Eye & Ear Protection

If you plan on going on any Plinkers outings you’re going to need to buy, rent or borrow (limited supply) eye and ear protection. For your first outing, you may choose to rent or borrow equipment just to see if you like it. Beyond that, though, you’ll save money and insure your comfort and safety by buying your own.

Eye Protection—You’ll get the best protection from wraparound glasses designed for shooting or working with power tools. These are impact-resistant. They won’t stop a bullet but will keep sparks, fragments and Dick Cheney’s birdshot out of your eyes (maybe). Clear or yellow lenses are your best bet for indoors. If you wear prescription glasses already, make sure they’re impact resistant. Mine are and seem to work just fine. Shooting glasses that fit over prescription glasses are also available. Prices for eye protection range from about $6 up to hundreds of dollars. Aside from the glasses and goggles types of protection, I would also strongly encourage you to wear a low-profile baseball cap. These keep hot brass from dropping down the front of your glasses and the low profile allows earmuffs to be worn over them.

Ear Protection—For ear protection, you may use traditional earmuffs, electronic earmuffs and/or earplugs. Each type of ear protection is given a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). The higher the number, the more protection you get. Generally, the closer you get to 30dB NRR the better. Electronic earmuffs work a little differently. When turned off, they work just like traditional earmuffs. When turned on, however, they will allow you to hear normal conversation but will suppress louder sounds (generally over 85dB). For indoor ranges, I’d recommend a combination of both earmuffs (traditional or electronic) and earplugs. Though you may be shooting a relatively quiet .22LR rifle, we don’t have any control over those around us. For outdoor shooting, you can tailor your protection to the firearm you’re shooting. When I’m shooting clays, I double up. With the 10/22, I wear plugs or earmuffs but not both. Plugs are cheapest, of course. Traditional earmuffs start at around $7 for lower NRR. Electronic earmuffs can sometimes be found for $20-25 but are often more.

Where to Buy—You can buy this stuff at most ranges, but the selection will be limited and prices will be higher. I’d recommend going online and buying them through an outfit like www.midwayusa.com or www.cabelas.com. Dick’s Sporting Goods and most Wal-Marts or Meijers outside of Chicago would also be good. Here’s a link that will probably give you the best selection at the most reasonable prices: Midway USA

Final Note—A few months back, I was running through a little drill with my 20 gauge pump in Indiana. A fellow thought it looked “wicked” and wanted to give it a try. I gave him the gun then offered him glasses and earmuffs. He declined the protection. Now, his ears didn’t start bleeding and he didn’t shoot his eye out, but this was reckless of him. Eye protection is a no-brainer, but good ear protection will actually make you a better shot. If you develop a flinch reflex early on, you will find yourself pulling off target when you pull the trigger and will really have to work to undo it.