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Peltor Tactical 7S Earmuffs

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:55 pm
by Dr G
I just received a package from Sinclairs containing three pairs of these earmuffs. One for me, one for Mel and one for Kev. I ordered them on the 17th and they arived today, great service.

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I have often had concerns wearing earplugs while shooting at night. For one you may not hear important things like "I am about to take a shot" which could place you in danger. Also you cant hear the UHF radio properly which can be vital when shooting on BHP property. While fox shooting down near melrose last october another shooter that the owners invited along had a pair of these and since then I have been thinking about the advantages of this sort of hearing protection. My hearing has been pretty well hammered over the years not just from shooting but also from playing in bands so I am keen to protect what is left.

The Peltor Tactical 7S is a Swedish product aimed at firearm users it works by having a microphone that captures all sounds. The electronics inside analyse the information and process the sound before reproducing it to the ear. It provides protection against impulse noises like gunshots. Peltor claim that speech and weak signals can be amplified up to 10 times so your awareness of what is around you is increased.

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The first thing i did was go and buy some 9v batteries. I shouldnt have bothered as they ship with batteries included. Putting the units on and turning the knob was a revalation. The sound amplification was amazing, I went outside and could clearly hear some kids talking in the playground 50m away taking them off all i could hear was a murmur but putting them back on I could hear every word as if they were right by my back fence. I am not sure if it was amplified by ten times but it was pretty freaky. I probably would have caught my ex wife out sooner if I had had these back in August :evil: . The sound attenuation is pretty good as well. Slapping my hand down hard on the kitchen table made a dull thud without affecting the other normal sounds. I think they will be perfect for wearing while spotlighting as we will be able to hear each other normally and not be left unprotected. According to the documentation they have a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 25db.

Wearing them while shouldering a rifle is no problem either. The units dont touch the stock of either my sps or the tikka unlike some other brands of earmuff. Actual use in the field might have to wait until later next week as i have the kids at the moment so geting out for a night on the light is a bit of a pain. Once I do I will add some more to this post along with more photos and some idea of battery life.

The cost of them worked out to a bit under $150AUD/unit plus $45AUD postage and they took all of seven days to get from the US to Roxby

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:09 pm
by crowbuster
G'day Dr. G,

I purchased a set of these myself from Sinclairs a few months ago and my biggest regret is not having got them sooner as they are absolutely brilliant.
The ability for improved hearing whilst hunting, while preventing harmful noise, has got to make these one of the most useful bits of equipment you can buy.

Good review by the way..

CB

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:17 pm
by HiWall
Thanks for that. Been looking for something good - now the Accu-Brake will be a real pleasure.

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:00 am
by bushchook
Dr G ,
Let us know how you go with the profile . Do they interfere with the stock ?
I have Peltor Soundtraps which are a low profile design but only 19dB . Thinking about upgrading .

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:14 am
by 500Nitro
They are good Muff's but I found a similar shaped pair
by Peltor got caight on the stock all the time so I also
went low profile.

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:09 pm
by Sharky
Been using a similar pair for pistol shooting for ages.
Anything used to help keep the blast of a round down is always a good thing. You only get one decent set of air drums. :wink:
The audio of people speaking sounds abit odd at first but you can hear pple clearly and the shot sound is reduced dramatically.
A good buy in IMO.

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:10 pm
by trevort
hate that choice on the back of the ute spotlighting. Earplugs and no conversation or no earplugs and sore ears.

Give us a report on field use, two pairs could be winging there over here soon

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:03 pm
by bushchook
Trev ,
Excellent for spotlighting as can communicate quietly without scaring the foxes away . I wear mine whilst hunting on foot as well and don't believe it disadvantages me in any way. In fact they amplify the sound of your footsteps so make you more conscious of walking quietly .

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:58 pm
by Herbs
Hearing protection AND high grade listening/espionage equipment? Brilliant! :lol:

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:04 am
by Nick S
Nice toys Dr G!
I got a set that functions similarly from Bunnings. They only have one mic, so you do not get directional hearing, but they allow normal conversation and block loud noises as effectively as my compact peltors. While they could not stack up against these, they were only $20. I'd love a set of these ones, but $150 plus post is getting up there when your gunsafe is as bare as mine. (one day tho)

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 7:49 pm
by Dr G
Bushchook, while I havent taken them shooting yet I have shouldered both the tikka hunter and rem sps sporter with them on. In both cases they didnt hit the stock (though not by much). This may be because I have a big head (I am one size away from having to get Akubra to make me a custom hat :lol: ).

NickS, not to worried about the cost more the performance. These will be claimed on tax as saftey equipment in any event.

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:36 pm
by bushchook
Dr G wrote:Bushchook, while I havent taken them shooting yet I have shouldered both the tikka hunter and rem sps sporter with them on. In both cases they didnt hit the stock (though not by much). This may be because I have a big head (I am one size away from having to get Akubra to make me a custom hat :lol: ).

NickS, not to worried about the cost more the performance. These will be claimed on tax as saftey equipment in any event.
Thanks . Anyone interested in some Peltor Soundtraps at a reasonable price ? Couple of years old .

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:07 pm
by ogre6br
DrG

Do these ones have an input jack phono?? somewhere you could plug in a UHF hand held or similar unit??

So you dont have to take them off to recieve/make chatter on the radio??

Thanks
later
P

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:09 pm
by Dr G
the way they work you dont need to take them off anyway but they also have the means to have a mike set installed similar to a pilots head set

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:12 pm
by crowbuster
Mine have a jack so you can plug in an mp3 player or UHF radio. Cord not supplied though.

CB