When shooting any firearm, whether at the
gun range or while hunting, proper vision and hearing protection is always necessary. As we’ve always said, safety always starts with ensuring the proper handling of your firearms, but it also includes protecting yourself from potential accidents. Let’s take a look at some things you need to know about
eye and ear protection for your next trip to the range or hunting fields.
Why do I need eye protection?
We know the bullets are going the other way, but we also know that ricochets, unburned powder spray, and even muzzle flash can all cause damage to your eyes. And everyone knows that accidents happen more often than we may think while shooting. Safety glasses offer an element of protection that is an absolute must.
The best shooting glasses not only protect your eyes, they can actually help you locate targets more efficiently at the gun range. Contrast is often enhanced when the shooter uses yellow-tinted lenses in their shooting glasses because the white of the targets become a tinted yellow that stands out more effectively against the black rings on a standard target.
When you’re looking for top quality
eye protection make sure your shooting glasses are comfortable, fit well even when you’re on the move, can be easily cleaned, fit over your prescription eyewear, and are durable enough to withstand any bumps or scraps while in the field. Another thing you should consider when shopping for your eye protection is the lens colour. Majority of hunters swear by red lenses or brown lenses for use on overcast days to block out blue light and improve contrast. Clear lens is the best all around option if you shoot outdoors under fairly normal conditions. Finally, polarized lens reduce glare and maximize contrast making them the perfect choice for dusk or dawn shooting.
Why do I need ear protection?
A typical shotgun generates about 140 decibels of noise when firing a standard load, and that is enough to cause instant and permanent hearing damage. This is why you need ear protection to muffle the sound of your gunshots. The three ways gunfire can damage your hearing is through the frequency of the sound, the intensity of the sound and the duration that your ears are exposed to the report of the gun.
When you’re looking for top quality
ear protection you should look for something that delivers a comfortable and safe shooting experience. However, there are a few more factors to be considered.
First, the noise reduction rating factor (NRR) is very important as properly fitted earplugs or earmuffs should reduce noise by at least 20 dB or more. The goal while wearing ear protection is to experience a noise exposure of 85 dB of less.
Second, you have to decide on the type of ear protection you want to wear. In-ear protection tends to be smaller, lightweight and inexpensive, but they may not fit as securely as over-the-ear style. Those who are firing repeated strings of loads may choose to combine in-ear protection with standard earmuffs which delivers terrific hearing protection!
Protecting your eyes and ears is a vital part of a safe shooting experience, which is why we offer the finest eye and ear protection for all shooters.
Visit Triggers and Bows today and experience the thrill of shooting a variety of unique firearms in the comfort of our state of the art shooting range.
