not good for gunshots but they are hearing protection:
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u/Fine-Tie2651 Apr 03 '26
As someone who got debilitating tinnitus after being advised to use ânoise cancelling headphonesâ, Apple AirPods should never be conflated with actual passive ear protection. Few people know the difference between electronic ear protection and noise cancelling headphones and conflating the two can be absolutely catastrophic. Do not ever recommend AirPods as hearing protection even if Apple says they are as it is not sufficient for noise exposure that actually risks your hearing instantaneously.
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u/notanm1abrams Apr 03 '26
Then you didnât use them properly.
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u/Reasonable_Hall2346 Apr 03 '26
Are you sure you guys are talking about the same type of headphones? The over the ear Walkers are decent, although i like to double up indoors to reduce flinching when someone is shooting a big caliber next to me.
Meanwhile I think the other commenter is referring to those inear noise canceling headphones, which i dont think are suitable for indoors.
Sorry if my assumptions are wrong.
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u/notanm1abrams Apr 03 '26
You may be right. But, typically âheadphonesâ refers to one solid piece that covers both ears fully and has a band that goes over your head. Earphones or ear buds are in ears. In ears alone, whether the foam ones or electronic, I would never ever recommend for use on their own.
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Apr 03 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/notanm1abrams Apr 03 '26
Walker Razor. Bought a couple years ago. Iâve used lots of their products and theyâre all good
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u/Top_Importance6216 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
surefire ear plugs + a good set of active protection (I run Sordins, also Gel cups>) + dont be dumb
youll be juuuuuuust fine. I wouldnt worry, but I wouldnt be careless ya know? Invest in quality gear.
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u/Kaffarov .40 Salt&Walnuts Apr 03 '26
I use both earplugs with electronic ear pro overtop of them, so far so good!
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u/Spydude84 Apr 03 '26
In-ear foamies and over-ear protection is fine. Technically, it may not be enough, but plenty of anecdotal experience shows you can do this for decades and not face hearing damage (and this includes them receiving annual hearing exams)
This said, I had some ringing for a bit after staying up all night and then going to the range like an idiot lol, get some sleep before range days.
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u/Cager_CA Apr 03 '26
You only get one set of ears. Â Iâd recommend doubling up and spending some proper coin on a set of good ear pro, Â as in not walkers for $60 on Amazon. Â
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Apr 03 '26
Whatâs wrong with Walkers, theyâre fine for beginners.
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u/Cager_CA Apr 04 '26
Yeah theyâre fine, Â but they said theyâre fearful of ear damage so Iâd spend a bit more in this specific caseÂ
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u/macmuaythai Apr 03 '26
These walkers are 170$ not 60$ Amazon ones I spent good money on them because I want to protect my ears
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u/BrotherLefthand Apr 03 '26
I use loops silicone concert earbuds underneath my walker active ear pro. Great combo. You can easily maintain a conversation, yet you're fully protected from even large caliber rifles.
I was just at the range with this ear pro setup. There was a group of 3 guys setting up .300WM prs rifles. They were loud, but didn't bother me at all.
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u/23091iown Apr 03 '26
I'd suggest doubling up and making sure you are inserting the ear plugs correctly (ie. twist them up and ram them deep). It
Even outdoors there are guns that will overcome a decent set of ear pro and veer into the dangerous for hearing levels. With a muzzle brake and a short barrel you can get up into the 160db's. 26 db NRR only will not be enough for ANY exposure at that level.
For a hobby there really isn't any need to risk your hearing when you can have much better protection by just throwing in a 30 cent pair of earplugs.
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u/h3IIfir3pho3nix N E R F G U N S Apr 03 '26
If you're at an indoor range or shooting with other people next to you, double up with ear plugs and ear muffs.
If you're shooting by yourself outdoors, you can get by with single ear protection. I always double-up anyways.
With plugs + muffs you'll be fine. The only other thing you can do is get custom made ear plugs from an audiolgist (which are awesome), but they're going to give you more of a benefit for comfort and fot vs noise reduction.
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u/SmoothCriminalAaron Apr 03 '26
You should be fine. If you are in an indoor range and the guy next to you is shooting a large round with a muzzle break....maybe move behind him.
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u/KawasakiCowboy242 Apr 03 '26
I always use in-earplugs and use over the ears for double protection. Youâll be thankful you did when youâre older
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u/MidnightFluid536 Apr 03 '26
I use earplugs and walker earmuffs. I need to keep my hearing for diagnosing cars, difficult to do when ears are ringing.
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u/Enough_Challenge7264 Apr 03 '26
You should be worried, and it is almost inevitable that at some point of time, that a rifle report will occur when you have your protection slipped off. It happens. While these incidences are always jarring, and no doubt cause permanent damage, they are very infrequent if you do your part, and by the sounds ;) of things, you are.
Problems like tinnitus can be caused by over exposure to loud noise, but unfortunately, and more often than not, are just age related issues. We degrade as we age. That's all there is to it.
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Apr 03 '26
Use a high quality, high NRR rating foam in ear plugs with a quality over the ear paid of muffs and you'll be fineÂ
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u/therowdyirishman Apr 03 '26
One thing to be conscious of is not breaking the seal on your muffs with the comb of the stock. Put a similar amount of concern/research into your eye protection too. Look into industrial vs military impact rating.
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u/chillyrabbit Apr 03 '26
Like others have said double up, ear plugs and ear muffs.
Something to consider and keep in mind is that if you wear eye protection and muffs. You can lose most of or all the effectiveness of the muffs because the glasses legs are breaking the seal and providing a noise pathway to your ears.
Solutions to that issue are:
- wearing the legs of the glasses outside of the ear protection
- getting gel pads that have more flexibility and can "seal" around the legs better than rubber.
- Getting noisefighter earpads, or similar. They are gel pads that have a shelf cutout to rest your glasses legs on so it doesn't break the seal.
- Get eye protection with very thin legs like ESS crossbow suppressor or smith optics echo (discontinued, but you can see what I mean thin temple legs) so you aren't breaking the ear pad seal very much
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u/Ace_And_Jocelyn1999 Apr 03 '26
Whenever practical I try to double up hearing protection. Get some comfortable and good fitting foam earplugs with a high rating as well as your over ear protection.
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u/prosper_0 Apr 04 '26
over-ears > in-ears. Both together are ideal for things like covered ranges with frequent repeated fire, or next to some asshole rapid firing a braked rifle right next to you.
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u/IronAnt762 Apr 04 '26
Double up. Shooting is harmful to your hearing so just accept the fact and move on to the next safety item. Eye pro that works with cans.
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u/LongRoadNorth Apr 03 '26
In ear foam plus muffs. Should get you around a 40-45db noise reduction, most rifles etc are around 120-130db so that brings you down around 85-90db.
As long as you're not shooting for hours every day your exposure should be low enough that your risk of hearing damage is pretty low.
For what it's worth driving on the highway with the windows open would be considered louder and a higher risk. At that point
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Apr 03 '26
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u/zporb Apr 03 '26
don't worry bud. Can always use ear plugs under the cans if you're paranoid, although a good set will have you covered