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Shooting with Hearing Aids

bsekf

I have an appointment with the VA for a hearing test. Have not been tested is several years and don't know just what is available. Presently use plugs and muffs when shooting and just plugs when running equipment. I have plugs in 2-3 times a day. I understand the VA is the biggest buyer of hearing aids, so would think I'll have many options.

Do any good hearing aids have a " noise cancelling" feature? And does it work for shooting?
I don't want to fool with batteries, are all good hearing aides available as rechargeable?
 
Agreed, my first set of hearing aids required a hard reset (which erased my personal programming) after being on our rifle range. The 3 of us were shooting suppressed .22 LR Bolt and Semi-auto rifles and at hearing-safe decibel levels.
Another Club Member arrived and we let him get set up while we went through the chronograph data for the various ammo through each rifle.
While our group was engaged in snapshotting the data for our rifles, the recent-arrival Member sent an unsuppressed round downrange without notice. My Buddy called cease fire to get his attention while we put on muffs. Startling to say the least, and I have to think he assumed we were wearing earplugs. Well, it shut my hearing aids down and I had to refer to the website (tower service is sketchy out there) to get them to work again. Lost the lower and upper tone specs for my particular needs, but at least I was able to hear over the ringing in my ears.
I now wear my electronic muffs over my hearing aids and it negates having to remove/secure them while shooting. I reduce the volume on my hearing aids and then adjust the volume on my muffs to remain aware of surroundings. Works perfectly for me, at least.

Went to my Audiologist to reprogram that set of aids, and was relieved that they were not damaged. My insurance permits new ones every 3 years and the tech typically improves significantly in that period. I opted for the same variant, albeit a different mfg. Now I have far more features and Bluetooth/streaming; pretty convenient. Likewise conversational enhancement, while suppressing ambient noise such as crowded restaurants. My co-pay was approx $650 of the $6K price point. Deal!
 
I purchased a pair of AXIL GS Extreme sound amplifying-noise canceling hearing buds. Primarily to use quail hunting as I have difficulty hearing the birds flush, these work exceptionally well for me. I began using them for IDPA, then rifle and have fired my .308 comfortably. Well worth a try for the price.
 
My best advice is to see an audiologist because a professional will be able to fit you with best tuned device for your specific hearing loss problem. Plus, from time to time, some adjustment may be necessary. In addition, caps and filters have to be replaced periodically. The VA should be able to do a good job on all of these issues.

I lost most of my hearing in the Army and have been using plugs and muffs for many years, it's helps. However, if you are shooting next to someone with a muzzle break and short barrel, you can still receive damaging decibels, so it is best to avoid that situation.

My audiologist advised me to remove my hearing aids when shooting or any shop or yard work activities with high decibel generating equipment.
 
I have the Starky brand from the VA. Very happy with them. These are "in-ear" style. They have 3 settings for levels (direction) ,Normal, Restaurant, and Crowd. Normal gives you 360 deg. coverage, Restaurant gives you forward facing coverage , Crowd "mutes" to some extent the more distant sounds to break up the background chatter.
These modes are just a touch of a button on the back of the earpiece. The volume , tone and other features can all be adjusted via Bluetooth.
PS I don't use them at the range.
 
GotRDid said:
Pics of my current set…View attachment 1589856
View attachment 1589857
View attachment 1589858
Three are other designs that fit in the ear canal, but I prefer these.
Click to expand...
Identical to mine. Wasn't sure about the rechargeable feature, but actually prefer it now that I've had them awhile. I only wear them for appts and social situations, go au natural for everything else, don't need them when talking to myself - LOL.

I take them to a match but leave in the truck until afterward, put them in before going to clubhouse for lunch and BS session.

I 've had hearing aids since 1990, first pair issued while still active duty (retired 1995). VA sends me notices for audiology appts approx every 5yrs. By far, the latest set is the most comfortable.
 
