Many people enjoy outdoor activities during the summer months, including hunting and shooting. However, it’s essential to prioritize protection and safety to ensure the long-term enjoyment of these hobbies. Prolonged exposure to loud gunfire can cause permanent damage to the inner ear, leading to ringing in the ears or constant Tinnitus. This condition can be debilitating and significantly impact one’s quality of life. Shooter’s Ear, also known as Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), is a serious risk that should not be taken lightly.
So, what is a practical but good ear protection for NZ hunting conditions?
If you’re serious about protecting your hearing, it’s time to ditch those basic foam plugs or clunky earmuffs. Upgrade to custom-fit or electronic earplugs – they’re a game-changer for shooters. At Pacific Ears, we’ve got a range of earplugs designed specifically for hunting and shooting, so whether you’re a weekend warrior or a pro, we’ve got you covered.
PACS Pro Impact 15 – Custom Earplugs
The Pro Impact Earplugs are custom-designed, high-performance earplugs engineered for military applications. These earplugs are specifically designed to mitigate sudden, high-intensity sounds such as gunfire, artillery blasts, and other impulse noises like those from nail guns, drop hammers, and riveting equipment. They offer superior hearing protection for shooting and hunting enthusiasts, as well as individuals working in loud industrial environments. With two operating modes, these earplugs provide a consistent mid-level of protection, while also offering instant high-level protection in response to sudden, extreme noises. They offer a constant noise reduction of approximately 15dB, which can increase to a maximum of 33dB in response to high-intensity sounds. These earplugs can be worn in conjunction with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as over-ear headsets, and feature a discreet, comfortable soft silicone in-ear mold that is custom-made to fit the wearer’s unique ear shape.
Etymotic Gun Sport Pro Elite Earplugs
Specifically designed hearing protection for gun sport enthusiasts, professional shooters, guides and instructors, hunters, manufacturing floor workers and heavy machinery operators
- Ideal earplugs for gun sport enthusiasts who need protection from firearm blasts, and for people who need protection from loud continuous noise (vehicles and machinery)
- Etymotic’s GSE earplugs are rechargeable
- Electronic hearing protection, a battery powered electronic circuit that samples your surrounding sound levels in real-time.
- Safe sound levels are passed through to your eardrums as-is, but protection kicks in as soon as sound levels become too high. You are protected automatically!
- Keep your hearing protection in at all times in the shooting range because you’ll still hear talking or instructions clearly and naturally
- Allows natural hearing up to 60dB (normal conversation or background music levels)
- Provides 15 dB of automatic hearing protection between 70dB to 115dB (vehicle traffic, power tools, lawn mower)
- 40 dB noise reduction to protect from blasts and other very loud noises, 120dB and over
- Soft Sound Amplification up to 5X
- Water-resistant plus windscreen
Etymotic GSP15 Gun-Sport-Pro Earplugs
GSP•15 Electronic Earplugs are for gun sport enthusiasts who need hearing protection from firearm blasts, but also need protection from loud continuous noise from vehicles, machinery or repeated gunfire from nearby shooters.
- GunSport PRO electronic earplugs are designed for gun sport enthusiasts in the field
- Provide optimal hearing protection (gun blast protection) but also allows for enhanced awareness, natural hearing and clear communication
- Offers ear protection from loud continuous noise from repeated gunfire blasts, nearby shooters, vehicles or noise from machinery
- Provides 15 dB of automatic hearing protection when noise exceeds safe levels
- Improves distance detection up to 5X
PACS Impact – Universal-Fit
The new universal fit version with soft in-ear tips is now available for ‘off the shelf’ convenience.
- Shooting plugs with an active impulse filter
- Developed for military use
- Constant noise reduction of approximately 15dB-33dB when activated by sudden high noise (gunshots/gunfire)
- Constant noise SNR value of 15dB (estimated), suitable for continuous safe use to 100dB
- Can be worn with over-ear headsets for higher levels of noise protection
- The small size of Impulse filters makes them unobtrusive and comfortable to wear, fitting easily under communications headsets or earmuffs
- Protects hearing from gunfire, artillery noise and impulse sounds from nail guns, drop hammers and riveting
- Unique filter technology is designed to allow air to enter the ear. This retains spatiality and sound directionality as required in hunting and combat situations
- Has undergone full environmental testing for humidity, hot and cold temperatures, 12-hour comfort
- Earplugs that are fully washable with water and normal detergents
- Suitable for all outdoor and indoor situations
Other resources related to shooting ear protection:
Article: ‘Shooting Hearing Protection’
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Pacific Ears specialises in custom-made and ready-fit earplugs for a wide range of professions and activities, such as sleeping, flying, musicians, performing artists, industrial work, motorcycling, swimming, kids and more.
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