My hearing aids from the VA are the Oticon model. They come with a charger so no messing with batteries. I don't believe they offer any sudden noise suppression. Also, I like them because you can control them with your iPhone. I don't know about "options" with the V.A. Good luck with that. The only option I got was to pick the color. Another good thing about the V.A. hearing aids...They have insurance on the hearing aids that will cover the replacement 100%. I lost a set when I moved from VA. to NV. I got a new set, and no questions were asked!
 
CJ6 said:
I have the Starky brand from the VA. Very happy with them. These are "in-ear" style. They have 3 settings for levels (direction) ,Normal, Restaurant, and Crowd. Normal gives you 360 deg. coverage, Restaurant gives you forward facing coverage , Crowd "mutes" to some extent the more distant sounds to break up the background chatter.
These modes are just a touch of a button on the back of the earpiece. The volume , tone and other features can all be adjusted via Bluetooth.
PS I don't use them at the range.
Click to expand...
I like the settings you get with that model. Normally I just remove my aids when I get in a "crowd" situation.
 
Hearing aids biggest PIA in a restaurant, mine come out of ears & go in my shirt pocket.

Best thing I got for my $ 6000.00 Audibell hearing aids ( Starkey) brand was Custom Molded ear plugs,
Work great. Bluetooth function was always a pain, got rid of it, now just have 4 programs, and volume control.
Use muffs in addition if under covered shooting range & concrete floor.

Only use hearing aids to watch T V, & listen to wife. ( on occasion) :) Maybe!!
 
Retired shooter said:
Hearing aids biggest PIA in a restaurant, mine come out of ears & go in my shirt pocket.

Best thing I got for my $ 6000.00 Audibell hearing aids ( Starkey) brand was Custom Molded ear plugs,
Work great. Bluetooth function was always a pain, got rid of it, now just have 4 programs, and volume control.
Use muffs in addition if under covered shooting range & concrete floor.

Only use hearing aids to watch T V, & listen to wife. ( on occasion) :) Maybe!!
Click to expand...
Ditto to all the above, except I don't wear them shooting.
 
bsekf said:
I have an appointment with the VA for a hearing test. Have not been tested is several years and don't know just what is available. Presently use plugs and muffs when shooting and just plugs when running equipment. I have plugs in 2-3 times a day. I understand the VA is the biggest buyer of hearing aids, so would think I'll have many options.

Do any good hearing aids have a " noise cancelling" feature? And does it work for shooting?
I don't want to fool with batteries, are all good hearing aides available as rechargeable?
Click to expand...
All the top hearing aid brands have noise cancelling feature. And they have phone apps that provide a settings for various environments and uses.

The brand I've been using for years is ReSound, the model I've had for the last 3 years is ReSound One that's a behind the ear type and this one has what they refer to as in the ear receiver with M&RIE, an "in the ear microphone" in addition to the other mics for a better range of sound control. For best sound control with this particular design, I use a medium sized dome with no slits so outside sound can be completely block out when I choose. This can help as an earplug when shooting, but in addition to that I do use ear muffs as an added layer, mostly to protect the hearing aid itself. These aids are rechargeable and last more than a full day, even when using a lot of streaming from other devices. If for some reason they start to run low, 15 minutes in the recharger puts almost a full charge back on.

Before I got my aids, I thought I'd never be able to enjoy TV and listening to music ever again. But with these aids, it's been wonderful. It's almost like I haven't lost any of my hearing. I use a "streamer" that's attached to the TV and sound goes directly into my aids. The same for listening to music from my phone or receiving a phone call. It's as though I hadn't lost any of my hearing at all. And I have mild to sever hearing loss.

The VA has been good to me for my hearing aids. I get full coverage and every 3 years I can replace my aid with the latest greatest technology at not cost (I get full disability from the VA). So, I'm about due for an upgrade. ;) When choosing a hearing aid, the two best one is either from Phonak or from ReSound. You won't go wrong choosing from either one of those.
 
i tried hearing aids for a short time, and they just dont work for shooting. much more comfortable with just the walker muffs, and when i get a M1 beside me, i add the custom molded plugs also.
 
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